Swaddling and Sleep Positioners

Ive never used a sleep positioner. in fact, christian sleeps on his belly... he sleeps best that way, and I'm confident in his ability to lift his head and such. So many generations have slept on their tummies, and I really think dr's are still trying to figure out the SIDS thing.. I don't think laying on the tummy is REALLY that big of a factor :)

I swaddle him sometimes when I'm putting him to sleep.. he won't let me swaddle his arms, and he usually just kicks hard enough to get the blanket off of him.. and most receiveing blankets aren't big enough for him now because he's so long.

He DOES still have the startle reflex, which is one reason why he can't handle sleeping on his back.. he wakes himself up right away!!

Cameron is using the miracle blanket on/off, he kicks his legs out of it but because it wraps several times around him, his arms stay secured. He is still in a sleep positioner laying on his back but some nights he wriggles down the end of it and his head is in between the sides of it (scary). Last night he had a horrible night, he went down around 11:30pm and woke up at 1am screaming, Jay picked him up and he threw up all over Jay (do you think it was from the rice cereal feeding?) then he couldn't put him back in the miracle blanket cause it was soiled. I put him back in his crib on his tummy to help with the startle reflex but he didn't last long, maybe 2 hrs. He woke up so many times last night, we'd go in and give him the pacifier and finally around 5am'ish I put him in bed with us, he still thrashed his head around, back and forth from side to side. Jay finally took himn downstairs around 6:30-7am and fed him, then he fell asleep in his swing from around 9 to 11am. He seems happy today, so I know he's not sick. No fever, no spitting up, playing well.

I'm wondering should I stop swaddling him since the miracle blanket is getting too small, reg receiving blankets have been too small for a few months now and should I take out the sleep positioner? I like our crib mattress, the vibrating one, but it seems sort of soft in the middle when I lay him down his head sinks down a little bit. Maybe it's just not firm enough for him? So many unknowns.....

Hi Sarah- I think you can stop swaddling him is he 3 months or 4 ?

I stopped using the sleep positioner when Jacob would wake up "stiff" in the morning from being in the same position all night..

Sorry he had a rough night.. sometimes when they thrash their heads it could mean their ears are bothering them.. and an ear ach does not necessarily need a fever to accompany it.. just a thought ;)

He's 14 wks old now, I thought ear ach a few weeks ago when he started this bit of thrashing his head back and forth but when he had his check up with the doc, his ears showed they were ok.

Problem with stop swaddling is that he throws his arms up and startles within minutes, but the swaddling is also making him hot even with the ac in his room and only a onesie under the miracle blanket. His room temp is 70 all the time.

Hey sarah...sorry you has a rough night! :) I still swaddle Caden, but just his legs. He hates his arms being confined. I've read that you are supposed to stop once they start to kick it off bc/ they can get tangled in it. But Caden kicks his off when he wakes anyways so who knows! :) Let me know what you find out. I'm always up for new tips. Hope tonight is a better night. Hugs!

I think tonight I'm going to put him in a sleep sack and not in the sleep positioner. Just on his back and see how it goes. I love the mattress I bought that vibrates I just didn't realize how much it sinks down when he lays on it so for that reason I won't put him on his tummy to sleep. I wonder if he now needs a firmer mattress?

Maybe Sarah, I proped up Caden's bed at the head to help with spitting up and realized the same thing. So placed another folded towel in the middle area and it helped with that. Good luck!!!

Hi Sarah, Im so sorry Cam had a rough night. My Dr advised me to stop swaddling coz of the heat. He said even if the house is set at 70 F, the outside heat does get on to us. About the srartling during sleep if not swaddled,try covering him up with a blankie that is tucked tight under the mattress so that he feels someone is holding him or something. Thats wat Im doing instead of the swaddling.

What Fran says is also so correct. i dont do it in the night coz the bassinet is not big enough to be propped, but in the day time, i place a very light fluffy pillow under her head and it helps a whole lot with the spit up. Its a great idea.

Sarah does he hold his head up I mean Im sure his neck is steady, but can he lift it up? Mine's neck is steady and dont need support but she still cant seem to lift up and look. So, I think until then only Similac Advance for her.

Also, are u using the sleep positioner in the crib? May be he feels confined coz hes getting bigger? I havent tried it, but just a thought.

Good idea Hope, I'll try to use just a blanket and tuck it under the mattress. He doesn't spit up anymore, the zantac and allimentum formula have solved that problem. Yes, he does hold his head up. He is able to go in his jumparoo now with no help of any propping with blankets. Yes, I do use the sleep positioner in his crib but tonight I'm going to take it out. He can lay on his belly and pick himself up to his forearms and look all over the place for a long time, like at least ten minutes, if not longer. He also drinks 5, 5oz bottles a day and I am wondering if I need to up his ounces per feeding to maybe 6oz. I read that if you take the baby's weight and multiply it by 2.6 that is how many ounces they should take in a 24 hr period. Right now he takes about 27 ounces cause I sometimes add an ounce to one or two feedings. He sucks his 5oz bottles right down to the last drop and keeps sucking after so I think he would eat more. Do you think babies prefer a soft or firm mattress? He really loved sleeping in his basinet on the portable crib but he weighs too much for it now.

Hey Sara, sorry Cam had a rough night. Alayna is only 3 weeks old, so I am still swaddling and still using the sleep positioner....but I think Cam is old enough now that you can probably get rid of both...the pedi said they are basically a comfort measure for the baby so if baby can sleep without it, go for it! I think he def could have been having a difficult time with digesting the cereal..maybe you should increase his formula and cut out the cereal for a little while?

How much does he weigh? Alayna was 9 pounds last week and is eating 3.5oz - 4oz every 3-4 hours. (usually 7 feedings in 24 hours) Is this too much?? The pedi said that she should be the guide and if she is hungry to feed her. She said babies dont eat unless they are hungry...but now Im wondering if she is a pig..I mean Cam in months older and eating about the same amount?

No Erin, what Alayna is eating is right no track for her weight. I do disagree though that a baby won't eat unless hungry, cause Cameron would eat and then cry an hour and a half later and so I'd feed him again. Well one day, the nurse asked how often I fed him and so I told her around every 2hrs and sometimes 1 1/2 hrs and she said omg, too much. That is why he was spitting up so much and to feed him no sooner than 2hrs but to try every 3hrs and just cause he's crying isn't always hunger. And she was right, when I stopped and held at the every 3hrs, he was less spitting up. So you feeding Alayna every 3-4 hrs is perfect!

Last night we put Cam to bed without the sleep positioner and no swaddling, just in a sleep sack and a light blanket pulled tightly across him. He went an hour and woke up crying and then kept waking up every 15 min or so. Jay ended up putting the miracle blanket on him and he slept good from 1am to 4am and then I went in to give him the pacifier, he woke again at 6am..I gave the pacifier, he woke again at 7:15am..I gave the pacifier and he slept till 8:30am. So it was a better night I just wish he wasn't waking for the darn pacifier. Jay wants to break him of the pacifier but I don't agree cause he doesn't suck on one all day long, only sleeping so he's not addicted to always having it in his mouth, he obviously needs the comfort of it while sleeping. I'm not going to give him cereal anymore, I'm gonna wait until I go back to the pediatrician. I instead increased his formula to 5 1/2 oz and today I'll see if he's still hungry. So far he is good with the 1/2 oz increase.

Sara, thanks for your input on Alayna's eating habits...I started worrying that she was a pig! lol.

I wouldnt worry about breaking Cam from the pacifier yet. As my doctor said...you can get rid of a pacifier, they have their fingers forever. If you break him from the pacifier too soon he will no doubt start sucking on his fingers - and then you might end up with a thumb sucker until he's 10! lol. Better to just ket him have the pacifier for a while more. :)

Glad the 1/2 ounce increase is keeping Cam happy today!

FI for pacifer users.. The best time to break a child from a pacifer is 7-9 months.. for what ever reason children in that age group tend to "deal" with it better.. wait too long and it gets more difficult..

Ok, so I put Ella on her tummy yesterday to see what she does and she did lift her head instantly but it was not so high that she could move around, but the good thing is she lifted her head and then lay down again. I did again and again giving her a few hrs break and she did the same, lifted her head. So, Im kinda relieved. Also, her she can sit straight with back support and look around so Im guessing it just takes time for some, but Im asking my Ped. I asked another friend who had a baby 10 days before I did and her boy aint doing anything on the tummy either..I scared her enough to call the ped lol. Her Dr said its perfectly fine and nothing to worry.

Ella drinks every 2 hrs. Yes every 2 hrs and not more than 3.5 Oz. Last 2 days shes been having 4 oz every 2 hrs. In the nights, she takes her last feed at 10.30 and doesnt get up till about 5.30 AM and then every 2 hrs. Shess really tall, she can only fit into 6 months sized pants.

OMG OMG As I was typing this, my hubby was calling me and I was like what Ill come in a while and then he kept calling me like 4 times and Im so shocked and Ella is trying to roll over, she was so close... :)) I prayed so hard yesterday omg I was so scared.

Also the pacifier, shes completely off it, she hates it these days, earlier she used to ask us for the paci in her own language.

Hope...glad to hear you are feeling better about ella's tummy time.... christian is trying to roll over too!!! i'm so excited for it to happen.

Christian only takes his binky to fall asleep and he spits it out once he falls asleep

Anyone used the Baby Bjorn ? Or the likes ?

Hey Hope!

are you talking about the carriers? Like a front pack type of thing? If you are, I don't use the Baby Bjorn brand but one made by Jeep that was at Babies R us. I will give you the link. caden oves it and instantly falls asleep in it. It is nice to walk him in when I don't want to get out the stroller.

Here's the link:

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2266108

Hey Ladies...

We've had a tough time with Bea and the swaddle. Some nights it worked wonders, others it drove her nuts. We have since given up on the swaddle...for now. I did notice that her startle reflex does seem to be pretty much gone, but that's completely individual by baby. Many still have it at 4 months or so.

Bea's sleeping problem is that she's a grunter, and she'll grunt herself awake. The doctor thinks she may be dealing with a bit of heartburn, too, so we just started taking medicine for that. If lucky, she'll go down for three hours before needing her night feeding...then it's pretty much every hour or hour and a half. So, that, combined with her grunting, could equate to a mild case of heartburn.

We have a Baby Bjorn, but Bea isn't fond of it. I'm hoping that one day she'll decide to love it. I have a sling that she likes better.

Finally, just a heads up, my pediatrition told me not to use a sleep positioner, and that the American Association of Pediatritions (or whatever the group) has petitioned Babies R Us to stop carrying them, as babies have been known to somehow roll on top of them and cut off their air supply. We opted not to use one after we were told this info. Do with it as you wish...you may care to look around online, as I just took my doctor's word for it.

Well last night Cam was a fussy baby from around 8 to 11pm and kept spittin up after his bottles..not curdled, just looked like formula. So I did three things last night.

1. gave him infant tylenol for the discomfort of spitting up and also not knowing if he may have an ear ache

2. his last bottle I only gave him 4oz and put rice cereal in it to help weigh it down in his tummy like we were doing a month or so ago

3. I changed his crib mattress to my other one that is a bit firmer

We did swaddle him but did not use the sleep positioner and omg girls...he did GREAT!!!! He slept from 11:30pm to 7:30am and did not wake up once, not one time, not even for the pacifier!! HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!! :)))))

So tonight, I'll do the same thing, but no infant tylenol and see how it goes.

This morning he has already spit up his first bottle. So I don't know why he's starting that again. He was doing so good with the spitting up since we are giving him zantac twice a day. Oh and I didn't even give him a bath last night like I usually do cause I didn't want to jossle him around cause of him spitting up so much.

Anyways, thanks for all your advice!!!

Hey Sar- what time do you bath Cam?

Maybe the zantac needs to be increased.. I think we gave Jacob that 3 X a day.. I forget the dosage..

I used to bath Jacob about 5:30-6pm.. and then fed him.. before bed time.. it worked for us.. so he was all ready in him jammies before the last bottle :)

How much was Cam spitting and Jacob too? I'm starting to worry about Caden. He's always been a spitter, but how much warrants being too much? It isn't projectile but still happens almost every bottle he spits some. thanks!

Fran I tihnk they say as long as its now projectile, and the baby is still gaining, they the spit up is ok.. jacob was a projectile vomiter.. it would come out his nose and mouth at the same time- very scary.I would have to suction him out and they always told me it looks more that what it is.. I was like OMG its so much.. I found that "ready to feed" formulas made it worse.. so I made sure we consistently used the powder.. he was on Allimentum

It usually isn't more at its worst than 1/2 oz. it just looks like so much b/c of the mucus and other fluids. He will sneeze sometimes and it comes out of his nose....is that normal?

Oh yes he is gaining!! :) So I'm sure it is fine. I just worry every now and again. Thanks!