Graduating to Grobag

K

kashismum

Registered User
My son has loved to be fully swaddled since birth. The few times I tried to half swaddle, his moro reflex was still strong and his arms would flail, not allowing him to sleep. So, he was still sleeping soundly in his swaddle until a few days ago - almost 4 months!

Now, he desperately wants his hands out. So, I tried putting him in the grobag. He's ok when very tired and after a feed, he'll go straight to sleep. But, when we put him down for his daytime naps awake, he'll keep pulling out the dummy and crying. For these naps, he seems to need the dummy to fall asleep. What to do?
 
My daughter was a bit like that too, I ended up using a flat sheet which I tuck in snuggly with small towel wedged between the mattress and the cot bars. She wore her grobag but still had the comfort of feeling tucked in without overheating.
 
hi there,
We've recently went through the same experience as you, but my baby is a bit older- almost 6 months. She has been fully swaddled since birth. Recently, we noticed that she was fighting the swaddle and in the process, continuously knocking out the pacifier (took her silly parents a while to realize this).

We then half swaddled her- she is sometimes a bit of a pain during the day naps, pulling out her pacifier and then crying. We usually have to replace it a few times (I call it the "dance") and then she is tired enough that she simply falls asleep. However, I think she is getting used to having her arms free now and subsequently hasn't been pulling the pacifier out as often as,say, 2 weeks ago. We now have her in a grobag, instead of a half swaddle. Maybe your baby needs more time to get used to having his arms free and he might eventually learn not to pull the pacifier out. (We are also considering sleep training so that our baby isn't relying on the pacifier to get to sleep, but that's another topic altogether! We also tried putting our baby under a tucked in sheet (tucked all the way under the mattress), but she still pulled her arms out from under it somehow!)
 
alibali said:
hi there,
We've recently went through the same experience as you, but my baby is a bit older- almost 6 months. She has been fully swaddled since birth.
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:haha:Nice to know our baby isn't weird in that he liked the swaddle for so long! We were at a friend's place last week and they were so suprised that I wrapped my son like a mummy for his sleep.

My daughter was swaddled for about 2 weeks only!

I guess my boy will get used to the grobag, as you say.

If you have any tips on removing the dummy, let me know. I do have my suspicions, though, that its removal in my case may result in me being the substitute!
 
My baby dropped the dummy as soon as she learnt that sucking her thumb/finger is much easier. Breaking the latter habit has proven to be much harder...
 
Helen Sands - Sleep Consultant

Hi there, to achieve optimal sleep, babies should be swaddled up until the age of 4 months, nice and firm. Now that your baby is in the grobag, don't worry, he'll get used to it. It will take a little adjustment, however as long as that dummy is in his mouth, he won't learn how to soothe himself using his hands, fingers and thumbs. Also, you will be stuck with having to replace the dummy into his mouth, whenever it pops out! Hard habits to break but it can be done. Of course, if this is not an issue and he is sleeping the night through with no problems, that's wonderful!
 
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Well, the grobag thing is just not working so I'm giving up for now. I've been reading that some babies like to be swaddled for a year and that it is the tradition in Russia!
The dummy is working for us at the moment too. In fact, he does drop it during sleep and doesn't wake up.
Whatever works, I say.:flower:
 
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