Busy Hands Won't Let My Daughter Sleep

Updated on April 03, 2012
A.Z. asks from Mifflinburg, PA
7 answers

My daughter is almost 4 months old and HAS to be swaddled to take a nap or go to bed. If she isnt swaddled she gets her hands up in her face and is constantly waking herself up or she knocks her binkie out and is awake. I am trying to break her from the swaddle because she is a big baby and it is getting a litttle tight on her. We bought her a Woombie so her movement isn't as restricted, but as soon as it's off her hands are in her face again. I really don't want to have to buy another Woombie and would just like to break her from the need to be swaddled, but I just can't get her to keep her hands out of her face. Please help!

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J.S.

answers from Columbia on

Welcome to Mamapedia and excellent first question!

Buy another woombie.

our 90% percentile in size baby boy slept in one until about 9 months old - which is coincidentally the largest size we could find.

Your daughter JUST got out of a room the size of a womb - literally. She finds comfort in the confines, and as you point out - she can't control her hands yet.

She'll let you know when it's time to switch - she will become a little houdini and you'll find her awake with both arms free making hand puppets or something.

5 moms found this helpful
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V.M.

answers from Cleveland on

I can't think of anything that would take the place of swaddling. That very much seems developmental and not something you can break her of until she is ready. ie has some motor control over her hands.
Seems like buying a second is just the easiest thing. Could you just swaddle with a large recieving blanket?

3 moms found this helpful
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D..

answers from Charlotte on

I really think you should just buy another Woombie. But I also think you should wean her from sleeping with the binkie. Let her fall asleep with it, and as soon as she relaxes her mouth and stops sucking, gently remove it from her mouth. Without her hands waking her up, she will eventually stop waking, and she will stop "needing" the binkie once she can be weaned from the Woombie.

First things first - get rid of the binkie during the night. And drop it from use by the time she is 6 months - the sucking instinct is gone by then and it becomes pure habit. (Oh, and a habit much harder to break!)

Good luck,
Dawn

3 moms found this helpful
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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

Can you just get her a bigger Woombie? It goes up to 6 months. Or a Miracle Blanket?

But, this is all developmental. They don't have motor control yet.
At all. And they can't even put the binkie in or out of their mouth by themselves, much less find it when it falls out.
And they move around etc.
And/or they still have their "startle reflex."
But this is all normal.
Sooner or later, they do need to be out of a sleep swaddle.
Especially once they start rolling around.

2 moms found this helpful

K.M.

answers from Chicago on

The Micracle Blanket is what you need - if she needs the swaddle, she needs it, my son needed it for quite a while or he could not sleep due to fidgits too.

2 moms found this helpful
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M.F.

answers from Houston on

Keep swaddling her, don't fix it if it ain't broke kinda thing. :)

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P.G.

answers from Dallas on

You don't need to "break" her of the swaddle - look for larger ones. Some babies need the swaddle - they can't help moving their arms. Target had some nice sleep sacks that go pretty large. See if they work for you. Good luck!

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