STTN sigh

I just read in my weekly babycenter email that 90% of babies can and do STTN by 3 months (though of course sometimes that will be disrupted when they're teething, reach a new milestone, etc.). Looks like we might be in that unlucky 10% of parents; lately our boys seem to have mostly been doing worse rather than better. (E.g. they were going till 3 a.m. or so, a couple times even 4 or 5 a.m., and now they're waking up around 1 a.m. again and sometimes again at 4 or 5. )

Part of the problem is they are now able to bust out of their Miracle Blankets, and yet they sleep better swaddled. So often when we hear them crying and go in, they're all unswaddled and discomfited. They calm down when we re-swaddle them (until the next time they bust out!). I'm wondering if there were a way to swaddle them more securely (though I'm not sure what's more secure than a MB!) if they would sleep better ...

 

I saw this website on here last week. Would a DIY swaddle blanket help them stay in it more? http://www.goddessinprogressblog.com/2007/11/uber-swaddle/

 

QUOTE(SC_Amy @ Apr 7 2009, 08:27 AM) [snapback]1262599[/snapback]
Looks like we might be in that unlucky 10% of parents;


Don't feel bad! We are right there with you as far as not sleeping through the night goes. Luckily our girls only get up 1 time during the night though. Good luck!

 

I wouldn't buy too much into that statistic. Babies STTN at different ages. I had one at 5 months and one at 11 months. Also, depending on how heavy they are, they may still need the middle of the night feeding.

 

My babies didn't start STTN until 4 months. I agree that 3 months seems a bit early so I don't really believe that stat. We used the Kiddopotamus Swaddle Me blankets until the girls were 6 months and then they started busting out of them. We transitioned to a sleep sac by putting them in the swaddle blanket with arms out in the sleep sac and then slowly took away the swaddle.

 

we had the same problem, where we felt like they would sleep longer if they weren't waking themselves up trying to get out of their swaddles. the problem was, they didn't know how to sleep without the swaddles. we spent a month working them slowly out of the swaddles and it was probably a better decision for us than trying to swaddle tighter and tighter every night. maybe you guys could try giving them just one arm to start and see if that calms the escape impulse.

 

QUOTE(FirstTimeMom814 @ Apr 7 2009, 11:25 AM) [snapback]1262714[/snapback]
I wouldn't buy too much into that statistic. Babies STTN at different ages. I had one at 5 months and one at 11 months. Also, depending on how heavy they are, they may still need the middle of the night feeding.


They're 14lbs 10 oz and 15 lbs, respectively--based on a growth tracker I saw they are over the 90th percentile for weight! (but closer to average for length)

 

We also used the Swaddle Me blankets and they couldn't bust out of them until about 4 months (but mine were your kids size closer to four months than three). We transitioned to Dreamsies sleep blankets with sleeves with no problems and they still use the sleep blankets every night. They also did not start sleeping through the night until about four months, so I too think the statistics might be a little misleading. We did have to CIO with ds for about 3 days when he started waking at about 3:00 AM but now they sleep from 7:00 until 6:30 consistently. Maybe try the sleep blanket and see if that stops the waking when they bust out - that is what happened with ours, they were waking themselves up when they got free - but when we eliminated the swaddle we thought there would be sleep issues and there were none!

 

Also remember that when people talk about 3 month olds STTN they really mean a 5-6 hours stretch because at this point most start to drop a feeding in the night. However my idea of STTN is 11-12 hours which happened for me at 5 months and 8 months old.

 

My one son has to sleep swaddled at night because he is still too busy with his arms. He was breaking out of the miracle blanket and waking up at night. What I found that works is taking a recieving blanket, folding it in half then wrapping it around him after being wrapped in the miracle blanket. I start one end of the blanket on his back and then the other end ends up behind his back as well so both ends are under his back so his weight keep the blanket down. so far he hasn't broken out of this combination so we will see how long it last. hope this helps we also have the air purifier and waves cd playing for white noise.

 

QUOTE(TaurusTwins @ Apr 7 2009, 12:16 PM) [snapback]1262805[/snapback]
Also remember that when people talk about 3 month olds STTN they really mean a 5-6 hours stretch because at this point most start to drop a feeding in the night. However my idea of STTN is 11-12 hours which happened for me at 5 months and 8 months old.


THIS is what the study is based on. Some people go to bed at 11 and get up at 5. That may be STTN for them. I sleep 10-11hrs myself, so my boys didn't STTN until 7/8 months. It has also been several months since they have STTN now! Those milestones mess everything up!

 

Personally my babies HATED to be swaddled...They would break out of it every night and shortly after I stopped swaddling them they started STTN.. It might be worth a try. They get hot really easy and trying to break out was waking them up.

 

I'm definitely in that 10% with these guys. My oldest DS slept through the night by 3 months so this is killing me (although if I take their "adjusted age" into consideration they are not THAT far behind...yet ). I think mine just don't get enough calories during the day to STTN yet because they still wake every 2-3 hours to eat during the night. I really need to just make the switch to formula and see if there is a big enough difference in that. I am just not making enough for them. They go to bed at 8:30-9 (sleep...we start bedtime at 7:45-8) and one of them is usually up by 11 then it seems like it's almost every hour or two that one of them is up. Seriously....killing me. Hopefully that will make you feel better. It could be worse... When I asked awhile back about STTN it seemed more like less people had their LO's STTN at the younger ages and more after 6 months SO maybe Babycenter has it all wrong or we're all just "unlucky". LOL It'll happen someday...at least that is what I keep telling myself. Not sure what to tell you about the swaddling. We don't swaddle ours because they hate it (wake themselves up fighting to get out of the darn thing). Anyway - good luck!!! Hope you find a solution and they STTN soon for you!

 

QUOTE(firsttimetwinzymommy @ Apr 7 2009, 02:43 PM) [snapback]1263017[/snapback]
Personally my babies HATED to be swaddled...They would break out of it every night and shortly after I stopped swaddling them they started STTN.. It might be worth a try. They get hot really easy and trying to break out was waking them up.


We've tried that, but like I said in my OP, ours sleep better swaddled; when we put them down without it (e.g. just in sleepsacks) they are a lot more restless, don't sleep nearly as long, etc.

 

QUOTE(FirstTimeMom814 @ Apr 7 2009, 11:25 AM) [snapback]1262714[/snapback]
I wouldn't buy too much into that statistic. Babies STTN at different ages. I had one at 5 months and one at 11 months.


I agree. My two didn't start sleeping through the night until 9 months of age. It'll happen. :hug: :hug:

 

I agree with trying out not to swaddle them. My DD hated being swaddled, and I didn't find that out till abt she's 2 months old. She is very 'stretchy' and loves to sleep with her hands on her cheek (I dunno why but that sounds like me!), thus whenever we swaddle her and keep her hands away, she's very frustrated and refuses to sleep. Once her arms are out of the swaddle, she sleeps like a baby (duh!) and thru the night too! DS on the other hand, has to be swaddled becos he tends to startle himself and wake up crying, but I leave one arm out to let him feel a little 'freedom' now that he's 4 months.

 

QUOTE(SC_Amy @ Apr 7 2009, 03:51 PM) [snapback]1262767[/snapback]
They're 14lbs 10 oz and 15 lbs, respectively--based on a growth tracker I saw they are over the 90th percentile for weight! (but closer to average for length)


I agree with Trish, all babies at all different weight STTN at different times. My boys were well over 22 pounds at 9 months when they both decided it was time to STTN. It will come.

 

Try putting them to sleep on their tummies, unswaddled. One of our babies would constantly break out of her swaddle and not sleep, and now she sleeps on her tummy and STTN (about 9 hours) and they are 14 weeks today.