4 month old won't stay asleep!!!

[lovemysweetie]

HELP! We just stopped using the Miracle Blanket to swaddle DD at night a few weeks ago. She's very long for her age and the blanket (which had been amazing) was getting a little short for her and she was starting to sleep much, much worse in it. So we stopped using it and she slept better for a few nights. However, now her sleep has just deteriorated again. She'll go down fine, usually around 8, but wakes up so many times every night--usually at least once an hour--and needs me to pat her, put her paci back in, or cuddle her. She calms down as soon as I pick her up (and she usually needs to eat once, around 3-3:30) but often has a very hard time settling back down. I've started putting her down on her side while she's still awake, which helps at least initially, but eventually she still wakes up. CIO is not for us, at least not at this age. What else can I do? I'm exhausted!

[KrisM]

Would you consider co-sleeping? At least for the middle part of the night, it might be a good solution.

You could try pacifier training - during the day, gently tug on it as if you're trying to pull it out and she'll suck harder to keep it in. After a while, as she is sleeping and it starts coming out, she'll suck it back in. Worked okay for DD.

DS1 was a horrible sleeper and woke like that right at 4 months. I seriously counted one night putting the paci in 26 times. We ended up taking the paci away at that point and just getting through a few nights without it that were really, really hard - crying in our arms, no one sleeping, etc. But, it passed after a few weeks. I know your pain.

[lmr1101]

We LOVED the miracle blanket as well! While my daughter never got tall enough to outgrow it my friends son was off the charts in height. They just cut the bottom so his feet could fit through. That way they were still able to keep him swaddled and comfy :)
Good luck

[pastrygirl]

I continued to use the Miracle Blanket without putting his legs into the pocket. After that, I moved onto double swaddling, with a Aidan + Anais blanket and a sleep sack. I was finally able to give up swaddling when he was 6 months old, with only one bad night.

Double swaddle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOnsKlluHIg

[slworld]

I absolutely understand what you are going through. We swaddled (kind of) DS upto almost a year (don't ask). We tried several times to stop swaddling but he just couldn't settle down without it. At 4 months I think you can swaddle her a little longer if that helps. About the pacifier, we started using the clip (which clips to the clothes) and that helped DS put it back if it fell out. But we only started using it after he was a about a year old (wish we started earlier). We did CIO at around 5months but that only helped with him falling asleep on his own (without us having to rock) but he still kept waking up a few times at night almost until 9months.

[mom2beofboy/girltwins]

We went through this exact thing at 4 mo. DD was getting out of the swaddle but then would cry everytime she did. I tried a bigger swaddle but that didn't work either. I was so frustrated that I was no longer getting up to feed her 3 times a night, but getting up 6 or 7 times a night to re-swaddle her. We had several rough nights/naps but she very quickly figured out how to suck her thumb once her hands were out and now she's an awesome sleeper! I also gave her one of those small blankey bunnies (you know the kind that's like a 10" x 10" square of fabric with a little animal head attached?) She completely learned to cuddle that and suck her thumb and can soothe herself easily now - not to mention its super cute :)

This was just a couple days after we quit swaddling :heartbeat:

802

I also felt like 4 mo was to little for CIO, so I would just stay in the room and keep reassuring her and sometimes patting her. DH thought it was silly but it made me feel better to at least be in the room when she was upset like that and not just leave her. Good luck, I know I remember scouring this board trying to figure out what the solution to this problem was!! Hang in there, she'll eventually figure out sleeping without it.