My 4 1/2 month old daughter often tosses and turns in her sleep. She either rolls from her back to her side over and over again, throwing her arm over as she rolls, or she lies on her back and turns her head quickly from side to side. She is currently co-sleeping with me (which I would like to end soon, but that's a topic for another day) so I get woken up when she rolls, especially when she accidentally smacks me in the face with her arm, and she eventually wakes herself up if I don't try and hold her hands and keep her from rolling. Anyone have any idea why she would be moving so much and how to stop it from happening? (Swaddling is out of the question-she never liked that.)
I notice that my son does that also if i put him to bed to early. I wait until he gets tired now before I put him to bed and have noticed that he sleeps better and more sound through the night. Might be worth a try. Good luck!
I have a 9 month old daughter and until she was 4 1/2 months, we swaddled her. We placed her in the positioner since birth...and we took her out of the positioner at 7 months....We were afraid of taking her off the positioner earlier than 7 months.
And we paid for it..because she would wake up crying when she would turn to her stomach and not know what to do. Turn back or go to sleep so we would place her back on her back . She now ends up sleeping purely on her stomach and we just have accepted that.
Try the positioner and she will not be able to get herself out from there..
Our baby is now 7 months, but she used to do the same thing. We used to call her arm smacking "the windmill". I'm not sure what causes their restlessness but one guess I have is upset stomach. Are you breastfeeding? Maybe there is something that doesn't agree with her. Our baby seemed to do it more when she was sick or gas-y. Good luck!
Your daughter just might be a fiesty sleeper. Do you remember when you were pregnant with her, did she move around a lot, kind of like you describe? It just might be her... no problem.
You might try one of those baby sleep positioners (I think Sassy has one for about $10 - check Target.) If that doesn't do the trick, you can always return it.
Co-sleeping is a great thing and like you said, perhaps a topic for another day, but the fiesty sleeping might be your daughter's way of saying she's ready for her own space. If switching her to a crib doesn't work, you can always bring her back into bed with you. It may be something to think about now, though, rather than later.
HI A.! I understand your issue with the swaddling. I thought my son never liked it as well. Unfortunately, I started readig this book called "The Happiest Baby On The Block" after it was too late. He's a year now. Anyway, I recommend getting a swaddling blanket that has a little pouch for the legs and the it velcros shut at the top. while wrapping the arms. The thing I learned from this book is that they will cry while you do it, but they will stop almost immediately after they are swaddled. The key is swaddling, shushing and rocking them. I really recommend this book. It is written by pediatricians and it will help so much. I co-sleep with my son too. I still do it, but everyone's different. If you end up getting your daughter to sleep better (swaddled), it might not be as bad. I've read a lot of positive things about co-sleeping and I've known a lot of people that did it or still do. Good luck! Please write back if there is anything else I can help with or for any other reason.
A. S.
Hi A.,
My son was the same exact way, a very loud sleeper. I spoke to his doctor and he just said, "sounds like you've got a loud sleeper". He didn't see any concern with it at all. My son is now almost 6 months and sleeps very sound so maybe there is hope that your daughter will get better . My son wouldn't roll over, but he would kick his legs and grunt all night long. It was crazy because I too, co-sleep with him. I swaddle him which I also thought he hated, but once he falls asleep, it keeps him to sleep. I also put him in a Snuggle Nest Co-Sleeper so he can not roll over. It is so worth the money. Here is the link for it...
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2266116
Good luck... and congratulations
Couple of ideas...night terrors or restless legs comes to mind. Check out some research.
But, if it isn't bothering her, then it may not be a problem. Just make sure she is using a pacifier in case she isn't able to 'unstick' her head or something and have SIDS.
I would ask your doctor, though.
My baby always tosses and turns when he sleeps. He takes after his dad. I think some people are just restless sleepers, and it doesn't necessarily indicate a health issue.
It took a long time for my baby to get enough control of his hands and arms that he wouldn't wake himself up by smacking himself in the face. When he outgrew the swaddles, we would put him in sleep sacks and just pin the arms closed with safety pins. That way he wasn't as confined as he would be if he were swaddled, but he still wasn't able to move his arms all around.
Good luck!
