Extremely fidgety baby

[macksmom]

DD3 is driving me a little ....ok a lot

She is the most fidgety baby I have ever seen. Her arms and legs never stop moving. When I am bathing her I have to keep a towel over me because she splashes so much I end up soaked!

Anyway, that is more of a laundry issue . The problem is she doesn't settle. Ever. It's like she can't relax. I try rocking her, nursing, swaddling, etc. She just thrashes around. I can't understand why nursing doesn't calm her down

I am not sure what to do. It's VERY frustrating trying to put her down for a nap. I basically either try rocking/nursing which doesn't go well - popping on and off the breast thrashing around. Or laying her on my bed and nursing next to her and trying to soothe her with my hand on her chest or rubbing her head and constantly replacing the pacifier literally 28 times.

Yesterday I put her in her rocker and just rocked her and replaced her pacifier 85 times until she wore herself out It feels cold and wrong but I feel like I have tried everything and I am at a loss now.

I have tried a warm bath at night and that didn't work but I only tried it once. I will admit our house is active and loud so it's probably hard for her to transition but there isn't much I can do about that. I have tried having a winding down time where we read a small book and just sit in a quiet low lit room. Didn't help much either. I have white noise in the room - always.

I'd appreciate any ideas. I have to deal with this about 5 times/day and it's wearing me down

[CamaLamaMama]

Have you seen those woombie things? My friend had a baby that moved around a lot and kept himself up, but once he was secure in a sleep sack, etc he fell asleep much easier. The woombie looks like it would do a better job at making a baby feel secure, and they can't wiggle out.

Cameron wouldn't calm down unless she was in her swing and she slept there until she was at the weight limit.

I think it's different for every baby so those are just what I know worked for me and a friend. Hope you get something figured out.

[macksmom]

Have you seen those woombie things? My friend had a baby that moved around a lot and kept himself up, but once he was secure in a sleep sack, etc he fell asleep much easier. The woombie looks like it would do a better job at making a baby feel secure, and they can't wiggle out.

Cameron wouldn't calm down unless she was in her swing and she slept there until she was at the weight limit.

I think it's different for every baby so those are just what I know worked for me and a friend. Hope you get something figured out.

I have never seen that! It's interesting. She *was* looking like she was going to be a thumb sucker but I may have ruined that by using a paci so much with her. I would like her to have access to her hands so she can at least attempt to sooth herself. I have a swaddleme thing with velcro. I try to bend her arm or leave one free so she can have access to her hand but it doesn't matter anyway......

I was just trying to get to her nap - I KNEW she was tired. I ended up running from the room practically in tears because it's so frustrating. DH went in and rocked her and she was fine. Maybe she just needed a change or hands or whatever IDK. Anyway, she was up about 20 mins later Now she'll be up for the next 2 hours until I have to try it again. Then it's 20-30 mins and another 2 hours. This goes on all day long

One saving grace is the car. She will fall asleep in the car right away if she is due to sleep. If she isn't she is miserable in the car so I try to time our trips around her nap time. I can also bring her into the house from the car in the infant seat and she will sleep longer in that but it needs to start with a drive first. If it were warmer I would be willing to do it but I am not eager to do this 8 times/day in 40 degree weather...and with a 3.5 year old along for the ride.

[JJorn]

If she settles in the car, why not have her nap in her car seat. You can even buy a swing that will rock the car seat. Maybe once she is used to that you can transition her to just a regular swing or one of those various swing alternatives.

[macksmom]

If she settles in the car, why not have her nap in her car seat. You can even buy a swing that will rock the car seat. Maybe once she is used to that you can transition her to just a regular swing or one of those various swing alternatives.

She doesn't fall asleep until the car has been moving for a bit. Before that she screams and squirms and thrashes. Sometimes I have to stop the car and replace her paci just to get her to settle so i imagine it would just be the same scene inside the house...I have considered trying to put her in the seat and bringing the stroller inside and walking her around the house with it but that also seems like more trouble than it's worth.

Her rocker kind of mimics the car seat - she is on an angle and confined...it's not like she is laying flat. I guess she is more "seated" in the car seat.

[CamaLamaMama]

http://www.4moms.com/mamaroo - This has a car seat function. If you could find a used one I'd go that route, its kinda pricey.

[cassi]

Have you tried wearing her?

[Ashleen]

Jude was like this too... still is actually. He is just constantly moving. I made the mistake of trying to wear him for all his naps... it worked but it had to end eventually as it was really wearing on me and limiting what I could do during nap time. What I ended up doing was having him nap in the carseat... I would put him in and bring him in a quite room. I would face him away from me and sort of rock/shake the carseat to mimic how it would move in the car.

[emma1978]

My dd is 8 months old but is still difficult to get to sleep at times and esp for naps. I always need to rock or wear her or we even use a stroller in the house!! I just weaned her off swaddling. Nusing never helped much (unlike my ds who always fell asleep when nursing!).

[macksmom]

Wow that mamaroo thing is expensive! I'd rather try the stroller in the house first....I wish I had known about that when she was first born although I couldn't have spent that much especially knowing she is my last baby.

I wear her ALL the time. She is liking it less and less. In the beginning it was the ONLY way she would sleep but it was easy and she would sleep for hours. My body would be aching by the end of the day but it was worth it. Now she only sleeps for about 30 mins so it's not worth it unless she is really tired and I don't know what else to do. This morning I went to yoga and she was due to nap around when I came home so when I got in I grabbed her and went and rocked and nursed her - she flipped out to the point where I had to stop the nursing session because she was just going crazy. She calmed down a bit later but we had to go to a birthday party so I wore her in the Ergo and walked to the party a few blocks away because I figured she would at least sleep longer than in the car seat and no one would mess with her (lots of kids there). She woke up as soon as I got there

She started to get cranky as we were leaving and it's only a few blocks away so I figured she wouldn't fall asleep on the drive home (literally took 2 mins). Well she did! And proceeded to sleep for 2.5 HOURS! The car seat is definitely key for her. I wish I knew why - is it cozy, is it soft, is it the right angle, etc? Maybe there is not much room for her to fidget which is why it's good?

Putting her down for the night has almost sent me to the loony bin every night this week so I decided to defrost some BM and let DH do it. I figured maybe a bottle would be better. Well she totally rejected it and screamed for 20 mins before falling asleep

I wish I knew how to get her to just settle down. Last night she was so worked up that DH and I passed her back and forth 2 times and I finally calmed her down by standing and swaying with her humming in her ear. The whole process took over an hour.

She sleeps and nurses ok overnight. She gets up 2-3 times but will nurse and go back....except at 5am she gets really fidgety and unsettled. We lay in bed and she smacks me in the face with her jolty arm for almost 2 hours until she finally falls asleep and then I have to get up anyway!

I started her on probiotics today so hopefully that will help whatever is bothering her?

[haydensmom]

I have to second the Woombie recommendation. It's the best swaddler, hands down! Carter is a mover and a shaker and that thing has saved my life! It does not leave a hand free but maybe that stimulates her? I know C sleeps better completely tucked in, despite the fact that he always has his hands at his face when he's awake. The nice thing about the woombie is that he can actually touch his hands together. So that comforts him almost as much as being able to reach his mouth. Plus he can't scratch himself at all (he has dry skin/clearing eczema on his forehead).

[sparks3]

I have a mamaroo, and the car seat function is not the same as an actual car drive. It’s supposed to simulate the rocking motion of a car. I think the security of the car seat is key, along with the humming noise of the wheels of the car against the pavement. That’s my theory, anyway. So, save your money if that’s the only reason that you’d be purchasing one!

I agree with the woombie suggestion, for sure. Def worth a shot. When Libby is unsettled (she's been sick and teething this weekend, so very unhappy) we do a lot of walking, bouncing, and shooshing. I hope you find something that works, soon. I know how exhausting it is!

[macksmom]

I have a mamaroo, and the car seat function is not the same as an actual car drive. It’s supposed to simulate the rocking motion of a car. I think the security of the car seat is key, along with the humming noise of the wheels of the car against the pavement. That’s my theory, anyway. So, save your money if that’s the only reason that you’d be purchasing one!

I agree with the woombie suggestion, for sure. Def worth a shot. When Libby is unsettled (she's been sick and teething this weekend, so very unhappy) we do a lot of walking, bouncing, and shooshing. I hope you find something that works, soon. I know how exhausting it is!

So today I just put her in the car seat for her nap...got her jacket and hat on and everything! She fell asleep in a few mins! I had an air purifier blasting for white noise and I was rocking the seat. I was considering putting the seat on the dryer if that didn't work lol. Meanwhile I tried the swing and nursing and neither worked. I loosely buckled the top harness because sometimes she arches her back and I fear she will just pop out of it!

So I guess naps will be in the car seat for now?

Sorry to hear Libby isn't happy It is very exhausting!

[Racegirl766k]

I think if the car seat is the key, I would get one of these "swings" so you don't have to sit and rock it until she falls asleep...

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/...oductId=537272
or
http://www.diapers.com/p/graco-snugglider-341174

[dana_renay]

You mentioned wearing her in the Ergo - have you tried a Moby? It's much more "huggy" for a flailing LO.