in June 2023 Babies 🇦🇺

Transition to being in arms out sleep sac

My baby has been in an arms out sleep sac for 2 weeks. She's taking soooo much longer to get to sleep and to be put in her bassinet now. Its driving me insane. I'm sitting on the bed every night for 1.5 hours before I can do a successful transfer to her bassinet. Anyone else? She will go to sleep initially within 15 mins, will wake after 20. Then take ages to get back to sleep again. Often, if she unlatches from me within 10 mins she will then wake up just before the 20 when I'm ready to transfer her and want to latch again... So then the time starts again. I do what I've always done, bath, moisturise, go into our dark room, sleep sac, feed to sleep. White noise has never really worked for her. Does it get easier after a few weeks of arms out? And it doesn't matter how long she's been awake or how tired she is. I might add that she's been doing the waking after her first time falling asleep and only staying asleep after the second time for 2 months now. Though since shes been arms out its almost like she gets a second wind after her first wake. She used to just fall asleep and stay asleep. I'm absolutely dreading bedtime these days.

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Hey 😊 is she arms out for day naps as well? I know there are some transitional sacks that have one arm out as opposed to two to ease them into both arms out for exactly this reason... you could maybe try that and see how you go? Sorry that you're going through this, it will get better 💗

Arm out was really tough for my bub but we’re successfully there now. We did day naps arms out first and when she was going down again quickly during the day I did night as well. This was after my first failed attempt of like a week with hourly wakings. We also use The Sleepy Company sleep suits. They have sleeves so her arms are still covered but can fully move. I like it to avoid face scratches and they come in really light bamboo or a bit thicker depending on the temp :)

@Briony shes a contacr napper during the day so i dont have her in a sleep sac at all. We started with one arm out for a week and now we're at 2...I might add though, that I can't seem to transfer her without waking her with both arms out so I just do 1 then once she's down in her bassinet I've been unzipping the second arm and taking it out then lol did it take long for your baby to get used to it?

That makes sense what you're doing and something I'd probably do as well. It's something new to learn to do all over for them so understandably something like this will happen 😭😭 For me to be honest not the same as you... I was more her Moro reflex got to her more and would make her wake up. I don't have much advice to give other than keep trying new things and maybe start experimenting in the day (only if you can and have the mental capacity to!!) Maybe if bub gets used to sleeping freely all the time they'll find it easier to adapt.

I just used the transitional love to dream sleep sacks and took one arm off for naps to get her used to it then after a week she didn’t even notice the other arm! So much better for mornings now she just plays in her crib in the mornings cause she has her arms

Have you got a cot for her yet? Now that she has her arms out she might like to move around. My bub loves the space, she uses it to settle herself. Feeding to sleep may have given her a sleep association though so when she wakes up and she isn’t feeding, it would really wake her up. Can you try popping a dummy in after you unlatch her?

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