Tuesday, August 25, 2009

This old man...

You know, the old man that gave the dog a bone? He can roll better than Elsie. She's not quite there yet. She hasn't figured out what to do with her bottom arm.

Here are the latest scoops:

1. Elsie is too strong for the swaddle. I would go in there in the middle of the night to find a naked (diapered) baby with the swaddling blanket in a pile at her feet. She had wriggled and wriggled and kicked it off. And then would wake up because she was cold or because she startled herself. To put clothes on her under the swaddle was to cause her to overheat, so...

2. We started this past weekend putting Elsie to bed in a footed sleeper. No more swaddling. She has not slept as well. And, when I go in to feed her, she's turned every which way but loose. She inches her way around several degrees--45, 90, and 180. It's weird to find her feet where I put her head. She's not particular about it--she goes clockwise and counterclockwise. Or if she goes in one direction, she way over-rotates. Eli says she's chasing after the pacifier. I believe him because it's usually under her head or neck when I go to pick her up.

3. Said sleepers are size 6-9 months that I got on clearance at Target a few weeks ago, thinking I would be able to save them to use in the fall when it gets chilly. They are just a smidge big on her. This worries me. She's not even 4 months old yet! She may outgrow them before 6 months!

4. Eli and I practically elbow each other getting to Elsie's room in the morning (okay, that may be exaggerated) because the first one there gets a load of good morning smiles from Elsie. Melts my heart. She's so happy to see us. (She, of course, doesn't remember me getting up in the night to feed her, so I get no special treatment in the smile department--first come, first served.)

5. This morning, I changed her diaper, put her back in the crib and went and got in the shower. When I got out, I could hear her screaming, but it sounded muffled, so I ran in there, and she had inched over parallel to the side of the crib and had rolled over 3/4 of the way into the bumper and was stuck with her face in the crack between the mattress and the bumper. She was not happy, and I was freaked out. (I imagine our new neighbors on that side weren't happy either as it was just after 6 a.m.) I was only in the shower 10 minutes. I'm thinking about removing the bumper all together, but I'm still contemplating this. Any advice?

And now it's time to go do dishes and pick out what I'm going to wear in the morning. This old woman is ready for bed.

Cheers.

5 comments:

Kerry Duty said...

We ended up getting a breathable bumper for Joshua's crib when he started moving. It used to only be made by One Step Ahead and the SIDS foundation but now you can get them at Babies R Us. It's a mesh bumper so if she rolls into it, she can still breath but it will also serve the purpose of not allowing her to get her arm or leg stuck in the slats (or, when she gets older, dropping the pacifier through the slats, leading to screaming fits because she can see it, but can't reach it, which is something I would recommend avoiding :)

Have you tried the kidopotomous swaddler blankets? They come in several sizes and were great for when Joshua outgrew swaddling with blankets but still couldn't sleep unswaddled. We would swaddle him in a light blanket and then put the swaddler over the blanket which kept him nice and snug all night. They were miracle workers for us! You can get them at Babies R Us too.

Jennifer Barnes said...

Get a mesh bumper if you're worried. I started off with nothing but then they start schooching around in there and I put the bumper back on because of the time baby James woke up screaming and his leg was stuck.

The best thing about the paci's is to not rely on them. Overuse can actually change their bite and cause dental problems, no matter the kind.

We use halo sleep sacks. They have the added benefit of keeping their legs contained so the kids cannot raise their legs enough to climb out of the crib. We've never had any issues with them other than the price (and after 4 years of constant use, some of the zippers are failing). Korben has been wearing a long sleeved onesie with a sleep sack since he was 7 weeks old. He never needed the swaddle, luckily (but Lowell more than made up for that - mister swaddled until his first birthday!)

Craig-Jen said...

Your situation about the bumper is the primary reason I didn't even buy one. I guess I'm a worrier and I know I wouldn't sleep knowing a plush bumper was in the crib. I already bought the mesh bumper Kerry and Jen mentioned and I think it's also available at Target. If you're crafty, you can certainly make it yourself because it's a no brainer. I'm not crafty like that, so I paid $30 for it!

Angela said...

Wow! That's really scary! I'm glad Elsie's okay. We don't have anything on Jackson's crib, but now I'm wondering about the mesh bumper. I hadn't thought about him possibly getting an arm or leg stuck in a slat. We use the Kiddopatomus swaddler, but actually I prefer a different brand that I found at Target--easier to put on. I also found a sleep sack at TJ Maxx for a good price. We won't use it until the weather cools down, though. I love footie pajamas, but Jim pointed out that Jackson sleeps better in the swaddler.

Misty said...

ugh, just read this and catching up. That is so scary! I'm glad she's ok. We had a similar situation with Micah back in February (except it was with a plush toy/blanket thing that he now sleeps with). Anyways, after that I worried, and took the (home-sewed, not very thick) bumper out. Well, then he started scooting and kept getting his legs stuck. So I put it back in (it's still in and he's 10 months). I remember taking Cara's out at around a year, but I may do Micah's sooner, since he rarely wakes up near the edge now. I think he could get it out if he wanted to now that's he's stronger! :)