Scratching and Rubbing in Bed

Hello A.,

We had to swaddle my son for quite awhile. He didn't scratch his face, but he would get an arm out and just fail around! Another mom recommended the product on this website: http://www.miracleblanket.com/. It is awesome. My son has been very strong since the day he was born, and this blanket's design allowed us to swaddle until he was pushing 6 months. The blanket was big and strong enough to keep swaddling, but he started showing signs of rolling over so that put swaddling to an end very quickly!!!

If you are wanting to continue to swaddle, I recommend this blanket whole-heartedly!!!

Good luck, D.

My daughter would scratch herself and would flail her arms around so much that she would not go to sleep. She was swaddled until she was 6-months old and her nickname was "The Escape Artist". She was able to get out of every swaddle blanket! I finally found The Miracle Blanket (and that it is!). It is double the price of most swaddle blankets, however, it is worth the price. Their website is: http://www.miracleblanket.com/index.htm. I have recommended this to several friends and we have decided that the price is worth the exchange for sleep :)

My sopn did this too and it made me crazy! I would put mittens on his hands. I would also put a bigger blanket up by his cheek so when he went to scratch he would hit the blanket first. Just wait until he is asleep and move it.

We had the same problem with our little guy. He is now 4 months old and successfully unswaddled for 3 weeks. We made sure he had his paci and just had to sooth him until he fell asleep. We had one and half weeks of terrible sleep because he will wake himself up by hitting himself. If you have any nightgowns, they usually have the fold over piece so that they cannot scratch themselves and they make for easy diaper changing in the middle of the night. When we were swaddling our little guy slept for 8+ hours everynight. Now that he is not swaddled, he sleeps for 4-6 and then I have to put him back to sleep for another 2-4. So if he is a good sleeper when swaddled, be prepared for that to change too. Good luck, I know how hard it is. We also put or son on his side and put a rolled up blanket against his back-we tried the stomach sleeping but he didn't want anything to do with it and he loves tummy time. So that might be another suggestion. He doesn't hit himself as much now that he is on his side.
J.

Babies r us should have little hand covers to prevent the scratching. Thats what I used, and it worked well. Good Luck~M.

I kept my son swaddled until 4 months or so, until he started sleeping longer and longer at night. I know several people who swaddled thier kiddos much longer. I used the Swaddle Me brand swaddlers from Babies R Us and my son wasn't able to loosen it. Hope that helps!

Put socks on his hands, and don't drive yourself crazy with the swaddling anymore he is past that. It will subside just give it some time.

J.

Sounds to me like you should go after the problem and not cover it up. This really sounds like allergies, the itching eyes and scratching the face. Talk to a couple of different doctors on this, you may be surprised at what is really causing him to do this.

Not sure about other Mom's but I used to clip my babies finger nails with my own teeth because I was afraid of cutting them with the clippers... Also, putting a pair of baby socks on their hands will keep them from scratching too. Poor little fella, I know you're just beside yourself worrying about how to prevent this from happening. Bless his little heart, learning to live on the outside is tough sometimes...

Both of my little guys had this problem...and then I realized what the problem was: They would "startle" (a reflex which is normal to babies) and their hands would grab for whatever was closest...usually their faces. Both my boys also "kneaded" at their little faces (like a cat) when they were tired.

I couldn't swaddle them forever...but had to stop the scratching too!

So here is what I did: I went to Toys r us and bought my baby a stuffed doggie...pretty good sized in length (10 inches or so), but not too round. This is why a doggie is better than a teddy-bear. It's longer. The fur should be short and very soft. And you shouldn't be able to pull it out with your fingers. Make sure that there is nothing hanging off of it for baby to get tangled in or smother himself on. You might also consider washing it in Dreft (baby detergent with no fragrance) before using it so it does not cause an allergic reaction...it will spend a lot of time against baby's skin.

Anyway, once you find the perfect doggie, and have washed it, put your baby on his side in the crib and put a pillow behind his back (to keep him from rolling away from his doggie...once he gets used to it he won't need the pillow anymore). Then take the doggie and snuggle it in between his arms, right up against his chest/belly area, so he can grab at it. Prepare for sleepy bliss.

This serves a few purposes...it keeps him from rolling onto his belly, he can't scratch or rub his face, and he will feel snuggled and secure so he won't startle himself awake. They actually sleep far better this way. This was one of the things that allowed my boys to start sleeping through the night at a very early age (6-7 months). When they would awaken and cry, instead of jumping up and getting a bottle right away, I would snuggle the doggie back into their arms. Many times they'd just fall back to sleep.

Good luck to you...and I hope this helps!!!!

I know is sounds wierd...but I've done it with both of my boys and my best girlfriend has done it with both of HER boys...

Oh...as a final thought...if this works out for you, I advise buying a second doggie...that way, if baby spits up on one and it is in the wash, you have the other.

It may also be that he needs to learn to adjust to being able to move while he's falling asleep. Before he could have been pushing against the swaddling blanket and now there is nothing holding his arms still so they move about wildly. I would definately go with the other Mom's who have suggested sock and file the nails so they don't scratch if the socks come off or get caught in the material and tear.

I hope you find a solution.

I would certainly agree with the sock idea. You might also try some soothing music and maybe a pacifier. It sounds like he is just a little unsettled and you just need to find something to soothe him...

He may be doing these to get out from being swaddled this is the age where alot of babies between now and 6 months old don't care to be swaddled anymore I'd put socks or mittens on him to help him not scratch and leave him uncovered not swaddled for a few day's and see if that help's,once my kid's started to unswaddle themselves they were done and slept better since they were getting restless in a confined swaddle.(make sense)

It could be allergies or even just a comfort "tick". My daughter is 10 months and scratches her face raw due to teething as well as for comfort. She likes to hold her blanket so I try to insure that she has it in her hand to destract her. Mittens would also help but to be honest I worry about choking so I avoid socks and mittens. It could all just turn out to be a reaction to moist skin and could pass as he becomes more mobile.

A.,
We have had the similar situation with our 5 month old. We use a Swaddler that has velcro and it works like a charm. We can pull it really tight and velcro it and he can't get out!! Our neighbors use a Miracle Blanket and swear by it. The other thing we do is use an extra large receiving blanket and wrap it around one arm and his body and then pull the other side around the other arm. We don't worry about pulling it around his feet. Good luck and I hope this info. helps.

Not to discount stopping swaddling if you want to, but have you tried the Kiddopotamus Swaddle Me blankets? They make sizes for bigger babies and seemed to work better than me just trying to find a bigger blanket. Our little girl outgrew hers when she was about that age and struggled with falling asleep unswaddled at first. She would rub her eyes like crazy, too. Sometimes I would gently hold her arms down until she was calm enough to start to doze off. She pinched her face a lot, but didn't scratch too much. Good luck!

one of the things i did was put a bit of weight on my baby. i had a bag of rice (the one you put in the microwave) or a bag of beans on top of her after i got her swaddled. it worked wonders. i'm very glad to hear your baby is soooo strong! the sock on the hands woks w the weight very well good luck & let us know!!! meg

Hi A.,
I have a five month old son myself. He wiggles out of his swaddle every time I put him down. My advice would be to NOT lay your son on his stomach...it greatly increases the chance of SIDS. My suggestion would be to try putting baby mittens or even baby socks on his hands so that he can't scratch his face. And then put him in a onesie and an extra sleep sack and no swaddle and see what he does.

Currently, my son can bring the blankets up over his face after he wriggles out of them. I am concerned about a suffocation hazard, so I have started putting more layers on him at night and no blankets at all.

I hope this helps! H.

Perhaps he is scratching because he has dry skin. Have you tried putting lotion on his face. I would try putting some eucerine lotion on his face and see if that helps. I would also make sure that I filed down his nails so short that there was no way he could scratch (I find that using a file makes the nails even shorter). I would also put covers over his hands.

Seems to me he may be allergic to something-cats, dogs, his bedding...check this out and see what a doctor might have for you and him.

Dear A.,

I would suggest placing a pair of his socks on his hands. It seems to help.

E.

Yes, I would suggest putting something on his hands. They do sell little glove like things for newborns but you can also put socks on his hands. Also, make sure to keep his fingernails cut short so if he does scratch it won't do much damage. Good luck.

I would suggest changing to a laundry detergent without bleach and other chemicals in it. It may be the result of allergies or a negative side effect of the cleaning products. My son used to come to me constantly to scratch his back and since I changed to Melaleuca products he hasn't once come to me for that (other than when he rolled in the grass). :) They also offer a great lotion that has helped many people with eczema and other skin conditions, which may also be the problem.
I can't imagine what you are going through, watching your little one suffer so much.
Let me know if I can help. ###-###-####
Blessings,
P.

You didn't mention if he's a thumb sucker, but if not, try putting some socks on his hands. The little gloves and stuff never worked for us but socks sure did.

Sounds like allergies to me. My niece was scratching herself pretty bad as an infant. My sister changed her diet...no more gluten (wheat). The problem stopped. To this day if my niece has too much wheat in her diet, she has problems.

And before you ask...YES, infants can have allergies to your breast milk (or shall I say the foods you eat that come through your breast milk), and any formulas out there.

If you are breastfeeding, change your diet for a few days to see if that helps. If you are using formula, change that to see if it helps. Another suggestion is maybe he is allergic to the cats and dogs. Look into purchasing a nice quality air purifier that is designed to remove the allergens from pets. And don't let the pets into his room or near him. That may help. Oh, and before you do another load of laundry, be sure to switch your laundry soap to an all natural laundry soap (not detergent). It needs to be fragrance free along with sulphate and phosphate free. We use Daisy Blue Naturals Daisy Breeze Laundry Soap. Works great!

Best Wishes,

J. H

im not sure what to tell you