scratches when tired

Amy - posted on 05/07/2009

Omg.. i thought my little boy was the only crazy baby that did that!!! Christian scratches his face so bad it bleeds... we do the same thing.. we still swaddle him because we HAVE TOO!! my husband will tuck his hands in his pajama pants and then swaddle him so his hands cannot get loose... sometimes i will just stand there and hold his hands down... there is really nothing else to do?? I can't just let him scratch himself! I hope it ends soon!

Kathryn - posted on 05/06/2009

My daughter does this to the point of drawing blood. It scared me at first, but apparently her father did the same thing when he was a baby. If I lay her down in her crib when she starts the scratching she will usually go right to sleep. It's nice that she lets me know she is tired before the crying starts.

Anisha - posted on 05/06/2009

My daughter does this all the time......Until thwe doctor finally had me to change her formula, then we found out that it was not the formula, it's severe eczema!!! She gave me this prescription for bactorban.....It's seems to be helping and I also would recommend using Aveeno baby wash!!

Nicole - posted on 05/06/2009

i have the same problem. i always cut my daughters nails every day because she scratches her face and by her eyes and if i dont swadle her or if she gets her hands out at nap and bed time she attacks her face.

Jennifer - posted on 05/06/2009

my son does the same thing to his forehead, and sometimes it looks so bad the scratches... I use to swaddle him but he was getting to big...I have held his hands as he was falling asleep, I have covered him with a light blanket and had him hold it & he would rub his face with that, i put him on his side and hug his glow worm... sometimes it works and sometimes he still does it... it has been better,...good luck

Danielle - posted on 05/06/2009

I've got a scratcher too. One of my babies claws at his head whenever he is upset. I too gently hold his hands down if it's affecting his going to sleep. Funny thing is, he doesn't do it when we first put him to bed, only when he wakes up in the middle of the night. And not every time. It sounds weird, but I have started wondering if he sometimes has nightmares.

Jennifer - posted on 05/06/2009

Glad to see that my little one isn't the only one who does this! She scratches like crazy when tired. I still swaddle her too because of her scratching but she doesn't seem to like being swaddled anymore and struggles a lot to get out of it. I want to stop swaddling her but even with mittens on the rubbing keeps her awake. I just don't know what to do.

Dawn - posted on 04/29/2009

Hi, My daughter does exactly that - we think it's because her head feels dry - she has a small bit of cradle cap but not where she scratches - we use baby oil on her head every night, all over and that seems to help. She has now started stroking her head more - not sure if she likes to feel her hair as a comfort !

Amanda - posted on 04/29/2009

Yeah she hates the feeling she gets right before she's about to sleep. She will cry and fling her arms everywhere. She scatches herself and me, we just make sure her nails are short. Also she scratches herself and me when she's BFing, but this on is more like when a cat is getting comfortable, it's strange.

Carolyn - posted on 04/28/2009

Raina scratches her ears, face and pulls her hair when she is tired I just pull her hands away and blow in her face (sounds mean but works) plus I keep her nails cut very short.

Dawn - posted on 04/28/2009

My one daughter scratches at her eyes hard when she gets tired. When she starts this before the normal bed time, I know she is tired and I start the night time routine a little early. I too still swaddle both my girls.

Alessandra - posted on 04/28/2009

My boy pulls on his hair, sratches his eyes, and turns his head back and forth like a crazy person. Once he gets comfty he stops. But I will have to sometimes hold his hands still cuz sometimes he gets out of control.