What Happened to My Sweet DC Baby?!

[Buxterboo]

This baby (6 months old) was soo sweet last week. I was so excited that my first one was going to be "easy." This week has been... not so good... she wants to be held ALL THE TIME. if you put her down she screams. if she falls asleep when she has a bottle, she screams. swing, screams. bouncy seat, screams. tummy time, screams. AHHHH!!! And she wont stop untill you hold her. She even cries when you rock her (when shes trying not to sleep). I dont do screaming!!! What do I do? letting her sit there for a few minutes doesnt help at all either... seriously, what do you guys do when all they do is scream? I cant be holding her ALL day. I am pregnant and have a 19month old running around.
:confused:

[cheerfuldom]

Is she sleeping okay? She sounds exhausted and cranky.....

[Buxterboo]

Is she sleeping okay? She sounds exhausted and cranky.....

she has no "set" schedule. she falls asleep about every 2-2 1/2 hours and sleep around 30-40 minutes. one day she took a nap that was almost an hour but that is very unusual (so far). this is only her 2nd week with me. when she wakes up from sleeping she will play around with her feet for a bit, then the scream starts again. She doesnt fall back asleep again on her own tho. SOMETIMES i can rock her back to sleep, but then as soon as I set her down she wakes up. I have no idea what to do...

My son was HORRIBLE to get to sleep when he was a baby. he would literally scream for hours. But once he was asleep he would SLEEp for at least 2 hours. and at night he would only wake up 1-2 times (this was when he was only a few weeks old). I found out that it was a bad milk allergy when he was about 4 months old. We switched him from breasmilk to soy and hes been pretty good about sleeping ever since. (sometimes he has a few days of not wanting to sleep, but there is usually a reason for it).

I just dont know what to do for this little girl. She doesnt show any signs that i can recognize as a food/gas issue. mom says she is "teething" but that was right after she told me that she was trying to "break the habbit of being held 24/7 since grandma left last week". Do I just give in and hold her 24/7 also. Do I let her cry till she figures it out? a little of both? get a baby carrier?

I should add that I am 24 weeks pregnant also, due in oct. So the holding 24/7 will have to stop before then, or I wont be taking her back after my maternity is up... My husband will be deployed and ther is no way I will be able to manage daycare baby who screams all the time, almost 2y/o, and a newborn...

[Buxterboo]

Sorry this is so long. Im just starting to get discouraged and its only my 2nd week!

[SilverSabre25]

sudden change like that I'd bet teeth, ear infection, impending milestone, or *possibly* food introduced that she's allergic to.

[Heidi]

I would ask mom if she could possibly have her ears checked, just to make sure there's no physical reason she's acting this way.

Then, I would set a routine and stick to it hard-core for a couple weeks so she knows what happens when. Something like cuddle at arrival, then floor play (even if she screams), breakfast, nap (even if she screams), then some outward signal nap is over (an alarm clock, or phone app, anything), then outside walk, then another cuddle before floor play (let her scream), then lunch, then nap again (usually longer in the afternoon 2+ hours), then snack, more play time. I usually end up sitting on the floor with the kids near pick up time, because it makes the day end go smoother and because it's customer-friendly.

When she's on the floor playing (aka screaming her lungs out) talk to her, but DO NOT pick her up. She does not need to be held all the time, although she may WANT to be held all the time. Once she starts to understand the rhythms and routines, she will stop.

I would certainly hold her sometimes, but on YOUR terms, not hers. You can also sit near her on the floor periodically, but don't put her on your lap while she is playing, sit down at her level with her, so that you are supporting independence vs. doing it for her.


Quit the rocking to sleep now, please! You are making it way worse, and you can't do it forever. Hug her, kiss her, sing her a song, rock her for a moment, but put her to bed AWAKE. Yes, she will scream...it's ok. If she's crying and crying for 10 minutes, go in, quietly whisper "it's nap time", and leave again. Repeat periodically until she gets it. Then, when the nap-end signal goes off, go get her, and say ...nap time is over, it's time to get up!

You can either take control now, or you'll still be miserable in 2 months, probably end up terminating, and feel really guilty to boot. Plus, once she can stand, getting her to fall asleep on her own is an even bigger battle, because now you have to wonder if she'll hurt herself falling over fighting sleep.

[Buxterboo]

what type of a schedule do you recommend for naps for her?

per mom: "she sleeps when she wants, nothing set..."

she gets here around 630
and goes home at 4-4:15
my meal times are
8 breakfast
11 lunch
2snack
nap/quiet time for kids 12-2 (or when ever they wake up)

My son was having a hard time adjusting to sleeping in a new spot, but i just put him in pnp and let him CIO. but hes "mine" and is just pushing to see if ill let him pass. he hasnt beeb crying past the 3rd day. now he just talks till he passes out. so im not worried about him...

how long can she cry before it becomes unhealthy? should i get her to calm down then put her back down after she stops. then let her cry agan for so long...?