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I have a6 mo old baby that has been here for a week and he wont stop crying. He's here from 7am-4pm. He cries from the time he's dropped off until the time he's picked up. At nap time he sleeps for about 30-45 mins. He's dry and full. What's next?:confused:
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Typically we give infants up to a few weeks to adjust. At 6 months he is aware that he has different surroundings, and that you are not his mom. My best suggestion is just to let him cry, and try not to get overwhelmed. If the crying gets to be to much, set up a pnp in another room and let him cry in there for a little. If he is going to cry regardless, then at least he is a little father away and can give you some distance to keep your sanity.
Also, we have found a lot of the time that babies who scream like that are used to being held constantly at home and are expecting that. We have had mothers admit to us, that when they are home with their babies, they dont put them down at all. Which is totally a parents own preference, but it makes it incredibly difficult for the child to adjust to an environment where that can't be the case. I personally don't feel like I can or SHOULD be expected to hold an infant all day.
Have you tried swaddling him ? Usually a swaddle and being in the swing works for my fussy "cry to be held babies". You could also consider wearing him in a carrier if that fits with your beliefs and program.
Dont be afraid to talk to the parents about what they do at home, you might gain some insights into the difference between home and daycare that is making him fussy. -
I have that same problem also. 6 month old boy who screams all day long. He is never happy and only stops when I hold him. Unfortunately I have other kids to care for and he is not held all day long. I just let him cry and when it gets to be to much he is up in another room and cries there. He also does not sleep which I think is a huge part of the problem. He is here from 7:30am until 5:30pm and if he sleeps for 30 mins all day I am lucky. I have talked to the parents and they say they dont hold him and he doesn;t sleep at home also. I have never met such a crabby baby in my life. Good luck!!!Comment
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Agree with previous post.
I just started an infant this week and I think that they need to be given time to adjust to their new caregiver, new environment and the new way their needs will be met. For example, my infant (also 6mo) is an only child and up until this week he always stayed home with mommy. Even now mommy went back to work and chose to work weekend because daddy has weekends off so DCB only needs to come to DC 3 days a week (her 2 days off are during the week).
This means that at home he gets attention whenever he calls for it and his needs are being met immediately without having to compete with other children. Our first day went well by my standards even though we did hit some difficulties due to him wanting to be held or comforted while I was busy attending to another child. Totally normal for an infant to cry especially when he's not used to the new routine.Comment
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good post!
6 months is plenty of time to get into some really bad habits.....constant crying, constant holding, and i bet mom and dad have held him during his naps or rocked A LOT or other things that are not compatible with daycare. some parents do not even have babies nap at all or they go for a long car drive for every nap. like the PP said, none of these are going to work with your program.
I would just do CIO if he cannot be soothed by everything you have already tried. put him on a routine and put him to bed and then let him work it out. he will get. being there full time, i bet you will see a huge improvement by 2 to 4 weeks from now but it will take work. give him LOTS of floor time and tummy time even if he is crying.Comment
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Absolutely agree !! Also, OP is probably nervous that he will be screaming when parents walk in (I know I used to be). I just calmly and CONFIDENTLY say "DCB is just really wanting me to hold him right now and right now I am busy doing __________ / he just really doesn't like tummy time/floor time - but they are crucial for his development."
SOOOO many parents I have met, don't do tummy & floor time because their baby cries. It is vital regardless of the crying.
I should note, the attitude that has helped me so much - is NOT FEELING GUILTY ABOUT BEING A HOME DAYCARE AND NOT A PARENT. Yes, we want to provide the best care possible. But the parent is choosing to place their child in group care and that can't be the same care they provide when attention is divided among multiple children. NannyDE gives great info at her interviews about what exactly group care means for your children.Comment
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I'm not sure if this will be helpful, but I had an infant that hated to be held when he was tired, at least by me. If he was tired and cranky he would scream and cry and throw a fit. Finally one day I swaddled him up. Put him in the pnp in a dark room (I have a separate nap room), turned on the sleep music and closed the door. I turned the monitor on low so I could still hear him (eventhough I could still hear him through the door, but hey) and he was quiet in 2 min. I went in to check on him, and he started crying again. As soon as I walked out, he was fine. It was so funny. But that was the only way he would sleep here.
I had another infant that screamed all day long no matter what I did. Food didn't help, sleep didn't help, holding him didn't help, toys, nothing. He was miserable and didn't adjust. After 2 weeks the parents decided to place him back in care with Gma. I was actually glad because constant screaming for hours of the day is exhausting.
Good luck. I hope he adjusts soon.
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