Dcb 9 months lots of crying

[littleflitter]

Hi everyone!

I am a new provider- I have been reading since I opened last fall, but this is my first post This is such a great wealth of information and advice!

I have a DCB 9 months that I'm not sure what to do with... He has been with me since March, full time, but I've never met a baby quite like him. He cries regularly and what seems like all the time. He ALWAYS wakes from naps crying (I can think of one nap he woke from happy) no matter how long or short he has slept. If I leave him to see if he will go back to sleep he cries/screams without calming down (or even pausing) or falling asleep. If I get him up, he is crabby and crying and yawning.

He goes from happy to crying over everything. Even mom has admitted that he has no in between level- its either happy or screaming. Every time he is redirected he cries and continues to go for whatever I have moved him away from. When he sits down to eat he screams when I have to tuck in his bib or wipe his hands and face. Same with sunscreen and putting a hat on.

He also will not eat from a spoon. Parents send frozen purees for him to eat from a mesh feeder because he still has a hard time picking up finger food. If I put food in front of him he cries until he realizes he can eat it.

Any advice? I'm feel like I'm reaching my limit with his constant screaming over everything and I'm having a hard time thinking about terming because his parents have been wonderful to work with. But I know it might need to come to that. I also have my own son who is 2 months older and it's hard not to compare to what I feel like he should be acting like. Oh and the only instant way to calm him is to hold him which I can't and won't do all day long...

[rosieteddy]

If you can stick it out it usually gets better at ths 12 month mark.The last few infants I had were very fussy same as yours.I tried to be consistant and just went about our day. Once they got rid of the bottle and ate real finger food so much better.I found being outside a godsend.I put them in the stroller and we walked.Hang in there you have gotten this far just a couple more months.

[bklsmum]

I have one like this (10 month old) and I know exactly why it happens. At home he is held non-stop by Dad and grandparents so he wants the same here and it is not going to happen. DCPs support me in this, especially DCM who is pregnant and due in October and has no clue how she is going to handle a newborn along with a baby who wants to be held all the time or he flips. I play with him and hold him when appropriate but I will not cater to this nonsense and he is getting better, but Mondays are still bad.

[childcaremom]

I had one like this at rest time. He was 15 months. I had to be very consistent with him. He was put down for nap and then that was it. I would leave him for the entire rest time whether he was up or not. He never 'rested'. As soon as he was up he would scream. But I left him for the duration of rest time.

He improved after about 6 weeks but it was never great. He eventually slept up to 2 hours but would still wake up and scream. I ended up terming the family for other reasons

I had another like that when she first started. Very doting parents. She cried a LOT when she first started and I just made sure that I didn't start anything that I didn't want to continue. So I didn't pick her up when she was crying but would get down to her level and talk to her and give her a hug. I rarely pick her up and spent a lot of time talking to her when she wasn't crying. She took about 3.5 weeks to adjust but Mondays are still rough. She is 12 months. She has been here now for 6 weeks and hardly ever cries anymore and has come so far.

Hope that helps!

[mommyneedsadayoff]

If you can stick it out it usually gets better at ths 12 month mark.The last few infants I had were very fussy same as yours.I tried to be consistant and just went about our day. Once they got rid of the bottle and ate real finger food so much better.I found being outside a godsend.I put them in the stroller and we walked.Hang in there you have gotten this far just a couple more months.

This has been my experience too. Once they get more mobile and independent with eating and playing, ect., they lightened up a lot. Keep a consistent routine and don't pick up all the time. Assure him he is fine and stay positive! He will get the hint soon enough (hopefully!)

[littleflitter]

This has been my experience too. Once they get more mobile and independent with eating and playing, ect., they lightened up a lot. Keep a consistent routine and don't pick up all the time. Assure him he is fine and stay positive! He will get the hint soon enough (hopefully!)

Thanks for all the advice. I was hoping too that as he got older things would start getting better, but so far no luck there... I'm very consistent with his routine and redirection etc. This gives me a little hope that things might still change- I'm going to push through, for now and see if a couple more months make a difference.

Amazing what another perspective and support can do to give you a second wind!