Overly Sensitive Baby

[hgonzalez]

I have a new infant in my care, 5 months old. He is jumpy and jittery the entire day. He sleeps for 15 minutes and wakes up distraught. If there is any sudden noise at all, including a cough, sneeze or a toy being dropped, he screams bloody murder. His startle reflex is really prominent, which seems surprising to me at 5 months. When feeding, he takes two sips then thrashes around turning his head every which way.
Any idea what could be going on with this little one, or is it just a temperment thing?

[Pestle]

How many days total has he been with you?

[hgonzalez]

A week.

[Indoorvoice]

I don't have much advice. It could just be that he hasn't been there very long. Just came here to tell you this has been the norm lately for babies in my care. They seem pretty normal at first when I start caring for them around the 3 month mark, and then around 4-8 months turn into very needy babies and very emotional. I've started making a connection with this happening with babies with over-reactive parents and micromanaging parents, but I could just be grasping at straws too,or maybe it's just me. It would be nice to know the reason so I could fix it!

[LittleExplorers]

Has he been in a daycare setting? It could be he just needs to get used to the stimulation. The parents may not have made any noise during nap etc. Can you try a white noise machine to help him sleep? Being over tired and over stimulated is a rough combo.

[Pestle]

If he's only been in care for one week, he's still under the impression that hysterics will bring his parents back into the room. Only time will fix this, and some kids never adjust until they've moved on to a new developmental stage. Which could take months.

[Ariana]

He needs a lot more sleep as his stress levels are on overload.

[ColorfulSunburst]

I am pretty sure that at home he sleeps in silence and parents even try do not breath at that time. If it so you will not be able to change anything. Parents must start changing their kid's sleeping environment.

[Josiegirl]

If he's new to a louder environment, it could certainly be what's causing his startle reflexes. My 9 mo started when he was 3-4 mo and he'd cry at every little noise. Dcm said they didn't try to be super quiet or anything at home but I'm sure it's still a different environment than being around lots of kids and movement all day long. Naps were short and few, 15-30 minute naps 2-3x a day. He's better with the busyness of daycare now but will still cry if someone screams. And I have some noisy kids.