Baby That Doesn't Get Any Easier...

[MamaBear]

This DCB I have has been here a couple months now... He just turned 6 months & started at 4 months. He has always been difficult from the beginning as far as crying A LOT. Hes only happy after his afternoon nap and just a fuss bucket the whole first half of the day... even after his morning nap. He eats good and is clean, dry and all that. I have been trying for weeks to get him on a schedule and get him used to his little naps. He screams & cries every time I lay him down for nap --- sometimes only for a few minutes but other days he just wont give up and he gets sweaty and crazy cry mode.

My question is... when does this pass? Hes 6 months now. When does a baby typically stop crying constantly or just become a little easier? I've been lucky with easy babies in my daycare that dont normally act like this... so I'm at a loss as to if this is a permanent personality trait or just because hes still young. I am certain the mom holds him ALL the time by the way he acts. I sure hope hes not a rage baby

[wdmmom]

Keep him on a strict schedule for 4 weeks. No change = No stay.

Anytime a child hits 6 months here, he is put on the same schedule as the other kids. Only exception is he/she gets a morning nap.

I have a 9 month old, he started when he was 6 months. By the 2nd week, he was golden and conformed to the schedule.

He comes in at 730am, plays til 9am, diaper change, nap at 930 til 1030, play till 11am, feed baby food at 11 - 1115, bottle at 1145 or 12pm, diaper change, nap from 1230 to 3pm, another bottle at 3pm, plays til 430 and leaves.

Easy day.

I also have a small "nursery" and I only have 1 other child in there with him. It's dark and quiet and offers him the good kind of rest his little body needs.

Try separating him and allowing him to CIO if necessary.

Infants like to fight sleep. Sometimes all's they need is 5 minutes of CIO and they'll go to sleep.

[MamaBear]

Same schedule

Thats pretty much the exact same schedule I do with this baby. But the difference is he CIO almost every time. He just wont adjust. I put him in the nursery/playroom where no kids go where hes napping so he has total peace & quiet. I've tried having him out in the same room with me thinking maybe he "needs" noise around him to relax, but that was way worse.

So do you think I should give him a couple more months since hes just 6 months old right now? I'm wondering if hes still too young to really get used to a nap time yet? It doesnt help that the mom does absolutely no schedule at home. I tell her constantly what I do and she laughs that she cant get him on any schedule at home. She said if he cries she just gets him up and lets him play and that he does that several times before he falls asleep. So shes not teaching him any nap routine at home then he comes here and I'm the "bad guy".

[mickey2]

Stick to your routine and do the same thing everyday. He will soon learn what he can do at your home and what he can do with mom!

[cheerfuldom]

I disagree with the other posters. It will be next to impossible to get baby transitioned when mom is doing whatever at home and also holding him all the time (likely holding him for naps too). I have never had success with a young baby when home and daycare are so different. Toddlers yes but its up to you if you want to stick it out till he understands that things are different at daycare. It could be 6 months to a year before he gets it, if ever. 8 weeks is plenty of time to adjust so either its working for you or its not. Almost all of the kids I have here start as newborns and in 5 years, babies only work out well here if mom and dad are doing the same thing at home as here. Rage babies, from my experience, are the kids that have no schedule and constant attention at home (among other things) and you already know that is the case in this situation. If you have the room to CIO and keep hanging in there with him, then its not such a big deal but I know how exhausting it is when there isn't the room for a baby to CIO without getting the other kids worked up or driving you crazy.

[momofsix]

I had one like this. She was pretty fussy at home too. Just not a happy baby at all! I have 6 children of my own, and have had so many dc babies, but never one as grumpy as she was:confused: That lasted until she was about a year old, then suddenly she turned into a completely different baby! She just turned 2 and she is such a sweetie pie-I'm so glad I stuck with her through her bad year, even though at times it was tough!

[christinaskids]

I have one like that here too and a schedule really helped. He likes lots of floor time to play and I sometimes put him in the swing to nap and he is doing a bit better. I would also encourage the parents to take him to a dr. or gastroentronologist to check things out and make sure he is ok. I would be very concerned about his health since babies can't exactly tell us what is wrong. My bedroom is also upstairs and is where he naps since it is quieter. Maybe your daycare is just too loud depending on how many kids you have and he is overstimulated, it could be just a bad fit for him. Just some suggestions for you to try out

[MamaBear]

My bedroom is also upstairs and is where he naps since it is quieter. Maybe your daycare is just too loud depending on how many kids you have and he is overstimulated, it could be just a bad fit for him. Just some suggestions for you to try out

Actually my daycare is super quiet right now. I have 3 out during summer break, so I only have ONE other daycare toddler right now. So I know noise isnt the issue for him being over stimulated. / I guess I'll just have to wait him out and HOPE that he'll improve in the next couple months. If he doesnt, then I'll have to term. I gotta keep my sanity!!

[lpperry]

What time does he wake up in the morning and what time do you put him down for his morning nap? If a 6 month old is crying frequently like you are describing, I would bet that the baby is not getting enough sleep.

An early 6 month old should only be awake for 2.25-2.5 hours before going down for a nap. A late 6 month old should be starting to be awake for 2.75-3 hours before nap. Also, the nap should be at least 1.5 hours to be effective at all.

So, (and this is just an example, because you didn't give specifics) if your 6 month old is waking at 6, and then napping for 45 minutes from 10-10:45, I would expect that baby to be super cranky even when waking from the nap.

I understand that many of you probably have your, dcks on a set nap schedule, but if op has an overtired baby like this I would try putting for a nap after the correlating hours of awake time and see if it helps the problem.

[MamaBear]

What time does he wake up in the morning and what time do you put him down for his morning nap? If a 6 month old is crying frequently like you are describing, I would bet that the baby is not getting enough sleep.

An early 6 month old should only be awake for 2.25-2.5 hours before going down for a nap. A late 6 month old should be starting to be awake for 2.75-3 hours before nap. Also, the nap should be at least 1.5 hours to be effective at all.

So, (and this is just an example, because you didn't give specifics) if your 6 month old is waking at 6, and then napping for 45 minutes from 10-10:45, I would expect that baby to be super cranky even when waking from the nap.

I understand that many of you probably have your, dcks on a set nap schedule, but if op has an overtired baby like this I would try putting for a nap after the correlating hours of awake time and see if it helps the problem.

This is the schedule that he's on right now:

• Wakes up at home at 5:00am (according to the mom)
• Has a bottle at home @ 5:45am (according to the mom)
• Gets dropped off here at 7am
• Plays until about 8am
• Has a bottle @ 8am / Breakfast (baby cereal w/ formula) @ 8:30am
• Plays till @ 9am
• Naps usually from 9am-10am... wakes up super grumpy
• Has a bottle @ 10am
• Plays till about 11am
• Has lunch at 11:30am (gerber 1st foods)
• Plays till about 12:30pm
• Bottle @ 12:30pm
• Naps from 12:30pm-2:30pm ... sometimes till 3pm!
• Wakes up - has a bottle and is as HAPPY as could be till his mom picks up at 4pm
  
  

So basically he has a bottle every couple hours... and the morning nap is usually 1 hour - sometimes 1.5 hr if I'm lucky. And the afternoon nap is always about 2 hours. And he wakes up SO happy after that second nap. If what your saying is right about how they should only be awake 2.5 hrs max at this age... then maybe I need to put him to bed ASAP when he gets here in the morning after a bottle... I'll try that tomorrow and see what happens. Are 3 naps too much for a 6 month old though? Maybe some babies just need a lot of sleep huh?

[MamaBear]

Thanks by the way for all the advice & info!

[wdmmom]

Do you think he's eating too much that his tummy is upset? That sure seems like a lot of food too often!

[MamaBear]

Do you think he's eating too much that his tummy is upset? That sure seems like a lot of food too often!

I've been feeding him pretty much according to what his mom requested me to. She wants him to have 4 oz of formula every 2 hours. Hes having 3-4 oz per feeding and eats just a few bites of his baby food at his meal times. So I dont think hes eating too much.

Thanks for all your advice...

[christinaskids]

I agree that is isn't getting enough sleep, you may just have to try other things like a lullaby cd, or blackout curtains to see if that helps.

[sahm2three]

This DCB I have has been here a couple months now... He just turned 6 months & started at 4 months. He has always been difficult from the beginning as far as crying A LOT. Hes only happy after his afternoon nap and just a fuss bucket the whole first half of the day... even after his morning nap. He eats good and is clean, dry and all that. I have been trying for weeks to get him on a schedule and get him used to his little naps. He screams & cries every time I lay him down for nap --- sometimes only for a few minutes but other days he just wont give up and he gets sweaty and crazy cry mode.

My question is... when does this pass? Hes 6 months now. When does a baby typically stop crying constantly or just become a little easier? I've been lucky with easy babies in my daycare that dont normally act like this... so I'm at a loss as to if this is a permanent personality trait or just because hes still young. I am certain the mom holds him ALL the time by the way he acts. I sure hope hes not a rage baby

I don't want to scare you, but my fussy 4 mo dcb is now a super fussy, constantly screaming, nothing makes him happy 15 mo! I hope for your sake he gets easier, but mine sure hasn't. I have given the mom and dad a heads up that if he doesn't improve soon that they will have to find someone else to take him.