Default Style Register
Daycare.com Forum
Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Will This Baby Ever Stop Crying?
Turquoise14 06:08 AM 12-16-2014
I'm on my last nerve with almost seven month old dcb. He is seriously crying or whining anytime he is awake and not eating, he used to be a pretty easy going baby, but in the last few weeks he is unhappy. He wants me to hold him. Gets louder if I walk away. I cannot hold this guy all day. I have three toddlers and another infant. I just gave up after the first hour and a half of the day and rocked him to sleep, only to have him start screaming again when I put him down. He doesn't settle down in the crib anymore. So unless I want to just hold him all the time, I'm afraid this is our current reality. I hope that he is sprouting new teeth or something. He has grown one during these last few weeks. Yesterday was especially bad, I suppose because it was Monday and he had his mom all weekend. And advice would be greatly appreciated. His cuteness isn't helping him here.
Reply
Kabob 06:27 AM 12-16-2014
I would definitely see if his routine has changed at home. Maybe tell dcm you noticed he has been more fussy lately and ask what she has been doing to soothe him when he gets fussy at home.

It could be because he is being held a lot.

It could be because he is teething.

It could be a separation anxiety stage.

It could be lack of sleep.

It could be he is extra hungry.

Maybe go through the above list and see what works.

Worst case scenario is you give him 2 weeks to a month to improve and decide then what you'd like to do (i.e. term).

Personally, my almost 7 month old dd is going through a fussy stage and I know for a fact she isn't held or rocked to sleep. She also used to be super easy going and now is fussy often. What works for her is to switch up her play area toys as well as periodically rub her back and talk to her then walk away. I also tell her she's ok while I do my thing. She doesn't stop fussing but she likes to hear my voice. The other kids have also started following my lead and like to talk to her about random things. She loves the attention and they love having an audience.

Hope your little guy is just being fussy and goes back to his happy self soon!
Reply
KIDZRMYBIZ 06:42 AM 12-16-2014
In my experience, almost all babies go through a stage of this around this age, even the most mild-mannered ones. IMO, I think it's just a normal developmental thing, and they seem to gain more independence when they are just beginning to attempt to master crawling (start getting their knees under them and rocking). It seems to me they are almost as though they are getting bored with the way things are...rolling is old news and they want to play, but are still pretty much stuck wherever they are set down. I think they are just a little frustrated and/or bored.

Anyway, that's what I tell myself and first time dc parents, if only to pacify that this, too, shall pass!
Reply
Turquoise14 06:51 AM 12-16-2014
Yes, I think this could be in part a frustration with his lack of mobility. This guy can't even sit up independently yet. It's so nice for them once they can! And kabob, yes. Maybe all of those things!
Reply
hope 07:24 AM 12-16-2014
Try swaddling. I know they are older, bigger and more mobile at this age but it helps with separation anxiety. You can swaddle and lay on a blanket close to where the others are playing.
Reply
lovemykidstoo 10:03 AM 12-16-2014
I feel your pain. I have a 8 month old dcb that has done this from day 1 and it's pushing me over the edge. Unless I"m holding him, he's pissy. He makes no attempt to crawl, scooch, roll nothing. Yesterday he wanted his bottle and I was really in the middle of something with the kids on the floor, so I laid him by me and molded his hands around the bottle for him to hold it himself. He held it up to his mouth, but screamed. I picked him up after a minute and started feeding him and he stopped instantly. So, he just didn't want to give it to himself. I put him right back down on teh floor and he did feed it to himself as I sat there with 5 others. This is no stage with this boy.
Reply
Turquoise14 05:35 AM 12-17-2014
Saw on Facebook his mom talking to someone saying she had been laying down with him to get him to sleep lately.....so that would be why he won't go to sleep in the crib anymore here....
Reply
Blackcat31 06:26 AM 12-17-2014
Originally Posted by Turquoise14:
Saw on Facebook his mom talking to someone saying she had been laying down with him to get him to sleep lately.....so that would be why he won't go to sleep in the crib anymore here....
Ugh! She is only applying a short term fix that will cause a long term issue....for you.

I'd think about having a sit down discussion with mom about sleep and the right way to soothe her child to sleep. She doesn't have to resort to any type of CIO but she can certainly adapt some techniques that help support the child to learn to be self-soothing. Also things that YOU can replicate at daycare.

Since you can't very well lie down with him to help him get to sleep, I'd tell her that if that is the route she is choosing to take, you might have to let him go.

NOT fair if he gets used to being put to sleep a particular way and not have that happen at daycare and you and the other kids have to deal with his screaming. Not fair to you, the other kids or this little babe.
Reply
Turquoise14 10:37 AM 12-17-2014
He hasn't been too difficult today. Which is funny because my husband is home sick upstairs, and I had been complaining about the baby yesterday. Not making this up Dh! I'll be interested to see how the rest of the week goes. I wonder if it just took til Wednesday to figure out the routine again after the weekend or if we are just having a random good day.
Reply
Unregistered 04:07 PM 12-17-2014
My daughter's 5 month old girl was always a very fussy, crying baby and wouldn't let anyone but mom and dad hold her. I found a new mobile app on Google Play called RelaxaBaby. It is free for Christmas. It uses pulsing vibes applied to the lower back. Laid the baby down with the phone positioned under her low back. She was asleep in a minute! We both stood amazed with our mouths open. After a week or so of using this app for everything, my granddaughter is no longer fussy. It is supposed to work on worse cases. I'd say she was a worse case. And best of all she lets others carry her now and she has more bright smiles than ever. Not sure how these vibes can work only on the low back, but they definitely do something good. Hardly need to use it anymore. She gets all the sleep a baby needs now.
Reply
Leigh 07:13 PM 12-17-2014
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
My daughter's 5 month old girl was always a very fussy, crying baby and wouldn't let anyone but mom and dad hold her. I found a new mobile app on Google Play called RelaxaBaby. It is free for Christmas. It uses pulsing vibes applied to the lower back. Laid the baby down with the phone positioned under her low back. She was asleep in a minute! We both stood amazed with our mouths open. After a week or so of using this app for everything, my granddaughter is no longer fussy. It is supposed to work on worse cases. I'd say she was a worse case. And best of all she lets others carry her now and she has more bright smiles than ever. Not sure how these vibes can work only on the low back, but they definitely do something good. Hardly need to use it anymore. She gets all the sleep a baby needs now.
What a great find! I just installed it and I can totally see how it could "relaxababy", because I found it very soothing, myself! Thanks for sharing with us!
Reply
Blackcat31 06:10 AM 12-18-2014
Originally Posted by Leigh:
What a great find! I just installed it and I can totally see how it could "relaxababy", because I found it very soothing, myself! Thanks for sharing with us!
LOL!! This might be a great "fix" for some fussy babies, but I gotta say no way am I putting my expensive smart phone under a baby's lower back area...(too close to the bottom area ) with the hopes that the child settles in.

What if someone texts or calls? What if I need the phone and can't take it then because it will disrupt the baby's sleep?

I doubt the parent is going to leave their phone for that purpose either....plus I won't be able to reach them if their phone is tucked under their baby all day here instead of at work with them.

I wonder what my licensor would say about this...

NOT making light of it, as it might very well work wonders....it just doesn't seem like something doable at daycare....kwim?
Reply
Leigh 07:35 AM 12-18-2014
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
LOL!! This might be a great "fix" for some fussy babies, but I gotta say no way am I putting my expensive smart phone under a baby's lower back area...(too close to the bottom area ) with the hopes that the child settles in.

What if someone texts or calls? What if I need the phone and can't take it then because it will disrupt the baby's sleep?

I doubt the parent is going to leave their phone for that purpose either....plus I won't be able to reach them if their phone is tucked under their baby all day here instead of at work with them.

I wonder what my licensor would say about this...

NOT making light of it, as it might very well work wonders....it just doesn't seem like something doable at daycare....kwim?
I was actually thinking of this for my foster son. He's very prone to rages and unable to soothe himself at all sometimes (15 months-drug exposed, slightly delayed). NO WAY would I leave MY beloved smart phone with a baby, but I do have a couple of old ones that I could use. I could see my 3 year old enjoying it, too when falling asleep at night-he has a hard time winding down. Honestly, I think I'd use it myself for relaxation, too, when I do self-hypnosis for pain control (dang fibromyalgia).

I couldn't imagine what I'd do if I put that under a baby and found it covered in a poopy surprise later! ICK.
Reply
Wednesday! 08:09 AM 12-18-2014
I've found that this age almost always produces a fussy baby. Is he crawling? Usually, once they become mobile, they are much more content.
Reply
Turquoise14 08:11 AM 12-18-2014
Nope. Not crawling or even sitting up yet, though he is a good roller.
Reply
Wednesday! 08:29 AM 12-18-2014
Originally Posted by Turquoise14:
Nope. Not crawling or even sitting up yet, though he is a good roller.
If you can tough it out, he'll probably be a totally different baby once he starts crawling! That's always been my experience.
Reply
Unregistered 11:34 AM 12-18-2014
No worry about leaving your phone or tablet under your baby's diaper after they fall asleep. The vibes only run for a minute. That was all it took with my granddaughter. She fell asleep the first time in about 30 seconds after crying over an hour straight in the middle of the night. I don't believe I ever was so amazed.

And we only needed to use the app a few more times before she was sleeping long naps and through the night...and noise. This is a miracle app. She also has not spit up for over a week, since using it to calm her. And she now burps on her own, as well. Maybe there is a connection.

Thanks for the idea, Leigh. I just tried the app on myself and felt a nice all over relaxation by the time it stopped. It pulses in certain way rather than just vibrate. I found it felt best right between the dimples on my low back. Maybe no longer having a constantly crying baby disturbing my life made it easier to relax.

Leigh, definitely try it on your foster son and 3 yr old. I read the app's vibes even help if you apply the vibes after babies, or older kids, are asleep for 20 minutes.
Reply
Indianadaycare 07:59 PM 12-20-2014
Originally Posted by KIDZRMYBIZ:
In my experience, almost all babies go through a stage of this around this age, even the most mild-mannered ones. IMO, I think it's just a normal developmental thing, and they seem to gain more independence when they are just beginning to attempt to master crawling (start getting their knees under them and rocking). It seems to me they are almost as though they are getting bored with the way things are...rolling is old news and they want to play, but are still pretty much stuck wherever they are set down. I think they are just a little frustrated and/or bored.

Anyway, that's what I tell myself and first time dc parents, if only to pacify that this, too, shall pass!
That's what I was thinking too. Seems all my babies get fussy around 8 months. Maybe because they want so badly to be more mobile, but can't quite yet. It helps mine when I rotate the toys in front of them too. They get bored with the toys, and happy again when the toys are switched out. I also sit on the floor with them and read aloud to them while they play. They love that.
Reply
SignMeUp 09:45 PM 12-20-2014
I know what my licensor would say about having a phone in the crib.
Nothing, absolutely nothing except a clean, dry, unattached pacifier is to be in the crib with the baby. On a clean, dry sheet in an approved crib, with nothing under the sheet and nothing over the sheet or the baby. Nothing is the key word.
Reply
Unregistered 02:24 PM 12-21-2014
We only laid the baby down on the phone the first time. For a minute til she fell asleep. Now we apply the vibes while holding her. She loves it. If not hungry it took less than a minute to calm her fussiness, no matter the cause it seemed. The best part is not having a fussy baby crying inconsolably anymore in only a weeks time! After two weeks she rarely needs the vibes, but the directions say to keep applying them from time to time. We plan to because her development seems to be speeding up. Is there a new-baby syndrome?
Reply
Blackcat31 06:28 AM 12-22-2014
Originally Posted by SignMeUp:
I know what my licensor would say about having a phone in the crib.
Nothing, absolutely nothing except a clean, dry, unattached pacifier is to be in the crib with the baby. On a clean, dry sheet in an approved crib, with nothing under the sheet and nothing over the sheet or the baby. Nothing is the key word.
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
We only laid the baby down on the phone the first time. For a minute til she fell asleep. Now we apply the vibes while holding her. She loves it. If not hungry it took less than a minute to calm her fussiness, no matter the cause it seemed. The best part is not having a fussy baby crying inconsolably anymore in only a weeks time! After two weeks she rarely needs the vibes, but the directions say to keep applying them from time to time. We plan to because her development seems to be speeding up. Is there a new-baby syndrome?
Wouldn't matter if it was a minute or an a day.

NOTHING in the crib means NOTHING in the crib. Period.

If we tried to say "But it was only a minute", we'd still get cited for it.

This is the issue for most providers...parents find these neat little "tricks" to get their baby to sleep that providers can NOT do in daycare.

I think it's great that you came across such a useful app that works for you, but if your baby is going to be in daycare, it's not an option.

Also, sometimes setting your baby up with a routine like that is so unfair as the routine can't be replicated at daycare so the baby suffers from being "out of routine" and that is never a happy situation.
Reply
Tags:crying baby
Reply Up