6 Month Baby Taking Only Little Naps and Just Seems Cranky All the Time..

Hi M.,

Ahhh, the joys of teething!! :) Just remember, this is only going to happen for another couple of months... Then he'll be off exploring and you'll be left wondering if he's ever going to want to just sit with you again. :) The chores can wait.... He's only going to be a baby once, you're going to have your whole life to be doing chores. :) Enjoy this 'needy' time. I'm sure your husband will understand if the dinners are a little less home-made, and the house is just a little messier for the next 2 months.

One thing that has seemed to work for all 5 of my kids for helping them to stay asleep is to lay a pillow or rolled up blanket close to them on either side. That way it seems as though someone is next to them. I would only do this, though, if you are someone who is constantly checking on your son. :) Especially if he's rolling over.

My youngest, who is almost 6 months old now, seems to have quite a bit of gas pains. She has a difficult time sleeping during the day, most days. But, what I've noticed is that, as she wakes up, she'll cry and fuss a little, but if I put her pacifier in her mouth, put her on her side, and pat her back, she'll go back to sleep. I find myself doing this many times throughout the day, but it works.

Also, I'd have to say I totally disagree with the whole 'child needs to have their own room' bit. I really feel that kids learn to be secure or insecure very early on. The more confident they are that someone will take care of them now, the less needy they're going to be later.

Best wishes to you! Congratulations on your wonderful family. :)

Rene
www.HomeWithMy4.com
www.BeachBodyAtHome.com

I know that none of my babies were very good with what they "should" be doing. There is a wide range of normal here. There are a bunch of different resources out there, but what I discovered for myself was that each child was different and I had to learn to go with the flow. Some days will be better than others. And something that worked before suddenly stops working.

I had better luck with a back pack but at a certain point they get too heavy. Often what would happen with my children was that when their schedule got very chaotic something "Big" would happen, like sitting up or crawling, and then things would settle down (for a while :-).

I don't think I have any really good advice but want to send encouragement your way! This too shall pass.

I feel your pain! I had a son just like that. Ultimately, I did carry him around pretty much everywhere and in the long term (he is 5 now) I think that was the best decision ever as he is so secure and happy now. He is sensitive to pain and the teething and even gas pain would really get to him. It WILL pass, though you may just be in for a rough time where your meals are pre-packaged and your house isn't as clean as you would like. :) One thing that did help us is putting him in a swing, as that was as close to being held as he could get. At least it gave me a few minutes here and there... Good luck!

Hey M. ~ I think you should get the book "Baby Wise" by Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo - it is a great book for getting your baby in a healthy sleep/eat pattern, and really helps with getting your baby to sleep....Good Luck!

He is probably in a lot of pain so of course he is very cranky. He probably isnt able to sleep well because of the pain from teething. Keeping him as comfortable as possible at all times is probably all you can do granted that he isnt sick or anything. I know its tough they want all of your attention. Leave the other stuff for when he is asleep. Try only putting him down for one nap a day maybe. Remember babies pick up on your energy so if you are stressed he will feel that stress which may add to the problem.

Have you tried tylenol for pain? Or even a natural pain relieve from health store. Also, what about some soothing music. Good luck! And remember this too shall pass.

Hi M.,

There is going to be a panel of doctors putting together a Childrens wellness expo Sept 12th in Alameda addressing tophics to help keep our children balanced. Sleep is one of the tophics.
If this is something that interests you let me know and I will send more info.
Good luck.

N. Marie

Hi M.
This is like dejevu for me, I went through this with my 2nd son who was 3yrs apart from his older brother. First do not be hard on yourself for not getting anything done. Taking care of your sons is your first priority not the laundry. Naps are not a requirement for each child. Mine gave them up at 4months and would sleep when needed. I would have quiet time for them instead. Now for the crankiness it could be several things besides the teething. It took me almost 3yrs to figure out my youngest was allergic to his environment. The doc's were not helpful. In fact they wanted to put him on ritalin at 2. That was not an option for me. As soon as I converted my home over to natural cleaning products his health improved and so did his disposition. I used the Melalueca products and they also had a bath oil that kills bacteria, mold, mildew & fungus that is really therapuetic for the skin. The first time I used it he slept all night 8hrs for the first time. There is so much to tell you that it would take to long on this site. If this is helpful then email me. Always go with your instincts for taking care of your sons even if the doctors disagree, you know what is best.
M.

He will be crawling away from you in no time and then you will miss all of this holding him. My first reaction is hold your baby and know the stuff will get done eventually. You do need to figure out what works for him to get him sleeping longer though so that he is rested. Maybe if you keep him up longer rather than putting him down everytime he eats. Play with him and keep him up for two feedings. I think my daughter was taking only 2 and sometimes 3 naps at 6 months and sleeping through the night. If she doesn't sleep at least 45 minutes I don't consider it a nap, it just doesn't seem to count when it's that short.

He has not learned to self sooth himself. I would not carry him around all day. He needs to get used to being by himself soemtimes. Does he like the swing? Does he want a pacifier or a blanket to help him go to sleep? Feed him and put him down for a morning nap and feed him and put him down for an afternoon nap. He needs to be helped to get a better routine. He may cry. After a few minutes, go to him and tell him it is time to go to sleep and touch him but don't pick him up. If you need to change him, change him there. If you pick him up he will think it is party time again. My 5 month old sleeps an hour in the am and two or three hours in the afternoon. It may take some time but it does work.
F.

F.

Hi!
With all three of my kids I put them down for naps before eating. So the routine is: Eat, Wake-time, Sleep-time, Eat, Wake-Time, Sleeptime, Etc. I found that it cut down on the gas problems and the sleep problems. We followed "BabyWise", but I think the routine is the same in "Happiest Baby on the Block" and "Baby Wisperer". Might be worth checking out any/all of them.
That said, my daughter, didn't start napping for more than 40 minutes at a time until she was 7 months old. At that point I had had it. I stayed home, put her back to sleep religiously after her 40-minute catnaps, and finally had some peace!
Hope this is helpful. By, the way, my daughter is now six and those days seem like they were eons ago and only lasted for a very short time. :).
-S.

Greetings M.: First let me ask you to say Thank You to your husband for his service as a law enforcement officer.
We have several law enforcement officers in the family.
I am the mother of 5 and the grandmother to several cuties.
My son who works the Fri.- Mon. shifts can sleep like a log because he needs to and the baby will curl up to him and as long as is holding on to him literally-- my daughter in law can get something done-------- other wise it could have been her that wrote this not you!!!
Their little one has been held since birth because no one wanted to put her down. Now she sleeps only cat naps and cries if mom is not in the line of sight. She also seems to nurse every 30 minuets and then wants to nap for 10 minuets.
They have just started puttting her into her bedroom for nap time with a fan going and music playing. The baby will not sleep in quiet. They have discovered that since they don't watch television the TV works only for the veggie tales and planet earth DVD's they bought. The baby likes the changing colors and actions. With all the natural changes that a 6 month goes through leaving the baby infant stage to just baby stage and then to have a 3 year old that really needs you as well you are a busy mom. We found with our own children we found that they slept better when they were in rooms together and not lonely or feeling left out on something. I would often let my older child sit by the bed and " read" to the younger child and stack blocks or play while the baby rested so that they both felt important and taken care of. Often this is all how I got dressed in the morning /afternoon.
Enjoy your adventure of parenthood it is like nothing else you will experiance. Keep up your spirits I can promise that this will pass and be alright. Nana G

Hi M.,
Get the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth for age appropriate sleep needs and schedules. What time is his bedtime at night? He should be going to bed around 6:30-7pm, waking around 6-7am, and napping at 9am and 1pm for at least 1 hour each nap. Try giving him some Tylenol before bed for his teething. Sounds like he is overtired and can't fall/stay asleep. I can't recommend Dr. Weissbluth's book enough!
Sincerely,
L.

My kids slept in their car seat on many a night...I recently was made aware of another solution, the Nap Nanny. If I had a cranky infant, I would buy this in a heart beat...
http://www.napnanny.com/the_napnanny.html

It looks comfortable and better than a car seat.

Have you tried changing their formula? Cranky babies may be reacting to a milk allergy or something else. Maybe it would help to track everything he eats (or everything you eat, if he's breast fed) and then note down moods and try to see if there's any pattern. Allergies can manifest up to 3 days after ingesting something, so don't think of only what he most immediately ate.

My first child was a poor sleeper and wanted to held, etc...he was also asthmatic, prone to pneumonia and other challenging things...and teething was pretty hard too...keep trying...the teething tablets worked great...and I would not hesitate to use infant tylenol if that helps (make absolutely certain you follow the directions of how much and how often, of course). There's no sense leaving them in pain if it's not necessary...

Good luck. sleep deprivation is tough! And so is the inability to get anything done. Just keep in mind that the most important thing you do is to keep your kids safe. The laundry, the floors, all that...it's not the priority (yeah, I know it HAS to be done too...but maybe you can find someone to help out for a few weeks...)

P.

This must be so frustrating for you. You are right to say that you can't just carry him around all day. That seems to work for some, but really it is pretty un-doable for most. My back just couldn't take it! Here are a couple of thoughts that may help:

Try not to worry about what is, or is not, getting done around the house. The stress you feel about this is conveyed to your boys and can really make things worse. Try to fully switch your motivation to get your son to sleep to being all about what is best for him. He needs adequate sleep for his health and development, not because you need to clean the house. :o) I know it sounds like a small thing, but the way we think has a big read-out for our lives and in those around us. If your hubby is part of this stress, just let him know that the house will be a bit disordered for some time, but you will get a handle on it after you get your little guy sleeping better. If he is really bothered by it, he can pitch in a little more for a while. :o)

Next, really take a good look at what is happening. If he is falling asleep while eating then waking after a short time, he may be actually hungry again. With my girls, I did everything humanly possible to keep them awake for a full feeding. If they started to doze off, I'd take away the breast and pick them up, unwrap their blanket, whatever it took to keep them awake. A good full tummy is key to a nice long nap! You may be in a 'snacking' cycle instead of a 'meal' cycle. Also, he is certainly old enough to start solids (if you haven't already). Rice cereal, etc. may help him to stay full longer.

You don't say how he is sleeping at night. At 6 months, he should be sleeping through at least 9 hours, or up to 12 hours. If this is happening that is great. At least you get some sleep. :o) He should also be taking 2 long naps a day. About 1.5 to 2 hours each.

Another thing to really look at is how/where he is sleeping. Assuming he has a quiet, fairly dark, place to nap, try letting him fuss a while before you decided he is really awake. Babies (and adults for that matter) have times of deep sleep and times of lighter sleep. In adults this lighter sleep may be marked by tossing and turning a bit, but in babies it can be marked by fussing/crying. If you just leave him he should settle back down and sleep some more. Try letting him fuss for at least 10 mins before going in to get him. It will be a long 10 mins, but totally worth it. My youngest sometimes took almost 20 mins to fall back asleep, but she always did and slept another 45mins - 1 hour. Try this and see if it works for him.

Re-training him to get a good amount of sleep will take some time, so don't give up. Decide what your plan is and stay consistant with it. He'll catch on.

As for the teething, I used Hylands teething tabs most of the time, but baby Motrin or Tylenol when it really got bad.

Good luck with your parenting adventure!

while i know you need to come up with something for the sleep issue -- personally i am a huge believer in naps even when the kid seems not to need one and we still use the cradle to rock our 10 month old for soothing b/c he wakes easily. have you looked into a baby hammock? there is a new zealand brand that makes them for kids up to 33 lbs. anyways, i was thinking that for a real high-need 6 month old you need an ergo carrier and you need to get that kid on your back. get confident putting him on there yourself -- practice over your bed a few times and you will have it down -- and you can always know that if need be, you can carry him and get your work done.

My baby went through this at 5 o 6 months of age and I thought I was going to go crazy. But it only lasted about 4 weeks. I worked hard to keep him on schedule with feedings and rest at home. Then a big part of it was his teething so he needed some pain relief. I used the Hylands teething tablet (2-3) when it wasn't bad then Infant Tylenol when it was excruticating for him (right about the time the teeth were to break through). He didn't get accustomed to the teething ring until about 8 months. He'll outgrow this stage...just make sure your baby isn't hungry and getting enough to eat. Also, like I said, I would get him some pain relief. this too shall pass.

I agree with the moms who recommended BabyWise and/or Healthy Sleep Habits. My older daughter did what you described - cranky all the time, woke up every 30 minutes, etc - so with baby #2 we did the BabyWise thing and the problems never happened. She got right on schedule and was the happiest baby you ever saw. BabyWise really made my life a lot easier! Hopefully it will work for you too.

How difficult! My daughter cried all the time and needed attention all the time. Drove me nuts. Turns out she had allergies. If you want more information about how we discovered this and what we did, send me an email. Wishing you all the best.