Any advice will be appreciated. My 8 month old daughter was sick last week. Obviously I had to hold her and rock her a lot. I also let her sleep in my bed. She is better now, but she won't let me put her down at all. She used to play on the floor and watch baby einstien, but now she just screams. She won't sleep in her crib either. My husband and I let her cry it out one night, but it took 2 hours for her to fall asleep and she was ravonously angry. I can't stand to do that to her again. Please help.
Hey B. -
I have a 7 1/2 month old are I think we are entering the wonderful stage of seperation issues!!! That could be part of the problem. I agree with all the other mammas - you can not spoil a little one!!!
I agree with the other moms - you didn't do anything wrong and you were completely right to give your little one extra care. My daughter is 4 1/2 and every time she gets sick, we still go through this - she doesn't want to go to bed by herself, wants to sit in my lap all the time, etc. Just know that everything does settle back into a normal routine in time. Like others have said, work into it gently, and she'll be back to her old self in no time!
Is it possible that she is not feeling 100% yet? just a thought
I have gone through this as well, just stick to it and be consistent and she will go back to her normal routine. When you are just playing, try sitting next to her. If she cries, pat her back or put her in your lap, but pull out a fun toy to take her attention. Redirection always seems to work best for me. I also see that you have another child, you could enlist the help of your 5 year old to try to take the baby's attention. As far as the nights go, you may want to just make sure that your baby does not have a lingering issue, such as an ear infection. Or maybe she is teething? You could try to give her some motrin at night. Or try to get back into a night time routine, rock her lay her down, give her kisses goodnight and leave the room. I am not great at allowing my baby to cry for very long, but sometimes allowing her to cry some, is the only thing that works. I usually will lay her down and let her fuss for 5 or 10 min, go back in rub her back, leave again, wait 5 or 10 min, go in rub her back, leave and so on. This process could take a little while, but consistency is key. She will get back to her normal self in now time.
I'm still trying to get my now 18 month old son back to his old routine as will. I guess allot of mothers go through this as will. My son, had a stomach flu and all he wanted to do was breastfeed almost every hour! Before he got sick he was only nursing three times a day! Now, it's been three weeks and we have it down to four to five times a day now. I say, "no," to him and of course give him a distraction or a sippy cup or feed him. Some times, he justs wants it. I know it is a work in process and I have to be patient. Just hang in there, and believe that your baby will get back to her normal routine again, only to change it up again.
Parenthood is definetly now for the weak!
Hang in there! I know I am still trying too!
No, However her reality ahs changed. You need to gently get her back to playing on her own, sleepign on her own. It willn ot happen overnight. Take baby steps back. Letting her cry it out is fine just be carful about the lenght of time. 20 to 30 min seems like a long time. We have a "nite time dada" my chidren seem to go back to sleep for him better than myself. You might send him in with instructions and see how he does for a few nights.
This upper respiratory stuff that's been going around can last a couple weeks. She may not feel 100% yet. The short answer is NO, you didn't spoil her. The long answer is YES, you will have to "re-program" her when she's feeling better to break some of the habits you got into while she's been ill. We've been through this cycle with our son (now 23 months) and he's finally old enough that he bounces back into his routine pretty quickly after an illness.
NO!!! In my humble, yet very experienced opinion, you cant spoil an infant! She still may not be feeling her normal self yet, and is reaching to you to help. Even Dr. Sears recently said (on Dr. Phil) that it is not advised to let a baby "cry it out" However, it might be wise to phase out your consantly being with her. For example, sit with her while she plays, watch a Baby Einstein with her, and maybe sit next to her crib and rub her hand or something until she improves. She will get back to her old self, but if she is like my 8 month old, now is the time that he is teething like crazy, and has really started with separation anxiety. So for me, I prefer to reassure him. I have 2 other children that were treated the same way, and they are great sleepers, and independant, yet they know where to come when they need something! Trust your judgement, and best of luck with this new phase! ~A.~
Hey there B.! You might have spoiled your 8 month old daughter, but for a very good reason...she was sick and she needed you to do all those things for her. She just got a little used to it, that's all. Just wean her slowly. Just go back to doing what you used to do before she got sick, and if she cries, let her-just for awhile...then do it again, and again until she gets used to it the way she did before. I think it is normal for her to keep wanting the extra attention she received when she was sick, but it's up to you to retrain her, coz if not, you would just be spoiling her for no reason, and that is no good.
...hope all this makes sense. good luck!
Dear Bandy:
So sorry to hear you're little one is ill. I have two older boys and they both have been sick for the last two weeks. This bug that is going around takes a while to get over.
First, just so you know, you can never spoil a baby by holding them. They communicate through their crys. My instincts tell me, something is still wrong. Maybe you should schedule an appointment with your doctor and have the little one examined. Especially if she is screaming. Something just isn't right.
Good luck. I hope your baby gets back to happy soon!
P.
