My 6 Month Old Won't Let Me Put Him Down.

Your husband needs an education on baby development and nutrition. I also think he needs to man up and speak up. If he's feeling neglected then he needs to say that and then you two can have an adult conversation. Blaming his feelings on the baby is childish and frankly he needs to come to terms with the fact that he is not number one anymore. How is formula supposed to make the baby more independant anyway? It's not like he can hold his own bottle. Hubby needs to step up on the consoling as well. Maybe part of his issue is that he doesn't feel like he has a place in the baby rearing. I agree with the suggestion to pump and let Dad feed with a bottle.

Having said that, my daughter was the exact same way. We ended up wearing her ALOT. We used a baby bjorn and she loved to be facing out. That made her perfectly happy. You cannot spoil a 6 month old. It's simply not possible. It may be seperation anxiety or it just maybe that the world is a far more interesting place when he is being carried around - higher perspective and more things coming into view and close to Mama (and Daddy) - what could be better?

And no need to worry that this will lead to a clingy child. My daughter is a very independant 4 yr old.

Oh boy. This has nothing to do with BF, and everything to do with behavior.
At 6 mos, your LO is at the stage when he learns that his behaviors cause a reaction from you.
And he LIKES being held by you. All the time! It's pretty awesome for him. He gets to snuggle with the person that makes up his whole world...all the time! LOL!

It's up to you to set the boundaries for this.
If you want to put him down...you just have to start doing it. He'll cry, yes. He may make himself sick by doing it...he'll be just fine.
The only way you're going to curb this behavior is to change how YOU react to it.

So make sure he's in a safe place and comfortable. If he spits up...clean him up...but don't PICK him up to do it. He needs to learn that every time he cries and pukes, you won't come racing. It's not cruel, it's just part of life. You can't hold him constantly. So the sooner you get him used to it, the better and easier it will be.

Good luck mama!

Grrr...hubby's reaction makes me angry here. This is why so many mama's don't succeed at breastfeeding for the recommended amount of time (no support). Baby needs primarily BM until 12 months, the rest os fluff to get him used to other tastes and textures.You do not need to do anything special to help hubby "get over it", except to hand him a book to read about how to feed babies. No one is holding your hand to help you "get over" midnight feedings, a tiny monkey that clings to you non-stop, the inability to take a shower/pee/send an email without the fear of interruption or the sound of crying. Okay, enough of that...

I have a 6 month old boy, and in the last 3-4 weeks, his separation anxiety has hit new levels! He cries the minute he sees me leave his "area". Its frustrating, and I'm not really into letting him just sob, so I do a lot of toting around of my little sack of potatoes! He seems to be okay if I'm sitting on the floor right next to him, but otherwise, no. I do switch him around a bunch from the exersaucer, my lap, tummy time, Bumbo...whatever works to keep me hands-free as much as I can. It WILL get better when he is mobile (b/c then he can chase you!), crawling usually shows an improvement in the sep. anxiety. Hang in there! It gets better!

Is he sitting up yet? If not, try him on his back, on his tummy, in a bouncy chair or bumbo type of chair or high chair - different positions. It may not be separation anxiety - it might be he doesn't like how he is being put down and can't change it. While separation anxiety can start as young as 6 months, it usually isn't until a bit later like 9-10 months. They don't understand object permanence and think if they can't see you than you are gone. You can ease that by talking to baby so he is hearing you even if he can't see you (I used to put my baby in a swing in the bathroom and get in the shower and sing the whole time so that he knew mama was still there, just cleaning the spitup and spoiled milk off!).

My first baby hated being on his tummy. My second baby loved it! First baby hated a swing - second loved the swing and still does at 2 years old!

It isn't the nursing and it is best to nurse until baby is 12 months old if you can do it. Longer if you can. Maybe you need to educate Dad on nursing, if possible. I agree with QueenoftheCastle, maybe you need to try a baby carrier/wrap. One that Dad can use also would be good - maybe the Ergo at that age. I wore my second one all the time!

I would also consider a trip to the pediatrician - check for ear infections. They are really, really common at that age. It could be that when you are not comforting him he notices the ear infection pain. You want to at least rule out anything physical.

Hang in there Mama - I hate to say it but Daddy is wrong on this one and you are right. Although if baby wants to nurse at night than he is looking for you as a food source. I went through that one also!

C.

All of this is perfectly normal. Including your husband's feelings. When hubby gets on you about using formula, remind him how much money you are saving by not using formula. A can of formula is $15 - 30, and sometimes you need 2 cans in a week. So you are saving $75 - 150 a month based on 5 cans of formula a month.

My guess is that he has a gas bubble or reflux, although the seperation anxiety does start about this time for all kids, regardless of how they get their nutrition.

Three things to try.
1. When it is tummy time, lay on the floor next to him, and put him on a boppy, thick floor pillow, or comforter. It could be that the hardness of the floor is uncomfortable.

2. When he is on the floor, place him on his belly, and gently rub his back.

3. If you find that you DO end up holding him all of the time, even as you walk around the house, one way to break that habit is to use an umbrella stroller. When walking around the floor, put him in the stroller and push him around. This way, he still gets to go where you are going, sees what is going on, and you get that separation without being separated. Worked wonders for my mom and me.

Do you have a baby carrier that you can wear? Baby wearing helps a baby feel more secure and more confident later when it is time to separate. So my suggestion is that he needs more, not less contact with you.

Will hubby go with you to a pediatric appointment and the two of you can get a third opinion? Also, maybe Hubs is needing some attention and affection. I know it is so hard to do this with a little baby but the best thing for your baby is for Mom and Dad to be in sync. Blessings!

He's got developmental stuff going on (and I mean that in a good way, he's probably getting ready to crawl, or make some other milestone). I say - get a baby sling and wear him for a week or two.

And breastfeeding has absolutely nothing to do with this. If your husband has any interest in being a good parent, he should read a child development book or two, because his instincts are dead wrong.

Does he cry when he is lying down? Could it be reflux or something like that?

And if your pedi is on board with the breastfeeding, have HIM talk to dad. Your husband is wrong, but he may also envy the time and closeness, so pumping so he can bottle feed is a good compromise.

I 'wore' my daughter constantly at that age in a Baby Bjorn. She loved it. I also agree that a lot is going on at 6 months and a new development may be just around the corner, thus the clingy-ness.

Yes, your husband is wrong on the nursing and you can easily provide him with information that will prove it to him. Your baby is NOT spoiled at 6 months and he's not manipulating you, either, that's just ridiculous. But you know that :)

Good luck; all of this sounds 100% normal to me.

I agree with LeeLee.

I suggest you breast feed him more, baby food has no nutrition so if he's getting that instead of your milk he's super hungry.

If he dosn't like to be on the floor try a bouncy seat. That's what my boys liked at that age. And to me your husband sounds jealous of the time you spend with the baby. He needs to get over that! There is no reason to stop nursing before the age of 1 if you yourself can do it. Remind him how much money you are saving nursing!!!!!!!!!! That can be a big one! If a bouncy seat dosn't work try a swing. He sounds like he dosn't like to be on the floor. Or put him down and get out of his line of sight. Cause you are the source of food. Sometimes they do better if they can't see you.

Yep - they do that sometimes!
Logically - sure - I could have left my son in his crib/playpen so I could use the bathroom (and I did just that so I could take a shower).
But he cried like his little heart was breaking and I just could not stand it.
So I got use to carrying him with me everywhere where it wasn't dangerous.
I had a sling that worked very well.
I could not hold him safely while using the stove.
BUT I could hold one foot out away from the stove as much as possible and child was happy to sit on my foot.
If anyone ever saw me they would probably have thought I was nuts.
For the longest time (I think until he was about 3 or 4 yr old), if we were home alone together he would follow me where ever I went in the house or yard.
He just hated being alone in any room (or anywhere) without being able to see me.
We got the mail together, did the laundry together, did the vacuuming together, did the gardening together - my baby bird just wanted to follow me around.

At first it made me feel a little claustrophobic - having someone intensely NEED you seems like a bit much sometimes - but you get use to it.
And eventually it's not so intense and then they are older and are fine playing in another room - and suddenly you kind of miss being needed like that.

You could try to let him fuss for a few minutes (building up the length of time slowly) before you pick him up.
They do grow out of it sooner or later.

Your husband's kind of a twit. He needs to be supportive, not cut you down.

Babies are not spoiled. They need love and attention. Try a sling.

he needs to stop being so jealous. after all you didn't have twins! breastfeeding is absolutely a great thing for your baby and it will taper off on its own. my daughter BF til 20 months old (exclusively til 6 mos and mostly til 12 mos). at 6 mos babies are going thru a lot of changes with growth and sight, etc. and can get fussier. they say this happens at the 3's and 6's (days, weeks, months and years of age). maybe baby is sensing daddy's resistance and wants to cling to you more. if your not a SAHM then baby misses you while at work. could be lots of things but you do what your mommy instincts tell you is best for your baby and hold him while you can because one day really soon he'll be a teenager and you'll be having the separation anxiety!!!

you are doing what is right, it is a stage, put him down periodically through the day while you are there to play with him, and once he gets too worked up pick him up and do something else. Rinse. Repeat. Nursing doesn't have anything to do with this fussy super attached stage, and most babies go through it, they are learning their boundries, and independence, but they want to make sure mom is still right there for them. Nursing or formula is not going to make a difference in this fussiness stage. Keep nursing if you want to , it is best for the baby - let the Dr. tell your husband this if he won't listen to you.

He will grow out of it, just keep giving him short amounts of floor time, with other activities in between - it is getting warm enough for walks in the stroller, rides in the car, playing outside, too, soon!

Can you pump and let your husband feed him to prove he's wrong?