do not be deceived.
this little boy has become a monster.
you think i'm joking?
you think a 5 month old baby is not capable of being a monster?
i'm not joking.
and he is capable.
very capable.
somewhere between all the traveling and time change and confusion
he developed separation anxiety.
do babies even get that this young?
who even knows.
all i know is i cannot leave his side.
and if i try to lay him down for a nap or bedtime, he screams his head off. like a monster.
i've tried everything.
even letting him cry.
which breaks my heart right in half.
but that especially doesn't work because he cries so hard he makes himself sick.
and then i have a sick, mad, cranky baby who really doesn't want to go to bed now.
so i give in and i lay next to him
or i let him hold my fingers.
or i talk to him and sing to him and tell him stories until he falls asleep.
sheesh.
i think we are both exhausted.
so now what?
i let him learn bad habits.
and i won't let him cry anymore.
and i've read a million books (ok...3)
any ideas out there?
help!!!
20 comments:
oh sad. im sorry! but he really is darling if that helps anything!
loves
britt
Have you read Baby Wise? By NO means am I an expert, but it talks about crying in there.
I hope it gets better! He sure is cute!
He is BEAUTIFUL!!!
I have FOUR and still I have no advice. (he doesn't have ear infections does he?) That was always the reason for my kids behaving that way.
It's a phase, his schedule has been rocked.
Hang in there!
I would try letting him cry for 5 minutes and then go calm him down. Then leave, let him cry for 10 minutes go in and calm him down again. Leave, let him cry for 15, come in, calm him down. Leave; let him cry for 20, go in and calm him down. Then stay at 20 minutes from there on out for as long as it takes him to get to sleep. Stay in there long enough to calm him down but not too long. Also, don't pick him up when you are in there, just let him hold your fingers or lay by him. I know that sounds like a lot of time and effort but we did that with Shaylie when we were trying to get her to sleep at night... it wasn't seperation anxiety but it helped with her realizing that we weren't going to stay in there and be by her side all the time. I only had to get to 20 minutes once and only had to repeat it once. Once she realized that we weren't giving in, she decided she would go to bed pretty easy. If you build up to the 20 minutes of crying, he may not make himself sick. Let me know if you try it and if it helps. Hope it does!
I don't have any advice (obviously), but if it makes you feel better I know a lot of my friends have gone through a similar thing around 5-6 months. Good luck!
We did the same thing as Jen with Brady. It worked wonders. Letting them cry stinks though and if you aren't willing to do that then maybe try a bedtime routine that gets him tired enough that he doesn't care if you are there or not he just wants to sleep. We give Brady a bath, read a story, turn out the lights, and feed him his bottle. He has gotten to the point that as soon as that bottle is empty, he will fall asleep in my arms and I just have to lay him in his bed and he sleeps through the night. I also recommend keeping him awake for more than 3 hours before putting him to bed. It really wears Brady out to be awake for a long stretch of time. I'm sorry you are struggling. Babies are so confusing to figure out what they want and how to do things. They get so picky. Good luck!
My 6 month old is doing the SAME thing...and...I remember this stage with my first one as well. Its a really hard time, but it will get better. I think you have been given some good advice. Feel it out and hang in there!! Good Luck!
Sorry, one more comment...have you tried playing soft music for him or running a humidifier? We do both for Brady and I think it helps to keep him calm. Just a suggestion :)
I know this is hard but you need to let him cry ( with my kids,I would cry myself in the other room while they are crying) good luck! Miles is getting so big and is he sitting by him self now.
get your ipod..and put on REALLY quiet little baby music..and sit in a chair (if you have one in his room?) until he falls asleep--or a noisemaker..they have little music ones, or like the sound of a beach. OR just lay by him..but dont pick him up. they are smart little ones..they'll figure it out if you pick him up that he'll get that everytime you go in.
and no im not married
and no i dont have kids.
but i sure think your little guy is so CUTE!!!!
love ya & miss you!!
I KNOW I KNOW!! Let him come back to grandma's house. I sure miss the little stink.
I have no advice whatsoever, but I do want to say that your short hair is so cute! It makes me want to cut mine so bad :)
He's so cute!! I want to keep him! He loves his mommy! Can you guys come back now, my life isn't complete without you guys!
No advice, but I think he is cute also. Good luck with that. He will grow up one day and then, well, it's over, so, do what you do and just do it! (That was prophetic now wasn't it!)
Oh, Kali sweetie--you are doing just fine with your little baby. He has been through a lot too this last little while. So if he needs some extra finger holding and more stories than usual, you are a good kind mommy to give it to him. Haven't you needed extra love these days? Be patient with him. He will go back to his usual routine soon enough and in the meantime, as he learns that--no matter what--you will be there if he needs you he will balance out and right himself again.
In the old days--think Peter Pan--the moms or nannys used to sit in the room and sew or read while the children fell asleep. Doesn't that sound comforting to all of us? I really think they had the right idea back then.
You are doing great.
:]
Hello dear! I just wanted to tell you this from my personal experience:
It is not going to kill him or hurt him to cry. But it will eventually kill you to have to put him to sleep every single night until he is 25.
I love you. :-)
Welcome to parenthood.
I'm sorry it's hard on you. Make sure to keep breathing and praying... I've been doing that a LOT, and it helps. I hope that even in the little bit of time that's passed since you wrote this that things are sorting out. You're great and I'm a fan of you and that little guy... and I hope that helps somehow. :)
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