They grow out of it soon enough. My boy cried a biy a year ago, however a fair bit less now, and he will tell yoiu what he does not like.
Babies cry for for a reason. If you remove that reason they will stop crying. 3 months, either tired, hungry, nappy full, or colic.
Colic is stomach pain I think, and housecat’s advice is OK. Tht said, it will only go completely away once the bowels on the little one mature to the point where there’s no discomfort.
My youngest daughter had it bad, and I labelled her the most unsmiling baby I ever seen. Never a smile, however nothing but tears. She was born early and that makes it worse.
When she was 9 months, one day her tummy stopped hurting, and she went from being a little pest (sorry everybody, but that was how I felt at the time) to become a little angel, which she still is. (Not so little any more, but still an angel).
Mr. He is right about what supposedly causes colic and that it’s worse for the early ones. Mine was early and had cholic for about 4 months. The colic hold helped some. The only thing that ever got him completely quiet was to hold him as close to upright as possible. To sleep at night, I either slept sitting up with my back straight–flat against the wall–with him high on my shoulder, or propped him up in the crook of my hip–with his head and arms on/over my hip so that he looked like he was “standing” and facing in. Obviously, I worried like crazy that I’d hurt him in my sleep–but I never got any so that wasn’t a problem! As soon as he started to slump–Whaaaa! Our friends thought he was so “picky” because you could hold him just so and he’d be fine-but just a HAIR different and he’d scream. That was durring waking hours.
I can’t immagine what it really feels like and didn’t like to know that something I could not do anything about was causing my tiny baby pain. I have to say, though, that the child is in more physical danger from his parent’s lack of sleep than from colic. I once “changed” him in the night by putting the clean diaper over the soiled one and then was miserable for hours until he cried himself to sleep because I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. I think I may also have doused him lightly with bug spray once, too, but I can’t remember for sure and don’t know why. Maybe not. Maybe it was aerosol deoderant. I DO remember just sitting down in the kitchen floor and sobbing with him because I couldn’t remember why we were in there in the first place. That woke my husband up and that was the only time he ever got up and helped out in the middle of the night.
Try anything and everything until something works–even if it’s letting grandma take the night shift once or twice a week. A little sanity goes a long way! A little sleep will go even farther!
Mr. He has this correct. Babys cry for a reason. There are only 3 reasons. They are hungry, tired or hurt. The problem is the lack of communication. First, check the nappy. A bag of crap is going to burn and thus, pain and they hurt. Thus they cry. Colic is difficult to diagnose and that should be your last choice of resolution. Of course, if they are tired, some intense comforting, rocking and cajoling with soft soothing words will quickly put the babe to sleep. The big problem I had as a father or semi-father to more than 68 children (not a typo) over the years was that it was difficult to tell when babes had a stomachache. This, of course causes intense pain and cramping. No amount of rocking and cajoling even with comforting words is going to solve the problem. Only time will take care of the issue. Here, I found a rocking chair and vast understanding of the infant will work. Don’t get angry. Just rock, sing, cajole and burp (pat gently on the back until gas is passed). The marvel will usually drop off. Keep a bottle of properly warmed bev at hand. I usually used milk because fruit juice for older infants having this problem, may make it worse. If Mommy is still nursing. Plug in and go back to sleep.
Getting back on topic…
I had a friend who used to babysit and would blow marijuana smoke in the little one’s faces to make them sleep. Apparently very effective but we can’t reccomend it here as that would be against F.Com rules
I’ve always found stabbing them or dashing their brains out on the sidewalk to be pretty effective.
[quote=“Edgar Allen”]Getting back on topic…
I had a friend who used to babysit and would blow marijuana smoke in the little one’s faces to make them sleep.[/quote]
Your friend’s a moron.
For toddlers I can stop them crying by crying too. I look at them and gradually crumple my face up into crying mode, just like little children do. They think it’s hilarious to see an adult cry, and when you start crying they start laughing. It’s worked every time I’ve tried it.
[quote=“igorveni”][quote=“Edgar Allen”]Getting back on topic…
I had a friend who used to babysit and would blow marijuana smoke in the little one’s faces to make them sleep.[/quote]
Your friend’s a moron.[/quote]
psst. I think he’s joking.
Strap the kid in the car seat and go for a drive. Or record the whole episode and play it back when he/she is 16 and complaining that YOU are a pain in the ass.
[quote=“housecat”] Obviously, I worried like crazy that I’d hurt him in my sleep–but I never got any so that wasn’t a problem!
try anything and everything until something works–even if it’s letting grandma take the night shift once or twice a week. A little sanity goes a long way! A little sleep will go even farther![/quote]
What a funny story…my 10 mo is exactly the same. I still spend hours typing away on the computer while he sleeps on my left shoulder…I try to keep him upright for as long as I can do it. He spends the day time riding high in my sling…a little sleep would really help me a lot.
Did you ever consider he may have had reflux and require medication?
Also some other tried and trusted methods for calming the crying
The 5 Ss of settling Swaddle, Sway, Shoosh, Suck and Side.
Or try googling Dr. Sears calm the crying or understanding the crying.[/quote]
No, he had no signs of reflux.[/quote]
Usually normal reflux is associated with vomiting post feeds, acidic smelling burps and vomits, a needing to be upright all the time etc.
Silent reflux is reflux without the vomiting, but the acid still travels up the throat and burns when lying down. Is it possible he had silent reflux requiring medication??
Usually normal reflux is associated with vomiting post feeds, acidic smelling burps and vomits, a needing to be upright all the time etc.
Silent reflux is reflux without the vomiting, but the acid still travels up the throat and burns when lying down. Is it possible he had silent reflux requiring medication??[/quote]
No. Really, he was fine about that. He just had less pressure on his little tummy that way. He was exclusively breast fed and had virtually no problems of spitting up, gas, reflux, anything at all. Like I said, the colic hold also helped some. He just had a slightly underdeveloped little tummy, I think. He was a little early. He was not medicated for anything. We got through it with love and longsuffering.