Help with a 6 month old screamer

[keri]

I have taken on a 6 month old and he screams all the time! This is my 3rd week with him and I have him for 3 hours a day although I had 3 days off due to holiday commitments and monday bank hol.

He is currently weaning and is breast fed and up until now every time he cried mum breast fed him and when it was sleep time he was fed until he fell asleep! And had absolutely no routine

I had a friend come up to visit who has a baby of the same age and she is a stickler for routine and talked to the mum and the mum is now devised a routine including not allowing him to fall asleep on the breast. This started last Friday and mum says he seems to be a bit better at home and where as he used to scream for dad the same way he does for me that has calmed down a lot.

I went out at the weekend and bought a good selection of toys for his age as I was lacking due to not normally a need to take babies so young.

He won't lay on the floor with toys, sitting up with cushions in the high hair he just screams the only way he will stop is if I'm carrying him and moving, if I stand still he cries. He gets himself in a state when I sit him in his chair to feed him and there is not much consoling him.

I put him down in the travel cot to sleep and do controlled crying (parents request) and it only takes about 10 minutes for him to drop off but he'll wake up after the sleep and we are back to the crying.

He is ok in the buggy and I have taken him for walks but kind of feel that's not getting him used to being here and the surroundings.

Apparently he is like it with everyone including grandparents (they wont look after him) so it seems it is not just me and my home.

Does anyone have any suggestions. Mum is cool and I think any suggestions made will be appreciated? How long is a reasonable amount of time to break this? Any advice would be super helpful :)

Sorry for the long post x

[sarah707]

Don't apologise! I know how dreadful it is to cope with the constant screaming and stress. :group hug:

You are lucky that mum sounds like she is working with you - but it will still take a while until he is feeling more secure.

Have you tried a wrap? Some babies settle better feeling close to someone.

I hope it improves quickly for you xx

[cathtee]

Poor you, I have had 2 screamers one was a holiday cover for another minder, he screamed all the time much the same as yours but as i had a few children being holidays he had to go down on the floor at some point while i dealt with othe mindees and meals etc, he would stop as soon as i picked him up, but i would sit on the floor with him on my lap and play and gradually move him onto the floor gradually he stopped crying but if i moved away he was off again but persivere and he settled by the time he finish the 2 weeks he was ok but i was worn out!!

The other one was the same but she never did settle, only with me for 3 days a week one day with nan and the rest mom, no routine anyway mom chnaged hours and i don't work fridays so she put her in day nursery phew.

if all else fails earplugs and a bottle of wine:laughing: hope he settles soon:)

[keri]

I had a chat again with mum at pick up time and she told me that she is seeing someone as she is absolutely petrified of something happening to him, she checks him all though the night to see if he is still breathing (she had a previous late stage miscarriage before) so I understand her anxieties and she thinks this is all as a result of her being a little neurotic and over protective. She also told me that he is carried around for a lot of the time which explains why he is not good with being put down.

I think he is probably the same at home but because he is carried around a lot he doesn't cry where as here he can't be carried around all the time hence the crying. She wants to break this so we are going to keep at it in the hope it will eventually get better. It probably doesn't help that he is teething as well adding to the trauma. She is going to speak to her health visitor to see if they have any suggestions as well :thumbsup:

Sarah - is there any chance this can be moved to members only?

Thanks for the encouragement though :)

[lorettacritchet]

omG! I so understand your woes....I have an 11 month old girl who is exactly the same, she is extremely clingy, cries everytime I touch or pick up other children including my own daughter and screams the house down when I leave the room even if it's only to the kitchen. She doesn't sleep in the cot and needs a dummy and comfort blanket and will only sleep in the flat lieing pram. Unfortunately her mum is not one who understands controlled crying so at the slightest noise, her mum picks her up to soothe her and gives her what she wants.....poor mum has got another child due in November, good luck to her!!



I had a chat again with mum at pick up time and she told me that she is seeing someone as she is absolutely petrified of something happening to him, she checks him all though the night to see if he is still breathing (she had a previous late stage miscarriage before) so I understand her anxieties and she thinks this is all as a result of her being a little neurotic and over protective. She also told me that he is carried around for a lot of the time which explains why he is not good with being put down.

I think he is probably the same at home but because he is carried around a lot he doesn't cry where as here he can't be carried around all the time hence the crying. She wants to break this so we are going to keep at it in the hope it will eventually get better. It probably doesn't help that he is teething as well adding to the trauma. She is going to speak to her health visitor to see if they have any suggestions as well :thumbsup:

Sarah - is there any chance this can be moved to members only?

Thanks for the encouragement though :)

[keri]

I'm kind of glad I'm not the only one although sorry you are going through it to :(
How long has your lo been like it? It is nice that my parent is happy to try anything to try and break it it must be worse when parents are kind of working against you.

Im having him an extra hour today and I have a more experienced childminder coming over to see what he is like and have a bit of a brain storm to see if there is anything else we can think to do :thumbsup: