is this normal at 6 months... and what do I do about it?

DD is a super active, generally very happy 6 month old baby. But, lately I feel like everything is a battle. It's a struggle to get her to do anything...

she refuses to eat, WILL NOT let me change her diaper or dress her (wiggle, rolls, squirms, fusses on the changing pad - it's a nightmare), fights naps even though she's rubbing her eyes and obviously tired... she has baby tantrums when she cant have what she wants... like something she wants to grab off the table or when she doesnt want to be in the high chair... really, tantrums... already???

i cant go anywhere bc she screams her head off in the car seat because she doesnt want to be in there.... she won't sit still for a minute, even in my arms she's like a little screwdriver, turning and flipping, and rolling... it's exhausting to hold her for a long time...

and worst of all, she does not sleep at night anymore... she is up every 5 minutes for hours... literally every 5 minutes... any time i put her down in the crib, she cries... i rock her, she falls back to sleep, i put her down, she cries... this goes on for hours... sometimes i cry too bc i dont know what to do anymore... i end up bringing her into bed with me because I dont know what else to do and I NEED some sleep... in our bed, she'll sleep with no problem... so now I know ive created a little baby monster bc she just wants to be in bed with me...

Is this normal at such a young age? I need some help.

Message edited 8/23/2013 11:29:08 AM.

is this normal at 6 months... and what do I do about it

Separation anxiety and teething are very normal around this age and could be the reason why you can't seem to put her down and she's screaming every few mins and in the car. Honestly, my immediate reaction is "this too shall pass". Do whatever you need to do to get your rest- you definitely need to prioritize that. You're going to get lots of opinions but follow your instincts and do what works best for you and your family. Your DD sounds like a perfectly normal baby.

is this normal at 6 months... and what do I do about it?

yes

Re: is this normal at 6 months... and what do I do about it?

NORMAL!!!! they dont warn you that some infants can throw toddler tantrums but my DD certainly did and does!

Re: is this normal at 6 months... and what do I do about it?

I have TWO 6 month olds right now. What you are saying sounds very familiar with my little girl..she is our firecracker. She flips if you are not in her line of sight...its really ridiculous. I was also having major issues with her getting up at night. FInally I just decided to NOT go pick her up. It took all of two days, and now it takes her 30 seconds to settle herself back down again, and go to sleep. It was so hard for me to not just grab her and make her happy, but I was creating a nightmare, and since I had two babies, I didn't always have the choice to pick her up anyway.

I do agree with PP that sometimes, you just have to do whatever it takes to get some rest, but I am also learning with my daughter that I have to set boundaries...even at 6 months old...who knew??? Life for the whole house has been much better since we have forced her to learn to self soothe. Not saying it works ALL the time, but most of the time it does. If you always pacify them, they will always expect it.

I say all this, but also say, every child is different. My two boys are nothing like my girl, so you will find what works for you..GOOD LUCK!!

Re: is this normal at 6 months... and what do I do about it?

DS is almost 7 mo and does much of what you said, so I think it's normal. He is a terrible sleeper (always has been), he's up every 1-2 hours all night long. Lately when I try to put him in the car seat he makes his whole body rigid and flops around so I can't get him in. It's actually scary because if I'm not super careful, he's going to flop himself right onto the floor. He also gets really mad when you change his clothes and rolls away during diaper changes. He throws little temper tantrums if you take a toy from him (which is 2.5yo sister loves to do)

eta- As another poster mentioned, I would still bring these things up at your doctor apt. He/she should be the ultimate judge of what's "normal". I don't think it really sounds that out of the norm but I'd still mention it to the doctor.

Message edited 8/23/2013 12:55:24 PM.

is this normal at 6 months... and what do I do about it?

Hmmmm... It COULD be normal, but I think I would mention it to the doc next time you are there. Could it be that she has reflux (esp considering the VERY frequent night wakings)? Or something else? :hugs:

Re: is this normal at 6 months... and what do I do about it?

sorry the advice portion of mine got left out. i felt like we did everything right when it came to bedtime routines and dd always woke up 100's of times throughout the night. we also co slept a lot because it was the only way to get a little bit of rest. but we were so paranoid of her waking up often and trying to get her to go back to sleep right away that DH and I were actually causing her sleep problems. the second she cried out for a second or appeared eyes open and awake we ran over there probably making it harder for her to fall back asleep/learn to put herself to sleep. it took an entire year and a hard long look at our actions to see what was going wrong. now we just react so much slower and lo and behold dd stopped needing us there every time she woke up. sometimes i feel like the more attentive we are to her, the worst things get and i know it sounds terrible but the more space we give her, the easier she gets!

Re: is this normal at 6 months... and what do I do about it?

plus she sounds very physically active. shes prolly just going through a phase. when dd was learning to get into a sitting position on her own she went crazy for about two weeks. just thrashing around in her crib and not sleeping. but it passed.

is this normal at 6 months... and what do I do about it?

Thanks! helps to know that it's normal! I wonder if teething has something to do with it bc i see a tooth coming up. Been avoiding CIO because I hate the thought of just letting her cry, but I may have no choice. Anyway, thanks again!

is this normal at 6 months... and what do I do about it?

When my dd was 7-8mos she did that nighttime thing too. Obviously tired, I'd get her to sleep and she'd keep waking up. I need to sleep at least a few hours bc I work so I started to bring her into my bed where she'd peacefully sleep through the whole night.

I was so worried I was creating a monster and then right after she turned 9mos she refused my bed and started sleeping fine in her crib again and not waking constantly. It just resolved itself thank goodness.

Re: is this normal at 6 months... and what do I do about it?

well... I didn't know it was normal... but judging from other's posts, it is. but i'm right there with ya!!
dd is 9.5 months and OOOOH the temper tantrums are out of control. if she drops a toy, if I take something from her, if I walk away, if she has to go in her highchair/car seat or stroller and isn't in the mood, if I don't give her her bottle fast enough, if I try to dress her or change her diaper... it goes on and on. I feel like the crying never stops lately
I feel like she's always been stong willed but since she learned how to crawl, ALL she wants is to just be free to wander. i'm hoping this passes.
dd has also given me issues with eating and naps... it comes and goes.
I haven't had the same problems as you at night - the one good thing is dd sleeps really well at night. but i'm inclined to tell you to try CIO - bc i'm a mean mommy and I did it when dd was very very young.

Re: is this normal at 6 months... and what do I do about it?

DS did the same thing at about the same time. Just give it time. I know its hard. With DS it was a couple mont (yes , a couple month) phase. We had good days and bad

Re: is this normal at 6 months... and what do I do about it?

sounds like teething to me

is this normal at 6 months... and what do I do about it?

I think its somewhat normal.
Dd is 6 months and now cries on the changing table - it used to be her favorite place in the house! I try to distract her by singing or playing with her

As far as sleeping, dd was waking a few times in the middle if the night and she was fine In my arms but once she got back in the crib she would scream. I refused to bring her into our bed bc I didn't want to create that habit (me sister had her daughter in bed with her til age 6!) so instead we did CIO. It's not easy but it worked! 3 night of 1.5 hours of crying and she sttn. It's not for everyone but it helped her self soothe

Do you have toys on her car seat? Maybe that will help with car rides?

Message edited 8/23/2013 10:33:18 PM.