To think I'm getting something really wrong with DS?

[Aliveinwanderland]

DS is 15 weeks and I constantly feel like I'm doing it all wrong. He isn't an easy baby and cries a lot. He wakes every 2 hours all night and is always cranky in the day time.

He wakes up in a morning and is lovely and pleasant. He will play for 90 mins then I put him down for a nap. Will go down easily and have half an hour. He wakes reasonably happy, again plays for 90 mins then has a 2 hour nap. However the afternoons can be awful. Once he wakes from this nap he is cranky and needs constant jigging about to stop him crying. He has another half hour nap around 4 ish and again wakes from this really cranky and cries until bathtime at 6:30. He goes to bed at 7pm usually without a problem.

I think he is tired but I don't understand why as he is having plenty of naps.

He woke up at 5pm and is screaming now. Nothing will console him. He hates being cuddled, doesn't want to feed and won't fall asleep. He does this most evenings and the only way to stop the crying is to walk round the house with him jigging him.

I'm obviously getting something wrong as he just doesn't seem to be a happy baby at all but I can't figure out what!

[Areyoufree]

Sounds normal, I'm afraid. We used to call 5 pm 'The witching hour', as my daughter would start crying from then pretty much until bedtime. It's not fun. And, is nothing that you are doing. Some babies are just more difficult than others! He sounds like he is doing really well - give yourself some credit!

[teaandbiscuitsforme]

He needs more daytime sleep. 3 naps isn't really enough for a 3 month old so I'd try more naps- sling, pram, car.

But most babies are restless in the evening- it's just the way they're made unfortunately.

[Aliveinwanderland]

He always cheers up as soon as DH is home! He just never seems very happy with me. I had hoped the afternoon/evening crying would get better around 12 weeks but doesn't seem to be so far!

I will try for more naps but he is already sleeping after being awake for 90 minutes at a time so not sure how to fit more in!

[SEsofty]

Totally normal I'm afraid. The five o'clock horror hour before bath time

[GeorgeTheHamster]

Oh god yeah, the witching hour. You're not doing anything wrong. And it will get better, honest.

[FaFoutis]

I would take him out for a long walk in the afternoon. It used to work for my difficult DS, and saved my sanity.

[Angela0413]

Totally normal I'm afraid -5pm - 7pm classic witching hour. They grow out of it, try not to worry. Mine only napped 3 times a day and they were 30 mins max! It's hard but it gets easier

[Angela0413]

Oh start bedtime routine earlu - bath, massage, sing a song etc, I sometimes would start at 5.45 and take 30 mins winding down then start feeding at 6.15 then bed by 6.30/6.45

[Gladiatorsready]

He sounds exactly like my DS who is 20weeks today, no advice just to say I have the exact same pattern/issue.

[Wolfiefan]

My first was very much the same. Unfond memories of pacing the street or dancing round the room holding him and trying desperately to halt the screaming until DH got home. It was so hard. He just grew out of it.

[welshweasel]

Yep the witching hour existed here too. At its worst I went for sling and loud music and danced round the house. It gets better (slightly!)

[LapinR0se]

Are you feeding him to sleep?

[Nquartz]

Same time witching hour here too, I remember it well! Have you tried putting him in a sling when he's grumpy? I used to just wander round with DD in the sling until DH got home from work.

[Oly5]

I wouldn't worry, this sounds so normal. Babies that age cry and cry - both mine did! I used to pound the streets in the afternoon with the pram... If I stopped to look inside shop they'd wake up and scream!
Don't worry too much about routines etc. This will all pass I promise! By six months you'll have a different baby.
It's normal not to feel like your coping at this stage!

[mumtomaxwell]

Definitely try going out for a walk - even if he's still crying it's not quite so loud outside!!! And the fresh air and daylight might help you feel better too. He's still tiny and this sounds normal - it feels never ending when you're in the middle of it but it will definitely pass.

[Aliveinwanderland]

Thank you for reassuring me. He is the youngest out of my group of friends with babies and all theirs seem so happy all the time whereas DS is just so unpredictable and cranky.

It's makes me feel worse that he hates being cuddled and so I find it really hard to pacify him when he is upset as he doesn't like being held.

We always go out for a walk his lunchtime nap and then i wheel his pram into the house and he will have 2 hours usually. The afternoon nap is difficult and we often go out again for a walk round the village.

I need to try and see a breastfeeding advisor this week as his feeding is also not improving. In the day time he only feeds for 3/4 minutes and when doing it you would think I was force feeding him acid! He does 2 sucks and pulls off crying, then 2 more then pulls off crying, over and over. At night time he feeds calmly and quietly for 5-10 mins and goes straight back to sleep! The GP gave us Ranitidine incase it was reflux but it hasn't made a difference.

[overmydeadbody]

It does sound quite normal, my younger DS is a bit like this, some days are better than others and now he's six months he is much more settled.

[Aliveinwanderland]

I've got a sling but he hates it. He hates being held.

No I don't feed to sleep, he goes down awake at 7pm and falls asleep on his own. In the night he gets drowsy as he feeds but isn't properly asleep and always goes back down no problem. In the day time he never even gets drowsy when feeding so impossible to feed to sleep for naps!

[LapinR0se]

Oh the feeding sounds very hard. Maybe he has reflux?

[LapinR0se]

Just saw the ranitidine comment sorry.
It might not be right for him. There are lots of other options including omeprazole, go back and see the gp if you can

[melonribena]

My ds is 19 weeks old and just as you describe! Happy in the morning and gradually gets more and more cranky until bedtime!
He wakes anywhere from 1-4 times a night too!
Put him into a sling/carrier and just do your jobs in the evening!

[amysmummy12345]

Do you think he could be teething?

[1frenchfoodie]

Sound normal to me, our DD screamed through tea time for weeks at a time at around 2-4 months. She got over it on her own, swapped to screaming when put in her cot at 7-8 months and from 9 months on was rarely cranky.

[MoggieMaeEverso]

Definitely see a breastfeeding counselor. Sounds very much like a strong letdown - so he's hungry, but pulling off because of the strong flow of milk, and then getting frustrated. You might try feeding lying down in a dark room even during the day. Or hand express for a few minutes before feeding him. But do a see a professional, as these are just ideas and nobody can diagnose breastfeeding issues over the internet, even a Hermione Granger type like me

Hopefully it will be easily sorted and that may result in a happier baby. And witching hour does go away eventually - and you are doing a fantastic job from the sounds of it.

[Chinnygirl]

My neighbour had a baby that would cry from 6-7 pm on the dot. Nothing worked. He just grew out of it at some point.

You're doing fine. Some babies have a cranky time every day. He probably does it less with DP around because he is surprised or something.