Nuuuuurrrrrrrggghhhhh! All day long...

[ThunderboltsLightning]

My 6mo baby has gone from very happy, placid easily entertained baby, to very whiney over the last few weeks. He's been showing signs of teething for a while and has also learned to roll on to his tummy but then gets stuck. I think he would like to be on the move as he tries to pull himself along by his hands and kicks his legs. He's close to sitting unaided but can't quite do it yet. He's very big for his age (height and weight) and so i wonder if the extra weight means his muscles and joints need to be stronger to support him.

Anyway, all I get at the moment is a minute or two here and there where he'll kck on his mat, listen to a book or sit in his jumperoo, then its just constant "neeeerrrrrrrrrrr neeeeeeerrrrrrrr". Not crying but whining. I'm concerned that i'm teaching him that this is a good way of getting attention even though I do make sure to play and talk with him lots when he is calm and smiley.

Please can someone reassure me that he is just going through an uncomfortable and frustrating phase and my sunny little boy will come back once he masters sitting/shuffling and his teeth calm down? I'm going back to work in a couple of months and i will feel terrible subjecting my poor mum to this fusspot two days a week!

[grandolddukeofyork]

He's 6 months old?

[laura6032]

Sounds like baby babble, he's finding his voice,

[ThunderboltsLightning]

He babbles and makes plenty of other noises. This has always been his 'fed up/ tired/hungryq' whine but its all day long at the moment. Where he used to be happy to play, he now is cranky within minutes. I just want to know if this is normal and if other people have experienced it.

Yes @grandolddukeofyork he is 6mo and i'm a ftm. Thanks for the though...... lovely.

[langa]

Is he getting enough sleep?

[HappyHippyHippo]

It's good to responds to his whining- it's the only way he has to tell you he's a bit out of sorts and needs your help with that.
If you think he could be teething maybe try some calpol. If he perks up half an hour later, you know he was in pain you can try to keep on top of it with teething gel and calpol. Sleep and snacks are good to consider too. If all else fails, maybe he's just got a bit of a virus he's fighting off, in which case the calpol will help too.
He'll definitely perk up and be happy - everything is a phase. However those smiley baby days were a phase too I'm afraid - he'll need virtually constant entertainment soon until he's about 4!- not much more of that lying peacefully on the mat to be had. Older babies and toddlers are endlessly sociable and do moan if they have to entertain themselves for more that a few minutes.
Don't worry about your mum- I'm sure you had fusspot phases when you were a baby- she's done it before. However, if she's older and less able and can't cope with a mildly cranky immobile baby she's not going to cope with a full-on toddler so your childcare would need a rethink anyway.