I've reached breaking point, I really don't know what to do with my 7 month old.
For the past 3/4 months he has been clingy to the point of being just plain ridiculous. At first we joked that if he could climb back inside me, he still wouldn't be close enough to me. But now it's stopped being funny.
I can't leave the room without him screaming, I can't make a car journey without him screaming (unless he's at that perfect point where he will just fall asleep instantly - rarely though), I can't even leave him with my partner without him screaming. The only place he is happy is being walked around the house in my arms or in the sling - both of which are killing my back, shoulders and neck which means I haven't been able to turn my head properly for a week now.
I have a 2.5 year old who is good as gold most of the time but I hate how much time I leave her to her own devices for while I get the baby to sleep. I feel like I spend so much time being awful to her and telling her to play quietly or watch to because I'm so stressed about the baby's clinginess that I over compensate with treats and tv time. I've noticed her becoming very bratty lately which I put down as a result of all the free reign.
He still breast feeds and we have only just had minor success at getting him to take a bit of formula off a spoon. He is on solids but has started refusing to let me put the spoon in his mouth (which is probably teeth on top of all this ffs) which means he now wants more feeds through the day, and some nights he is feeding almost every hour til about 2am. He has a dummy so he isn't using me for comfort...I don't think.
He is still sleeping downstairs with us in the evenings because he is so unsettled and feeds so often. I've tried sleep training (pupd and gradual retreat) but he just screams in my face for hours until I give in and cuddle him to settle him down. He falls asleep but as soon as I put him down he screams again. He has co slept with us since day one but recently he has only wanted to sleep cradled in my arms, adding to my horrific neck problems. Naps only exist if I put him in the sling and pace around the kitchen with him for upwards of 20 minutes.
Not going to lie, at the moment I'm really resenting him for all this. I feel like I'm an extension of him rather than a person in my own right. I can't even see an end to this. DD wasn't like this at all so I just have no idea what to do.
Sorry that was more of a rant than I meant it to be.
Does anyone have any light at the end of the tunnel for me?