What do you do when nothing stops the crying?

[WhyAreYouStillCrying]

As the title and name suggest my 7 month old wont stop crying. He's always been a difficult baby but today is on a whole new level. It's been pretty much full on hysterical crying since about 5am.

In that time.

I've fed him milk and his breakfast.
I've winded him.
I've rocked, cuddled, sang and tried to play with him.
Ive tried him in the sling.
I've changed his bottom.
I've given him calpol.
I've checked temperature, for injuries, stray hairs wrappes around fingers etc (all fine).
I've given him his dummy.
I've tried in vain to get him to nap (I'm pretty positive he is now over tired and obviously that's now exasperating the situation).
I've tried leaving him in his cot to calm himself down with no imput for 20 minutes.

Throughout all of the above he has continued to scream as though he is being tortured.

Please can anyone suggest anything I may not have tried, I'm desperate to get him to calm down.

So tough, you have my sympathy.

Remember that he will stop, this is just a phase.

When mine did this I would get them in the pram and walk until they stopped (usually as they fell asleep). I would also try the car, if he's usually happy in it. See if you can drive around until he settles into a nap.

I remember calling my DH at work, I was crying, baby was crying.... 'she just won't stop crying, help me'

I'd try back in the sling and outside for a walk. At least of he doesn't stop you'll get the change of scene and fresh air. Sympathies, its grim when they're crying like this.

Agree with others. If walking around outside doesn't help, the only other thing that worked at that age was holding him upright over my shoulder in front of a black wall. Think he got overatimutated and just being held and gentle rocked while staring at nothing seemed to calm him. Weird I know, but it seemed to work.

I saw a post once where they gave the baby a bath, and it worked.

Thanks so much for the sympathetic ear. I tried the sling both in the house and on a walk this morning but sadly it made no difference.

It's now chucking it down outside which is annoying as I think another walk may have helped. However, he hates the rain and he hates being in the pushchair with the rain cover on. He's a very glass fully empty kind of child.

I will try the wall trick and see if that helps. I know eventually he will stop but right now my ears are ringing from constant crying and he must be beyond shattered to have been going for so long. It's sooo hard when they can't explain to you why they are so miserable.

Teething? Have you tried giving him teething gel, a milk/yoghurt ice lolly or a teether?

I know we’re on lockdown but now you can have family bubbles, is there anyone who can come and take him for a bit so you get a break? Sometimes babies respond well to a change of person

My three all tended to get rather like that whenever they were teething which, if I remember rightly, began at around 7 months. Something cool to chomp on, like a teething ring, sometimes brought a bit of respite. Sometimes nothing worked at all.

It is a change in behaviour though, so it might be worth considering a visit to the GP?

Could he be cutting a tooth?

Was also going to say it could teething op. The wall trick sounds well worth a try too. They can get so wound up and overloaded. Also agree with gp if there's been a big change in him recently.

'However, he hates the rain and he hates being in the pushchair with the rain cover on. He's a very glass fully empty kind of child.' ....I have to say, that gave me a giggle. My daughter was exactly the same! Not making light of it, it's so so hard but you still have a sense of humour

This too shall pass, I promise. Hope he chills out soon for you.

I suspect you might be right and it may have something to do with his teeth. I've given him the teething toy we had put in the fridge but he seems way too hysterical to take any notice of it. I've put him back in the sling so I can sort myself something to eat.

Sadly no relatives or friends to help today, they are all working.

Those days are just horrible with DD when I knew I've done everything in my power I tended to pop her in the sling, put on some noise cancelling headphones and just let her cry until eventually she passed out from exhaustion.

Maybe line somebody up to come over after work - get walk if the weather has cleared up or a bath, anything to give you some headspace after a day of being screamed at!

If you think he needs to sleep, while he's lying down try very gently rubbing across his eyes with the corner of a muslin or rubbing in between his eyes with your finger so he has to close them. Also whenever he looks at you make your eyes heavy and close them doing long slow blinks as if your falling asleep, fake yawns and try do breathe slowly and deeply.

I found the worst thing about this sort of crying was the way it made me feel - all desperate and panicky. It sounds awful, but earplugs or headphones really helped. Not to block out the sound or let me ignore it, but to dull it a little and stop it piercing my soul so much while i cuddled and shhhed and paced and bounced and rocked the baby.

And of course, if you're getting really stressed and upset, put baby down in the cot and walk away. Take five minutes to breathe. Don't feel guilty, just give yourself 5m by the clock to get some space.

You can do this! Even though your baby is crying, he knows you're there for him. He's safe and loved and he knows it. You're smashing this, please don't doubt it.

id try the pram not the sling, walking with the pram provides more motion, bumps etc and may sooth him more effectively. With the hood up and rain cover on he wont see much either so may force him to sleep.

do you drive op? Try the car that was my second go to if the pram didnt work. drive round for a while. Good luck

Try some anbesol over gums- if it’s teeth it’s instant relief. Enough to get them to eat/have milk. Poor you, it’s awful.

Can you get in the car for a drive?

Do you have an extractor fan over your hob/oven? If so, my baby was soothed by being held underneath it - weird but it worked!

I used to get into bed with mine when he was like this. Both of us just in pants! Then breathe really slowly and hum at him.

Sympathies, mine was very cranky as a baby. He turned into a really sunny toddler though and is now a lovely calm 5 year old. I don’t know what was wrong with him, something digestive I guess? I remember posting a thread on here entitled something like “my baby hates everything”

You could try him in the pushchair and bump it back and forward over a rug/rolled up towel. With headphones on for you. Try him fairly upright flat can make ear or tooth pain worse.

I remember pushing our pram back and forwards in our living room for what seemed like hours.
I think for today you've tried a lot of things and maybe trying more will, as you say, over stimulate him further. Assuming you've kept checking temperature and obvious signs of illness, could you settle into a chair and make both of you comfortable and just kind of accept the crying until he falls asleep? Earplugs would be good not to make it go away but to dampen it slightly!
These are hard times and once he sleeps I hope you have you certainly deserve it.

I remember a day like this when my dd was a similar age. It was her teeth. Luckily she woke up much happier the next morning.
Hang in there. It will pass.

Try white noise. You'll get clips on YouTube.

Oh god - it's so hard, isn't it?

We'd play cafe background sounds (YouTube video) because the little weirdo loved it 😂

It also helps to remind yourself that you just have to comfort them - you don't need to stop the crying.

I have no suggestions but I want to implore you to make sure you’re looking after yourself. I spent the first year of dds life listening to her scream and it sent me into an absolute pit of despair. I left it far too long to seek help for how I was feeling (not for her, we spent all that time trying to get help for her, turns out she has CMPA which I suspected but nobody took seriously). It is soul destroying listening to it day in day out. Is there anyone at home who can take her for half an hour so you can get a change of scenery?