15 weeks, teething, growth spurt, over tired, hungry............i don't know and i can't cope.

[bettieblue]

Ive not had a good day, DS has been cranky, crying all day. Hes not a great napper but hes probably done 2 hours (3 naps) today so could be over tired but hes really been very unsettled today. The only time hes been quiet is when hes feeding. He can go 3- 4 hours between feeds but was getting restless at 2 hours so I assumed it wasn't hunger and tried putting him to sleep again but he just screamed. He has been chewing his fingers but not all day so im not convinced its teething. Could it be a growth spurt - although don't they sleep more during those?. Hes not happy, and I don't know what to do. Ive already had two meltdowns today . Hes still cranky , crying and its an hour till bathtime. Any suggestions as to what it could be and what can i do?

Sounds like a hard day, both my little ones have days like this and the thing is there may not be any one problem or solution. It's exhausting and stressful. It could be tiredness or teething, it could be a bit of wind, or a combination of all of them. He might be on his way to bed now but if he doesn't go down like he would usually and is still crying a lot you could give him calpol. Generally, as long as he is still feeding the best thing you can do is try not to worry why he's crying because that will just make you more stressed. I would usually offer an early feed, especially if you're bf, as sometimes they're just a bit hungrier than usual. Try and distract and comfort him. I usually end up outside as just a wander in the garden or down the street seems to help. If you think he's tired but struggling to nap try a walk in the buggy or drive in the car. Obviously if he's crying a lot for more than a couple of days and you're worried go to your gp. Good luck .

It does sound like a hard day - it won't be the same tomorrow! Have a good evening and just know that this too will pass. At 15 weeks it's likely to be developmental, but it could simply be that it was a windy day (for some reason a wild and windy day often makes children go a bit nuts - both my two have been mad today).

It does just sound like a difficult day. My DS who is now 9.5 months had these all the time. Some days he would be perfect and sleep well and be happy. Other day were the nightmare you are describing. Even now he has off days.
And I had meltdowns ALL THE TIME! (still do on occasions).

The only thing I find helps is a trip outside or something to distract them. A walk up to the supermarket in the pram still helps me when my DS is not happy. It does get better - I noticed an improvement around the 6 month mark and then again at around 9 months. Supposedly around 12 months it should get better again (fingers crossed).

Hang in there.

I always find that taking the DCs outside really helps - even if it's a bit rainy I bundle them both into rainsuits and we go out. The afternoon got much better for us yesterday (had a great game with DD rolling her over and over on the lawn) and today's been much easier too - how's your day today bettieblue?