Is anyone else utterly exhausted by their physically challenging 8 month old?

[sloathy]

DS is, of course, gorgeous but boy is he hard work.

He's so "full on", never stops moving, desperate to be on his feet, pulling himself up on everything, crying and fussing with frustration, simply won't sit/lie still for ANYTHING - especially dressing or nappy changing. Everything feels like a battle. He bangs his head regularly on the floor, on the cot etc which worries me to death. He rocks back and forth so violently when I'm trying to feed him that I'm scared he'll have the high chair over. He's so strong that I find it hard to physically deal with him which just seems ridiculous - I am a grown woman and he's 8 months old!

He is often awake for several hours in the night "practising" his skills - rocking back and forwards on all fours, pulling up on the cot bars etc.

If I try to hold him on my lap for a quiet cuddle or just to calm him down he just "bounces" in an effort to stand up or starts trying to use me as a climbing frame.

I'm sorry to whine - I am very happy he's so healthy and active but it's just exhausting. I find myself wishing he would just sit quietly for 5 minutes and play calmly with his toys. Sometimes he does this for about a minute but it soon turns into manic, franctic type playing.

I'm just a bit tired.

Moan over!

lol... all babies go through this and it lasts until a child is about two and half or three years old. The only thing to do is child proof the house.

DD at the age of two years and eight months is a very good climber and has very little fear. She wants to do everything all by herself. (Ie. she is taking baby led weaning to the next level of wanting to get the food out the cupboard.)

Sometimes babies like this are a lot easier when they are walking, less frustrated and able to expend all that physical energy in the garden / park. Do they have any baby gym / soft play places with a decent separate baby area near you? Or make a crawling assault course with loads of cushions /bean bag /cardboard box tunnel with both ends open

If he is in a separate room, get some earplugs and then he can do whatever he hell he likes to the cot without waking you up, but you'll still hear him if he's screaming.

My boys never did quiet cuddling on lap until they were old enough to listen to a story, about 18 months ish. Sorry. Even now it is only when they listen to a story / watch TV.

One of mine was a headbanger, he still did it in a temper aged 18months but hardly ever now at 2. Not a lot you can do about it at 8 months, sorry.

Sorry you've got a hard work baby, but they really do come into their own later when all the quiet babies that are now age 3 are clingy and yours is off enjoying himself!

I'm hoping he'll calm down a bit when he can walk and then I can take him out to a park and let him run around until he's exhausted and wants to sleep or at least sit still for a bit. Perhaps I am kidding myself...

If he's like this for another 2 years I'll need intravenous coffee!

Sorry combine x -posted!

My DS1 was like this. He was a real climber and SO wriggly when you held him, other babies always seemed very calm and relaxing in comparison! And yes yes to practising his skills in the night too!!

Agree with combine, he might feel less frustrated when he learns to walk.

DS1 is now 6, still an active boy but very well-behaved as well.

We took MNetters advice and went to a soft play centre today - he loved it! It was a relief to just pop him down and let him go and explore without having to worry about banging heads etc. Since we got back he's been asleep, with no monkeying about in the cot so clearly a good way to tire him out as well.

I'll definitely be taking him again! Great suggestion.

Take him to the playground and put him on the slide etc. He'll love it!

So glad to hear you managed to tire him out! Now to replicate soft play at home so you don't ever have to bother leaving the house...

I promise the active ones make brilliant toddlers / little boys as you NEVER have to play with them

I send my son out on his scooter to the park for a couple of hours with my HO. Exercise is very good for BOTH of them. LOL

Sloathy! Do you have my DS with you! I had a meltdown this morning when I couldn't get his nappy on or get him to take his bottle. He is 8.5mo and will not sit still for a second!

I'm going back to work next week for a rest :o

:-) Glaik - if I had two of them here I'd definitely be on the verge of a nervous breakdown!

DS (aka "wrecking ball") is now awake and has already had 3 tumbles/limb entanglements from/in the bars of the room divider after pulling himself up. I am working myself up to having a go at the nappy.....

DP is coming home early tonight so I can hand DS over a whole hour earlier than usual and dive into a hot bubbly bath with a large .....

My DS2 is just like this! He has been crawling since 6 months, and his now 9.5 months and is into everything. He comes into the kitchen and opens all the cupboards, pulls things out, pulls the books off the shelves in the living room and generally rampages around the place creating havoc.
I am physically knackered at the end of the day from wrestling him

He is not quite walking yet, although he can with the support of his brick trolley, but I am hoping that he will calm down once he can wander about on his own - and be let out in the garden!!

DS1 was a much more placid baby, and didn't crawl until almost 11 months so DS2 has been a real shock!

OP, take him swimming - another great way to tire them out!

I could've written your message, apart from the bit about him being up for ages at night. But the rocking, the pulling up, the flipping about at changing and dressing times, struggling when confined in a chair, etc, are all depressingly familiar. From what I remember with DS1 the 'practising' new skills ends once they're walking and they aren't as frustrated once they start walking either. However, you soon get the pre-speech frustration, so one is replaced with the other. But yes, it's all very exhausting. DS2 is teething at the moment too, so he's grotty as anything and won't nap. He's had one hour of sleep since 7.30am and I've just put him down for an hour because he was miserable. It's a good thing he's cute, as I keep telling him!

Indeed - the cuteness makes up for a lot ! He's my first DC so I think I am just a bit taken aback at his sheer strength. I half expect him to go outside and lift the car up with one hand a la toddler superman in the movie .

I pretend to myself that he wants to climb on me because he wants a cuddle but really he just wants to use me as a stepping stone to the sofa and the ultimate prize of the tv remote control.

He is also teething (he hasn't got any yet but seems to have been constantly teething since 3 months...grrrr...).

I think I forgot to mention the swiping - lots of swiping, swipe mummy's face, swipe the bottle, swipe the spoon loaded with porridge/yoghurt/anything at all.

Sigh...anyway he seems to have gone to sleep. There is a weird calmness descending on the house....

My son had me exhausted at this age - including the night time activity - think he calmed down a lot around 15 months and is now sleeping much better (since he was about 18 months). I know it is so tiring but just keep repeating it will pass it will pass it will pass and enjoy yourselves babyhood goes in the blink of an eye.

After a good night's sleep I'm worried I've been too negative about DS. I really didn't mean to sound whiney.

I went in this morning and he was standing up in the cot and gave me such an enormous smile and spread out one chubby little arm towards me that it actually brought tears to my eyes.

He's gorgeous really :)