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PLEASE HELP - desperate over new baby screaming in pushchair

60 replies

HardCheese · 26/04/2012 17:54

This is my first post in this forum - my first baby is three weeks and two days old, and I'm not able to leave the house and am going slightly mad as a result. He's generally a smiley, easygoing little creature, though very alert, big and strong for his age, but he simply screams and screams almost every time I try to take him anywhere in his pushchair. Not necessarily when he's first put in, though that too, but within a hundred yards or of leaving the flat.

It's a Bugaboo Bee, and he's reclined in a cocoon. Straps aren't too tight, he's well protected from the elements, it doesn't seem to matter whether the rain canopy is on or not to whether he screams. And it's not just grizzling, it's real hysterical distress - to the point where I cried today in the park, too, he was so distressed and sobbing so hard. I stayed out for almost an hour, intermittently taking him out to calm him, hoping he would get used to it, but we've been home for nearly two hours, and he's only just calm enough to doze off now.

Has anyone else a baby who did this, and what did you do? - any advice very welcome, as I feel like I'm going crazy from isolation, and it's a time when I really need to get out of the house even for a short period every day, now that my partner is back at work.

Thanks to anyone who can help.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
DonInKillerHeels · 01/05/2012 08:46

I absolutely love the Ergo, but TBH I don't think it's suitable for really small babies. DS only really liked it once he was over 9 months.

Something like a mai tai or hug-a-bub is best for newborns and smaller babies.

VikingLady · 03/05/2012 09:59

Just the plain fabric one, no clips. I know what you mean about them trying to look around them and needing support, and also the sweatiness issue. I do sometimes have to support her head with one hand until she has seen enoughh and leans on me again - which can take 10mins or so. I pull a fold of the sling over her head then.

To stop her getting too hot I don't put a coat on her, just leave her in her babygro. If it is chilly out then I do put a hat on her, and a pair of fluffy socks over her babygro. If her face keeps sticking to my chest I pull my top up a bit.

Hope this helps Grin

PipPipPip · 03/05/2012 22:36

My baby was exactly the same! I remember weeping in the park because I simply couldn't get home while carrying a crying baby and pushing the pram at the same time.

It is just a phase. Eventually they get interested in the world around them and are happy to look around.

Our baby bjorn was (and still is) fabulous. You can get them pretty cheap on eBay or even in charity shops.

ReshapeWhileDamp · 03/05/2012 22:57

My second baby was like this too. Smile I think it had a lot to do with him having reflux for the first few months, as he wasn't keen on lying down just after a feed at night, either. Hmm (Many, many hours spent walking the living room with him upright in a sling or in arms...) I 'treated' myself to a posh new buggy for him just before he was born (DS1 promptly comandeered it) and we hardly used it for his first 6 or 7 months! He just screamed and screamed in it. I started with a stretchy kari-me sling, which is great, and wore him in that for about 4 months. Then it started getting warmer and I looked at woven wrap slings and mei-tais.

A sling-meet is a great start, but if you just missed one, why not email the organiser and ask if there's anyone local to you who'd be able to meet you for a coffee? Most sling users are more than happy to talk slings and reassure new users, and I'm sure someone would be happy to help out.

DS2 is 16 months now and still mostly in various slings - he does go into the buggy sometimes, but for supermarket shopping I just find it a lot easier to sling him on my back. Grin

pleasantlyoutofdepth · 04/05/2012 10:29

We had the same problem, we also had a bee and as soon as we got a different buggy (chameleon) he instantly calmed down- think chameleon is more structured- bucket seat etc, so he felt more secure. He HATED the bee. We sold it on eBay for a decent amount. :-)

donttrythisathome · 12/05/2012 23:10

I feel so sorry for you! My DD screamed in the park too. I found it so frustrating but at the end of the day you have to deal with the baby you have rather than the baby you want. Get a sling - comfortable and easier than a pram once you get used to it.

donttrythisathome · 12/05/2012 23:12

PS It's hard to get her out of the flipping pram now she loves it so much. And now i want her to walk, not go in the pram . LOL.

donttrythisathome · 12/05/2012 23:12

Arghhh meant pram not park.

HardCheese · 16/05/2012 14:27

I just wanted to come back and update this thread to thank everyone who offered such good advice and support. My baby is now six weeks (which I can hardly believe!) and, though I still use the sling sometimes (though the weather continues awful...), as some of you predicted, suddenly, about ten days or so ago, he got much happier in his pushchair. Maybe his focus strengthened and he's now able to see me? We've also adopted a dummy for crisis situations, which he finds soothing as he drops off to sleep in his pushchair, which is great if he gets uphappy when we're out.

Thanks again to everyone who helped, and pointed out that he really is terribly wee still, and that things change from day to day at this age.

OP posts:
BsshBossh · 17/05/2012 20:34

My DD was exactly like this in her Bee too. Unfortunately she hated any sling I tried too. At 1 month she was diagnosed with silent reflux. I was so relieved when at 3 or 4 months old I was able to sit her up in her buggy - she stopped screaming and we were able to take her out in her buggy in peace (I timed it for her a naps and she was able to fall asleep). But it took us 3 or 4 months.

I would persevere with a sling in the meantime...

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