6mo development and sleep - should I be worried?

[YodasMummy]

Hi - forgive me if this seems a silly thread, I'm a first time mum with no real network.

My DD is 6 mo and she will NOT be still and always has to be doing more than one thing at once.
She won't be held, she wants to thrash around, punch herself, slam her legs down, bash anything in sight.
She can't just be fed, she has to have something to play with as well or she will pull her food out of her mouth to play with that.
Unless she is in a quiet, dark room, she won't sleep (not even a nap) so I am worried for when she starts nursery next month. She will get to the point of overtired where she is screaming and choking because she refuses to sleep if there is anything going on around her as she wants to be a part of it.
This has been getting progressively worse for about 10wks.

Please MNers, reassure me that this is normal (??) - anyone got any tips as it is now impossible to take her out to visit friends or relatives because she tires herself out with all the new stimulation then won't sleep and just starts screaming.

Thanks.

I'm a SAHM so I can't help with advice regarding nursery.

But, it sounds to me a bit like she's just so keen to get sitting up, moving, doing things herself that she's thrashing about and frustrated.

These next few months she'll be learning sooo much and growing so much too :) She just seems very keen to get going!

Is she crying when she's thrashing about? Does she seem sore anywhere?

If she's content enough, but just active then I wouldn't fret too much.

Try not to be worried. My DS1 was exactly the same. He would litterally NEVER sit and be held or cuddled, would arch his back and wriggle and cry until we stood up and walked around showing him things or laid him down with hundreds of toys to handle and look at. He was like it from birth and it was hard going! He too hated to be fed and got bored very easily.

He screamed at the slightest overstimulation yet needed constant stimulation too so it was like walking a tightrope sometimes. He would only go to sleep in the day if I rocked him in a dark room and at night had to fed to sleep in pitch black, any hint of activity or noise from downstairs and he'd want to be part of it.

Basically he was highly sensitive to his environment and desperately wanted to understand the world. He hated being a baby and all the cuddling and being immobile etc. I honestly thought when he was thrashing about he was in pain and even tried reflux medication from the doctor and cranial osteopathy at around 6 months when he was at his worst.

Just to give you some hope though, he is perfectly 'normal' and healthy is now a happy, friendly, loveable 4 yr old! He chilled out an awful lot once he could walk at 11 months and seriously became lovely when he could talk and make himself understood. All the sleep and over stimulation problems resolved themself and he's just lovely. He gradually found his place in the world and settled down but it was tough.

DS2 is now 5 months and is very similar in terms of being resless and not wanting to be held for long. He seems to like to be on the move too. Getting him to nap is a struggle and he seems to need a little cry at bedtime to wind down a bit but I am sure it's just the type of baby we seem to make! He'll be fine and so will your DD! xxx

Sympathy here. I am first time mum with 6 month old dd who is a fighter too. Yesterday she was so tired but would not sleep. Prefers screaming, kicking, nipping, arching back, pulls her hair and scratching herself to bits. I feel as though I can't do anything to help her, even boob doesn't work when she's in total meltdown!