Does anyone have a baby who cries ALL the time?

[laughingeyes2013]

Except when feeding, sleeping, or being held?

I'm so fed up of hearing it from dawn til dusk! I work so hard to alternate activities, from the floor playgym to the bouncer chair, bumbo, or the carry cot. Each area has different toys or teething rings or rattles... But nothing is good enough!

He's going to be 5 months and a week this week. Possibly teething (chews fingers and dribbles) and sleeps (after protest for a minute or two) when we read the signs and put him to bed for a nap.

He's been like this for a few months now and I don't know if its my tolerance cracking but it seems to be getting harder to solve the crying. He stops when held every time but I have a prolapse after giving birth and can't carry him all day!

Is it proper crying or that annoying sound that is fine tuned to make your core shudder? My first used to just cry when bored and quickly stop. He constantly made angry noise until he could crawl though. My second os slightly more laid back but still makes The Noise the later in the day it gets. He can't be put down after 4pm for some reason.

Can't really offer any suggestions as I kept the first in a sling and the second is always on my hip. Ds2 is 5 months. Do you think he is over stimulated? Does he still cry if you are there?

Yes he cries when he can see me - even if I put my hand out and touch him! It's proper crocodile tears a lot if the time, but a loud dry wail at other times.

I'm open to being corrected but I don't think he's overstimulated as part of the time he has just a monkey to cuddle or his giraffe rubber teether (favourite toy!), and other times he's left to lie and just watch the world go by. The only time he'll do that contentedly though is when outside, but I can't live outdoors all winter!

Part of the reason it bothers me is that its upsetting my 3 year old, who sometimes cries himself, or other times tries to stop him crying by putting his hand over his mouth (obviously I put a swift stop to that!) and calls "mummy! The baby is crying", or "stop him making that noise!"

Oh god my ds now 8 cried for 6/7 months. My dd was 3.6. I used a swing chair & if it really got to me I would put him in the cot just so we didn't hear him cry...!

Good luck.

My DS was like this at 4/5 months old it was a difficult time. He is still a very cry-y/moany little boy now (11mo) but it's definitely got easier as he has gotten older.

Two things: sounds like it might be teething. My DS was a total misery for the whole of month 4, and I thought it was too early to be teething, but then a few days before he turned 5mo a couple of little bottom teeth appeared! Really wished I hadn;t held back on giving him calpol as in retrospect he was obviously in quite a bit of low level pain that just made him grumpy for days on end. Have you tried a dose of calpol (or even better, baby nurofen)? If makes a difference then you know its his teeth.

Also, it might be that he is getting bored of the teething rings and rattles that you have got, especially if he is bright and inquisitive...have you tired any older sorts of toys you can try him with? At that age, DS really liked his little Little Tikes Play Cube, and a plastic train which we wheeled around the floor. We also read a lot of picture books with him....even at 4mo he would sit and stare at them, try to lift the flaps etc etc. Playtime Peekaboo got hours of use, you cna buy it on amazon. And other books like that. Can you borrow or buy a door bouncer? Or jumperoo or similar? Blow bubbles whilst listening to music? lively baby music cd on? We also went ou the house LOADS for walks in the buggy with him facing outwards looking at things. I have to say DS also watched a fair amount of Baby TV (sky channel 623....lots of nursery rhymes with animations, no adverts etc etc)....am sure I am going to get flamed for suggesting this, but it was one of the only things that seemed to interest him and keep him happy. He didn;t watch it for hours on end, but for 10-15 mins a few times a day (whilst I had a shower, or made lunch, or example). He was never the sort of baby who would just lie happily on the playmat cooing at his feet....he seemed to constantly need stimulation and entertainment. He is still like this now, but at 11mo crawling he can push cars around and stuff, and seems a bit happier now he has this independence. I think he just HATED being a helpless baby and just lying there all day.

Can you try to encourage him to learn o sit up? prop up on cushions, to look at new toy or watch a bit of telly? My DS has definitely got a bit less whiney with every developmental step. The build-up to being able to sit up was prety tough, the few weeks before he could crawl were a killer, and then he was much happier. Now we are going through it all again as he struggles to master walking!

Hang in there, it does get better!

Mine is really difficult. My neighbour is complaining constantly. He is 7 months. I have just been feeding him and he was screaming because it wasnt going in fast enough. I feel frazzled :-( your not alone.

Just put mine in a jumperoo today and its the most peace I have had in a long time.

If its not over stimulation, I agree it could be teething. My first grumbled with his teeth for months and months though and never got one until he was one . So it's hard to know when to give the calpol.

Does he whinge in the sling?

Great post Bot.

I have a whiney 5 month old. If I'm totally honest, shes not very pleasant to br around. I mostly ferl guilt for my angel of a son (4)

My babies hated to be put down- they wanted to be carried and held. I just used a sling and would carry on with my houshold activites while carrying them around.

How do you all feel about the jumperoo? I really like the idea but I am a little afraid of the idea that it could harm their legs because of weight bearing before they're supposed to be able to. Other than that I think he's LOVE it as he always tries to stand on me when I hold him.

To be hones it didn't medicate my first child through teething so I didn't occur to me that I might need to with this one, but it's a good idea as all babies are different, so I appreciate that.

I would be surprised if he's bored with the toys as my toddler is always piling his toys on top of the baby to play with! If love to carry him all day in the sling but can't because of the prolapse I am having Physio for - but also because he wriggles and complains a little bit in that too. It's almost like he feels a bit constrained in it now and if I put him facing outward he tired incredibly quickly.

How do I know if its overstimulation? I must admit I live in a noisy house as the lights are always on full glare and radio or tv or usually both are always on. It's a small house so noise travels easily and it's impossible to find a quiet corner. Maybe baby needs a bit of peace and quiet, I find that hard myself as I like a little bit if peace and quiet from time to time, although appreciate its nigh on impossible to achieve that with a boisterous toddler as well!!!!

My DC2 was like that. It was a bit of a shock after DC1 who was the happiest baby known to man!
She got a bit better once she could crawl and a LOT better once she could walk. She's still VERY independent, so I think she just didn't like being a baby and out of control very much.

I know you say carrying him is hard, but have you tried a well fitting sling or wrap? He obviously wants the comfort of being with you maybe more so if he's teething. I know its hard I had a very colicky baby who cried non stop at night for weeks at night. The only thing that would slightly help was having her on me in a wrap. She needed the comfort and I felt better knowing she was happier there.

I had one like this; search my username and you'll find a thread from about 3 and a half years ago. i was totally at the end of my tether with DD. Worried that she was going to be a miserable child and found it hard to bond with her at times. I posted on here desperate.

I'm not sure how you are feeing your baby but the response I got which I totally dismissed out of hand was that maybe she had some intolerances or allergies and she was uncomfortable. I dismissed it; she was just a grumpy baby and likely to be a grumpy child (no sleep and lack of 5 minutes without the wailing might have pushed me to the edge).

At 6 months i gave her her first solids: porridge with a splash of milk. She had a major and immediate reaction to the milk and needed to be taken to hospital where we discovered she had a severe milk allergy. I had been breastfeeding her and had a milk rich diet. She was reacting to the milk from me. I cut out milk entirely and overnight DD changed into a sunny, happy child.

This may not apply in your case but I mention it because it is worth considering allergies or possible intolerances to explain constant crying.

Good luck op - I remember how tough I found those few months.

Yes I've got a really good wrap (bit like a moby), but even if I use it now he's straining to turn around or if I put him in face forward, starts to wriggle and complain! He really does prefer to be actually held in my arms so he can stand on me.

When he had reflux I cut out dairy from my diet completely but it made no difference so after a long while I gave up and reintroduced it again.

My Mum said to me today that she thinks he's crying all the time because he's never satisfied with a feed.

I had just fought to finish a BF with him, while he squirmed and wriggled and bit me constantly. Afterwards he started his cry again.

So I made up a bottle of formula and he wolfed the lot. 7oz and looked for more! Afterwards he was a happy boy for a while.

Maybe she's right

Has he been checked for tongue tie? Is he growing ok? Does he get enough sleep in the day?
He won't need all those toys and stuff - he's only little.
My dd had tongue tie and was a hungry grump baby who rarely smiled. She lived in the sling for the first 5 months then I had to get out all the time so she wouldn't be grumpy. The tongue tie meant she struggled to get milk out and her growth was quite slow.

He had 50% posterior tongue tie cut at 12 weeks. It was checked a few weeks later and found to have healed perfectly. He can still stick his tongue out fine.

He now has podgy little legs which is lovely to see. But he was weighed at the 9th percentile a few weeks ago.

He sleeps reasonably well, probably about 4-5 hours in total. He sleeps about 11 hours overnight.

I have struggled so much to work out what's going on. Maybe this is the problem, maybe it's not. I guess I can't tell from one feed but I have to say, if I had been putting a bet on it today, I'd have said he wasn't hungry and lost a lot of money!

It's the biting when feeding which makes me wonder. Dd had her tongue tie snipped at 12 weeks. She could stick her tongue out etc but also had a lip tie which meant her top lip never properly "flanged" and it felt like she couldn't feed quite well enough and get a good satisfying feed.She's on the 25th/9th centile. She was so so grumpy as a baby - seriously wouldn't even smile for me some days!!! Now at 23 months she's a darling.

Other option is reflux (dd also has this).

Is he still on any medication for reflux? Sometimes teething can make the acid come back up again (don't know why - excess saliva maybe).

FWIW both mine were miserable (reflux) but one continued to be miserable for years months. Various causes were mooted and then rejected. When he learnt to talk he talked all the time. I think he was just a big communicator, and crying was his way of communicating. I sympathise, it is very hard on the parents and sibling/s. Also annoying as hard to have chats with friends etc. And you feel bad leaving them with people as you know they won't be used to looking after a baby that won't stop crying.

Doesn't sound like he's tired but worth ruling out a couple of obvious things e.g. reflux, teething, any BF issues before you resign yourself to being GrumpyBabyMother of the year.

dd2 was a miserable baby. cried all the time, until she could talk. and of course, she was a late talker, so the screaming thing went on until she was at least 2. dd1 kept asking for me to "take her away", as she couldn't stand all the screaming.

dd2 is now 3, and a funny, feisty, independent little thing. she was just a bit crap at tolerating being a baby. she is still very loud if unhappy though.

He did have reflux but we weaned him off Ranitidine when he had his tongue tie cut, as apparently it can be linked, and it didn't appear to pain him like it had done before.

It's been about a month since he was medicated.

He's definitely teething though. But just chews his fist and dribbles. Hmm - as I type this I am wondering if I should try and give him a slug of calpol. But then again, he can't live on the stuff. Sigh. It's a minefield this parenthood isn't it!

My 3 year old has begun to pinch baby and be generally rough with him. Obviously I intervene, but he's not coping with the constant crying. I am keen to try and do all I can for everyone's sanity!

Yes TT and reflux can be linked but doesn't mean getting the tie sorted gets rid of the reflux.... It could be a common factor but one doesn't cause the other iyswim. I'd consider the meds again tbh.

You have my deepest sympathy.

In brief, this is how I survived DS1 (and had 3 more...):
Feed, hold, encourage sleep by whichever means necessary.
Do whatever you have to, to get through this - for me it was co-sleeping.
Sling - find a sling you get on with (at 5 months I'd suggest an ERGO - you could have him on your back)
Make The Fussy Baby Book your bible
Keep chanting 'This too shall pass, this too shall pass,...'
Accept any offer of help, anything at all.

DS1 almost finished me off - I still shudder at the memory. He screamed the entire fist year of his life. We tried everything you tried and nothing made a difference other than him getting a bit older.
He is now 10, still v sensitive and can be dramatic, but v v bright and lovely. When he has one of his flakeys I can still see him how he was when he was tiny: screaming at this confusing, scary, loud world.

Give him a slug of Calpol - it may help, if may not. But try it.

My youngest is now 3 and I thanks the heavens above that I will never look after another baby .

My little girl had reflux and cried all time. Only thing that helped would be to walk around with her and bounce her in our arms. All this stopped when she started eating solids! We did baby leading weaning iand started at 5.5 months f that makes any difference? It changed her completely- and now at age 4 she is a very happy and confident little thing! Good luck!