Has my dd got a behaviour problem?

[sausagecake]

Hi, she is 9 months and whinges most of the day. I think some of it is just frustration trying to get around but unable to crawl yet. she is very very clingy and demands to be held all the time which is very frustrating as I work from home. She has never slept through the night, waking every two/three hours but has a nap for about an hour or two. Eating is sporadic.... eats a lot or very little some days. Some teeth have come through but because her cheeks are not red, I assume she is not teething or is this not the case? My dd has always been a joy to be around until the last couple of months. Bathtime can be fun but as soon as I put her nightclothes on she cries the place down! Is there something I can do? Any help will be very appreciated.

My DD seemed to spend all day whinging until she was 1 and even then she would have bad days. She will keep on cutting teeth for a while so it could be related to this. My DD too woke every 2/3 hrs for 8 months until I did a bit of controlled crying which seemed to work. We then had a few bad nights up until her first birthday but then she started sleeping through every night (she's 27 months now and rarely wakes). After her bath she would be very difficult so I used to sing as loud as I could. I'm not sure how much it distracted her but it made me feel as though I had some control. It prob is a bit of frustration; but maybe it's because she's also a female and likes to have her own way :D. Best of luck. XxX

Thanks, I have thought about a little controlled crying but because she is Breastfed I am worried in case she is still hungry. She also scratches and really grabs my face. Is that normal too?

I'll probably sound like a grandmother (but i'm not) but here's what i think...
try doing the 'routine' things at any point that you haven't already got one. I don't mean turn your day into a big military organised thing, just the key bits of it. Look at how bedtime works and whether you could make it any easier or better,(bath, milk, stories, lullaby or whatever, settle to sleep) and do the same with mealtimes. make it really (boringly) predictable - babies love routine.
Secondly, would it be worth having a go at making a food diary ? (here speaks the mother of three children with allergies, aka paranoid) just in case something is causing her pain/discomfort tummy wise. disturbed sleep and clinginess sound pretty normal for a child of her age, but if it is unusual for her and you feel it's going on for "too long" (and mum knows best) then see if something going on, whether the crying or disturbances are related to wheat/eggs/dairy etc

Yeh they go through the grabbing stage. Hmmm, I think that giving the old controlled crying thing a go might help. If she is on solids then you shouldn't be worried that she is hungry; if she is hungry then she will eat. My DDs problem was that she needed to learn to fall asleep alone because everytime she would wake in the night she would be cuddled and have a drink - even i'd consider waking up for this.

It's just a phase! It all seems to happen at once, but clinginess and becoming mobile often come together - I think it's because it's when they realise that you are two seperate people. Learning to crawl may make her more clingy - until she works out that you come back. You can help by playing peepo, letting her watch you hide toys and then letting her find them, and being as smiley, calm and confident as you can when you do leave her.
With the teeth/eating thing, my ds used to (still does) go for days where he hardly ate anything - esp when he had teeth coming through (counts as teething even when they are no red cheeks etc), and then eat loads. I read a brilliant article about feeding which basically said always offer them healthy food, but try not to worry if they don't eat very much.
At bedtime, have you tried something fun to look forward to after the bath, like a book? Or she could be over tired? Clouisewood is right - music works a treat - I got a cheap cd player for ds's room and we still listen to the radio at bedtime (he's 23 months).

I second the CD player thing. I always put music on for my DD when she goes to bed. She falls asleep listening to her 'princess music'....i've also noticed that she sleeps a lot deeper since doing this. Before, she would wake up if someone dropped a feather in the next room but now I can walk around her room.

Thank you ladies. You have pointed me in some directions that I had not considered. I will work my way through them with confidence but my fingers crossed. x