At the end of my tether with 15 week old

[Gangle]

He is impossible to settle both at night and now during daytime naps. I accepted that the evenings would be a write off (dinner with one hand whilst holding him, crying on and off all evening if put down) and used to put him in the sling for his daytime naps which worked until a few days ago. He now screams even when he is in the sling and is tired, needing a nap. I am SO tired of never having a minute to myself and not being able to eat/wash or do anything. I said I would never do controlled crying but he is currently screaming his head off in his buggy as I just can't do this any longer. Does anyone have any ideas, short of paying for a nanny to come in for an afternoon a week to give me a break? I've tried routine, sling, bouncer etc and nothing works.

Hi Gangle,

My ds3 (similar age) is the same on days when I've had the odd caffeine drink. Since I cut out my one coffee/tea a day he doesn't whinge all evening. He's also a tummy sleeper (my dd1 was as well) and will not settle unless on his side or front.

He's also stopped refluxing since I cut out dairy (wish I'd known with dd2, she was so sick all the time we filled several washing machine loads everyday).

Good luck, I know how hard it is, but it will pass and it is for such a short time really (that's my mantra and what gets me through looking after 5 under 5.5) . Honestly, one day you'll look back and wonder where did the time go and miss this cuddling opportunity.

If it makes you feel any better, in the last month I have gone from "never again" to wanting another baby now!

6 months has been a magic turning point for me.

Its still hard but I know her and she is now manageable.

x

My DD was very similar up to about 4/5 months, colicky and didn't have day time sleeps at all so the later it got the more fractious she became. I know it's not 'the done thing' but I'm convinced that putting her on (very runny) solids was the beginning of the turning point for us, especially as she would never take a full 8oz feed (she was unable to breastfeed). I used Colief and Infacol, which can be used at the same time, and switched to organic formula, which didn't ease the situation much for us but might be worth a try.
Be careful about the Gaviscon route, we tried this when all the colic remedies failed and ended up with raging constipation!!!

My DD had Colic really severley cried from the moment she woke up until she went to bed . I tried everything all the drops under the sun colief infacol u name it i had it. Not to mention the baby formulas i tried a new one every week practically dd was a big 10 pound baby born but rapidly lost alot of weight and ended up in hospital. I was at the end of my thether with her.

Then I happended to get talking to a woman who told me to put her on to goats milk formula so i thought well i've got nothing to lose I went and got it and she stopped crying that very day.
Cows milk is too hard to digest for some babies the protein is like a basketball where the protein in goats milk is like a tennis ball
i am telling you now this works and don't waste your money on all them drops because they don't work .

Swaddling worked for my DS too. He stopped waking himself up with his arm flailing. Have you tried Infacol? If baby is crying constantly and unable to settle I would say he may be in some sort of pain, possibly colic. Good luck, I know it's hard.

thanks all, really really helpful. DS is actually much better this week. Still wants to be held all the time and won't fall asleep unless being held or breastfed but has stopped screaming for seemingly no reason which is a huge relief. Hadn't thought about reflux - what are the other symptoms? Wondering if his excessive crying was down to a growth spurt. He is still very difficult to settle (10pm this evening after starting at 7!) but when he goes down is often sleeping for 6 or 6 hout stretches. Like everyone says, will just go with it and keep holding him and hope it passes!

maybe just needs burping?