Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Flip

Original poster

12 week old 5pm Tantrum

10 replies

Debbie09 · 03/03/2009 18:36

My 12 week old in generally a good sleeper during the day. We're on a 3 hour cycle of feed, play, sleep, and generally she goes down fine for her naps and will sleep for anywhere between 45 mins to 2 hours.

APART from 5pm when all of a sudden she has a total tantrum and is inconsolable for about 90 mins!! By which time it is time for her next feed

This has been going on for about 2 weeks and I am at the end of my tether. Finding it hard to be sympathetic. I do everything the same as at the other nap times, have tried lights on, lights off, putting a toy in the cot, carrying until she's lolling off, music, everything I can think of.

Please help!!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

chickenmama · 03/03/2009 18:39

maybe she doesn't need a nap?

Wags · 03/03/2009 18:41

Maybe she needs her feed a bit earlier? When mine were that age they were very unpredictable at that time of the day.

MrsMattie · 03/03/2009 18:44

That was the witching hour for my DS, if I remember rightly. I would stop trying to get her to sleep at this time and tank her up with more milk.

Peachy · 03/03/2009 18:46

Does she pull her legs up to her tummy? Sounds like it could be colic you know. 5- 6 pm bang on classic time for that.

kitkat9 · 03/03/2009 20:13

tis the witching hour, as MrsM said - had this with ds1 and dd, and am now noticing it with ds2...

forget about the nap at that time, feed her instead...mybe go out fir a walk or drive instead? she'll drp off if she needs to, but if she doesn't you've a better chance of getting her down for the night at 6.30/7pm

stephla · 03/03/2009 20:25

My son had exactly the same thing (few years ago now). He would sleep in his cot for every nap without a peep but late afternoon he would make a big fuss. In the end, the only thing that worked was gathering TV controller, phone, cup of tea and newspaper and letting him fall asleep on my lap. It drove me mad!

He was always a very independent baby but I have heard theories that babies like to stay close around dusk. Maybe it's a survival type thing?

Habbibu · 03/03/2009 20:30

At 12 weeks dd was cluster feeding 5-10 pm, and did that for weeks afterwards. Maybe she's hungry?

And I'm really not having a go, but I wouldn't call it a tantrum in a 12 week old - they're just too wee to have tantrums.

PeppermintPatty · 03/03/2009 20:36

Yep my DD fed almost constantly from 5pm till bedtime at that age too.
She was either very hungry in the evenings or was sucking for comfort, or maybe my milk was less abundant at that time of day I never worked out which.

nmt · 03/03/2009 20:54

Snap! My 13 week old has been doing exactly this for the past couple of weeks.

Last week I made the mistake of being out when 5 o'clock hit and there we were stuck in rush hour traffic, bearly moving with screams that you wouldn't believe coming from the car seat. Of course as we weren't moving I couldn't pull over to comfort him and as he's rear facing couldn't even talk to him.
I was crying myself and felt sick with being unable to help. I'll never make that mistake again and now i'm sooooo scared of 5 o'clock

Original poster

Debbie09 · 04/03/2009 18:07

Ooh poor you - their cries are so desperate aren't they - must have been really hard not to be able to soothe him.

Thanks for all your suggestions, I will definitely try cluster feeding and see how that works
:-)

OP posts:

Flip