7.5 mo - naps and feeding gone to pot :(

[duende]

Hi. For the last 2 weeks or so, my DS has become really difficult to settle for naps. He doesn't really sleep unless I take him out in the buggy and this means 3 walks a day and very little time to do anything else. If I try and put him in the cot, he goes mad

Also, since Sunday he is not feeding well at all. He has never really taken to solids. On a good day, he'd have a bowl of cereal, a jar of fruit and a couple of spoonfuls of dinner. On a bad day, no solids at all, just 4 bottles of 8oz each. He is not interested in any savoury food, whether jars or home made.
Since Sunday, he is only taking half the normal amount of milk and very little solids. Last night before bed he took 5 oz, and this morning only 4.

Could it be teething? Growth spurt? I suppose I'm looking for reassurance that someone else has been there and it will pass...I'm getting frustrated and worried.

anyone, please...?

Hi duende, saw your message and didn't want it to go unanswered. Not much help but my DS (a bit younger than yours at 6m) can vary a lot in his naps and feeding. After at least a month of not being interested in milk he's now guzzling it down, waking early to be fed and being much more wakeful than usual. He's a bit fractious but not too bad, not so much as to make me think he's ill or anything, so I'm thinking that he's just having a growth spurt. He's donw this before - starving for a couple of days then doesn't seem to want anything. I think it's just general baby unpredictability - I find it very stressful but try to tell myself that it'll pass and that in a couple of weeks he'll be different again.

Sorry, that's probably not very helpful, I'm sure someone with more answers will be along soon.

Also, is he still doing wet nappies? If he is then he's prob not getting dehydrated. If he seems OK in himself then maybe just try not to worry (easier said than done I know!), he'll go back to solids when he's ready. They say that before the age of 1 food doesn't have to be their main source of nutrition as milk still gives them what they need; and they'll take as much of that as they need at the time. Perhaps this is just a time of not growing for him and he'll get going again when he has his next grow.

Not sure if that's helpful but try not to stress .

fabulosa, thanks for replying. I worry because he doesn't want to drink his milk at the moment either. he's taking 4oz instead of his usual 8. He is still having wet and dirty nappies though so I suppose he's alright. I just don't know how long it can be normal for a baby to show this loss of appetite and when I should have him checked out?
It is true what you say that he will probably be different in a couple of weeks again. Everytime I think we've cracked something (sleeping, feeding, etc), he changes again.
Frustrating!

I have only just seen your message too.

My DS is 91/2 months. He goes through phases of not eating / sleeping badly. It is quite normal for them to do that. Up until 8 months my DS only slept for 45 mins during the day, so I can help with this.

The way I dealt with it was to continue putting him in his cot during the day, and make it as though he is actually going to bed - make everything cosy and part close the curtains so he is not kept awake by the light. He probably will cry for about 5 minutes (sometimes more) if his crying is escalating by the end of 5 minutes then go in, give him a cuddle, tell him that everything is okay and you will be back in 45 mins. I really found doing this worked and actually most times if he is actually properly tired he goes to sleep within 10 mins of putting him in his cot.

The food thing I can't answer as well because he has always been quite a good eater. All you can do is persist.

AliGrylls, thank you.
DS has gone through long periods when he settles for naps well - he cries for a couple of minutes, I comfort him, give him the dummy and he falls asleep. At the moment though, he just goes crazy when I put him down for a nap, and his crying escalates even if I try and comfort him. The only thing that seems to be working atm is taking him out of the cot, putting him in the buggy and going for a walk.

Duende, I wouldn't worry - certainly just a phase. How is he with his finger-foods? My dd went on total spoon-strike at the same age and wouldn't be fed - the only thing she would eat were foods she could feed herself. Slow and messy! It broke after a couple of weeks and we were back to a combo of her feeding herself (eg with a piece of toast) and me slipping the spoon in with the scrambled egg or whatever. It meant a lot more bf-ing as well, so you could try giving him extra bottles while he's like this.

Nap-wise, you could try staying in the room with him until he falls asleep - it depends how upset he's getting. Sometimes they do just whinge, but that's different from full-on crying. Of course it's possible he's hungry!

Hi Octaviapink. Yes, in the last few days he has started to like finger foods a bit more. He'll have a piece of toast, chew on some broccoli or sweet potato, but it is not enough to fill him up. I wouldn't mind this at all, if he was drinking his milk, but like I say, since Monday, he's not drinking much at all.

With naps, the problem is that he goes into full-on crying straight away and I can't leave him like this.
I'm hoping it is just a phase and he'll be back to his normal, content self soon.