Day time crying & grizzling - help!

[Cakebaker35]

Hello, my little one is 20 weeks and seems to cry so much more than other babies her age, it is really getting me down. She is very alert and interactive, always fidgeting and playing and plenty of smiles, but then suddenly just seems to have melt downs - I am sure alot of this is due to tiredness so we've been working hard on getting her to nap at regular times (she used to be rubbish!) BUT when we go to groups and out on trips I am so conscious that she often cries and some 'helpful' Mums have also commented that she has a loud cry so doesn't much help! We recently went to a group where she seemed to me to be the only baby that cried, most of the others seemed to just sit there for a full hour! I just wondered if anyone else feels like this or has anything they can suggest to help? I really want to keep going to groups but it seems she can't do a full hour anywhere without tears and I just hate thinking that she is sad :-(

Maybe she doesn't like the groups. She just may prefer a quieter time and to be at home with you - you need to listen to her signals and not push her to do things she's not ready for. If you need some time with other people then perhaps have friends over to the house where she's on her own ground. Baby groups can be massively overstimulating and crying is her way of telling you she's had it.

hmm I wondered the same octavia. If your baby is really alert etc maybe she is overtired (as you suggest OP) and doesn't need the extra stimulation of the groups. my baby would zonk out after a few minutes of a loud group, whereas my friend's baby would grizzle. Basically they were both saying in their own way they had had enough (sleeping was easier for me though!)

I can't think, other than overstimulation, what else it could be.

I used to take a sling to groups and put mine in when she got grizzly. I expect you need to go to the groups for your sanity so keep going but maybe limit it to one outing per day while she is still so little. Has it been going on for a while or do you think it's a phase? Just wondered if she might be teething (if so try calpol), or even hungrier than usual. Mine went through a phase of sometimes randomly crying hysterically at about 4/5 months. I still have no idea why!

thanks all, i think she likes the groups to start with as she is all smiles for the start but perhaps they just go on a little too long & she has had enough - just amazed as some nuch ypunger babies seem to manage to stay awake & content the whole time! we're not able to use a sling unfortunately due to some hip issues so i think it might be that i just need to leave the group a bit early. i do think teething could be part of it as she is definitely chewing lots & rubbing her gums with her fingers but in general she has always been quite grizzly. think i just wish other mums wouldn't point it out as it makes me worry i am going wrong somewhere but idon't want to be stuck in the house forever, for either of our sakes.

aw cake I feel bad that other mums point it out to you! Surely if we feel comfortable anywhere with our grizzly babies it's in baby groups! Don't let them worry you, you sound like you're doing a grand job and are very aware and caring :)

babies just grizzle sometimes and then stop after a few months :)

thanks for your support soveryfedup, really appreciate that - I am surprised too about other mums sometimes, thankfully not everyone is like that! :)

just wanted to say my ds is exactly the same he goes from being smiley happy and everyone telling me how he's a very content baby to screaming the place down within about 2 secs! We leave the baby group early every week :(

I feel your pain! DD is 19 weeks and can be very grizzly, progressing to screaming at times. She also has lovely, smiley, giggling times but I currently feel she is the only baby I know who cries like this and it's very draining. I'm hoping if she starts sleeping better it will improve. Sorry no advice but you're not alone!!

I think most baby groups are far too long - they're designed for adults' attention spans not babies'. IME about 20 minutes to half an hour is as much as most babies are comfortable with and frequently less.

Thanks for your support everyone, it does help to know i'm not alone!