18wk old wants held & entertained all the time

[sharond101]

My 18wk old requires constant holding and entertainment otherwise he cries so bad he struggles to breathe! I have bought lots of toys, a snug seat, bouncer chair, jumperoo, baby gym, musical mobile, but none of these work. He will cope with 5minutes or so in his gym or jumperoo if you are right beside him talking or singing to him before he begins hysterical screaming. He does not tolerate his pram or carseat either as he is not being held. Iam at the end of my tether as there is only so long you can sing nursery rhymes for without going mad. Any advice or suggestions?

Buy a sling. Not a baby bjorn but something like a connecta / ergo / moby etc. Then you can hold baby do lots of jobs. I did all sorts with mine in a sling. Including looking after DC1.

Babies don't want stuff from toys r us. Babies want their mum. Forget about doing other stuff for a while, and hold your baby. He will end up a far more secure and happy child if you do.

Sling.Don't try and fight it, he will grow out of it and a sling will help you cope with it better.

Now DD is 15 months sling doesn't really get used at all at 18 weeks it got used all the time. Talk to baby in sling. They love it. On the whole.

Get out to some baby groups if you have any nearby - he can gaze at the other kids running round and it will give you a bit of a break from the entertaining. I love my Moby and still using it at 12 months so a great investment. It is hard but try to go with the flow and enjoy having him close.

does he have proper naps? He sounds over stimulated to me. Babies of 18 weeks mostly need to be loved but left to their own devices quite a lot of the time. If they sleep and nap properly they should be happy looking around and just being in your vicinity tbh. Mine hated slings, but left alone to chat and gurgle they were most contented.

I have a Babybjorn which works most of the time so maybe a sling is an option. I am very petite and slight though and worry about my back which often hurts by the end of the day. He likes Bookbug reading group. He has 3 naps per day anything between 20mins and 2hrs at a time and sleeps from between 11&12hours overnight.

Bump...

See if there is a sling library near you. The BBs are not the most comfortable ones out there. My connecta is far more comfy but there are loads of other options.

Sounds like a normal baby who just wants cuddles. If he won't go to other adults then a sling is the best solution. The more cuddled and secure you can make him feel now, the easier it will be long term and before you know it, you'll be at that point when you miss him wanting to be cuddled all the time.

Worldgonecrazy that is lovely way to look at it.

Definitely try another sling - those Baby Bjorn types are the most uncomfortable! Connecta, Manduca, Boba, Beco, Rose & Rebellion, Ergo are some others you can look out for online and they have the added benefit that from about 6 months you can have the baby on your back. I had Beco Butterfly and have only just stopped using it now ds is 2.