Understanding baby - help please!

[AllesAusLiebe]

Hi everyone,

So, DS is nearly 7 months old and I’m really struggling. He really tries to communicate all of the time which I love because I guess that’s him trying to engage. When he’s happy (which is rare at the moment), he smiles the biggest smile, has lots of eye contact, laughs etc but when he’s not content (90% of the time), he arches his back, throws himself backwards, shouts, coughs, contorts his face and cries.

We’re nearly 7 months in and aside from making sure he’s fed, changed, not overtired, I have absolutely no idea what his issue is! Anyone else struggling with this? Does anyone know of any websites/books etc that can help me become more in tune with him?

It makes me feel like such a lousy parent. He’s obviously trying to tell me that something is wrong and I feel like it’s my job to know how to keep him happy and I’m failing miserably.

Don't know if it will work, but I know a few parents who have said teaching their baby basic baby sign language helped a lot, as it meant they could communicate what they wanted.

I highly suggest music and dancing with him. Classical, 70s soft rock and 80s hair bands were my children's favourites. Animal figurines were also a big hit. You are NOT a lousy parent! Just keep working at it!

Sorry forgot to add you are not a lousy parent. Because a lousy parent would not care if he was upset and would not be trying to find anyway to change it.

I don't have any answers unfortunately but just want you to know you are not alone. My DD (8 months) is the same - when she's happy she is delightful, huge smiles, giggles and babbling away, but some days she just whinges and whines for no apparent reason and no matter what I do or try she can't seem to cheer up. It really gets to me sometimes and I've started trying to teach her sign language but so far she hasn't picked any of it up.

Babies also pick up on your anxiety so try to stay calm.

Could it be physical discomfort? Perhaps you could take him for a check up.

Have you noticed it linked with feeding times at all? Maybe reflux?

Hmm... That sounds like pain to me.

Yes it sounds like he is in pain. Could he be having a reaction to food?

Sometimes babies can be irritable when they are going through developmental leaps. They are learning and developing so rapidly and consequently their understanding of the world keeps changing.

Here's a link for a book that I found very helpful: www.booktopia.com.au/the-wonder-weeks-hetty-van-de-rijt/prod9789491882166.html

Do you think it could be teething? My daughter really struggled with teething pain at that age, and it made her terribly grouchy and she would cry a lot. Calpol, neurofen and anbesol were the only things that worked for us. They seem to teeth for so long before any teeth come through, it seems endless when you have a child like mine who doesn't take these things in her stride! But once I managed her discomfort she would be her usual smily happy self.

Thanks so much for the help, I really appreciate it!

Well I think we might have the answer... he woke up this morning with bright red cheeks and I think I see his third tooth emerging. Poor little guy has probably been in pain. DH has just administered some paracetamol before bed so hopefully he’ll sleep well and will be back to his happy self soon!

I’m going to give the sign language a try, but at my local children’s centre, they said that I need to wait until he’s sitting up independently, which he isn’t quite managing yet. I can’t wait until he can tell me what’s going on! 😬