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Original poster

Help - angry baby!

23 replies

WidgetWB · 16/09/2004 22:06

Please help me - I am stuck! My six month old boy is a completely natural Gina baby which has consequently given me a wonderfully relaxed, contented baby, always happy, smiling and laughing. He never cried! He slept through the night at 4 weeks old, and he dropped the 10pm feed at 10 weeks! Since then (till more recently) he has only ever woken once in the night.

Now, however, in the last week or two he is suddenly angry, cross, grumpy, whingie, won't go down for day time sleeps which he used to do quietly, he now screams for twenty mins or so first, and at night he goes down at 7pm but then screams for only a second or two at 9pm, 10.30pm, 11.45pm, 1.15am, 3.30am (that was just last nights efforts)!! He screams loud enough and for long enough to wake us both up, and then goes back to sleep!

What is this about? I thought perhaps he was cold, so I put him in a vest, babygrow, 1.0 tog sleeping bag and closed the window. Didn't work, so then I tried shoveling as much food in as I could during the day - still hasn't worked, and he is still so cross and angry during the day! My mother says he looks haunted now! What is going on - will someone please help me?

I have, as Gina suggested dropped the milk feed at lunch time because he is having protein, and I had also dropped the 2.30pm milk too because he is such a sicky baby that it seemed to help a lot by not giving him that feed and he never asks for it. Yesterday and today however, I have given him 4oz of milk at 2.30pm to try to get him to not wake up at night, and not be so angry and cross, but it hasn't worked and now he just pukes all over the place again! I can cope with the puking, I have coped for 6 months, I just want my boy back!!!

I know that I have been completely spoilt, and lots of you will want to tell me to shut up, but I know how lucky I am, and I know that I should shut up and count myself lucky that I have had it so easy so far, but he is SO angry and cross, and it was so sudden! To be honest I could cope with the night wake ups if I could just get my happy boy back during the day!

Could it be something to do with the fact that i have just changed from SMA Gold to SMA Progress perhaps?

Can anyone help or suggest anything else? Please?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Rowlers · 16/09/2004 22:12

Not sure I can help much!
My DD is also 6 months and although I'm not suffering what you are, I have noticed that she has started to have temper tantrums! They are quite cute though so I don't think this is similar to your DS. My HV did say to me that I shouldn't change her milk to progress if she were happy on her current milk (hungry babies). It could be he's not taken to it.
Hope there's some better help along soon.
Amd that it gets better for you.

mckenzie · 16/09/2004 22:13

sorry to hear about your troubles widgetwb. Only thing I can think to suggest is a visit to a cranial osteopath. They should be able to tell is he is physically out of sorts and be able to put him right and I think they can also feel for more emotional upset as well.
It's not cheap but if you can spare £30 or so for an appointment so might find it will really help. It totally helped out DS when he was about 3 months old and went through a very unsettled period.

mummytosteven · 16/09/2004 22:13

erm - try changing him back onto SMA Gold - maybe he is becoming a bit constipated by follow on milk - or his digestive system is getting a bit bunged up by the follow on.

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morocco · 16/09/2004 22:14

poor you

could he be teething?
or could he be a bit under the weather? you say he's being sick - more so than usual? perhaps he has a cold/sore throat or something like that? see if he cheers up with a bit of calpol, then you would know if it was some pain bothering him

you could always change the formula back again as well just to be on the safe side - you don't need to use follow on formula at all if you don't want to

aloha · 16/09/2004 22:18

I'm not sure that a six month old baby can be angry and cross - I think you may be projecting emotions onto him to make sense of his behaviour. He could be teething or might have an ear infection or other illness that is making him unhappy. Have a look in his mouth and try a little baby nurofen or Calpol to see if it helps. It might also be worth a trip to the GP to have a look at his ears.

cab · 16/09/2004 22:32

I would suspect teething too, but having (a now 4yr old) GF dd think I would head to the docs for a check up. (Also consider if he might be allergic to any new foods recently introduced).

WestCountryLass · 16/09/2004 22:37

I am also thinking 'teeth'. I would also probably give Calpol and if he is waking a lot at ight I would probably give it to see if it were pain related.

zippy539 · 16/09/2004 22:42

I would be tempted by the teeth explanation too - both dd and ds had 'regular' teething yowls at particular times of day. I would also try going back to your original formula - was there particular any reason why you changed?

zippy539 · 16/09/2004 22:43

sorry - typos - I meant to say 'was there any particular reason why you changed?'

Original poster

WidgetWB · 16/09/2004 22:44

Thank you all for helping! Feeling rather desperate which is probably ridiculous - not desperate because its the end of the world but more because he is just so so unhappy and I hate to see him like that!

I have taken him to the doctor and all is fine apart from a slightly red throat - but could this have made him like this for a couple of weeks? He could also be teething but the doctor said that it shouldn't be because apparently its only the molars that cause problems not the front ones! It has been going on for two weeks now so think maybe that might be too long for sore throat and/or teething???

Think changing back to SMA Gold might just be a good idea though - MummytoSteven hit the nail on the head on that one - he was very constipated to start with, but does seem to have cleared now. Maybe the Progress just isn't giving him what he needs? Does that sound likely?

I am worried that I am over feeding him now because I am trying to get him to sleep all night - so much food for such a little person - and then he is just sick all day anyway (going to Paeds for that coz it has been getting progressively worse since he was born and for no reason as is generally fit and healthy!)

God - why is this so complicated!!!!!

OP posts:

Original poster

WidgetWB · 16/09/2004 22:50

I changed formula because it said that it was from 6 months to 2 years so assumed (stupidly?) that I should change because his natural iron supplies ran out? Have I been totally blonde?

As it is so out of the blue this whole waking in the night thing I have actually been giving him calpol, but the other night he woke up again screaming, I went up eventually (I am very good at leaving him to scream but frankly enough is enough sometimes!) and picked him up, sat in the chair in the dark and started to prepare the calpol into the syringe and he stopped crying and lay there with his mouth open waiting for it! I couldn't believe it! So no more calpol for the moment anyway! It makes me sound like i have been giving it to him in abundance but honestly its only about ten times in his whole life!

Would changing his milk make him, over time, horrid, grumpy and whingey with wakings at night or do we think that I am just really unlucky and have a child who really suffers from teething pain? His gums aren't red, his cheeks aren't red, no temp, no runny tummy, nothing other than grumping etc, and waking at night?! Still think teeth????

10.50 - and so far only had a quick scream at 8.50pm and 9.15pm but nothing at the 10pm one.....so far!

OP posts:

Ghosty · 16/09/2004 22:52

WidgetWB ...
I too have (or should I say 'had') a nice quiet, happy, contented baby that now 'seems' cross and angry ... She is 7.5 months and this started about a month ago and she is driving me nuts.
But ... I know why she is like this at the moment (as she is not my first child ... )
a) She is frustrated ... she wants to move but can't yet ... DS was exactly the same - from 6 months to when he started crawling he was really frustrated.
b) She is starting the 'clingy' phase, not wanting me out of her sight and so howls if I even look at the door!
c) She has had a run of colds (thanks to winter/spring NZ germs of older Kindergarten kids) and had croup then and ear infection and now has a cough ... so she feels pretty rotten and her sleep has been interrupted a lot in the last month
d) She is teething ... her gums at the bottom look so ready to pop a little tooth ...
Teething must be a really painful thing for a baby to go through.

Do any of these things ring a bell with your DS? My DD is breastfed so I can't blame a switch in formula milk but it might well be that.

HTH a bit ....

Original poster

WidgetWB · 16/09/2004 22:56

Ghosty - thank you - feel so much better than someone else is going through the same - sorry to feel better at your expense!

I think maybe you could be right - he is trying so hard to crawl and just ends up flat on his tummy which infuriates him immensely so he whinges through that. He could be teething I guess but as I said, there are no other signs!

I really hope we get our babies back! Did your DS go back to his happy normal self after this stage finished?

OP posts:

StickyNote · 16/09/2004 23:04

Definitely agree with Ghosty re the "frustrated" bit - I found all three of mine would become grumpy and discontented (nothing you could really put your finger on) for a few weeks before each big developmental change i.e. sitting, crawling & walking. Back to their usual selves once each change was achieved.

HTH

cab · 16/09/2004 23:05

Widget maybe he's just a calpol addict

TBH Ghosty's post makes sense to me (forgot about that stage, it's so long ago).

However if the doc did say his throat was a bit red and IF it carries on it might be worth while checking it again. Go with your gut instinct, ill or a frustrated little tike who loves to see his mum's face (and calpol).

Ghosty · 16/09/2004 23:10

LOL Widget ... @ at 'did your DS go back to his happy normal self ... ' ... the answer is no because he was never a happy baby to begin with and was a grumpy little bugger from the day he was born ....
However ... once he started crawling he did turn into a really lovely happy little thing - so I guess he was frustrated from birth!
I think that is why it seems harder at the moment with DD because the change has been so drastic from happy to grumpy ....

Original poster

WidgetWB · 16/09/2004 23:11

11.08 - more screams! Ignored and he's gone quiet again!

I'm going to bed now just incase he wakes all night and actually demands my presence properly - but something for someone to answer for me over night so I can come on again in the morning (during the 9am sleep!) if we think that perhaps it is just a stage and/or teething, and that it will go away when he starts to crawl or get teeth, whichever it is - should I change back to SMA Gold or just plod on with Progress? On the basis that we have I think now got used to Progress and would only have to do it again at a later stage - wouldn't I? Or could I then just go onto cows milk?

Thank you again - I feel so much better now - just still knackered!

Night {smile}

OP posts:

Twiglett · 17/09/2004 07:30

message withdrawn

Original poster

WidgetWB · 17/09/2004 10:07

Much better night thank you Twiglett - the last scream was the one I posted - it was all quiet upstairs after that.

Had chat with SMA Helpline this morning to see what they said about leaving him on Gold till 1 when cows milk comes in, and she said that was fine, so obviously Progress is a complete con - so annoyed with myself that I let myself fall for it - but actually don't think it costs anymore so it doesnt' matter too much on that front.

It could be that its just a phase like everyone said - he was a bit nicer this morning, so maybe it was - will see what the rest of the day is like and report back tonight.

Thanks again for everyone's help.

OP posts:

Twiglett · 17/09/2004 10:08

message withdrawn

kbaby · 17/09/2004 21:34

I dont have first hand experience but I know my friends little boy was a grumpy baby and whinging all the time until she changed his formula to aptimil(think thats how you say it) Since changing it he has become lovely. I wouldnt have thought it would make that much difference but it obv has to him. Def change back to your normal formula

harrassedmum · 18/09/2004 00:42

Think Ghostly may be right. My 8 month old was also an angel until recently when he has started to get about and he just cant quite do things quick enough and he gets horribly frustrated with everything, and he has been sleeping worse as well. Dont know if he's just getting fed up in his sleep or something. i think they seem to have these phases when they are learning a new skill but soon passes. If thats whats wrong, that is.

mears · 18/09/2004 00:48

WidgetWB - I would definately put him back on SMA Gold. As you have discovered, Progress milk is totally unnecessary and it may well make him constipated. He gets enough iron in formula milk. Now he may not change back to a wonderbabe immediately (if at all) but at least you know he is fine on the milk he has been used to for so long.

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