6 month old baby so grumpy!

[Betania]

Hi everyone!

my baby is 6 months old, and since around 4 months he has become so grumpy and fussy.
he has moments when he is content and happy, but they can be for 5 minutes maximum and then he is back to being grumpy.
i wouldn’t say he does a typical ‘cry’ the whole day, just makes angry/moany type cries constantly, one after another. We try to entertain him constantly, play with him, take him out, give him toys, walk round with him in the sling etc but eventually he gets fed up of all of it and we are so tired as we don’t get a minutes break from the moment he wakes up until his nap! When he’s cheery it’s so lovely but it’s so hard knowing what to do and why he’s so grumpy all the time 😭he also now hates his car seat, he cries the entire time and gets progressively more upset the longer he’s in the car so I can’t even really go out anymore anywhere longer than about 10 minutes away as I absolutely dread car journeys. We are looking at buying a new bigger car seat as he’s a big baby to see if that helps!

he can roll over, he can sit although he still
falls over with sitting quite a bit, he turns himself around on his front but not quite yet crawling. He’s on one solid meal a day, sometimes two, and eats well. His sleep isn’t the best (this also went downhill around 4 months).

has anyone else experienced the same? When does it get better, any tips or advice?

thanks so much

At 6 months he’s highly likely to be teething.

Ahh yes i meant to mention that too! Still no signs of teeth but on odd occasions when he’s been particularly grumpy we have given him
calpol (has helped a couple of
times but mostly not) and also tried teething gel/powders etc but they do nothing. We have been expecting teeth since this all started at 4 months old but still nothing 😂😭

Do you ever just leave him to lie/roll about/tummy time on the floor…maybe he is overstimulated if you are constantly trying to entertain him

Yeah we do! I put him down quite a few times a day and try to let him do his own thing, he does tummy time/rolls etc but gets fed up again after 5-10 minutes 😂
also put him in high chair while I try to make a drink/tidy round etc in the hope he will be happy watching me etc but again not for long ha!

How are his naps?

hes a bit hit and miss! He mostly fights all of his naps so I
started making a conscious effort a month ago I would say to make sure he has three decent naps a day, around 9am, 12/1pm and 4pm, with a bedtime around 7, as his naps were all over the place. I would
say he sleeps usually for around 45 mins but sometimes lunchtime one can be an hour and a half, sometimes
the other ones can be much shorter so he might have an extra nap if that’s the case I just usually try to get him to have a nap if he’s showing lots of tired signs etc!

in terms of bedtime he sleeps at 7 and goes to sleep quite easily, then he either has a great night and only wakes up twice in the night, or sometimes can be up quite a few times with him!

And is he eating ok?

Yeah he’s such a hungry baby haha and also is loving his solid foods, so wouldn’t say his food is an issue at all.

meant to say we have taken him to doctors also to get checked over a couple of times and they have no concerns!

He sounds tired to me.
6 month routine:
7am wake and milk
8am brekkie eg porridge and mashed banana
9.15-10am nap
10.30am milk
12noon lunch
12.30-2.30 nap
3pm milk
4.45-5pm catnap in the buggy or car
5.30pm dinner
6pm bath
7pm milk and bed

DS was like this from birth tbh. Never happy unless asleep. He has a forceps birth and I do wonder if he had a permanent headache… he also had colic and silent reflux so I think he was in pain a lot of the time. Anyway, once he could move around by himself he got a lot happier though he was always a very ‘high needs’ baby and toddler in that he required a lot of stimulation and was constantly on the move. Even now he’s like that - never still! But funnily enough as a toddler he hardly ever had tantrums and he was far easier to please than many of my friends’ children.

I'd say he might be tired too. Have you tried the No Cry Nap Solution.

I can remember my DS being fairly grumpy at this age though, he was overtired but he did improve loads once he learnt to sign to us and again when her started cruising the furniture.

My DD was like this. Just didn't like being a baby I think. Happier with each developmental stage. Easiest child in the world now she can read! Sorry, only advice is grinning bear it and do one 'activity' (I include going to shops for pint of milk in that) per day or you'll run yourself ragged.

My DD was like this and it was a mix of frustration and tiredness, she’s an easily stimulated, high needs sleep baby and if she doesn’t get enough then the whole world knows. But it vastly improved once she learnt to crawl as she could get things herself xx

Actually DS was probably also over tired - we sleep-trained at 6 months, he slept through every night after that and this coincided with him learning to crawl, and becoming happier.

Thanks so much for sending that routine it’s so appreciated! I’m going to try it over the next few days. I think tiredness definitely is part of it as yesterday morning he napped for 1hr 40 and for a good hour afterwards he was so content and just sat there and played with his toys and was so happy! He then got grumpy again but that hour was bliss 😂

now it’s just trying to get him to stay asleep or get him back to sleep when he wakes soon after his naps!

Thanks everyone you’ve made me feel a lot better! I think you’re all right a mix of tiredness and frustration - I can’t wait for him to start crawling to see if that helps hahaha but then I’m sure then I’ll be on a new level of exhaustion 😂

I am in a similar position to you and came across your post trying to find some advice. My daughter is 6 months old and will shout very loudly rather than cry quite a lot, she seems frustrated that she isn't able to move yet and seems to be napping more than others her age, we are still on 4 naps a day. We get the odd nap that is over an hour but they are typically 45 minutes. I am hoping it is just a phase and she will be happier when she can crawl, it's always nice to hear there are others that have had similar things happen.

Mine can also nap 4 times a day depending on how long his others were/what time he woke up in the morning!

also mine is exactly the same, more shouting than crying, like he’s having a moan!

It is nice hearing others going through the same! When things are particularly bad I just search on here and always find some posts saying similar things which always makes me feel a bit better! Just really hope it eases off soon as I find myself wishing time away when I should be enjoying him being a baby! But it’s so hard when he seems so frustrated!

45 mins is one sleep cycle. Most babies will wake after 40-45 mins and it takes them a while to learn to link sleep cycles.
If you stick to the routine above and work on lengthening the lunchtime nap, within two weeks (max three) you should have at least 1.5 hrs lunchtime nap if not 2

Sorry to jump on here as I know this post is a few months old now, but just wondered if you had any advice or insight on how your little one is now?
My DD is 6 months and she has gone from being such a happy baby to constantly moaning and seeming frustrated. She seems angry sometimes and we try entertaining her, taking her away from toys, cuddling her (as well as all the basics, nappy, food, nap etc). She's still having lots of happy time in the day, but this grumpiness feels like it lasts forever and we feel at a complete loss of what to do, nothing seems to make her happy. Could it be a developmental thing? She's going through a sleep regression at the moment, but she's also learning a lot. We've just started weaning too.
Thank you anyone who can help this tired mum 😩

Hi!!

oh no I completely feel for you - it’s such an exhausting time when they are like that! I am happy to say he has massively improved and he is such a joy to be around now. He started crawling at 7 months and honestly he got better day by day since! I think it was frustration that he wanted to go places he couldn’t get to and now he can get around and express himself a bit more he is a different baby!

he still has his grumpy days - today is one actually 😂 but I find now he is like this for a day or two and it tends to be when he ends up getting a tooth a few days later!!

i hope this helps you as I felt drained every single day expecting a day full of him not being very happy but it does get better xx

Hi Betania - I stumbled upon your post when looking for feedback on this exact same topic and I could've sworn you were talking about my little guy! Everything you wrote about month 6 is happening right now (he'll be 6 mths tomorrow) , Including the increased dislike for the carseat which is really rough. He is just so grumpy for 95% of the day (I think we've gotten 2 laughs out of him and they were 5-6 weeks ago!). I too feel that he is simply frustrated at not being able to do what he wants. His happiest moments are when he's stimulated or moving (or feeding!). Sounds like your little guy has grown out of the grumpies so I'm hopeful over here as well.

What came of the carseat issues? Did he grow out of that annoyance as well? Did you Make any changes? Thanks for any input or words of wisdom!!

@AmmyJ this was my DD at 6 months! I honestly thought we just had an unhappy baby and that I must have done something wrong. Nothing, literally nothing, made her happy. She was grumpy at home, she was grumpy out and about. I had to stop going to baby groups because she would just moan and cry and I would feel so self conscious as other mums with 'happy' babies looked at me and my grumpy little monkey 😂
Then at around 8 months, she was just happy one day. I remember us thinking wow, what a lovely day! We thought it was a fluke, then the next day was the same. And again the day after. And honestly, something must have switched for her, because overnight the grumpy/angriness left! She's now 11 months and the happiest baby I could ever imagine. Of course she still has her moments, because she's still a baby, but I would say 6 out of 7 days in the week are 'happy' days. People are actually shocked when I tell them what a little grump she was! I think, like you said, it came from a place of frustration. DD is bum shuffling now and babbles ALL day 😂 she points now, so we can communicate as she tells us what she wants/where she wants to go. She pulls herself up, cruises on furniture etc. She's such a sociable little girl now as well, we're back attending as many groups as we can! I think she just wanted independence.
I really, really know it doesn't feel like it where you are now - but I promise it will get better and it will feel like a distant memory. There must be something huge happening at six months, bless them. Sending hugs, because I do remember how tough those couple of months were!

Hi!

ahhh I really feel for you it was such a tough time!! Honestly time was the only thing that changed things - 😭😂 once he started doing a bit more like crawling and then when he started pointing like @Chickencricket said that massively helped too!! I would say for us around 9 months is when things really changed and he was so much happier more consistently! In terms of the car seat we changed to a bigger one which helped a bit but from people I’ve spoke to whose also hate the car seat they only seem to be really content when they go forward facing 😂 but we can go about an hour now before he gets fed up!! He entertains himself with his books and music now he seems to enjoy and has a little dance to!
I will say now he’s going through a grumpy phase again though as he is wants to do very specific things but can’t tell me what so he can get quite frustrated sometimes but honestly it’s so much better than it was! Just power through and know it will definitely get better! He will be wanting to do so much more than he is capable of and that’s what is annoying him! xxx

@Betania and @Chickencricket - sorry for the delay in responding. We were away for the weekend and had a bit of trouble with sleeping and naps in the new environment. Poor kid is still trying to get back on track - so much stimulation is challenging for him!

Thank you both so much for the feedback and words of encouragement. It's so hard not to second guess everything I'm doing and feel bad about how miserable he is. He gets love, food, play time and cute outfits - he's got a great life, I'd say! But it sounds like this is simply who he is right now, and he'll move out of this phase into another one soon enough. And that's OK - it's still so amazing to watch him learn new things every week despite the constant moaning! And in the end, he won't remember a thing of this. I'll be the one who is traumatized forever - ha! 😭😅

At our 6 month peds appt last week, the doc said that he's healthy and there are no concerns at all (the little keener put on a whopping 1lb 11oz (765g) in one month - yikes!). You're right @Chickencricket - their little bodies have so much going on ALL THE TIME. Growing is hard work!

I'm so happy to hear your little ones have grown out of their grumpies (albeit into new challenges!). Little kids little problems, big kids big problems, as my grandma always said. @Betania thanks for the feedback on the car ride. Car issues are tough.. but I suppose it could be worse. My friend's kid got sick anytime she was in the car. Not easy.

Thanks again to both of you. 🤗 Enjoy every second of the bum shuffling and babbling. I'm sure they keep you incredibly entertained and just melt your heart! 💙