Very frustrated/grumpy 8 month old

[rhaenyra01]

DD has just turned 8 months and for the past two weeks or so she has seemed incredibly frustrated and easily upset. She is usually a very happy, cheery little thing, but at the moment I feel like I’m doing something wrong because she seems miserable.

DD can sit up, but can’t crawl, and gets really frustrated when she’s down on her mat. She used to happily sit or lay on her tummy and play with her toys, now she flips around and arches her back and goes really rigid and wails, or she’ll drag herself into uncomfortable positions and cry. If I try to gently roll her back over, or sit her up, it results in screaming. If I try to sit her on my lap or cuddle her, she cries and fights to get away. Trying to get her dressed or change her nappy is like a wrestling match - god forbid we try and put her in the car seat, she acts like she’s being murdered😞

DH and I have been watching YouTube videos on encouraging her to crawl, and trying to help, because we think she seems frustrated because she’s trying to crawl but can’t. She also quite often isn’t finishing her bottles (7oz formula), but isn’t really interested in food either unless it’s very bland (egg, mashed potato, or those baby finger food crisp things) and then will only eat tiny amounts. None of her toys seem to entertain her any more and literally the only time she seems content is when she’s out in her pram, I try to take her for two long walks a day but any time we’re in the house she seems miserable. By the time DH comes home from work we’re both teary and I’m exhausted.

Is this just a phase because she’s trying to learn a new skill (crawling) and can’t do it yet? She really doesn’t seem like her usual self and it’s breaking my heart, I just want her to be happy.

God 8 months is a hard phase. I remember it passes once they can crawl (mine were both not properly crawling til 10 months). The eating thing is tricky as well, try handing her bits of your food off your plate sometimes? Honestly these stages will pass, she'll be crawling/toddling around before you know it, wine & cake to get through it!

@Topjoe19 thats what my friends have been saying, once she learns to crawl it will make a big difference but it’s so hard until then!! I feel like she is just full of frustration and nothing can help 😞 Funnily enough she will try food off our plates, like if we were having spag Bol she would have a tiny bit - but if I buy her one of those baby pouches of the same meal she spits it out! X

Just feed her what you're having but without added salt/sugar etc. Solid starts is a good app. I separate a portion of food out before i salt it. DD is 9 months and she usually eats what we do.

Yes, the crawling frustration is hard – for them and for you! We were all relieved when DD2 cracked it, even DD1, whose toys were now fair game. I found getting out to playgroups helped – just the cheap play-and-stay church hall type or rhyme time at the library. Novelty apparently makes the frustration somewhat more tolerable.

For the food, if she likes a bit of your food, go with that – take a little bit out for her before you add salt or too much chilli. A long-life, shelf-stable baby pouch of spag bol won't taste anything like the real thing, and, clever girl, she knows the difference!