7 month old tantrum?

[Rollypops]

Hello everyone,

Just wondered if any of your babies have tantrums at 7 months old? Or whether it is something else for my DD.

We are in Cyprus atm, my DD is only having 20 min cat naps at a time and is fighting her sleep. We have tried her in her pram in the shade, in the room with the air con, she still only has 20 mins and is exhausted to a point she gets herself all worked up, crying, arching her back etc. She sleeps for longer at home.

She is 7 months old, breastfed and started having a few bits of food, pureès too, and been giving her sips of cooled boiled water too.

Granted we are in a different country and she could be overstimulated, is there anything I should be doing to try and help her sleep?

I feel like the worst mum ever for bringing her out here.

Xx

She's not having a tantrum. She's just too tired to know what to do with herself.

How long have you been out there and how is her sleep at night? Assuming she's not too hot etc (prob not if you mention air con) I would just accept thst this afternoon you are comforting her until she falls asleep, and taking it easy if you're trying to do lots. She can't keep this up forever, if you know she is well, not hungry/thirsty, and knows you see with her and feels secure, if she eventually cries herself into a longer sleep that's horrible for you but no bad thing if it is what it takes. (Stop trying to do multiple different ways of comforting her if that's what you are doing though - it's not working and constant jiggling,/moving/trying another tactic just makes it harder for her to eventually get through it!)

Remember that 1 minute of crying feels like 1 hour when you are listening to it, but it's nothing.

Thanks so much for replying @PercyGherkin

We have been out here 4 days, she is sleeping through the night, which she usually does. It's the day sleep where I think she's getting over tired, maybe that's what it is rather than a tantrum. It's so hard to know what to do, especially when people are staring at you.

She was crying for about 20 mins and eventually fell asleep with me nursing and singing to her. I couldn't leave her to CIO, it's for some but not for us.

X

No, your DD isn't tantrumming - babies and toddlers can be funny away on holidays out of their routine and in unfamiliar surroundings. Thankfully she is still sleeping through the night! It's easy for me to say but try not to stress the naps - try to settle her as best you can ahead of her getting overtired, don't be afraid to switch it up and rely on feeding to sleep / rocking the pram til she sleeps / contact naps if needed, she will settle again when she gets home. Don't worry about people looking at you when she cries, the vast majority of us with young children have been there x

You did the right thing. 20 minutes feels like ages but she was safe and eventually calmed down enough to sleep (even if you are then trapped!)

And put what other people think out of your mind, assuming all this isn't happening in the middle of a crowded restaurant or something (not least because that's never going to get her to sleep!) Most people don't care, or if they notice will just feel sympathy for you. Anyone who tuts is just a dick.

Bless you, OP. It can be very challenging.

I took my kids away at around that age. I remember giving them baths and creaming before nap times and laying in the bed with them. They did eventually drift off. I also got a little paddling pool and popped in the shade so they didn’t really get too much exposure to the sun as that appeared to make them miserable.

Just to say, it may be that your DD is going through a developmental leap atm. This tends to happen around the 6-8 month mark. One common experience I’ve heard from other parents (as well as my own) - naps are around 20 minutes. Download Wonder weeks (I think it’s called). Hope you still have a good time, OP x

Both my kids 'usual' eating, sleeping and toileting routines always go out the window to some extent when away from home, and all my friends have found exactly the same with their own young children. As they get older it gets easier and easier as they can communicate better, learn to take more control over their feelings and behaviours and the situations they are in (by expressing preferences and making suggestions themselves etc), and have more understanding about what is going on and can ask questions and so on.

Just do what you need to in order to get her to nap as close to what she does at home as possible. But once shes home she will settle again I'm sure. Imagine being whisked away from your home somewhere with all these new overwhelming sights, sounds, smells, people and having absolutely no idea what is going or why. I'm not surprised babies react to this confusion with changes in their personality.

I mostly relied on walks in the pram for naps on holiday with my two, still do with my 2.5 yo (or car rides) but yes naps away are always shorter/less than at home. Or I'd keep hold of them more for naps as babies on hols than I would at home if that helped.

Thanks for your replies guys, I appreciate it.

I bet it's so strange for her, which makes me think should we have stayed home, but then again we wouldn't do anything if thought like that all the time 🙈 She loves it in the baby pool in the shade.

I think she wants to be held to sleep when she's overtired, which is what we'll do.

It could well be a development leap too, I've noticed if she's with someone else and she sees me, she starts crying...... I think she's recognising when she's with other people x

If she naps better being held while you're away, do that as much as possible. You can all enjoy some cuddles whilst you don't have chores and things to be doing and she will be better rested and then you will all enjoy the holiday more, win win! When you all get home you can go back to putting her down again in her usual ways etc, she will remember it and adjust again.

Hope you enjoy the rest of your hols :)