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my calm mellow baby turns screamy at bedtime - help!

6 replies

averagemum · 09/01/2009 18:14

Hi - my ds, 19 weeks, basically never cries except at bedtime. Our routine is bath, pjs, then bf, rocked and into his cot, sometimes he stays asleep, sometimes I give him a dummy which seems to help him to sleep... The screamy crying often starts after the bath, he's soothed by the bf (and more or less falls asleep), then starts again when I attempt to put him down. I've tried earlier and later naps, starting bedtime earlier and later just in case he's over / under tired. Tonight was just horrible - as soon as he realised he was in his cot he screamed as if I'd hurt him! I hate the idea that bedtime has become a stressful time for both of us. The weird thing is that his sleep has actually improved lately, and when he wakes in the night for a feed he can self-settle afterwards. Tonight I calmed him down enough for him stop crying, left the room to get a tissue and breathe a bit, and he fell asleep! Sorry for the long post - but what I am doing wrong?

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
RaspberryBlower · 09/01/2009 19:36

Mine used to scream blue murder at bedtime when she was around that age as well. I dreaded it and sometimes ended up in tears myself. I think making it earlier did help a bit, but really she just grew out of it a few weeks down the line. Sorry I can't be more help except to say that it'll hopefully improve with time.

RaspberryBlower · 09/01/2009 19:36

Mine used to scream blue murder at bedtime when she was around that age as well. I dreaded it and sometimes ended up in tears myself. I think making it earlier did help a bit, but really she just grew out of it a few weeks down the line. Sorry I can't be more help except to say that it'll hopefully improve with time.

averagemum · 09/01/2009 19:44

That does help raspberry - I don't know what to change, and dh says just to wait it out but I'm beginning to dread bedtime. Dh is convinced 6 months will be a kind of watershed. Hope he's right and ours is like yours!

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RaspberryBlower · 09/01/2009 19:56

I think you're doing things right by the sound of it. They have a massive developmental spurt around that time and I think a lot of the stuff they do is related to that. So they're starting to take a lot more in but can't quite deal with it yet and get over stimulated, or something like that.

tumpymother · 09/01/2009 20:08

hi - mine did that too and he did seem to grow out of it at around 6 months TBH. I felt dreadful while it was happening though. We tried a few things which may be of use to you - we tried to be a bit more routine in making sure he had enough naps during the day and that seemed to help. We also gave him a muslin cloth to snuggle into while he was going to sleep although I was so paranoid about it smothering him that I always crept in and took it off him as soon as he was asleep ! We also bought a music thing with calming lights to play as we left the room and also said the same words each time he went down for a nap or a sleep.
Hopefully its just a phase and he will grow out of it - you sound like you are doing everything fine.

tumpymother · 09/01/2009 20:08

hi - mine did that too and he did seem to grow out of it at around 6 months TBH. I felt dreadful while it was happening though. We tried a few things which may be of use to you - we tried to be a bit more routine in making sure he had enough naps during the day and that seemed to help. We also gave him a muslin cloth to snuggle into while he was going to sleep although I was so paranoid about it smothering him that I always crept in and took it off him as soon as he was asleep ! We also bought a music thing with calming lights to play as we left the room and also said the same words each time he went down for a nap or a sleep.
Hopefully its just a phase and he will grow out of it - you sound like you are doing everything fine.

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