It gets better when they can sit up right?

[Alisse]

My son is 6months old as of this weekend. Appetite is great, solids going good. Doesn't want to breast feed much. And holy crap is he "fussy"! Wants to be in my arms, doesn't want it, wants to touch this, doesn't want it, ok to lie down for a few seconds, then wants to stand...constantly whining and can't be made to be content. I'm so exhausted and i can't remember the calm baby i had. I'm glad he's more curious and aware of what's around him but i feel so drained by it. I don't feel that he's going through his 6month growth spurt because he's not trying to increase my milk production. I feel as though he's now frustrated with his lack of mobility as it's not matching his curiosity. I'm looking for a little bit of relief to look forward to mamas and am dreaming that things will get better once he can sit up unassisted, (ie. hoping that he'll be able to self-entertain a bit). I'm not dreaming right?

[sunflwrmoonbeam]

I had the same thoughts about crawling, which DD did at 6.5 months, and it did get better for a few weeks. But alas, only a few weeks. SHe's been so clingy I'm calling her velcro lately, and wants constant entertainment.

[texmati]

I'm hoping for this too...ds constantly wants to be propped up-- I'm considering the bumbo chair, something that I swore I would never do!!! lol

[WeasleyMum]

It gets a little bit better, yeah.

[batsister]

As they say, it gets "different." In my limited experience (my son is 8 months old), he did get much better at self-entertaining as he learned to sit, crawl, pull-up, etc. Of course the flip side is that I also have to make sure he doesn't destroy things and/or hurt himself with his new-found freedom. But for the problem you are describing, yes, I think that gets better (and they are less frustrated) once their physical skills match their curiosity a bit better. In the meantime, I suggest babywearing a lot (assuming you and your baby like it). Good luck!

[candelaria80]

Originally Posted by batsister

As they say, it gets "different." In my limited experience (my son is 8 months old), he did get much better at self-entertaining as he learned to sit, crawl, pull-up, etc. Of course the flip side is that I also have to make sure he doesn't destroy things and/or hurt himself with his new-found freedom. But for the problem you are describing, yes, I think that gets better (and they are less frustrated) once their physical skills match their curiosity a bit better. In the meantime, I suggest babywearing a lot (assuming you and your baby like it). Good luck!

"Different" is exactly correct in my experience. My DD is 7 months, she has been crawling for a while , pulling herself up and sitting for about a month, and even though these new skills are amazing and keep her more entertained, they keep me a little on edge.

[slimkins]

Is he possibly teething? My son will be 7 months this week, and he just got his top two teeth a couple of weeks ago (he got his bottom ones around 3 1/2 months). Sadly, I just thought is was frustrations, too or a growth spurt (which did happen right around the same time). Then one day I decided to just check his mouth, and low and behold... there were his teeth right below his gums. They broke through two days later. I feel so bad that I didn't realize it was his teeth earlier where I could have done more to make him feel more comfortable.

He did just start sitting all the time unassisted this week and I haven't noticed a huge difference in him. Of course he is tons better than when he was teething, though.

[Llyra]

Sitting up alone was a huge breakthrough with my DS--- instantly he was happier and more content. It wasn't that way with my girls, though-- for them, it was crawling that mellowed them out. It's really common though when they're on the edge of achieving a milestone for them to be really edgy and unhappy. That happened with my kids, too.

It's also a classic age for teething, and for sleep disturbances, too-- is he sleeping well? Being a little overtired is my first explanation when one of my kids is crankier than usual.

[Norasmomma]

Sounds like teething to me.

[LadyCatherine185]

Another vote for teething here!

Just wanted to add though-- my DS was similar to yours in that he was very curious and wanted to do so much but limited by his abilities. He was a very fussy baby, not happy until he started walking. Then he magically transformed into this happy little toddler. (he started walking at 9.5 months, btw)

[Alisse]

I don't think it's likely that he's having teething discomfort because his gums look totally healthy and not irritated. Already thought that this might be the culprit but giving him tempra doesn't help either and massaging his upper gums doesn't change anything.

He has been napping horribly lately and really struggles to get to sleep. Sigh. I'm getting horrible flashbacks of his 4week growth spurt where he was fussy in the same sort of way plus the feeding difficulties. So so so tired right now.

Thank you everyone for listening. I think that just the act of typing out that i'm tired and frustrated really helps.

[sunnygir1]

Originally Posted by Alisse

I don't think it's likely that he's having teething discomfort because his gums look totally healthy and not irritated. Already thought that this might be the culprit but giving him tempra doesn't help either and massaging his upper gums doesn't change anything.

He has been napping horribly lately and really struggles to get to sleep. Sigh. I'm getting horrible flashbacks of his 4week growth spurt where he was fussy in the same sort of way plus the feeding difficulties. So so so tired right now.

Thank you everyone for listening. I think that just the act of typing out that i'm tired and frustrated really helps.

Long before you see any evidence of teeth coming, they can be having pain because the teeth have to travel through several layers to get to the surface.

The first teeth to emerge are generally on the bottom, not the top. Giving him something cool to chew on might help even if he isn't teething because it will keep him busy for a bit.

I'm sure you're right that part of it is frustration about not being able to go where he wants to. It is possible, that he is having trouble with a food or foods as well. Food sensitivities can cause irritability.

[flower01]

I agree that every stage of baby's development is "different"...it's gets easier when they accomplishm something...and then they start working on something else and getting fussy again. There's teething and then introducing solids...different sleep patterns. Just when you get used to one thing...something changes.

Recognizing this fact, plus babywearing is what helps me the most, I think.
My DS is 6 months and trying to crawl. He wants to be on the floor, but he fusses the whole time he's there.

[femalephish]

Originally Posted by batsister

As they say, it gets "different." In my limited experience (my son is 8 months old), he did get much better at self-entertaining as he learned to sit, crawl, pull-up, etc. Of course the flip side is that I also have to make sure he doesn't destroy things and/or hurt himself with his new-found freedom. But for the problem you are describing, yes, I think that gets better (and they are less frustrated) once their physical skills match their curiosity a bit better. In the meantime, I suggest babywearing a lot (assuming you and your baby like it). Good luck!

This. Exactly.

[colsxjack]

Our DD isn't necessarily fussy, but she does seem to get bored easily and needs constant stimulation. It is exhausting. Learning to sit by herself didn't really help much. Now she is 8 months old and her being able to scoot herself around has helped a little bit.

What has helped most is going for walks. She loves to people watch. We are in Toronto also. When it is cold outside we go for walks around the mall. When it's nice we go for a walk outside or to the park.
My DW also takes her to a baby drop in centre. She loves to watch the other babies.
Another bonus is that it seems to make her nap better.