baby screaming himself to sleep

[louoftwo]

Up until about a week ago my 10 month old was nursing himself to sleep. Now however, he will not nurse and screams for about an hour before finally falling asleep. I really don't like hearing him cry for an hour and when I try to get him to nurse he pulls away screaming and tries to get himself into an upright position. Any ideas on how I can get my little boy to stop screaming and to go to sleep peacefully would be wonderful!

[bluebunny]

Sounds like he is overtired. Could you try getting him to sleep earlier?

[louoftwo]

That is a very good possibility, I'll try to put him down for the night earlier tomorrow night.

[Somemyrrh]

Will he lay his head on your shoulder instead? Also, could he have developed reflux? Reflux is worse when lying down and can be painful for children.

[FrugalGranolaMom]

Agree with PPs, could it also be teething? I know there are times with ds when it is just so hard to console him during that time.

[louoftwo]

I don't believe it is reflux because he shows no other signs of having that issue and teething could be a possibility, but with the last 6 teeth he has got he complains during the day as well. I think the issue is that he has got so efficient in nursing that when he is done eating he has not had enough time to fall asleep. He always falls asleep nursing and now that he isn't he just freaks out. I'm hoping he is just overtired and that putting him to bed earlier will help. I don't know how many more more nights of him sleeping only 6-7 hours a night before hes up for the day that I can handle!

[elisheva]

Many kids release tension by crying -normal, accumulated tension from normal, everyday life. Some need to cry longer than others. If you've ruled out any form of physical pain, just be there to hold him however long it takes. See Gordon Neufeld's Hold Onto Your Kids or www.handinhandparenting.com for more info.