DD screams a lot before she falls asleep in the evening, any remedies?

[nia82]

I hold her of course but she screams bloody murder before she falls asleep. DS never did that, he nursed and drifted off. DD won't nurse when she is tired, she won't nurse when she is upset... Which leaves me without any calming skills! It breaks my heart hearing her scream like that, I feel I do something wrong?

[LittleBirdy]

She could be a "tension decreaser" - a child that needs to release some energy/emotion before having a sleep.  I know it's hard to hear her cry but you are there comforting her and that's really all you can do. 

[A-mac]

We have the same problem. It started around 10 weeks and is getting better now at 16. I'm not sure if it will help but here are some things that work for us when she refuses to nurse.

A ride in the car - I try not to use this one too much what with gas prices, but when she's frazzled and I'm in desperate need of some brain space it does the trick.
Going outside - seems to help her calm down for at least a few minutes so we can try again.
Tight swaddle - watch some YouTube videos on swaddling, it's really not as straightforward as it seems and it needs to be tighter than you would think.
Pilates ball - I hold her tight across my tummy or on my chest or curled into a c and bounce on the ball, it calms her down fast.

[nia82]

Thanks! DD fights naps throughout the day, but I noticed if she takes her naps consistently, she falls asleep happily in the evening...

[jcregan]

We found the kitchen vent to help with DS was tinier and was doing the evening crying thing..   Turn that on during a bout of screaming and he would settle almost immediately... then we would walk/wear him around the kitchen for 10 minutes or so and he would fall asleep.  You might try similar things like a shower or faucet running or maybe even a vacuum!

[Blanca78]

My (7 week old) DD also will not nurse if she is upset, and when she's tired (particularly in the evening) she gets overwhelmed and freaks out--sometimes seems truly inconsolable. The most reliable method we've found is swaddling her and turning on the vacuum cleaner. It almost always calms her down. Sometimes I wait a bit and then can nurse her with it running, or sometimes she'll fall asleep for a few minutes and is better when she wakes up. It also works when she's not swaddled, but swaddling seems to help if she's truly tired (otherwise she gets frustrated and more worked up).

Swaddled, I also hold her in the football hold and (gently) jiggle her head--I recommend watching Harvey Karp's Happiest Baby on the Block DVD, which demonstrates the method. It works pretty well--it's how we got her to sleep last night.

[Alisse]

When my son got fussy in the evenings we assumed he was gassy because of my oversupply issues.  The only way we could sooth him was by holding him high with both his arms over a shoulder so that there was pressure on his tummy, and then we'd bobb up and down while walking so that he'd have pressure on his belly.  It was the only thing that helped.  

[Blanca78]

Oh yeah, my DD loves being carried that way. Lots of bounce in the step is imperative!
 

Originally Posted by Alisse 

When my son got fussy in the evenings we assumed he was gassy because of my oversupply issues.  The only way we could sooth him was by holding him high with both his arms over a shoulder so that there was pressure on his tummy, and then we'd bobb up and down while walking so that he'd have pressure on his belly.  It was the only thing that helped.  

[expat-mama]

I second the white noise (kitchen fan) suggestion. Vacuums work wonders or better yet, just get one of those white noise mp3s. I downloaded some for free when ds was a couple months old and they worked wonders.

Also, read or watch Happiest Baby on the Block! Lots of tips there.

Good luck!

[coffeegirl]

My daughter went through this until she was about 4ish months old. What I remember helping was:

1.) making sure she had enough to eat (frequently she was just hungry and needed a little bit more. Will she take a bottle if she won't nurse?

2.) holding her over a shoulder like Alisse suggested or over my arm in the football hold, if gas was the problem.

3.) Tight swaddle

4.) laying her down to sleep on her belly (if this makes you nervous you can flip her back over on her back once she's asleep)

5.) white noise-- a fan in her room.