What to Do When Your 21/2 Month Child Is Fussy?

It's possible she could be having some food allergies or "sensitivities" that are making her uncomfortable, sometimes there are no indicators other than fussiness. Other indicators can be minor skin irritations like eczema. Or if she tends to have diarea or constipationor gassines. But like I said often there's just the fussiness. Rather than go through expensive tests, you can try eliminatin some of the usual problem foods for a few weeks, one at a time, and see if she improves. There's tons of info online, but the usuals are milk, wheat, eggs, soy, or nuts.
Good luck.

Read "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer". It will change your life. You don't have to agree with everything in the book, but I betcha it will help TONS!

ok first of all to save you & your husband's sanity:
babywearing!!!
seriously.
www.thebabywearer.com/forum

you really should consider protein intolerances/allergies
the most common ones are milk and soy proteins...

if it's 'just' fussy behavior it might 'just' be a protein intolerance- are her diapers mucousy? this is another sign of intolerances

if you're seeing blood in her stool (can look like dried coffee grounds in her diaper) then that is more like an allergy...how about excema? this can be a sign of an allergy to milk and/or soy

if you're breastfeeding you can try an elimination diet to find out what, if any, proteins you are eating are making their way into your breastmilk and upsetting your baby.
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T041800.asp

if you're using formula you might need to switch to Nutrimigen or Alimentum and give the switch a good 2 weeks to see if it makes a difference...If it's an allergy then you will need to go to Neocate...but if you're breastfeeding you can alter your diet so that your milk is free of the 'offending' proteins...

I hope this helps
it's hard because allergy tests are not accurate with infants- it goes by symptoms...
read about it at www.askdrsears.com

~L.

Hang in there. I know it can be hard. Once they get a little older and can be entertained by toys and things it gets easier. I agree that the baby wearing is the way to go if you don't want to hear them fuss.

I feel for you C.. My son was colicy for the first 3.5 months and I was going nuts over what to do. It was VERY hard and stressful in the beginning...... He LOVED being outside or the sound of the vacuum. Try turning the vacuum on and going outside. Babies like looking at lights also. It was Christmas time when my son was colicy so he LOVED looking at Christmas lights so much that we put them up on our fake trees inside ( it defiantly helped alot)
Make sure she doesn't have acid reflux. Mine also had acid reflux and is on med's everyday for it. Not to mention special formula, alimentum.... So keep an eye on her spitting up alot or lots of gas. Maybe try changing her formula if she's formula fed.
I PROMISE it's gets better.. I NEVER thought I would see the day where I would have a happy baby and now he's 6.5 months old and happy as can be...
I also HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend trying a schedule soon for your daughter. That as well saved us......
Good luck and email me if you want to talk more

C.
I feel for you. My daughter would cry so hard she'd turn blue and stop breathing. My Pediatrician said that it was b/c she didn't know how to cry. She wasn't colicy, but she was close. I tried different formula's, changing my diet ( I was breast feeding too), but that helped only a little. I eventually found my groove. She had gas and bloating. So, I gave her gas drops. I held and bounced her in a special position (my husband and I deemed it the baby lambada)she also loved to be walked outside. Maybe she is getting too much stimulation. Playing, tv, music, lights, talking.... that can all be exciting, but it can also be too much at times. Just like you need to slow down, maybe she does too...But if you can't find a reason, just try to get through it. YOU are her mommy. No one knows her, loves her or cares for her better. It will get better, and it will constantly change. Also, take a moment for yourself. Sometimes you have to take a break to be the best mommy you can.
All the best
H.

HI
I have three children . I had two girls one is now 16 and the other is 13. We started all over again with a boy who is now 23 months old. I understand the fussy thing too well. If she isn't uncomfortable ( no food allergies-no teething-enough sleep etc..) then it is par for the course! The changing of scenery helps my son - sometimes- that is! He has food allergies and severe ecezma so sometimes its his medical issues. But he can be a real BEAR enough for me to just have to walk out of the room for a while. I luckily have people around to distract him . I now start the ball rolling with different activities when the temper or mood starts to get rough. Movies/games/books/outdoors/walking/physical outlets good. Also keep some younger"baby" toys she has outgrown in a big bag and pull out surprise toys she hasn't seen in a while and this may chaange her mood...Hope it helps I know how it feels very very well. L.

C.:

First of all, take a deep breath. My grandmother always used to say that each baby comes with its own set of instructions. She is your daughter. You will best be able to determine what works and what doesn't.

Second of all, my second child (who is now almost 8) was like that as a baby. He cried all the time and especially if he wasn't being held by one of us. I couldn't even leave him in the nursery at church without him spiraling into an absolute panic. He would cry so hard that he would make himself sick. Because of this, I actually went against my grandmother's other advice to let him cry it out. My instinct told me that she was wrong. Thank God, because the guilt was bad enough when I found out the reasons for his behavior. It would have been unbearable if I had listened to that advice.

It turned out that by "listening" to his specific set of instructions (those invisible ones he came with), I was actually doing the right thing. My son's vision was so poor that he literally couldn't see past the nose on his face. It was after this experience that I learned that every child should have an eye exam by the time they turn six months old. No one ever told me that, not even a pediatrician. That advice would have made my son's life so much easier. Nicholas was 19 months old when I learned that his vision was -8.00. It is now -12.25, but he sees the eye doctor every year and is fitted with glasses. Get an eye exam for your daughter. The expense is worth the piece of mind.

Also, trust your instinct. I felt from the time that my son was an infant that something was just not right. It has been many years in coming, but he has just been diagnosed with Aspberger's Syndrome. Trust your gut. You are her mom. Fight for what you think she needs because you do know her better than anyone else.

Good luck.

D.

my 9 month old son was like this for the first 3 months of his life. if he wasn't sleeping or eating...he was crying. this is not at all uncommon in the little ones. it will get better though. i promise. my son is the most content baby i've had (he's my 3rd) and he usually keeps himself pretty happy and content all day. the one thing i found was that sometimes he just wanted peace and quiet. i think another mom already suggested over-stimulation and i think she got it right. things that don't bother us tend to bother babies more than we think it should. it is usually something simple too such as the baby doesn't want to lay on their back anymore or they are sick of looking at the mobile and they can't say "ok enough...i can't stand this anymore." one other thing that i found bothered my son and may be bothering yours...you may wear a certain type of perfume or use a certain kind of room spray that may be bothering your baby.

moral of the story: there is life after crabby babies. they are usually the ones that turn out to be the most content babies later on.

btw- my 3 year old girl cries more than my 9 month old son does now...lol

What kind of formula/breakmilk? is she able to go to the bathroom EASILY? is she getting gas built up in her stomach? I had 2 babies who fussed a lot, and these were all problems - ask your doctor about changing the formula to soy and see if it changes anything, if infants have a hard time with bowl movements you can also ask about using Dark Caro Syrup in the bottles, these are all ideas that worked for me - Also if your doctors is not helping you get releif - get a new doctor - I had a doctor who was old school - and made me feel think it was my fault and that babies are not easy, so just get over it - and they should not treat you that way - so if you are feeling like your doctor is not helping you as the new mom find solutions - than you should probably seek another doctor to work with.

C., don't lose hope. Does she maybe have colic? When my daughter was about that age, she too was extremely fussy. Nothing I did would soothe her. Then my pediatrition recommended Milicon Gas Drops for infants and you don't need a prescription. It was like a miracle. If only I had known this from the beginning.
Wish you and your little one peace and joy.

We hold our baby and bounce her on a yoga ball when she's fussy. The motion soothes her and keeps her calm. When she's having a meltdown, we sometimes swaddle her so that she stops flailing her arms and legs and calms down. She likes walks in the baby bjorn (front carrier) and is now enjoying the stroller.

I've heard that it gets better after 3 months since they can start to play with toys and are easier to amuse.

C.

Yes the terrible twos rears it's ugly head. Sometimes the only thing you can do is ignor it. When mine does it, I try this, sometimes it is so annoying I can't. And time out is in play, this involves her room in her bed until she can be nice. My husband and I were laughing at her the other day because she was sort of back talking. It was so funny, because it was something you thought your teenager would do. You know nah nah nah. Good luck! Jen