Need Help! - Arvada,CO

Is he sitting up yet? Can he see you from his angle on the floor? If he's not sitting up, work with him until he is. Looking at the floor can be boring. Put pillows around him and toys in front of him so he can be "doing" something. He may just be missing you. If you get down on the floor and play with him WITH his toys, he may get the idea they are fun, and it's ok to not be held all the time. Hope this helps!

Is it possible that he is teething and wants you more for comfort? It is crazy all of the little things they go through and many times they end almost as quickly as they started. Best wishes! J.

Sounds like my daughter when she's teething. I give her Tylenol. I realize there was a big Tylenol scare a few months back. But the problem wasn't the product, it was parents giving the wrong dosage. I weigh my baby just before and give her exactly the right dosage.

He could be teething... My daughter gets very clingly when she is getting a tooth.

My baby was just like that. I didn't get anything done somedays because she wouldn't let me put her down for a second. I got a baby sling and carried her around with me and she really liked that. I got mine from lucky-baby.com and I still use it! I absolutely love it! Try it and see if it works. Another thing that worked for a little while was a swing. My baby went through the not letting me put her down when she was a lot younger. She was just a newborn, but since your baby is a little older try putting him in his high chair with some toys and talk to him while you do stuff. This worked and still works for me. He might also be teething. My baby has a hard time and always wants to be with me and held when she's teething. I give her tylenol or orajel and it seems to make things better. Hope this helps and good luck! It will most likely pass soon! :)

He may be going through a period of separation anxiety. Do you have a sling, Ergo, or Baby Bjorn you could put him in? If so, just strap him to you, and try to go about your day as normal. See if that helps. It is hard to cook and do much cleaning like this, but you can get very creative!

My daughter was the same way. I got an Ergo Baby Carrier, and carried her in that. Now, she is almost two, and I still go for walks with her in that because she sometimes just wants to be cuddled close. It is kind of expensive--around $100--but they work until baby is 40 pounds (which I think is usually around 4 years.) Anyway, you can carry baby in front, or an older child on the hip or back, and have your hands free to do housework. Good Luck.

K.,

I feel your pain! My second has been much needier than I exected her to be. He is expressing his need for you in the only way he has, by fussing and crying. He may be in pain - getting sick or teething. He may be in the beginning stages of separation anxiety. Something in your lives may be stressing him out. He may be getting ready to learn a new skill like crawling, and it is making him anxious. Whatever it is, remember that what he is expressing is a need for you. My very favorite parenting quote is "A need met will go away." By contrast, if you don't meet his needs, they just get more intense. So go ahead and pick him up. Reassure him that you are there and you want to help him. You won't spoil him by picking him up and carrying him. You will teach him that he can trust you to meet his needs. Studies have shown that babies who are responed to quickly and consistently have a better bond with their mothers and generally have better relationships as they grow into adults. Babies who are ignored learn to stop expressing their needs. They are basically taught that no one is going to answer. How sad.

Get a carrier; it will make your life much easier! With a six month old, I would go straight to a back carrier that has two shoulder straps. A one-shoulder carrier, or one that puts him in the front is not good for your back once baby is around 20lb. An Ergo is a great choice. A wrap and a mei tai are also very comfortable options that may not cost you as much. If you can carry him, I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how much more content he is, and you will still be able to get things done.

I promise this phase will pass. Your son will become independent much sooner than you expect, and it will happen better if you don't try to push him into it! Natural independence comes from feeling secure that you have a safe place to run back to if you need it. Forced independence comes from feeling like you may as well look "out there" because you surely aren't getting your needs met from your family. So all that to say... enjoy his babyhood. While he is a baby, treat him like one. Pick him up. Cuddle him. Rock him. Give him lots of kisses and hugs. There is plenty of time to treat him like "a big boy" when he becomes a big boy. It will happen sooner than you ever imagine!

Best of luck,
S.

He wants to be carried around and be close to you. There will be days that he needs the closeness more than others - maybe he is teething or feeling sick right now. Have you looked into a ring sling or a front carrier? They will enable you to carry him around while you do your daily chores (and you won't have to listen to him fuss!).

S.

My 2nd child was like that. He wouldn’t go to anyone else but me, and that made it hard to do anything. I had a snugly from my first child so I used that. I would put him in that and carry him around and do things around the house. I know that doing that makes it hard to do some things. I think that babies just like the closeness of mom. That is grate, but sometimes it is annoying. Try this and see if that works for you and him. Also, maybe he is teething and wants mom to hold him for comfort. Try giving him teething tablets if that is the case. I love them. They are natural and I think they are easier to use than orajell. I used teething tablets on all 3 of my children and they worked grate.

Hi K.
It is a possibility that he may be teething. I feel for these little ones. He just may be needing comfort. Ask your doctor if he can have baby advil or if he still can use Tyenol. This may give him the comfort he needs and you can still get things done you need to. I hope that everything works out

Hi K.!

I also recommend getting a baby carrier (although I do not recommend carriers like the Snuggly or Baby Bjorn- the baby's weight is on their crotch in these carriers, where their weight should be on their bum). I'm in Longmont and would love to show you several different styles and ways to 'wear' your baby. He is happy because he is with you (this is a GOOD thing!) and you have hands to get what you need done.
If you suspect teething, I recommend a Baltic Amber teething necklace, it is a natural anti inflammatory and pain reliever- it has made the world of difference with my daughters teething.
Maybe your son is trying to get you to slow down- sometimes we get so busy with life- I believe our kids can help us with balancing our lives. Go play in the grass, read books or just be with him. Carrying him in a baby carrier will help satisfy his need for stimulation, closeness with you and new experiences- he wants to be an active participant in your life!

Let me know if you have questions or would like to look at some carriers! I would be happy to watch your son while you take a shopping break or whatnot, too. It helps me when I am feeling frustrated to remember that my daughter is not trying to frustrate me, and I just need to stop and focus on her needs instead of getting frustrated because I can't get xy and z done. Getting frustrated just makes the situation worse, it's hard, but make a conscious choice to be empathetic with your child and not frustrated. (I find that that is usually a good time to 'take a break' and nurse for a few minutes so we can both get re-centered.

Have a great rest of your day!
H.
www.naturalchoices4baby.com

That is such a frustrating stage they go through. I believe all 3 of our children have. And one was way more than the others. A trick to try, which I did and it worked, is to not pick him up until he stops fussing. So, the second he stops fussing pick him up and tell him he's a good boy and you like when he's not fussing. This may take a day or so. Even at 6 months they figure out how to get what they want. If the fussing is too loud and frustrating then I suggest putting him in his crib and shut the door. You may even have to stand by the door a while and the second he stops, go in and pick him up. He will eventually figure out that 'Oh, Mommy won't talk to me or pick my up until I am quiet and happy'. Don't give up! They are smart, but this too shall pass. It is a stage of him trying to see which boundries he can cross. It worked for us!! :)

I have a 5 mo old boy, who often does this... He's the type who wants to be a part of whatever is happening. So I pick him up, strap him on and start vaccuming, usually he's asleep by the time I've finished...

it seems he wants your attention. make sure you take time to just play with him. for me, sometimes that's an all day edvent. good for your baby's relationship with you

teething? ear infection? gas? constipation? separation anxiety? A trip to the doctor might help and give you a little peace of mind too. When my daughter was this age she just wanted to be held. I remember holding her and walking in circles in our living room for very long periods of time - usually an hour or more (my husband was in school for his masters at the time and we were waiting to see the car pull in the drive way!). Hang in there - "and it came to pass...", it never came to stay!

Good luck.

Have you tried using a sling? It's a way to carry them around all day while still being able to do what you need to do with both hands. They're wonderful!

This website shows a bunch of the different kinds you can get:
http://www.theslingstation.com/

I loved my sling. When he's older, you can switch him to sitting on your hip, or strapped to your back. The movement helps with gas issues, and teething (very common at this time) is a really clingy time. With my first, I couldn't wait to get my arms back, but remember, one of these days, you'll miss this cuddling.

My oldest son was the same way and still is from time to time. He's now 15 months, but at certain phases he would do that and still does. For me is seemed like he would get like that before he was about to hit a milestone. I invested in a realy nice back pack and it has been my life saver and I have also gotten really good at doing things one-handed. Try taking just five minutes when he gets like that to sit down with him and look at a book or something. Other times I think my son just wants my undivided attention and having three kids, two of whom are babies under 15 months that doesn't happen a lot.

Hi K. J,
It could be teething or gas or anything try giving him a cold teething ring first or for gas a wet warm wash cloth to play with, I've also heard of a baby sling? or swings can also help but then if all else fails he probably has figured out moms a sucker and picks me up when I fuss. Mine did, and I was probably the biggest sucker ever. Yes it's just a phase, however even though it's very difficult to do, after making sure he's fine, you need to let him keep fussing. Eventually, even if it takes an hour or more he'll either stop or go to sleep. I'm a mom of three, thankfully they are all older now, but my two youngest also had that same problem. And when they got older I had a different one where those two couldn't stop fighting, I got smart and got them each their own little chair and placed them in seperate corners, they got five minites and any talking or out burst awarded them with another minute, in one case they both worked their way up to thirty minutes and when they did get quiet I went to check on them and both were sound to sleep in weird positions in their little chairs. Anyway, like I said before I know it's hard but let him fuss. He'll stop when he either gets bored with his own fussing or falls to sleep. Hope it helps and really good luck with it, cause it is really hard not to pick them up, I had a really hard time not. I thought I was being a bad mom by not picking them up or being cold hearted. I learned it's neither and it's okay for them to fuss. You just have to be strong.
Good Luck
E. G

Is he teething? We found that made our son fussy around that age. Hyland's Teething Tablets are all natural and work great!

I have a 5 month little boy and I can't get anything done either. He isn't happy unless I'm entertaining him or someone else he. He just gets so bored and feels trapped on the floor with his toys. I have also read that around this age they get separation anxiety (or it starts to develop) and he might just be scared or unsure with out you. I think it's normal, I'm sure that doesn't make you feel better though because you want a cure. I hope it gets better soon. Good luck!! Sure is frustrating!

At this stage, the little one's aren't able to tell that you're still there if you're out of sight. I hope that sentance made sense. He's more aware of his surroundings and afraid you're gone. My youngest did the same thing for about three months, then he stopped. It's frustrating, I know but maybe instead of picking him up, you can talk to him about what you're doing. That may help. When I was a Nanny, years ago, I had a little boy who was the same way. I started out by picking him up and putting him in a front carrying pack while I cleaned the house and stuff. It was hard because he was a big baby.

After a while, it got to be too much so I talked to him. I always made sure he could see me from his infant seat. It took a few days of him fussing and then he began to realize that I wasn't gone, just not close. He was fine after about a week. Good luck!!!!

Have you tried the infant carrier strapped to your chest? Just put him in so he is facing you and he can snuggle while you get things done..
good luck!

It could be teething, or maybe he may have gas to extent of pain. I would suggest maybe so mylicon for gas. For the teething and lack of sleep i would recommend humphreys 3(a homeopathic teething tablet) it also works for coliccy babies.
If you are using formula you might want to switch it could be rough on the poor guy. I went through it too. I found out that my child was allergic to the formula when she was almost a year old. The doctors kept switching the formula on me. I hope this helps and gl

A baby sling totally helps, you still can't do everything youw ould be able of if you didn't have a baby in your arms, but you can do more than if you were holding him alone. Good luck ( check d.i. or savers, or craigslist.org for slings that aren't tha texpensive )

Hi, I had the same problem. I just read something that stated its possible we are not giving them enough one-on-one time and that's the reason for the great attachment. This is a popular age to start separation anxiety also. Just a thought. :) Good luck.

Could be anything, one thing I would be sure to try is laying him down to make sure he was getting enough sleep. I found my son sleeps best when I put him in his Fisher Price rocking chair and tip it back. He is strapped in for safety and the double benefit of that is that he can't move around so he just lays there and falls asleep. When I started this I was surprised at how often I laid him down and how much me time I actually got.

Well if it's not that I feel for ya, try the other things on the list, and keep going. You're a good mom.

I don't really have any advice, but my son is 4 1/2 months and he is the same exact way!!! Just letting you know you're not alone!!!