Screaming 6 Month Old?!

I've introduced baby food at 6 months with all my kids so I am not an expert but stage 2 at 6 months seems early...I agree another previous response in cutting back on the food...I can only imagine he's too full to relax and sleep. And have him lay down for a nap even if he doesn't go to sleep just start giving him that pattern and perhaps that will help him...babies are really grouchy when they are overly tired!

Try reducing the food or add rice to formula? Some foods digest quicker and they can get hungry faster, my kids slept much better when they ate before bed. Also try running a noisy fan in the room w/o chilling him, that has really helped me!! Can't say these are the answer, if he is growing fast and needs lots of food, then he needs to eat!! I've seem different metabolisms in kids, and they are all different.
God Bless!

Does he nap during the day? The best advice I ever got about babies and sleep is "A well rested baby sleeps better." I noticed with all three of my babies that the more sleep they got during the day, the better they slept that night. It sounds weird, but it's true. I also agree with the food. He just might be getting too much. I started mine on rice cereal at 6 months. Good luck.

A great book for a child this age is Babywise (how to get your infant to sleep through the night). This is tough situation. I can promise that this book will help you with MANY suggestions that will work! Good luck!

I agree with the overtired assessment. Babies sometimes fight sleep, but they need it. The more they learn that sleeping makes things better, the less they will fight.

When you start seeing the signs of tiredness, sway, rock and sooth him down to sleep. At 6 months, he should be getting at least two long naps during the day and 12+ at night.

If this problem continues for more than a month, make sure to have a doctor check him for an inner ear infection.

Both my young brother and my younger sister developed inner ear infections around six months. The effect was normal behaviour throughout the day, no eating or hearing problems, but there was something about laying them on their backs that caused them to scream constantly. The infection was causing their ears to drain, painfully, when they were lain down to sleep.

Not necessary the solution to your problem, but definately a possible cause of the problem.

Please get the book Healthy sleep habits happy child. Your baby is overtired. (and may have colic, too) Sleep begets sleep. Please make sure your baby has his naps during the day, too.

It sounds to me like your little one is screaming because he is very very overtired. The comment you said about being up all day and then still not sleeping at night tells me that it's probably a sleep issue and not an eating issue. Get the book Healthy sleep habits, happy child and start following some of the guidelines in there for infant sleep. Your 6 month old should be getting about 14 to 15 hours of sleep total a day. That most likely will be broken down into 11 or 12 hours at night, and 3-4 hours during the day for sleep. We had a lot of issues with our little one with sleeping during the day as well, and when he didn't sleep well during the day, he didn't sleep well at night. When he was 4.5 months old I read the book I mentioned to you and our lives completely changed. He went from a cranky baby who I felt I couldn't take anywhere to this happy playful child who was happy when he was awake. I know a lot of people are going to respond with concerns related to food... but honestly, I would focus on the sleep thing first and get him caught up with his rest before you target other things. Once he's rested and into a good sleep pattern, I truly believe the eating all the time will fix itself. Good luck to you... I know it can all be frustrating! :)

Hi. My daughter went through the same thing. Here are some things to try/check.
1. It could be that the food is upsetting his stomach. Try giving him some gas drops (mylecon). This helped my daughter.
2. Did you start a new type of food around the time that the sleep change happened? It could be that his body isn't ready for that particular food. I found that there were a few foods that I had to stop and reintroduce a few weeks later.
3. Has he had is 6m well check yet? It could be that he's teething or have an earache Try giving some Tylenol.
Hope this helps.
M.

YES i am feeling this. my baby is 6.5 months old and its 3 AM. We were doing wonderfully and we were sleeping all nite long and then... we went out of town(3 weeks ago) and we havent had a full nite of sleep yet. I dont know what to do to get him to sleep through the nite again but i can tell you it is getting old with me and i need some sleep. Last nite i let him scream for 30 min before i got up and it took 3 attempts to put him back to sleep. I love my baby but i am sure not liking him right now! But i am feeling you on those sleepless nites (again).

I would say he's over tired. My daughter is 7 months old and if she doesn't get her naps in she definately has trouble sleeping through the night. My 3 boys were the same way. I would say lay him down about 1 hour after he eats and see if in a few days he's gotten himself into a decent sleep pattern during the day. Hopefully that helps.

I know this may sound harsh but I was in a very similar if not worst position with a screaming baby. Go through your normal bedtime routine for him. When it's time for him to go to sleep, cradle him as usual BUT in a way where he can't fling his arms or legs around if starts crying. This will exhaust him and he will sleep for longer periods of time. Don't hold him too tight, just firm. I only had to do this a few days, but I never had to do it again after the fact.