Advice Needed PLEASE!!!!!!!!!

READ HEALTHY SLEEP HABITS, HAPPY CHILD. It works! we started at 8 weeks. He is waking at night out of habit not need. He is old enough to cry it out. at 6 months he should be napping in his crib about every 3 hrs. it may take up to 4 days of tears, but it's worth it!

Haelthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child is a good book. At least get a recommended schedule from it, even if you don't do the cry it out part

My daughter had very similar problems we went from simaliac to simalac soy then to simalac sensitive nothing worked. My doctor recommended nestle good start it has work great my daughter did a 180 in 2 weeks. She was almost unbearable she screamed so much. The dr said the Nestle has a different protein then simalac I suggeste you try it. Good luck

I am also reading Dr. Weissbluth's "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" book right now and am learning a lot about my cat-napping 11 month old. He does not consistently sleep through the night. I think it might be worth checking out from the library.

Couple quick answers/suggestions:

Burping/spitting up hrs after eating: 1) do you feed him while on incline? This may help. 2) we tried similac isomil (soy) and had no trouble. Might be worth a shot.

Sleeping/napping: our daughter was like that until we discovered the miracle cure: Swaddle! Oh, she was so good when swaddles. Would sleep hrs. AND, through the night at 5 or 6 weeks old. He might be a little old to start something new, but hey, it's so worth a shot for peace of mind.

Good luck! I'm sure it'll all be okay...

K

You can't spoil a baby.

Could be a milk allergy. Or my son was similar and it turns out that he has sensory integration issues, which I think was what caused a lot of his early problems (colic, etc.) He is outgrowing those things but as a baby I think the world was just overwhelming to him.

It doesn't sound like your pediatrician is very helpful (suggesting asthma and not doing anything else?) I'm not sure about who else you could see - maybe an allergist or pediatric asthma specialist? I'd get another opinion about the congestion. Good luck! I know how hard it is to have a baby who doesn't sleep.

Two things:

1) have you tried gas drops? If you think he's gassy, I'd try the Mylanta gas drops. My pediatrician recommended that brand and it helped my son tremendously.

2) I also found that making sure the head of the bed is elevated helped prevent refux-like issues, and seemed to keep both my children's tummies settled better.

If you've tried both of these things, you might be dealing with an allergy or something else.

Good Luck!

Hi K.
I can totally sympathize with you! My son was a spitter, gassy, bad sleeper et al. At any rate, the only formula that worked with him for us was Nestle Good Start Soy. Our pediatrician recommended it to us because it has comfort proteins, which are broken down smaller and are much easier for babies with digestive issues to tolerate. Plus, when you mix it, you'll notice fewer bubbles than with Similac. You can also go sign up at their website and they send you discount coupons from time to time.
With the gas and sleeping trouble he's having, it sounds like he may be lactose intolerant? Something that helped with the gas was gripe water. You can buy it at the drugstore (I recommend the Little Tummies brand) and homeopathic colic ease tabs. But the gripe water is the best, hands down.
I had a friend make a small rice bag (uncooked rice in a flannel pouch)that I would microwave (always check for heat/temp) and then place on his tummy. Helped break up the gas and was soothing too.
As far as crying it out - in my humble opinion - five and a half months is a little too soon. Maybe a little fuss, but out and out crying might be too much.
I agree with you that it's probably not acid reflux. Sounds more like classic lactose intolerant to me - based on what I went through. We finally got Robert on regular milk at twenty months! Boy that soy milk is expensive!
A book that was very helpful: Good Night, Sleep Tight - The Sleep Lady's Gentle Guide to Helping Your Child Go To Sleep, Stay Asleep and Wake Up Happy by Kim West and Joanne Kenen. Very practical advice and it was easy to read, too.
I'll be thinking of you! Robert was such a problem with the sleep and the napping for quite a while. The good news? Now (at age two) he is a WONDERFUL sleeper, so there's nothing but blue skies ahead (hard to picture that now, I know - but you'll get there). Take care and best to you and your family.

A little about me:
I'm a full time stay at home mom and part time legal assistant. My husband and I have been married for three years and our son Robert turned two in December.

K., It sounds like my son exactly! I now have him on Similac Soy and that has helped him. He is not as gassy or spitting up as much.He still wakes up 3 times a night and is a terrible napper. My son is also always congested but have not been told anything about asthma.We keep a humidifer in his room and I now have him sleep in bouncy type of chair, this has helped. So i would try the Soy formula and maybe that will help. It is so strange how much alike these two little guys sound. Good Luck!A.

Try to keep track of Grant's bowel movements. I have 4 year old female twins who were born at 37 weeks, so not that premature. However, my older daughter was a whole pound smaller even though she was longer. She had many of the same problems your son is exhibiting. Since she had a twin, it was easy for me to see that she was not going as often. It turned out that her sphincter was so small and tight that she was not eliminating enough and that was causing all of her stomach problems. She would eat and then sleep and then wake up screaming and was completely inconsolable. At first my pediatrician was saying it was just colic or that she was spoiled. Much too easy a way to dismiss my concerns. I took her to a pediatric gastroenterologist on my own, and viola, the problem was found. Once he dilated her anus (you would not believe what came out) she was fine. I had to continue to work with her and her diet and follow his advice. She still has a few issues here and there at 4, but she is very healthy and fit in swimming and ballet. She started sleeping thru the night at 6 month old, and except for some, we call them poopy issues, on occasion, she is a perfect child. It doesn't hurt to follow your mother's instinct despite what the doctor may say, because you know your child best. Good luck!

Maybe he is lactose intolerant? Are you still breastfeeding at all or are you totally doing formula? If you're still breastfeeding some, try to increase the number of times you're breastfeeding him & identify through food journaling what the foods are in your diet that are causing his discomfort. The usual suspects are dairy foods & cruciferous vegetables...broccoli, cabbage etc. Eating whole, real food (not processed foods or convenience dinners) foods that you'd find grown outside help tremendously. Limit dairy (milk, yogurt, ice cream, cheese etc) to see if that is affecting him & stay away from food additives (chemicals, trans fatty acids, partially and hydrogenated oils, and yes high fructose corn syrup (it's not "just sugar", preservatives, flavor enhancers like nitrates, msg & artificial colors--these are horrible for you & your kids. If you see them on something in a box that is labeled & being sold as a "food" consider it poison & throw it away).

Gas & intestinal discomfort in a breast feed baby are usually caused by foods that you're eating & many babies are gassy, spit up, have blow out diapers etc. Those things usually indicate that something isn't agreeing with his little system.

If he's totally formula fed now and if you decide to change formulas, you'll have to do it slowly. Every formula change is really taxing on a baby's system. If he's drinking 3 oz now do 1 oz the new formula & 2 oz the old for a day and a night and see how that goes.

My kids were not "good sleepers". I had a child that was perfectly healthy & didn't sleep through the night until she was 16 months old. It's related to the individual child's nervous system.

My son took breastmilk for 4 months and was colicky for 14 of those weeks. We switched to formula and things got better. Once the colic stopped, the spitting up started and continued through 9 months. It never bothered him though, thus he was a happy spitter. He grew out of it around 9 months when he spent less time on his belly and was eating more solid foods. We used Enfamil AR during this time and it helped somewhat. He was never unhappy, screaming, gassy, or did the whole back arching/projectile vomiting during these formula spit up days so we did not medicate him. There was no need to.

Now, about the CIO - yes, it was tremendously successful for us. We started it at 6 months when the naps were all over the place. It took literally 3 days to get on a 2 nap and overnight sleep schedule. He instantly became a different kid overnight - happier, more engaged, just changed for the better. Now, he's just turned 2 and takes a 2-3 hour nap daily plus sleeps 12-14 hours at night. If you would like help with CIO, please send me a PM and I would be more than happy to walk you through how to do it. I followed Dr. Weissbluth's "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" book using the extinction method.

Good luck to you - and just send a PM if you want help with the sleep :)

K.,

Regarding the napping, my daughter also took very short naps and woke up every 3-4 hrs at night for about her first 9 mos. or so. Having a regular nap schedule and an early (6 or 7 PM) bedtime helped some. We did a lot of co-sleeping to get more sleep. Around 6 mos., we did let her cry it out for going to sleep at night. She was pretty receptive (she only cried for 35 min. the first night), but it was really hard on us. My husband would go check on her (and pat her but not pick her up at intervals of 5 then 10 then 15 min). Also, for naps -- my daughter often slept longer in the stroller (while moving), in the car, or in an infant carrier while we wore her. You could try doing this for at least one of the naps, especially if you have errands to run/would like to go out for a walk.

When my daughter was around 9 mos. she went down to 2 naps per day, and would sleep around 1-1.5 hrs. per nap. Her night sleeping got better. We started ignoring her crying in the evening (8 or 9 PM) and she would cry for about 15 min. and go back to sleep. Finally, we started to ignore her when she woke up in the wee hours of the morning (5 AM or so), and she's been sleeping through the night since about 10 or 11 mos. So it does get better. Unfortunately, it's a long time to have to go without sleep.

I hope some of that helps!

Best,
R.

K.,

Both of my dtrs spit up large amounts. They gained wt. and never seem to be in pain. I just kept breastfeeding. For sleep I did let both cry it out. It is hard in the beginning but works faster than check and console method. Baby 411 is a good reference for sleep, eating and health issues. I highly recommend it. Don't forget to take naps for yourself when you can!

this sounds just like my daughter. Massive gas, ezcema, lots of congestion, wheezing, ear infections. I'm going to cut the long story out but we figured out finally that she was sensitive to either the growth hormones in some milk or the antibiotics they use on dairy cows. As soon as we switched to all organic or all hormone free dairy the gas stopped. She was breastfeed a year and then went right to milk so I have no experience on the type of formula you should use but I guess they probably make an all organic one now right? Now I just have Oberweis deliver our milk and cheese and she is so much better. she's now 21/2 and if she has milk with hormones she develops ezcema again but can pass the gas better.

I know how frustrated you must be. I really think it is likely he is just really uncomfortable. Babies aren't manipulating you at that age. I hope you can get some relief soon.

J.

Hi K., We had a similar issue with our son. He had a milk protein allergy and acid reflux. Do some reading up online about both and see if your son's symptoms match. Eventually he had to take medicine for the acid, but you may want to try changing the formula first to see if that works. For our son, soy formula made it worse. In fact our ped said the children with milk protein allergys often have a hard time with soy formula as well. Then we tried Enfamil Neutramagin and WOW, what a difference. He ate better, slept better and was much less fussy. It is expensive but it's worth it. Check wth your ped, he/she may have a sample. Good luck!

First, I know that most peds will tell you that a child should be sleeping all night by three months old, but I don't think most peds actually take care of kids...I'm wondering if they all have nannies.

At any rate, some kids sleep and some don't. My first was a horrible sleeper. My second was a great sleeper. My third is also a horrible sleeper.

All my kids were gassy and fussy, but the second slept throughout.

They all got up during the night to nurse and gradually slept better and better. My son is ten months old now and is finally only getting up once during the night to nurse most nights. He goes down around 8pm to 9pm and sleeps until around 3am. I nurse him for about 20 minutes and then he's back down until around 7am.

I don't turn on the lights when he wakes. I don't speak to him. I don't want to stimulate them when they are groggy. No diaper change unless I smell poopies. I would rather get two more hours of sleep and change some sheets in the morning...most mom's would be horrified with that one. After he was three months old I started weaning him from one feeding a week. I would go in and rock him or just put the pacifier back in his mouth and walk out. After he slept through that feeding...I would start weaning him off the next feeding. He's down to one most nights now. I can deal with that. When he's a year old I'll probably try to wean him off of that one too.

I go to bed early. I'm pretty much in bed about 1/2 hour to an hour after the kids are down. Until they start sleeping all night I make sure I get into bed early. That way I still get plenty of sleep.

At 5 1/2 months you could try the cry it out for one feeding and then work on the other after your little one is sleeping through the first. I let mine cry for up to 1/2 an hour and I'll go back in pat his bottom, put the pacifier in his mouth and try to calm him. If he's still crying after 1/2 an hour to an hour, I'll typically pick him up and rock him....but I won't feed him.

It's a process with some kids. Some are easy and some are hard. My mom had three. I was easy, the next was hard, and the last was great until he started walking.

My son also didn't nap well...maybe 1/2 an hour at a time. Drove me nuts. What could I do in half an hour. But as he got older he started sleeping better and better. Most days now he will sleep two hours during his morning nap and then up to an hour for his afternoon nap.

Good luck!!!

K. sometimes it is alright to let them cry it out, it wont hurt them but you dont want to let them cry it out for to long. As far as your son waking often, there may be a chance he is not being satisfied. Doctors wont suggest this but i thnk sometimes the ''older generation''knows more than the doctors we have now days, when it comes to everyday ways of life. I am a mother of 8 children so i have had alot of experience in this department, my oldest is 12 and my youngest is a year old. I had this same problem with some of my children. I had taken them to their doctor and all that was being done was switching formulas, which made it worse. Until one day i had taken one of my children to the emergencey room because i thought something was really wrong with my child. They checked my child over and they couldn't find nothing wrong with her at all, then the er doctor suggested that i talk to my grandmother because she would know what to do. So i did just that. The problem was that the formula was not satifying her hunger. So she had me take a 6oz bottle and put 1/2 onces of rice cereal in the bottom of the bottle and then 1oz of SOY milk and then 2 scoops of formula with a 1/2 teaspoon of dark karoe syrup and mixed it with water and then she had me warm it. I did this once in the morning and then at night. After about two days my daughter slept longer and wasnt as gassy as before. Eventually i had no problems at all. If you do choose to do this remember only do it for his first bottle and then the bottle right before you lay him down for bed. It may or may not work depending on the situation, but it may be worth the shot. Good luck and i hope everything does go well for you. (oh and also remember to let the cereal pass through the nipple you have to open the nipple just a little to allow it to pass.)

K.,

It sounds like a milk protein (casein) allergy to me. Both of my daughters had this. Some babies grow out of it, but the key is to not introduce casein back into their diets until 3 yrs old if you want better chances of them outgrowing it.

I breastfeed my daughter and once I eliminated casein from my own diet, it took about 6 weeks for me to see a complete change. I saw a little after 24 hours and so forth, but it depends on the person in question. I was surprised that it also made ME feel much better and I never realized I had a problem with milk or dairy products!

Once the proteins are completely out of his system, you might see an improvement in his sleeping too. 6 months is pretty typical age for a growth spurt and sleeping changes anyway, and then they wax and wane from teething, etc as you know. And some babies are frankly just lousy sleepers. It's nothing you're doing "wrong," it might just be the way he is. I have one great sleeper and one who didn't sleep through the night until she was 4 years old!!

Also, you might check out HomeFirst, they are a homeopathic medical center in our area that does MSA testing, which is a non-invasive sort of "accupressure" allergy and sensitivity testing. They put a wand on your thumb (or for babies on their back w/diaper elastic holding it in place) and it only takes about half an hour to get a printout. If you see lots of allergies they can suggest supplements to help with digestion, respiration, etc. too.

Remember, casein is hidden in lots of things- bread, crackers, etc. so make sure you look for it in all those places. It's in everything with dairy (whey, cheese, butter, etc) but some people who have problems with COW dairy can sometimes eat GOAT dairy just fine (those proteins are smaller, more like human milk proteins.)

Also, be aware that SOME (not all)babies who are sensitive to dairy will also be sensitive or intolerant of soy as well. You don't say if you have tried to introduce solids, but I would also delay that as long as possible. They longer and more slowly you can delay and introduce foods, the better chances are that he won't be allergic to them as well. My youngest daughter was not eating solids until 13 months old, and while this might surprise some people (and some said she would NEVER eat) she is now a great eater.

Hope this helps. If you have questions, feel free to contact me. You might also think about re-lactating for him.

-Amanda

Enfamil Nutramigen is not milk based and is for the sensitive tummy. Both my kids were on it and it made a huge difference. It is the closest thing to breast milk if you opt for formula over breast. It is broken down enzymes etc....Great product if all else fails....

I had similar situations with my daughter... 1st, we had her on every formula imaginable, until finally we tried lactose free, and the gas and spitting up stopped almost immediately.. so maybe try that. We did the soy, but she was allergic.
Also, if the pediatrician predicts asthma, they should be putting him on a nebulizer for breathing treatments. I've been giving my daughter breathing treatments since she was about 6-8 weeks old. I'm REALLY suprised your pediatrician is predicting it, but not doing anything about it. I would ask your doctor about this... OR get a second opinion. I would actually look into switching if I were you, it doesn't sound to me that the ped. is a very good one.
It sounds to me that the lack of sleep is a combination of his tummy hurting, and a little trouble breating. He's just not very comfortable to be able to sleep for long periods of time. I wouldn't worry that you are spoiling him, babies need all the care and attention you can give, especially if he's not feeling 100%.
Hope this helps.

Hi K.,
My son is 6 1/2 months and is brestfed. He also is not the greatest napper. He usually naps about three times a day, but the lengths of his naps are not consistent. he may nap for 30 mintues another time 90 minutes. He has been sleeping through the night for a couple of months though. he gets fed around 7pm and doesn't wake up until 7am. I read Dr. Weisbluth's book, Healthy Sleep habits, happy baby, and we used the crying it out method and it worked in one night. The longest he cried was about 5 minutes. It was difficult, but has worked. Good luck!

My youngest son had a terrible time with formula. He would spit up or throw up after every feeding. He was switched to a soy formula and got better almost immediately and did not have further problems. I never really had a diagnosis that he was allergic to milk, but when he got a little older he drank milk and still does with no problems. So for him, it is not a lifelong allergy or anything. I would definitely try the soy formulas!

Hi,
I don't think he's spoiled - it sounds like he may have a milk protein allergy and possibly reflux, too. You may want to check into taking him to a pediatric gastroenterologist. Regarding naps, these may improve if his tummy problems are taken care of. If not, a good resource I've found is www.babywhisperer.com. Good luck!

If you think your pediatrician is not helpful consider switching- I switched after 9 mo with my first daughter. Best choice I made.

At 6 months there is probably an underlying issue -
Not spoiled.
He does not feel good. Teething? Growth spurt?
Nursing/eating for comfort?

Short naps- and frequent wakings at night
Waking to discomfort?
Sleep apnea?

Good luck to you

First let me say my experience with similac formula with my daughter and my niece was awful, they both had major gas issues while on it and both spit up almost everything they took in. So my sister in law and i switched to enfamil lipil with iron and it solved their gassy problems almost instantly. I am currently pregnant with baby #2 and let me tell you after my experience with similac the first time, i will not waste my money on it again. If you are on wic for formula you can ask your pediatrician for a written reccomendation to take with you for a different brand, (have them list a specific formula name ) And take it to wic and they will approve it for 3 months at a time. As far as the not sleeping issue, My daughter was also colicy for the first 3 months and i know exactly how you feel she wouldn't sleep at all during the day or at night unless i was holding her and i just couldn't do that all the time. I tried putting her in the carseat and rocking her, i tried walking around with her and that didn't work. She hated her swing and she hated the bouncer those didn't work either. I also tried the crying it out and it didn't work. She would just keep crying. I left her in her crib one time for almost an hour and she didn't quit. Nothing seemed to soothe her. Finally I found something that worked. I tried playing some quiet music in the backround while she was laying in her bassinet and it worked she fell asleep and stayed asleep!!!!! To this day she still has a hard time falling asleep without her music. I found a few different cd's i switch up now so she isn't awake all night singing or humming in her room at bedtime. Anything instrumental is great. She always loved classical music. i got a few different baby einstein cd's like baby mozart and baby bach. You could try it on repeat and see if it helps. The soothing calm music helped her, maybe it will work for you. Good luck.

Hi K.!

I am not sure if these things would help with you and your son but it worked for us... unfortunately all babies are different and never come with a manual to help make it easy on us Mamas! lol So thank goodness for Mamasource in these times :)

For the sleep issue we kept our daughter swaddled... she actually was swaddled until she was over 2 years old. We just did her bottom like a burrito and did not put her arms in after the first couple of months. Around 5 or 6 months we started a tiny bit of cereal to her bottles. That also helped with the spitting up/reflux- not sure if it was a coincidence though but also kept her belly full longer! She slept for atleast 6-8 hours until she was about 6 months then started sleeping 8-12 hours... now she sleeps 10-12 hours every night! She also has always gotten a total of 4 hours of napping in. Now she just does one long one instead of 2 2 hour naps.

Of course anytime there was a milestone about to be reached the sleep would cease for a bit and she would be up every couple of hours to try to practice her new skill! Most of the time she would babble and go back to sleep- occasionally I would have to give her an extra bottle though!

As for the gassiness and all.... my daughter had it awful after I gave up bf-ing! We tried a few formulas and finally switched her to Similac Soy. Ahhhhhhh, within a few days we noticed a huge difference.... also in her diaper changes too. Another possibility would be doing as much tummy time after feedings if he is still awake.... my daughter HATED tummy time though! But would lay face down on my lap for about 20 mins with me patting her back and bottom. You may also want to call his ped and see if he would suggest you changing to soy formula. They usually have a can they can give you as a sample.

As for the congestion... the only time we noticed this was during teething and during the winter since it would get dry. Not sure if his is a wet or dry one... but for both we would use the saline nose spray. She did not like it but it made it easier for us to suction it out.

I really wish you lots of luck with your new little guy! And do not worry about spoiling him too much! They are babies for such a short time that you need to enjoy every precious minute of it and do what you feel is right! I do not think it is truly possible to spoil a baby! Blessings to you and your family!

Hi K.,
In addition to all of the other advice about possible milk protein sensitivity, have you tried changing bottles? My son (almost 5mos) spit up a lot from birth. I bf for 3mos and now he's on formula. My pediatrician said that for reflux, it is the only time adding rice cereal to bottles is recommended: 1tsp per oz. (In fact, the "AR" in acid reflux formulas stands for Added Rice.) I never added rice cereal to his bottles, but I did change his bottles. I switched from Avent to Playtex VentAire (I thought it was too expensive and wasteful to get the drop-ins), and his spitting up has decreased dramatically. The baby is in a more upright position for feeding. I had to start with the slow flow nipples b/c he would spit up a lot with the fast flow nipples. It took FOREVER for him to finish 6oz (20mins), so after 1 month, I retried the fast flow and it's fine. He does still spit up on occasion, but it's more intermittent and much less when he does. Good luck!

Hi,
My friend's 4 month old had the same problem, VERY badly, and she cut out dairy from her own diet, and he is much better. As far as the asthma, I went through that with my daughter, now 4. She had RSV at 3 months, and then always got a horrible cough whenever she caught a cold. She was basically sick all winter long every year until this past winter! She's had bronchitis and pneumonia over and over. We finally saw a pediatric pulmonologist at Children's Memorial (located at CDH). We bought a nebulizer and she had to do breathing treatments twice a day, but now she is doing great, and seems to be possibly outgrowing it. They did tell me that this often happens to kids who had RSV as infants. I don't know how young the pulmonologist sees babies, but you could call and ask. Her name is Dr. Chung, and you can find her on the Central DuPage Hospital website. Otherwise, maybe a pediatric allergist would be a good person to see? Best wishes to you and your little guy!

My first son Joey had similar problems as an infant. He was colicy no matter what I tried. I got "brest fed babies are never colicy" from the ped. Old ladies told me it is what I was eating so I would go for only bland boring things to eating what I wanted it didn't help and then the formula we used didn't help either. It was almost 14 years ago befor the low gas stuff. It took about a year before his stomach matured and he slept well. In the meantime my husband and I walked the floor, rocked him, bathed him and tried everything we could think of. The gas drops helped some. I don't think he was spoiled, his belly was uncomfortable, I don't think you can spoil an infant. I feel for you doing most of the work while your husband is out of town, I wish I could be more help except to say that they do out grow it, and do whatever works to make him comfortable. It is not anyones fault.
Best wishes, I can totally relate.
Peggy

You can't spoil a child that age. He may have some kind of gastro gi thing. I would bring him to a doc and get referral to pediatric gastro specialist to see if that is what it is. As for sleeping, it really depends on what is ailing him. If he does have a medical need then cry it out won't help but if he is just used to getting a cuddle etc then it is highly effective and takes about 2-3 days. Again, you can't spoil him and he is too young to have enough brain development for true manipulation etc. Babies that age just have needs and they express them. The book healthy sleep habits, happy baby is good. good luck.

If you are putting him to sleep flat in his crib all the time that is probably part of the problem. Adults with acid reflux type symptoms, congestion and asthma can't lie flat (that's me!!) and neither can some infants and children. Have him sleep more upright in a bouncy chair, swing, or try one of those wedges. I had a hard time with the wedge, they would just slide down, but maybe you'll have better luck. My babies are all great sleepers and some have not transitioned to the crib from some type of upright sleeping until they were old enough for a bunch of pillows.

Your baby is not spoiled! You could never love your baby too much! AS far as your other concerns it sounds VERY SIMILAR with what I experienced with my daughter. I nursed her strictly for 6 1/2 months the whole time of which she was gassy, irritable, I thought colicky, and not a good napper at all (mostly 30 min. power naps). My pediatrician didn't give me much good advice other than to cut out acid like foods because I was nursing (didn't help a bit). My daughter did have a bit of acid reflux and she took liquid zantac for one month and it was gone however all the other symptoms still remained. When we decided to try formula the first drop that touched her mouth she had a horrible reaction. To make a long story short our daughter is very allergic to dairy (and eggs). I had a gut feeling that something was wrong and took her to a pediatric allergist to get her tested because our pediatrician never even suggested that it could be a milk allergy because I nursed her.
Needless to say, once we made the necessary changes in her diet she was a TOTALLY different child. Always happy and sleeping like she was supposed to. I'm not saying that your child has a milk allergy too but I am saying that it sounds familiar and you know your child best. If something doesn't seem right then get a second opinion so your little boy can be his true self :) Email me if you have any questions. thanks!

Hi K.,

You son sounds exactly like my daughter was at that age, colicky, gassy, a real spitter. It didn't make a difference whether it was breastmilk or Similac either. She too was a lousy napper. I think if they have those issues when they're that young then good sleep habits take much longer to establish. I made myself nuts trying to figure out what I was doing wrong and books by so called "sleep experts" just made me feel like a failure.

The best thing I can tell you is to hang in there, your're doing a great job - I think there's some things that we just have to ride out as parents. We did have to let our daughter cry it out a little, but we set limits on how long we would let this happen, unlike the books that say you should do it for a hour! She improved in fits and starts but today, at 18 months, she's a great sleeper. Don't be afraid to do what ever you need to to help her get the sleep she needs; rocking, white noise, nursing, etc. It sucks to have a baby that need four naps a day, but they do grow out of it eventually.

you may want to try a herbal product called catnip.

I also went on the milk-free diet and it helped. But as Amanda said it is in EVERYTHING! You know those rositissere chickens you get at the store? They inject them with milk to plump them up. For it to work, you have to eliminate milk and anything with milk in it, like hot dogs, bread and many other items. If you decide to try it, look for milk and casein on the ingredients.

I had lots of success going to a health food store and the employees showed me some good things to eat.

The milk-free diet can be kind of hard to fit into your life, so if it's not for you, try the soy formula.

M.

Colicky babies typically have a milk allergy, if you ate a lot of dairy, that may be the reason. Dairy molecules are larger and harder to digest for infants. I would switch to Nutragimen before going to soy, it is finely broken down. Also, get the book, Is This My Child? By Dr. Dorris Rapp www.drrapp.com she explains in details, colicky, fussiness, gassy and why this is an issue and how to help it in infancy. He also needs a good does of probiotics. Here is a good article: http://www.bodyecology.com/07/09/20/introduce_babies_prob...

FloraBaby by Renew Life is excellent probiotics, I've been giving them to my daughter since she was able to take the bottle at 1m old (I did breastfeed) at www.smartbomb.com She is almost 20m and still gets them.

Another book called Baby Matters: What Your Doctor May Not Tell You is another great resource book and talks about colicky babies and how to help treat it.

Good Luck,
J. W. MPH
Wellness Educator in Maternal and Child Health

try using the Baby Whisperer's EASY method for a schedule, and the Happiest Baby on the Block 5 s's method. Those two combined will make cio not be a needed thing (at that age)
EASY - when the baby wakes up it Eats. After you feed it, then it has Activity - bouncy seat, tummy time, sitting up and playing with toys, swing, exersaucer, etc. When the baby gets fussy check the B's - boredom, butt or burp. If it's none of those then off to Sleep. Don't wait for the baby to do more than get the tiniest bit fussy, then see what is causing the fusses - if it's just that they needed their diaper change do that, but if it's not the activity is boring, the butt is dirty or they have to burp, then put them down. This may happen after as short as 45 minutes, don't freak, it really means they are tired.
Now, to get them to sleep use the 5 s's. Swaddle the baby, hold the baby on their side and sway as they suck on something (paci, your knuckle or their finger/thumb) and make a shush noise. This will calm your baby. When the baby is calm, but not asleep yet, keeping them swaddled lay them in the bed. I like to pat them instead of sway after a minute or two cause you can still pat after they are put down but you can't sway, so pat the baby and continue patting gradually decreasing it as you put them in the bed. Also continue the shushing as you put them down, again gradually getting quieter.
If you do these two you will find a well rested, easily managed baby in no time.

I had that same problem with our daughter who I breastfed for nine months as well as used milk for supplements. She was quite collicky and had gas too. We would be up all hours of the night with her. What worked well was I would lay her face down on my lap while rubbing her stomach. Also, whatever you eat must be given critical consideration. One other thing, soy based products worked better. All of our children used Isoyalac. Hope I was helpful. By the way, I taught third grade gifted for many years. Pat Bell

I am taking care of my 4 mo grandson and he too spits up and burps hours after eating. We think it is acid reflux as today he spit up clear liquid hours after eating. I do think that the digestive problems interfere with his sleep, though he is doing better than Grant. Holding the pacifier in his mouth when he wakes up with indigestion seems to help him, I'm sure just swallowing gets the awful taste out of his mouth. He is not particularly gassy and was not colicky. I am an advocate of letting babies cry it out, but since Grant has these gas issues, I think you should address them before having him do that. Is he a large baby? If so he could need to eat in the night. Are you giving him solids? He might need them to sleep through the night. Just as there are some adult men who eat a tremendous amount of food (often without gaining weight) so too your son could just be a big eater, and since he spits up, he is getting less than he wants. It's a little early to worry about him being spoiled. I say be sympathetic to the probability that he experiences pain and discomfort from his gas. Is he taking drops for that? I have found that they work wonders. If his pediatrition did not recommend them when he was colicky and sort of pooh-poohed the idea of colick, then he may be like my first pediatrition with a sort of a blind spot for that problem, and you might need to see another doctor to help Grant with his digestive isssues. Hope this helps.

K., I would definitely try a soy formula. My daughter was somewhat the same but I don't think quite as bad. I asked my Ped about trying soy and he said he didn't think it would make a difference but I was welcome to try. It made a HUGE difference. Give it a try, it can't hurt. But give it at least 2 weeks to adjust.

I have only a moment - but I faced similar problems with my child when he was a newborn. I cut all dairy products out of my diet and continued nursing - and it worked. When I did have to supplement I used soy/dairy/milk protein free formula. It made a difference immediately. Now my son is 13 months and can drink organic cows milk, and although I still sometimes nurse for comfort, I don't have to alter my diet. Try it. It might work!