Clingy Almost 7 Month Old.

Your baby is clingy because he needs you. Some kids are more "high needs" than others. My oldest was literally attached at the hip 24/7 until he turned two. It was hard at the time, but now 5 years later, I miss those days. I highly recommend The Fussy Baby Book by Dr William Sears. It really helped me understand my son, and gave me great ideas for ways to cope. I also recommend getting a good baby sling or carrier. Your son might enjoy riding on your hip, and it would certainly give your back a break. Please please don't ignore his cries. The latest information out there has shown CIO can cause brain damage. Take a breath, see if family or friends can help, and remember this will pass more quickly than you think. I wish you all the best!

B.

Hang in there, I'm with you! My son is almost 7 months and he is the exact same way. The ONLY way he is EVER happy is when I am holding him and he doesn't like when I sit either. My son is not as big as yours, he 20 lbs, but my back is still killing me. It's hard because I can't get anything done, I feel bad that I can't interact with my 2 yr old daughter like I want to, AND I just want a damn break!!! I have a baby carrier that I put him in sometimes, which he really likes and the Fisher Price Jumperoo (he only lasts for about 20 min in there). I just try to remember that he is ONLY 6 months old and needs me to comfort him, he can't do it on his own yet. Also, as someone else suggested, I read the Fussy Baby book by Dr. Sears. It did help me understand my son more, which is the point, but I didn't like how it implied that you are a bad mother and you will damage your child if you let them CIO or you aren't constantly attending to your child. Like it is bad for mom to take a few minutes for herself! I don't believe in co-sleeping or the family bed and the book also made it sound like you MUST be doing that. I do let my son CIO and I don't believe he will get brain damage as the new research shows. PLEASE!!! The CIO isn't as successful with my son as it was with my daughter so I have just adjusted it to work for his more sensitive personality. I don't put him in his crib and leave him. I check on him in intervals so he knows that I haven't abandoned him. You NEED to think of yourself and put him down so you can get things done or just give your body a rest. If he cries, he cries, and he will be ok. I keep reminding myself that eventually my son will learn to self soothe and how to play on his own for a bit, he is just still so tiny and needs me. Don't get frustrated it will pass. If you need to vent, send me a message because I am in this with you!!

HI--
A couple of thoughts. Some babies are higher need in the cuddle department, and from what you are saying you have one of those babies. It could be his personality, and it could also be a discomfort thing. Does he have puffy/dark circles under his eyes, eczema or rashes, constipation (defined by him not going at least once a day every day) or diarrhea or reflux? These are all signs of food allergies and can make baby want to be held all the time. I ask this because 26 pounds is large for a 7 month old and sometimes that happens due to food allergies. They will eat more in the hopes of easing digestive discomfort, and sucking can also ease discomfort. Studies show that being held by Mommy is the pain relief equivalent of giving them 2 tylenol. Also, you say you have tried the CIO method to no avail. As a child development specialist I am against this for many reasons, but I will admit that it can sometimes accomplish what the parent is hoping for. However, if you have tried it to no avail that tells me one of two things: Either your child is becoming scared to sleep because he does not want to be left alone, or he is in some type of discomfort and therefore cannot fall asleep on his own. CIO can also make children more clingy. You are his main source of comfort. You have always rocked him to sleep and going from that to CIO is confusing for a baby. They do not understand why their needs are suddenly not being met and it scares them and they become even more clingy--basically you get exactly the opposite outcome from the one you were trying to create.
As for your back, try a chiropractor as well as getting a baby carrier. The one I recommend most is an ergo carrier--you can carry baby in front, back, or on the hip with this carrier and it fits just about anyone. It sounds as if he is not easily distractable, but you could try finding toys that he likes to distract him with. It is not a good idea to put him in front of the TV until he is 2, as it will negatively impact his brain development.
Oh, and the sitting vs standing to rock....also could be a discomfort thing. I know so much about this not only because it's my background, but because my oldest went through similar things and it turned out to be discomfort. I can tell you how to fix it if it is food allergies. Let me know if you have questions about anything I wrote here.
Good luck!
J.

Your son is telling you that he needs you. If he was telling you that he was thirsty, how would you get him not to be so thirsty? By satisfying his thirst. So satisfy his need for closeness. It will take longer than satisfying thirst, but be the person that fills his need for closeness.

If one of your values is a closely-knit, bonded and happy family, being there for him when he asks will strengthen that. Looking back, you won't regret it.

Get yourself a good baby carrier. Many of them are designed not to hurt your back. Find one that is comfortable for you and baby. Bring baby with you to the store. Good stores will let you try the carrier out with baby in it.
My daughter was clingy like this too. I did the baby wearing thing (used a sling) with her so that I could get what I needed to do done and not have her screaming.
Remember he's only 7 months old. He doesn't understand that you can't hold him and cook at the same time. It doesn't work that way. He will start to understand as he gets closer to the toddler years, but in the meantime you have to find ways to work with his clingy behaviour. Fighting it will only make him more clingy.
If he perceives you to be pushing him away that will actually make it worse and not better. He will cling more because he'll feel like you don't want him. Allow him to be clingy for now by finding ways to work within it. As he's willing to explore on his on allow that and encourage that as much as you can. Hopefully over time, if you continue to encourage him to explore he'll become less clingy.
Good luck!

I have the same son as you! He is bigger now, almost 2 1/2, but I literally did not put him down, even to fold clothes, until he was 9 months old and sitting up on his own. He cried and got panicky if I wasn't touching him, and to the dismay of a lot of friends and family members, we held him all the time and he slept with us, too. Everyone said, you're spoiling him, just let him cry it out, but I couldn't. And, I'm so glad. He is an outgoing, cheerful, happy little toddler now. He sleeps alone, plays well by himself, is kind and empathetic to other children, and still cuddly and lovey. Stick it out, if you can, Mama! He'll be sitting up soon and you will feel so free, and I truly in my heart feel that he will be a more secure-feeling kid if you indulge him in this as much as you can! Count down those days to him sitting by himself!

Try buying him his own special chair, maybe a table, too. Make a big deal of him getting a Big Boy Chair. Spend a lot of time with him while he is getting used to it. If you do get a table, start playing at the table. Puzzles, books, anything he likes to do. The more things you can get him to do in his new space, the more time he will spend there. If you allow him to watch TV, he can sit in his chair for that, too. There are many educational programs that once he becomes interested, will retain his attention and give you a breather.