Fussy Times at Night--is It Normal?

It does sound like colic. My daughter had it for aboutthe first 4 months. It was every night from 7 to 10. The only thing that heled was walking around with her. I was the only one that could touch her, so it was tough for be because I didn't get a break. we used to call it bewitching hour. Try giving him Mylecon drops, they help disolve any gas. Another thing to try, which worked with my second daughter is Gripe Water. I thought the Gripe Water worked better thatn the Mylecon and it is all natural. Good Luck!!

It's quite possible, my girls would have a period where they would be fussy every evening. He could have gas. One thing that I noticed that worked really well is if you lay him on your lap face down, it pushes pressure on his belly which will make him feel better...and rock your legs from side to side too.

Hope this helps!

B.

Hi T.,
I do not think it is colic as that usually begins around 3 weeks old and can last until 3-4 months old. From my experience with my two kids, I would think that your baby may be overtired. If you haven't, try to get him into a daily nap routine where you keep him up for only 2-2.5 hours at a time. So, if he gets up around 7:30am, his first nap would be around 9:30am. If he's up from that around 10:30am, his next nap begins around 12:30-1:00pm. Hopefully, this will be a long one. Help him go back to sleep if he wakes early from this one. If he's up from that around 3pm, then his next one should be around 5pm. Keep this one short - only a half hour to 45 mins. This would put his bedtime around 7:30-8pm. Get a bedtime routine going if you haven't. Beginning around 7:15, give him a bath, then follow it with his bottle, a book and then bed. Knowing what's coming next helps reduce the fussiness of being tired. Aim to have him asleep by 8pm at the latest, or no later than 2.5 hours after his third nap of the day. This is what worked for my children at this age. Otherwise, they were so tired, all they did was fuss and fuss. Then around 11pm, you can choose to go in and "dream feed" him a bottle in his sleep. Just pick him up, no lights on and put the nipple in his mouth. They suck very well asleep and are so relaxed. No need to burp, they don't take in air. Just put him back to bed and quietly leave. If he can sleep 5-7 hours, this may very well get you through most of the night. Hope it works for you.

J.

He's tired. Both my kids did this when they were tired. They get stiff like a board. Put him to bed. At this age kids need 14 or so hours of sleep a day. Start the early bed-time routine new. You'll be thankful you did later.

My bet would be teething. Yes, teething. The first teeth don't break through until 6 months (usually), but 4 months is normal too. Is he drooling a lot? That's usually another major symptom.

Gas and/or reflux might be an issue if his (or your) food intake has changed, but these issues usually become apparent within the 1st month or two. 3 months seems late to me, especially as my daughter had both. Also, his good sleep habits up to now are not normal for gassy or reflux babies.

If you're not sure, offer him a frozen washcloth to suck on while he's cranky, and see if it works (only wet about 1/4 of the washcloth so he can hold onto the non-frozen part). If yes, you have an early teether. If no, you should probably talk to your doctor, especially if your gut is telling you something is seriously wrong.

Good luck!