She Won't Stop Crying

Hi Lori-
I have had similar experiences with my kids.
With my son it was reflux, once we started following ped recommendations and medication he was much happier after eating.
With my daughter she used to act like that when I needed to start addding more to her bottle! She was still hungry and did nt want to go to sleep till her belly was full :)
I also agree with the mom who suggested she might be TOO tired to settle down easily, try moving naptime up by 15-20 min.
good luck!!

hi L.,
She very well may have an ear infection. Children are masters at distraction which helps them not think of the pain. It is definately worth the look.

My daughter had weak back muscles when she was an infant, which caused lots of pain as well as acid reflux. Our Chiropractor/kinesiologist was able to work with her and she improved right away. She had similar problems, crying if she was sitting or laying down....

L.,
My 7 month old daughter does this too. She has always been a very happy baby except when she is hungry "NOW", diaper change 'NOW' and very very TIRED and can not get herself to sleep. She will refuse to lay down and if you sit down still holding her she will scream too. The only thing that works for us is when I am holding her I can then put her in a semi recline ( not all the way or she screams ) and swing her left and right and hum to her, she listens to my humming after awhile and then settles down and finally finally falls asleep...... It sometimes takes like 45 minutes of doing this and we sometimes have to add a little walking with the swing motion.
Good luck!!!!!!!!

L.,
I have this same problem. My son is 6 months. He does have reflux. I hold him in a position which would be similar to a cradle but sitting up more. I also stopped singing only humming when he is like that so he doesn't think we are going to sleep I just rock myself side to side. That is the only way I can hold him. Sometimes he still squirmes and cries and I have to end up putting him in the swing that goes side to side not back and forth and no way will he go in that without the mobile and music. Then sometimes he screams there and is calmer when I pick him up to try again. Even though he has reflux I really think he is just overtired and doesn't want to go to sleep and miss anything. Good luck trying position after position :)

Hi L.. I would definitely get her in to your pediatrician. She sounds like she has an ear infection. That happened with my son. I didn't even realize he had one because he'd never had one before. Good luck! I'm sure you must be exhausted!
Take care,
M.

Hi L.-

I have not had that experience with my child, but if she can't be quelled in 3 days I would get a hold of the doctor and have her seen. Could be the acid reflux, could be something else. Even if it is nothing, it's better to be safe then sorry. Make sure that she does not have any injuries either.

My daughter had reflux and this sounds similar, but that usually shows up before 5 months and at least with my daughter, it would be accompanied by spitting up.

She could also just be teething. Some babies "hurt" more than others and laying down is when they notice it most.

It sounds more like an ear infection to me--they are most painful when they are lying down and the fluid is draining. I would take her to urgent care as soon as possible just to make sure. If they rule out an ear infection, then make an appointment with your ped and discuss what else it could be.

Have her ears checked! It could be pressure that the moment she's not straight up and down she feels that pain. My nephew finally had ear tubes and that stopped the pain. I walked the floor with my son, because he would only sleep if I was standing up. I couldn't even sit, the moment I would start to lean back he would start crying and it was an inner ear issue with him too, but he didn't need tubes.
R.

I had one the same way. My mother-in-law came to stay with us for a few days and taught me a trick. She took the baby and stood in a sunny window/ sliding glass door and faced the baby toward the sun. Babies have to close their eyes in the sun, so she would stand there and rock the baby until he fell asleep (now this would not work anywhere else in the house, and he cried whenever he was put down before). She did this twice a day until he fell asleep. At first it took a long time, but then he knew what to expect and the time got shorter and shorter so that he fell asleep right away if we stood with his face in the sunny window. It saved my sanity at the time...

try babywearing! a good sling to keep her upright (which it seems she likes) is one from sunshinebabyslings.com - it is made by a local mom. it sounds like she wants to be close to you and this is a great way to do it. you could wear her on your front or back!

Hi, it sounds to me more like you have a case of the baby wanting to be the baby. Sometimes it's ok to just let them cry themselves to sleep. Otherwise you're looking at you not sleeping either. Give it a try for a couple of nights, put her down, avoid light and noise, except for maybe a night light if she's used to one. Over stimulated babies don't sleep, add to the the fact that she is the baby, and maybe used to being held, then it's understandable. As far as it being a medical problem, I'm not sure on that one, sounds more to me like behavioral.

As a mother of 6, ages 3-21, I totally understand what you're going through. This too shall pass. I experienced the same situation again with my granddaughter a few months ago, when she was here for a visit.
babies will be babies, give it time, and lots of patience.

Could she be teething? 5 months may sound early, but mine all started by 4 months, one of them at 3 months!

If not, and if there's no fever or ear infection or any other medical problem, then you're left with either letting her cry it out or rocking her to sleep and/or letting her sleep with you, which of course means no time for you in the evening after baby's bedtime. There have been so many discussions of CIO vs co-sleeping on this site already that I won't go into any more detail than to say CIO worked for my children, and I plan to do it with the one I'm carrying now too.

I wish you the best of luck.

We had the same problem with my then about 4 month old. The solution for us was to put her on a strict schedule with 3 naps a day. Once she got used to her schedule (in about a week), she was then expecting her naps and never got overtired. But be sure to check with your doctor that a medical problem is not the case.
Jen.

In all likelihood, it's acid reflux. About 1/3 of kiddos 12 months and younger deal with it as their GI tracts are not fully developed. A child does NOT have to have spit up or projectile vomiting to be having acid reflux. Anyway, when you sit her up, gravity, etc keeps the acid from coming up as easily. She probably needs a proton pump inhibitor like Prevacid, Prilosec, etc for a while. Take her to the doc--better yet, a GI specialist like Ramon Montes== and remember--anyone can have acid reflux--it doesn't mean spit up or vomiting--it means stomach acids are coming up the esophagus and burning it, causing pain. Keep her upright in a car seat, bouncy seat, etc.

Dear L.-
I had a difficult to get to sleep son, (about 28 years ago). My husband was the nervous, and watch over type, and he would not let our son cry himself to sleep. One night, I went through the bedtime regiment of changing, feeding, comforting, ect.... I told my husband he could not open our son's bedroom door, that he needed to cry himself to sleep. Daniel cried for almost 2 solid hours. Those two hours included cries of screaming, hurt, pitiful, and just plain how can you do this to me. After the room was quiet, I went in and checked him. He was sleeping, (probably more sound than since birth). His little legs were kind of strattling the crib slats, and his torso was on the crib mattress. I pulled him up, laid him on the mattress, covered him with a light blanket, kissed his forehead, and he has been sleeping like a log every night since that day like a hibernating bear!!! I does not hurt your child to cry. It is a matter of fact good for their lungs. Try it and see if she amazes you like my son did me.

Good Luck
J.

Hi L.,

My 6 month old daughter does the same thing. She is teething. I don't know why but it is only when she lays down. As soon as I pick her up or walk her around she stops, my boys never did that. I just put some of the nighttime orajel on her gums and give her a bottle and she goes right to sleep. My daughter does that terrible back of the throat cry and it's awful to hear. The orajel and the bottle calm her right down. Give it a try. I hope this helps. Good luck.

R.

Could be an ear infection but after a good rest, it doesnt hurt as much as later.

My son did something similar when he was close to that age, I finally figured out that I was letting him get too tired before I put him to bed. Possibly try starting the bedtime routine earlier. Good luck.
(I also agree with some of the other posts, if it is teething or ears, laying down can make the pain worse)

Hi L.,

It can be difficult when our children start behaving in a totally different way. Take heart, this soon shall pass.
My first thought was acid reflux, which is extremely painful for anyone, especially when they lay down. However, you didn't mention that she has almost projectile vomitting after eating, and you said she naps just fine still. How long has she been refusing to lay down to sleep? Does she really sound like she's in pain when you lay her down at night? Or is it a more of a "I really don't want to be without you mommy!" cry? Seeking your Doc's opinion is a good idea. He/she can rule out anything medical. If it's not a medical problem, what are your thoughts on co-sleeping for a while? At this age, remember, they really are starting to get that they are a seperate human being and not being around their main caregiver -you:) isn't their idea of a good time. Also, sleep patterns change, maybe she needs an earlier or even slightly later bedtime. What is her bedtime ritual like? I know it's difficult with an older child around, (I have 4), and sometimes being consistent is challenging. My suggestion is to breathe in, then breathe out, read a book, take her for a walk, slow dance with her, breathe in, breathe out, take her for a drive, turn down all the lights, lay down with her, breathe in, breathe out:)
Go within and listen to your belly - it will lead you to your answers. In the meantime, take some time to nurture yourself so you will feel more grounded when dealing with baby challenges. Best of luck.

A.

It could very well be something medical! It could be reflux (nothing actually has to be spit up to be reflux. It can still be coming up their esophagus and burning it. I have heard of kiddos having blisters from it, and the parents didn't know, as there was no physical spitting up). This is actually what my son had. What I found worked best was I bought baby carriers (just be careful what you buy.... The Bjorn is popular, but can cause hip displacia. You want something that spreads their legs out more like a wrap (gypsy momma is great), a Mei Tai (I love the baby hawk), or something like that. I carried my son around in wraps for quite a while until he was comfortable enough with his reflux to begin laying down. I took my son to a great Chiropractor and it made world of difference. It could also be food allergies, teething, an ear infection, she could be getting sick, you just never know! It's so hard when they are little and can't tell you! It could also be a growth spurt, or just about anything! If she wasn't like this before, and this is new, it is probably an indication that something is wrong, or it might be a phase. I would get her in to the doctor just to make sure it is not an ear infection or anything. A website full of great information that I love is www.askdrsears.com. It might help you too!