The Mom of a 4 Month Old Screamer My Sister Wrote About

Sounds like he is eating way to much. I second the advise for a carrier, I have an ERGO Baby carrier and love it. My son is 11 months old and I still use it. If cutting down on food doesnt work then try a chiropractor that works on babies, I have a friend that tried this with her 3 month old Daugther and it really helped.

Have you tried eliminating certain foods that cause allergy issues (i.e. dairy, wheat gluten, eggs, etc.)?

Too young for the solids....what does your doc say about this?

Blessings....

Hi A.,
not sure buut do you think he's having trouble with the baby food? Usually they tell you to start solids at 6 mos.....just a thought.
Does he like to sleep sitting up, like in his carrier better?
Have you tried other formulas? Do you mix the powder? My son got horrible gas pains with the powdered so we used the pre-mixed and he was WAY happier.
Good luck, hang in there.

Is he teething, on top of everything? It's very possible that he is going through not only a growth spurt, but teething and developmental stuff all at the same time. Have you given him any Tylenol or Motrin to see if the crying is pain related? Whenever DS would cry like that, I would give him a dose to see what happened. If he calmed down, you knew where to look for issues.

I also had DS on solids by 10weeks. He was just never satisfied with a bottle, and he was just fine. So I would continue with that if he's eating well. If you're sure that he's not in pain, ear infection, reflux, etc... then I say it's time to let him cry.

One last resort is Colic Calm, which is just a gripe water used for several different things. That would also help DS when there were tummy issues, and it's all natural.

my guess would be teething or too much baby food. Two jars at one feeding is way too much for his age. Has he had the infant cereal? A couple tablespoons a few times a day, (once at bedtime) is what I had both my kids started on when they were four months old. The jars of baby food at four-five months old but only 2-3 table spoons of veggie & fruit a day.

Maybe it's the food? He's kind of young to eat jarred food. My son cried too all the time until about 5 months old then gradually stopped. He's 8 months now and would much rather play then cry. Thank God! Hang in there. Maybe the formula lactose is bothering his belly. My guy also had a problem with the lactose. I'm sure it will get better with age.

My son had collic. He would cry because he was hungry but putting formula down him felt like putting poison in him and i could see him start to squirm and then scream.

We did two things at the same time, can't swear which one worked but I suggest both of them and others have tried it and worked: switching to a non-allergenic formula and using a pediatric chiropractor.

The chiropractor is a lot like a massage vs. adjustments, but she did find a vertabrae out of whack and the time she was working on him (at 9 months) was the first time in 6 months he wasn't uncomfortable. Make sure you find someone who is licensed for pediatrics if you try it.

If he is really hungry and the pediatrician okays all that food, then by all means, do it. However, I would like to throw out there that maybe he isn't hungry and all that food is making him uncomfortable! He may latch on to a bottle like he's hungry, but it may be a way to soothe instead of hunger and things might be getting worse. I only say that because that was our case! In thinking he was still starving, I gave food, and the stomach ache was my fault! He had some bad gas and reflux. I know you mentioned that you tried those things and that they didn't work. It took three weeks of constant meds and mylecon drops before I saw a MAJOR improvement. The other thought I had was maybe his esophogeal flap (sorry, I know I spelled that wrong) just hasn't matured yet and all that food is coming back up burning his throat which is why the meds don't work. One more thing, maybe he is having a bowel type reaction to the baby food- think Irritable Bowel Syndrome, something that wouldn't have any outside symptoms, but inside is really painful to lay down with.

Good Luck!!

My daughter cried all the time when she was little. How are his poops? She had major constipation problems so for a day and half she would cry until she FINALLY pooped (which was usually along with a huge spit up from pushing so hard) and then be OK for a day until the cycle started again.
I agree with the idea that it's too early for solids, but I'm assuming you discussed that with his dr when you discussed this whole issues.
I wish you the best of luck, it's hard to have a baby who cries all the time and does not sleep.
Just had a second thought? What time do you put him to bed? My daughter didn't sleep through the night until we switched her bedtime from 7 to 6, I guess she was over tired. That was at 11 months..
Best of luck!
C.

Sounds very similar to my son. I empathize with you and know how the sleep deprivation is one of the biggest challenges I had as well. I thought I was going nuts. A breastfeeding consultant at the hospital where I delivered was a huge help in suggesting new was to hold my son while feeding him (to keep him more upright) and also suggested a chiropractor who specialized in babies. Like Susan B., the chiropractor was able to discover my son's left shoulder was out of whack due to delivery issues (he was born sunny side up and the dr. stated his left shoulder was the toughest part of delivering because it was stuck so to speak. No surprise then, when the chiropractor discovered this when she evaluated him and also determined the shoulder issues were then causing neck issues as well. My son had been in so much discomfort which explains why he was crying constantly and not sleeping through the night. It was so hard, but once we got treatment and started him on an infant probiotic (we use Natren Infant Dairy Formula brand) he was like a totally different infant. It really was amazing. I wish chiropractors who specialize in infants were advertised more or suggested to moms during difficult births, it would certainly help get to treatment earlier. Anyway, we had tried EVERYTHING from gripe water, Mylicon drops, chamomile tea, hyland's stuff, we did it all and didn't see any relief so we asked around and were willing to try anything too. The cranial, spinal, and shoulder manipulation helped to ease my son's discomfort and babies are so resilient, everything started going back into place. My son was about 5 weeks when we started the chiropractic treatment and I think I did about 2- 3 weeks of treatments (twice a week). Insurance didn't cover it, but I would have paid anything to get some relief for him. We saw relief soon after treatments began and he was finally able to sleep better and longer. I began implementing the suggestions from Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child at about 7 months and he has slept through the night ever since. He is now three years old and doing great. I've since continued with the chiropractor whenever my son gets a cold/ear infection to be sure everything is aligned so the fluid drains properly.
I know you will find great suggestions from all moms who've gone through this. I remember feeling like I was being a horrible mom and doubted myself all the time, but once we felt we were going in the right direction and I was able to get some much needed sleep as well, it turned around. Please don't doubt yourself, you are a great mom and seeking answers shows it. It's hard not to doubt ourselves when we hear other mom talk about how easy their babies are.........that was very hard for me and it made me think something was horribly wrong, so I got scared. All of this to say, keep searching and trying different things. My prayers are with you and I hope things get resolved soon.
Blessings, M.

Hi A.,
I'm SO sorry. It's so hard when your baby is crying and you are so sleep deprived, you can’t think what else to do for him. I know exactly how that feels. Just remember you are the mom, so you really know better than anyone about your baby. Hopefully these suggestions will give you some fresh perspective.
I scanned the other answers and the only other idea I could think of, was a baby carrier. Since he likes being held - no crying as long as you are holding him right? Then try a sling or even better an Ergo to protect your back and still be able to do other things. Actually my first thought was that he's over stimulated as someone else suggested. Especially since it sounds like he isn’t getting enough rest with such short sleeping times. Try swaddling him, and a dim quite room to rest with either some white noise or soft soothing massage music. Both my kids needed to be wrapped up to get them to calm down.
I am sending you restful thoughts, in hopes that you all get some sleep soon.

If he is gassy, I would try gripe water. It's the only thing that worked for my son.
Maybe he is not hungry and eats too much to be comfortable. Have you tried a pacifier?
If he likes being held, I would try to hold him as much as possible. My son was also a very cranky baby. I was carrying him in a front sling/carrier. That only could relax him and help him sleep during the day.
Good luck!

catnip and fennel extract from natures sunshine, you can google it...I saw some for sale on amazon or you can go thru their company to buy. I have a friend that swears by it, they had a very fussy baby. My baby got over his fussiness before I could order some. I feel your pain and frustration! Keep your head up....!

UHG!! You poor thing. There is something wrong. Babies dont cry THAT much. Without knowing what his ailment is, I would suggest finding out. If your ped doesn't know, take him to a specialist. He's suffering with something. Ask your pediatrician who to take him to, ane even get a referal.

Hello A., Boy have I been there and done that! We were almost evicted from an apt. becasue of our son that cried allthe time.
I actually drove once from Castro Valley to Sacramento becasue I was told by the doctor that I should try a car ride-- took seveal hours and didn't help so drove straight to the doctors office in tears~~ while there a doctor from the ER came in asking for diapers and baby items from all the moms in the waiting room-- they had a child that had been brought in that had been abused by a mom that had been crying all that night and morning~~ we gave all that he could carry and we were all crying. The nurse took me in right then because I had been in the office 10 times for the same reason and NOW they were worried! What it turned out to be was a sever ear disorder and he needed surgery to repair it and then he wasn't in pain anymore and was the happy child I had known before. So get someone to really listen to you and find out what is going on with your child. I wish you great luck

Something is definitely wrong. Eating more is not the answer (well, it's your temporary answer to stay sane! maybe a pacifier would be better to hold him over while you figure out the problem?). I've had a hard time getting doctors to be responsive but it sounds like you're in a situation where you just have to be persistent. For some reason I was thinking ear-related too but that's just a guess. Good luck!

Maybe try some baby cereal instead of baby food. It'll fill him up and it's easier on the tummy. Use whole wheat or Oatmeal - not the rice cereal because it constipates. Also, my son couldn't tolerate Good Start formula. I'd try another brand and maybe use a soy formula. My son was switched to soy formula and that worked for him. The lactose based was upsetting his system - but he drinks regular milk now he's older. Enfamil ProSobee Soy is a good one or Similac. Also, as mentioned, the Gripe Water worked wonders for him. It's all natural as well and can be found at your pharmacy or Walmart, etc. If you MUST feed him baby foods, try something easy on the tummy like squash or pears. Maybe teething? Try Highlands teething tablets. Those work great w/out side effects as they are all natural ingredients as well.

Here's an idea that helped a friend of my who had a baby who was easily overstimulated and cried all the time. it's basically the idea of swinging the baby in a hammock. you need two people to do this, or tie one end of the blanket to a door knob.
Lay a large blanket on the floor. place the baby in the center. one person takes the top two corners, the other person takes the bottom two. bring the corners together like you were folding the blanket in half, with the baby still in the center. each person picks up their end of the blanket, and swing the baby back and forath. keeping your arm straight will keep you arm from tiring out as fast as if you were bending your elbow. the blanket should block out sound and light stimulation which will calm the baby. this method worked almost 100% of the time with my friend. she would just swing untill he fell asleep. hopefully I've explained it well enough and it will help you too. good luck!