6 Month Old Seems Frustrated and Angry...

Updated on March 03, 2010
M.S. asks from Clearwater, FL
13 answers

Hello,
I have a beautiful six month old healthy baby boy.........He's been such a pleasant and 'easy' baby until this past week. He's been teething for months (he has 2 teeth coming in the bottom row), so that's been my 'default' excuse, but lately he seems so miserable! He doesn't want to lay on his back...........hates the bouncy seat......... is bored of his toys (exercauser, walker, jumper) He wants to be held 24/7 and bounced while standing up. (I can't sit) I usually use a sling, but he doesn't really enjoy that anymore. He makes these angry faces and noises!

Usually he sleeps through the night in his co-sleeper. (12am-9am) But- lately he wakes up at 3am for a bottle... (formula)
Is this just a phase? Teething? Or- is my son becoming a brat? (Ha ha) :o)

What can I do next?

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K.Z.

answers from Denver on

As far as sleeping goes have you tried putting him to bed earlier? I have found that if they are over tired they are more likely to wake up. I put my 5 month old to bed around 8 p.m. (same as my 2 year old) and he sleeps until about 6. I have found that the later he stays up the more likely he is to get up for a bottle around 2 or 3 am.

good luck

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C.S.

answers from Charlotte on

May be his ears. When a baby has an ear infections, it hurts them to lay flat and they are overall miserable and fussy. Have a doc check him out. Does he like tummy time? Try letting him play in the floor and scoot around. At that age (and even now at 8mo) that's when she's happiest. On the floor messing

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J.M.

answers from Boston on

Around 6 months they can be awake for longer but still can't do much independently. Frustrating I'm sure. Couple that with teething, and you'll have a cranky little guy. He'll likely learn to move around in not too long, and then he'll be better. I would feed him for now at night if he's hungry, take him to the doctor to make sure it's not ears, etc, and if it's not better in a month, come up with another plan then. Good luck!

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B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

Could be gas or constipation or boredom or teething or a growth spurt. If the weather is nice, try taking him for a walk in his stroller. The fresh air and a little sunshine seems to exhaust them and helps them sleep a little better.

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K.D.

answers from Dallas on

He is probably gassy. Did u change formulas lately?

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K.N.

answers from Philadelphia on

You sound just I me. Everytime my son would start behaving like that I was so afraid that I was raising a brat but everytime it always passed. For my son, whenever he was miserable like that it always ended up being his ears. I didn't ever think that because he wouldn't have a fever but I quickly learned that his mood was the best indicator of an ear infection. If he has fluid in his ears everything will sound cloudy, like your underwater, and this can be very frustrating for a 6 month old that wants to see and hear everything. The teething can't be helping the situation either.

I also agree with another response that an earlier bedtime would probably help. An earlier bedtime won't necessarily translate to getting up earlier. It will just mean more sleep and a happier baby.

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D.C.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Another possibility - 6 months is a classic growth spurt time, which can make babies both fussier than normal, and also hungry more often than normal. Maybe try adding an extra bottle before bed to see if that helps him get through the night? The combination of teething plus the growth spurt would be hard on a little one.

For the being held, maybe it's time for a different kind of carrier. At 6 months, I used my Snuggli a lot for my son, because I could face him out so that he could see what was going on, but he still felt like he was being held.

Good luck!

M.H.

answers from Philadelphia on

Its likely your boy is tired of the view he gets on the floor and wants to be up high where things are more interesting and he can get around faster on mommy-power. And he's probably ready to learn to crawl. Give him lots of tummy time and encouragement. Our girl was crawling at 5 months and cruising at 6 months, but I worked with her every day many times a day to help her strengthen her muscles.

I chalked all our kid's "angry" times up to Developmental Milestones. She'd get really crazy when she was working on some skill or figuring something out, even something small. I read up on it and just tried to stay on top of providing interesting things for her to explore, and interesting things for us to do, even if it was just walking out of the house and going to the park or going to the store to walk around. Also, it came to my attention that playing with other babies is important too, and we weren't doing that hardly at all. "Parallel Play" they call it.

Also, they get clingy on and off. It's a phase, and it passes, comes back, and passes again. We got a couple of types of baby carriers, and she enjoyed that (and still does at 1 year). A Bjorn (the sport model because it has better back support), and the Ergo (we picked one up cheap at a kids consignment shop) which can be worn on the front or back.

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D.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Just make sure it's not his ears. An ear infection can make even the happiest baby completely miserable. Is he tugging at, touching his ears? Does he have a fever--even a slightly elevated O.? Might be worth a trip to the ped to get his ears looked at.
Otherwise, a change of scenery is usually a good remedy for boredom!

D.S.

answers from Allentown on

Hi, M.:
Yout baby is having alot of pain. Try to keep him in quiet situations.
Ask your ped to give you a perscription for Hurricane gel for his
gums.

Good luck. D.

C.M.

answers from St. Louis on

Okay are you talking about my six month old son??? My son has been fairly easy going - was a bit colicky the first 2 months but after that has been very happy. He's still happy now but was not CONTENT the past two weeks (not talking about this week). He would not be happy doing anything for more than five minutes!

I think it could be a combination of teething pain and your son starting to learn/see more. He realizes he can sit more / by himself / grasp or grab at toys, etc so he's more excited about doing different things and wants to see what else is out there.

My son is happiest when walked around so he can see what is going on!

I would just try to have him do each thing for 5-10 minutes. Maybe his crying is a way of separation anxiety and him telling you that he wants to be near to you. My son is starting to cry when he sees me leaving the room. If I can get him in his jumperoo (like this morning) and leave the room without him noticing, he's good for about 10 minutes. As soon as he sees mama, he wants out!!!

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B.R.

answers from York on

It sounds like what my son went through around that time. He was also teething, but like you, I didn't think that was the whole story. Sometimes I thought it was related to the food I gave him. Rice cereal, bananas, apples and a few other foods seemed to constipate him. He's a much happier little guy when he poops at least once a day, so I try to balance those foods out with others, like pears and blueberries.
I think a big part of his problem was that he really wanted to crawl, but just wasn't there yet. He spent a lot of time seeming angry on the floor, where he used to be happily playing. At first, I didn't really seee any movements that seemed to indicate that he wanted to crawl; he just seemed mad! Eventually this turned into angry rocking on his knees and finally crawling. Now he's a happy boy again!
If this is your son's issue, he's just going to be grumpy for awhile. I tried playing more actively with him during tummy time and when he was rocking, I'd get on my knees, facing him, and rock too and laugh. It helped. Sometimes he'd laugh with me. It also helped to leave the house and go somewhere else interesting. When we came back, it was like he was back to the old grindstone though :) Good luck!

A.J.

answers from Williamsport on

Hmm, taking the cues "sling" and "co sleeping", just wondering, you say he wants to be held 24/7-this hasn't been successful in any way has it? You say you "can't sit"? If you have been letting him direct you to hold him by crying, he is old enough to understand that and could possibly be starting to bully you-as is natural for all human babies. If this is the case, it's a slippery slope if you're not careful, as he'll never be happy and will constantly be mad if you're not doing something for him.
My daughter is 7 and 1/2 months and started screaming if I put her down a couple of months ago. Just like with my other two-I made SURE to LEAVE her down when this happened and wait until she was distracted and pleasant before going back to hold her. If I put her down to sleep and she screams, I walk away knowing she is fed and dry and secure. She doesn't really scream anymore except for a couple of exhausted little shouts before understanding it's time for bed and being content. She has also stopped screaming to be held since I never gave in. I did build her security by holding her more often on my terms and being careful she is always included with the family etc, moved the playpen to the center of the action etc, but no forcing me to hold her if I need to do something. I have 2 other kids under 4. Security is also independence and learning mom's in charge.
If I were you I'd lose the sling and just be sure to establish that YOU are the boss, and angry crying does not get his end result. Step up the attention and positive play while he's good so he sees the difference. Very soon he will be old enough for discipline for tantrums but for now just make sure he isn't getting what he wants with negativity. 6 months isn't too young to understand-believe it or not!
Be sure to feed him all day long and add a bit more to his daily diet to prevent the night wakings-don't sooth him back to sleep, just feed him if he needs it and walk away-it may be time to rethink the co sleeping, he sounds like he is becoming the boss and depending on you too much 24/7. The teething is clouding the waters-continue to do everything you can for his discomfort, but don't let him train you! Good luck!

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