Crying in the Evening

Maybe try a couple ounces of warm water. Gas drops do not always help. I have only seen the gas drops help on the babys that only get gas once in a while. I have never seen it help for the babys that have gas all the time..

Could it be the emergence of teeth? Is she drooling a lot, chewing on things, does she have a diaper rash or loose stools(it seems to be associated in some kids).Try giving her some ibuprofen or tylenol and see if it helps.

As for the hard belly, when was her last BM and was pasty like peanut butter? If so, I would suggest she needs some help treating and preventing constipation.

Hi,
My daughter did something similar when she was about 6 weeks old. It was hard. I think she got over stimulated so I would swaddle her and let the blanket hang in front of her face to block her view which seemed to help. Good luck.

hi! my son is 5 mo's and he does a bit of the same. we give him gripe water. it's natural and covers many basis; teething, upset tummy lots of things. you add it a bottle or in a dropper. it's helped us! you can get it at any co-op and even walgreens. good luck!

Hey Kim. I know this must be frustrating as I too have went through this with my middle child. We ended up using a low iron formula which corrected his hard belly, crying, etc. However, I would definitely take her in to make sure it's not something else, something that needs attention. I hope everything works out for you. Keep your head up.
Grace and Peace,
T.

If it's digestion-related, you might try infant massage. Get a natural lotion (or even olive oil...no joke, that's what they used in class!), and use a flat palm to "wipe" from left to right, from the top toward the bottom (sort of an arc) across her abdomen with gentle, consisten pressure. You need to do it every day, about 10 strokes or so. Also, we found that pushing our son's legs up (like a Sumo squat) and holding them there for 15 seconds at a time worked better than the bicycle move.

My daughter did the same thing. It took me forever to figure out that she just needed to go to bed at 7. I don't know if it'll be that simple for you, but you could try starting a bedtime routine at 6 or 6:30, including a warm bath, and see if it helps. Good luck. I hope you can get something figured out because I know how frustrating it can be!

Sounds like colic to me... my daughter had it ALL night long and we could do was split shifts holding her and sleeping.

K.,
Like with Cheryl,my experience with my son was (in my opinion) due to over stimulation. He just had a need to cry for an hour or two in the evenings. Eventually it went away and he was perfectly fine in the evenings after he figured out how to deal with the stimulation. My suggestion is to keep things as peaceful as you can during the day or early evening to hopefully prevent her from becoming over stimulated in the first place. If 'peaceful' isn't an option, try to give her plenty of breaks from people, socializing, music, toys, etc. Good luck! My sympathies are with you!

It could be gas. You could try swaddeling her up and rocking her. My daughter used to do the same thing and that worked like a charm. The extra pressure of swaddeling helps with the gas and makes them feel like they are in you again.
She will outgrow it.
J.
Mom to 4 and soon one more through another adoption.

If it's gas have you tried laying her down on her back and bringing her legs up into her chest - like her knees up to her nose. That helps get the gas out. Talk to your doctor - something is going on that makes her uncomfortable if she is crying this long at this age.

Try homeopathy. Look for a classical homeopathic physician near you or read up and try some remedies for yourself. She sounds like a child for whom CHAMOMILLA would work wonders.

my best,

I promise you it's because she's overly tired. Put her to bed! Buy & read "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." It saved us with our first and our second is already a great sleeper because of it at 2 mo. old. Good luck, E.

About the crying, maybe it's because she's overtired? She may be trying to tell you that 7 should be her bedtime.
As for the belly, try giving her a massage every night and make a circle around her belly button clockwise. It sounds goofy, but we learned it in our infant massage class. It helps with constipation. Don't use a feather-light touch, but don't make it hurt either. The first time we did that technique, my baby made up for two days of constipation immediately! Also, warmed up pear or apple juice usually does the trick.

Consider having her stools checked for any blood which could be a sign of "milk, soy, protein intolerance". My son had this very badly and was always in pain crying. The studies were new 8 years ago when he was an infant, but so much more is known now and there may be more help available. Hope it's just gas, but might want to check it out.

Sounds like acid reflux to me. I went through bottles of the drops before I told the my baby's doctor these symptoms. Laying flat is very uncomfortable if you have acid reflux. Does you baby do better in the swing? Good luck!

I would chack with you doctor to see what he/she thinks. There maybe more going on than just gas alone. The other thing you can try in the mean time is laying a hot water bottle on your lap or stomach and laying her across it. Gently rubbing her back. I know when my boys had gas that would help them relax and let it go.
Best Wishes,
J..

I have a 3 week old baby girl and we had recently started having a similar issue in the evenings. She would want to nurse constantly and it seemed she was doing it to pacify herself. I called my midwife to see if this is normal. She said that it is very common and even has a name - the bewitching hour - it seems that if they have pent up energy that they will get fussy during that time of the day and she recommended doing some activity that wears them out like bathing, singing, practicing rolling over, stretching, moving around with them, etc. It seems that they respond better to activities where you are involved. Hope this helps.

my dr had me use kayro syrup when my boys were constipated. dont know if they still do that.

An evening bath has worked wonders at our house for our 9 month old. It has been especially helpful for those times of fussiness in the evenings. I run a little heater in the bathroom to get it nice and warm (we keep our house pretty cool) and he seems happier when he's wet and doesn't get a chill. Sometimes I even get in with him. It is a break for both of us.
Her crying in your arms (or daddy's or someone else who loves her) is not the same as crying on her own. She'll sense that you're trying to help, so you just being there and holding her and trying to help is teaching her to trust and building your bond with her. I hope you find a solution that works for you!
I'll be thinking of you!
B.

Evening gas with babies is so common. I don't know what gas pills are, but the better trick is to give her a bottle of tea made with anise or fennel seeds a few times each day. These seeds have anti-spasmodic qualities that soothe the soft tissue of the colon.

Additionally, go buy some powdered acidophilus (as opposed to capsules). This is a supplement that cannot be over-rated in its ability to help with digestion. Dip your finger in and let her suck the powder off - several times each day. The good bacteria in the acidophilus will restore balance to her colon so that the stools can be broken down and pass through without gas.

If you don't know the "football hold", ask a neighbor or friend if they do. This way of carrying a gassy baby is indispensable. Also, hold her upside down by the hips for a second or two - she will stop crying and it will give her intestines a chance to move in a different direction. This will seem a little strange at first, but think about it - if you have gas and you move around you start to feel better. The problem with babies is they cannot move around enough to cause the gas to move for them. Bouncing her, tipping her, rolling her...

Maybe she just needs more "touch time." Several of mine were that way. My youngest (16 mos.) sits in my lap a total of a couple of hours each day. He just needs to be cuddled. I read, watch TV or "direct traffic" while sitting in a comfy chair holding him. Other family members take turns, too. I'd suggest trying that, in addition to checking into other issues like constipation, gas, formula blend, etc.

Homeschool SAHM of seven

It sounds like she is tired and needs to go to bed. We has the same issue and we eventually moved bedtime to an earlier time. Also try a warm bath every night with a light tummy massage to establish a routine. One other thing that helped in the beginning when we just couldn't figure it out was to bundle her up and take her outside for a walk in her stroller. Seriously, i was walking back and forth in front of our house in the dark but the cold air and change in scenery did the trick.

Poor baby it makes me want to come over and pick her up and hug her. But anyway have you tried wetting your finger dip it in baking soda and let her lick it. That helps with gas. What time was she born? At night? If that doesn't work try beating her to the punch pick her sit her in your lap watch TV and just relax. Babies love colors and noise. Good Luck!!

M. grandmother of 7 and greatmother of 1.

My nephew went through this, he would scream consistently, every day around that same time frame. It turned out to be acid reflux and mild colic. Once the acid reflux was treated he was a different baby!

Our 2nd did this for several weeks; cried every night from 6-10 pm like clockwork. It was clear that there wasn't anything she really needed, so I just sat in the rocking chair & rocked her during those hours. She outgrew it.
However, if you really think it is gas, I would try doing some infant massage techniques on her stomach to aid the gas passage. My son loved this & immediately quieted when we began the massage.

Three of my four children did the same thing. It is exhausting. With my first one...we tried everything...nothing worked. But with my other two we tried many many formulas to find something that agreed with them. Nutramigen was what we ended up using. It worked great, although it is really expensive. If you qualify for wic, they sometimes will allow it with a Doctors note. Ask at the doc office for some samples if they still give them out. We use to leave there with about 4 cans a time. Good Luck.....It will eventually pass.

K.,
It sounds as though your baby has colic (gas). My niece was collicky (sp ?) until she was about 9 months old. Every evening around 4 pm she would start crying and it would last until about 9 pm. They do grow out of it... althought it might be another few months. My sister in law tried the gas drops which barely helped. There is not much that you can do but to wait it out. Hope this helps.

These crying phases are quite normal for little ones. Mine did it for about 4 months straight and it was ALWAYS worse if we'd had a day that was really off-schedule (i.e. a big shopping trip or anything with lots of new stimuli). I know that my little guy would seem to have a harder stomach, as well, and perhaps that is just another symptom of the stress he felt by having so many "new" things to deal with that day.

I don't have a lot of suggestions except to just hang in there and don't give up your off-routine days. Your daughter will learn to deal with things in her own way as she gains emotional maturity. We would give a bath to my son - - and while it would often seem to upset him even more, initially, in the end it would seem to soothe him a bit and help him sleep.

Sometimes even a new pair of arms (daddy's if he hasn't been around much that day - - or a grandparent or even a friend of yours) helps. We forget that these are simply little people and just like us, they can get tired of being with the same person ALL DAY LONG. It gives you a much needed break, too.

It also helped (but didn't completely "fix" it) to switch from regular formula to gentle formula. If you get the Parents Choice version at Wal-mart, it's only $14.88 for a can...

Good Luck!!

I remember both of my daughters (now ages 4 and 8) having this fussy time during the day. We always thought it was from overstimulation as they were both in daycare. When my oldest was little she had some constipation problems so we would water down some white grape juice and give her some to see if that eased the issue. Other than that we just kind of waited the phase out.

Get your daughter tested for a milk allergy. Perhaps try switching to a soy formula? This is often what the pediatrician will recommend is a milk allergy is suspected. My cousins son did this same thing and after a few months of dealing with it, finally listened to my mom and asked the pediatrician about and it and it turned out to be what was wrong, a milk allergy (it runs in our family). Once she switched him to soy based milk, the problem stopped completely.

K.,

Sounds like colic. You might want to check with your doctor.

L. :)

One thing that works for our baby girl is to put her tummy up on my shoulder and just keep walking around. It works almost every time, but can be tiring. It sounds like gas. If your baby is formula fed you may want to talk to the doctor about switching types. Also, did you recently introduce solids? If so, you may consider some adjustments to what/how much you are feeding her. Good luck!

My grandmother taught me to bounce my kids. She had four who went through the same thing every night. She said it was the only thing that worked. She showed me to hold them with one hand under their head and one under their bottom and gently, but somewhat quickly bounce them out it front of you. It is hard to describe, but your baby and you will be facing each other, bend your knees so you don't hurt your back and just swing/bounce him out in front of you. It gets very tiring at first, but you get used to it. My kids stopped crying immediately and after a couple minutes I could start to slow down and then eventually lay them in their crib fast asleep. She swore that there was nothing else that worked as well, and I think she was right. Other things helped a little, but the tried and true grandma way was always the best for me. Good luck! He'll out grow this stage in no time.

Hi K.! I'm not sure if you've gotten this advice yet or not (haven't read the posts yet), but my guess is that she's sleeeepy! I know it sounds silly, but if you want a little one to sleep better, you need to put them to bed really early. Our little one is 9mo and goes to bed between 6:30 and 7:00 each night. She sleeps well and is a really happy baby. At this age (between 6-9mos) they need about 11 hours of sleep a night. Keeping her up til 10 is making her "overtired" so becomes irritable and gets to a point where she actually can't sleep (until she crashes). Try moving her bedtime back an hour each night until you hit 7:00. I know its hard (especially if you work) not getting to spend as much time with them in the evenings, but its what is best for them (even when its not so fun for you). Of course if she's super cranky after 7:00 neither of you are probably having much fun anyway. Its just the way babies are made - they need long stretches of overnight sleep and the longer you keep them up, the more cranky and the more sleepless they get. I know it seems it would be the opposite - if you keep a kid up they should be tired and ready for bed right? But trust me - the early bedtime works! Stick with it for a two weeks and see... I bet you'll be amazed! Hope this helps and that you both are happier soon!!

i used to put my baby on a rocking ottoman belly down and rock her and rub her back...helped get the gas out.

My pediatrician told me fruits with "P" will make you poop. lol Bless his heart that is somethign I guess I will never forget now- nor will my son. I cut the iron out of the formula at the advice of another mom. It helped us tremendously. (And my son was fine with out the extra added iron) I would give him a small bottle half pear juice half water if he was constipated- it cleared him right up. Pears peaches prunes plumbs

i had a friend hwo had the same problem. who takes care of her during the day? are they feeding her correctly slanted position? never lay a baby flat to eat. are you using normal tap water ot bottled? gas drops usually take a day and a half. my son still wakes up with gas bubbles and hes 4. i let him lay however he is comfortable becuase if i hold him he squirms out of that position anyway. try laying her on her side with pillows. give her a bath. even though she is crying. the water always seemed to soften my son belly. if her belly is hard lay her a on a soft spot lots of blankets , push her knees to her belly. bring them down and do it again. its supposed to help work it out. rub eher belly try just giving her a ittle apple juice like 2 or 3 oz then with some water in a bottle. apple juice breaks down food and makes anyone have a stool. or even try a little bit of prunes too. i would even take her to the doctor but i dont htingk its that serious. how long has this been going on????