Improving Temperament in a 6 Month Old?

Earlier bedtime sounds like a good idea. Also nap before getting over tired.
Tylenol and/or Pediaprofen as needed (I medicated my cranky one for mood and it seems to work, so pain must be a contributing facyor)
Sleep in the swing. If he desires movement, I would try letting him CIO in the swing. he sounds over tired at times, making it really hard to wind down. Sometimes a meltdown cry is just what they need to get the kinks out for a good sleep. Good luck, it does get better, but takes awhile :)

There is alway a light at the end of the tunnel. Sounds like he is going through a phase. You didnt say so I will ask, could he be teething? My son (17 months) was/is a super cranky teether and started at about 6 months. It also sounds like he might have some seperation anxiety too, which is perfectly normal. Are you a stay at home mommy? If so see about getting someone to come over and watch your kids for just a few hours so you can have some mommy time, even to just get a cup of coffee. This will help recharge your batteries and also give your sweet baby time with a new face, this will pass and it will get better.

I wonder if there's a digestive issue going on - like reflux. Try elevating the mattress so his head is higher than his feet. Don't just put him on a baby pillow - slant the whole thing so he is in a straight line. Sometimes this condition is worse when lying down - almost always, actually. If that's it, you can do meds, but you can also do a nutritional solution to balance him out. It might be an interesting test to perform. I hate the idea of putting infants on medications - I think they are over-used and often have side effects. But I know so many kids have this. You could try a soy formula but I have so many friends who have gotten rid of this in their babies with great success and total safety.

This sounds all to familiar. My son was born at the end of July so we are a few more weeks away from six months than you. My son is not a day time napper and never has been unless you are holding him. The wed. after Christmas he decided he is too nosy to nurse so now he is only nursed first thing in the morning. He gets formula the rest of the day. We are doing stage 2 food and cereal 3 times a day (due to his spitting up so much). Now the last few nights my son goes to bed at 8 or 8:30 then wakes up at 2:00 screaming and will not go back to sleep unless you are holding him. We have tried every thing to get him back to sleep as well, but my husband just gets up and goes into the babies room and sits in the recliner and sleeps holding him. I know this is not a good thing to start, but we need our sleep as well since we both work very demanding jobs. We tried the swaddling too and it worked for a long time, we tried the CIO, but after an hour of him crying on and off we give up.

I am interested to see what answers you get. We need help with this too. All of our other children are great sleepers.

Edit: I read the first post and yes my son is teething so I bet yours is too!

I haven't read any other answers so I apologize if anything I'm saying now was already said.

First off, perhaps the book "The Vital Touch" by Sharon Heller will help. Your local library should have a copy or you can always grab it off of Amazon.com.

Secondly, every child is unique. Your second simply needs and wants his mother more than your first did. My son was like this as well, pretty much cried without me and wasn't happy anywhere where mommy was absent. This type of behavior is natural for infants and babies and didn't bother me, although I know some parents can get irritated with such clingy behavior.

I think it's critical to not forget that your son is ONLY 6 months old. He still is utterly dependent on his parents for everything, as much as you may want him not to be. He should be napping at his age, so you may want to try lying down with him until he's physically asleep and then inching away to grab some "me time". That worked for my son and I.

Co-sleeping is always another option you can try at night, guaranteed your son will sleep longer and wake less frequent - with the exception of his wanting to eat, of course.

I say...if he's hungry - feed him, if he wants to be held - hold him, and if he is only happy in mommy's arms...so be it. He will only be this age once, embrace everything he is now because, as you know, you blink your eyes and they're 8.

Good luck.

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it sounds like he's super tired and therefore super cranky and super needy. my son latches onto me and cries at EVERYTHING when he's tired. make sure he's getting enough sleep by putting him to bed at the FIRST sign of him being tired (at his age, it'll probably be around 5-6pm). that sounds early and some kids are ok sleeping later but a lot of kids are not. when parents put them to bed later than that, the kids wake up earlier and wake up in the middle of the night -- a LOT. plus they dont nap b/c they're too tired to sleep weirdly enough. it killed our social life but once we actually followed that advice, things got a lot nicer at home. now we try to schedule everything around his nap and bedtime. best of luck.

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Mary Sheedy Kurcinka has two books that would be great resources for you. One is called "Sleepless in America" the other is called "Raising Your Spirited Child". She has counseled families about children for decades and her books have real-world advice without ever leaving you feeling guilty. In fact, they do the opposite, I was *relieved* after finding them because my son's temperament wasn't my fault. At the least, check out her website.

Two other great resources are Dr. Sears Baby Book and The Science of Parenting. The former has lots of practical advice and the latter, while having advice, stresses why what you're doing is good and is helping your infant for his entire life. They base it on medical research.

Hope that helps. Your babe is good at knowing what he doesn't like but doesn't yet know how to ask for what he likes or to understand how his needs impact others. I've been there and it isn't fun. However, it does pass, and the negatives will become a faded memory -- eventually. Until then, look for all the fun times and positive things. The negative seems to overshadow them, but it's really an illusion when you become more aware of all the good stuff.