Seeking Advice - Springfield, MA

That is the age they get colic. I would say that he is probably just tired and gassy. Don't worry about it, though it is scary...this too will pass.

I am from Lunenburg too. Anyway...I had to smile when I read your e-mail...My daughter is 17 now but when she was about the same age as your child, she would have her bottle then burb and then cry like crazy! She would do this every night. Then my mom came to visit and she said she thought Kersten wastired and wanted to go to bed. So I tried it. I couldn't believe that she wanted to sleep! I guess it makes sense. Seven is a good bed time! Hope it helps.

Hi, I'm a grandma of four.(my grown daughters each have 2 children.) My most recent grandchild was born on Dec.4,2007. I know some babies typically have a fussy time during the evening. They usually grow out of it in time ,but it can be very tiresome after a long day. Try holding the baby so he/she is facing out. Sometimes at this age they are starting to get interested at the world around them. Hang in there and don't be frightened by all the crying. Keep during your best to meet his/her needs and ride it out. It will get easier soon. I promise! From, M. B

Is he just crying or does he spit up too? Is it when he is done feeding or during the whole thing? DOes he have breast milk or is it formula? Is he lying flat or propped up when you feed him/finish feeding him? Does he sound in pain or is he cryong just to cry?

He may still be hungry. Little babies like that should be fed according to need, not to schedule. Try nursing more often and putting him to the breast frequently to stimulate your supply.

We went through it too, with our first baby. What worked for us: We'd put him in his sling and bounce gently on the birthing (exercise) ball. If he needed the 'house tour', which meant one of us just had to pace around the house with him, we could often break the crying cycle by lighting a candle or two and placing them at his eye level (on our mantlepiece worked). His attention was caught by the flames and we could often calm him then. Sounds wierd, but it worked.

Good luck

It is very common to have a "fussy" time in the early evening. Do not worry. Just cuddle him.

Hello M.,

I too gave birth on 12/23 but in 1998! I found I had the same situation with my second child. I would try to keep him up so I could put him to bed with the older one. Finally I figured I would just lay him in his crib because nothing I was doing was working so I gave him a pacifier and turned on his mobile and sure enough he wanted to sleep. And it was the begining of sleeping though the night. I think when he went to bed later he was over tired.

Hi M.,

I have a five month old daughter and she did the same thing at about the same age as your son. We tried everything to get her to stop crying and NOTHING seemed to work. We even went to the dr. thinking it may have been colic. Thankfully she wasn't colicy at all, the dr. just said that her nervous system was still developing and that with a little time she will calm down. I was glad that she didn't have colic, but she was still crying every night. Well, time did take care of the problem. We didn't do anything in particular. I would just hold her, rock her, walk with her, sing to her...anything just to comfort her. And it finally stopped. I don't remember exactly when, but I know that my life seemed a lot easier and more under control after she was about three months old. Now I look back and feel like she and I were just getting to know each other. She needed to know that I would always be there for her and I needed to learn how to comfort her. She is a wonderful baby and we "get along" perfectly now!
Congratulations to you. I am also a first time mom and I completely understand what you're going through...let me know how things go!!

Hi M.,

I have a 22 month old girl. I had experienced the same thing before with Grace and people suggested to put a warm cloth on her belly for few minutes a time. It worked! If you try it, hopefully it works for your baby too. Good Luck!

All babies have what is called the witching hour, it will pass and you should ask your doctor about acid reflux. Also that is a good time to hand the baby over to you SO. and take a break it can be very trying, my first son didn't do that, but 2 who is 12 weeks old did that until about a week ago. So hopefully it'll end soon!

It sounds like maybe a little bit of colic. I wouldn't worry. Just mention it at your next doc appointment to make sure.

Hi M.,
I have a three year old daughter and still remember most of the very scary first year of her life. I had her when I was 39 years old and was totally new to this experience and petrified of every little thing that could go wrong, but found that when I went with my good heart and genuine love with a desire to do everything to the best of my ability, it got easier and more relaxed. I found at three months, that liquid feedings were not sustaining her appetite, so I tried a very loose amount of cereal to see if this would stop some of the fussiness. The doctor said it was up to me to try and it did help her sleep better. Some people scoffed, but some thought it was o.k. Another problem could be colic, which is difficult to deal with and there are many different ways to comfort a baby with colic. Colic is basically "gas" that causes major discomfort for the infant and can be helped by changing the type of formula if you are not breast feeding or consulting a nutritionist or doctor on what to do might work. Is there anything more you can add so that I may better answer your concerns? You are off to a great start in being able to ask for help instead of leaving yourself open to becoming distressed by your concerns alone. Best to you.