Standing in cot crying for ages

[CorneliaL]

Have you had a child that stands in his cot crying for more than half an hour? He drops his dummy over the side and really carries on. He's normally put into the cot when he displays tired signs at 1 1/2 hours, but refuses to sleep, and so we go back and forth between the cot and the lounge room three or more times before he sleeps, finally, normally at about the four hour mark.
He's 7 1/2 months. I want to scream at the little *******. He wants to be held constantly if possible, but is sometimes content to sit beside me on the floor. I can barely put on a load of washing on, let alone wash the dishes. I need the break during his sleeps. If you have had a child that did this, what did you do?

[MsMummy]

Do you mean that you put him the cot 1.5 hours after he has awoken from a previous sleep?

Maybe, he's not ready to go down yet.

My son is a bit over 7 months and sometimes has up to 4 hours between sleeps.

How long does he sleep once you put him down?

If he's not ready to sleep, can you do something else with him? If I get a bit frustrated, I put my son in the Ergo. It enables me to do some household stuff (although not washing up as it's awkward at the front...although the back position would be good).

Is there anybody who can come over to give you a hand with the housework sometimes. It sounds like you need a little relief.

I'm not sure about the wanting to be held constantly. I've found that as long as we're in the room he's okay. Again, the Ergo might be a solution. Maybe it's just an attachment phase. Maybe the more attachment you give him, the more confident he'll feel. Not sure.

If the cot's not working, can you try lying down with him in bed and breast/bottle feeding him?

Sorry, I couldn't be more helpful. Hopefully somebody else has some better advice.:o

As a side issue - is your son standing at 7.5 months? Wow. Mine won't even crawl yet.

[JabberJaw]

I want to scream at the little *******.


You want to WHAT????

Sounds like a normal child to me, part of the package really.

And no, my baby never cries for 1/2 hour or more because i go see to her and settle her before she ever gets to a hysterical crying stage.

I agree with MsMummys advice, try carrying him in the sling/ergo. He obviously wants your love,time and affections as babies do. My DD is almost 14 months and still craves my attention, totally normal i believe.

[Thermolicious]

I agree with MsMummy it sounds like he is not tired yet. I ergo my 5mth old on my back for most of the day and the ONLY thing I cant do with him on thier is sleep and drive :laughing: I usually put him onto his mattress once he falls asleep and I get a break then.

I can understand that you are trying to catch his tired signs, are you sure that he is not bored/wanting cuddles rather then being tired, that would explain why when you put him in his cot by himself he is getting upset. If so, you'd be undoing all your hard self settling work by making his cot a negative place by putting him in thier when he wants you/attention.

[bada]

I agree with MsMummy, can you get someone to help you out a bit? It sounds like you need a well deserved break.

On the issue of not getting any housework done, I am in the same boat. When DD was that age I also carried her in a sling to get things done around the house, but I generally leave it all for when DF gis home to watch DD or DD is asleep. My DD is also quite clingy but she has become a bit better now that she can play by herself for longer periods (11months old)

On the issue of crying in his cot for extended periods, I thought that "experts" advised leaving a baby crying for no longer than 10 mins as a general rule. A lot of babies (mine included- we tried once-never again) will not just cry themselves to sleep but rather cry themselves into a rage. For this reason everytime I put DD down for a day nap or at night I have to lay down with her and breast feed her to sleep. I wish I knew how to get her to sleep without the boob, but it doesn't work for us. Sorry I can't offer advice there.

ETA I agree also that it sounds like he may not be tired enough for bed when you are trying to get him to sleep. Also, have you tried giving him a bath? I often give DD a bath in the day and at night to get her to sleep.

[Jorja]

Im so releived to hear im not the only one! My Ds is 8 months old and sleeps very little day or night. I have a bjorn which he used to fall asleep in before i put him down but at 9kg he is way to heavy to carry all day and i can no longer put him down once he does fall asleep. Sometimes i can pat him to sleep but he gets really upset, it takes about 1/2 an hour and he never sleeps more than 1/2 an hour mostly 15 min. Left in his cot he also stands up and screams until i go back and pick him up. At night its the same, somenights i actually sleep sitting up on the couch with him in the carrier.
I have tried co sleeping with little success. He still wakes up about 4 times, most of the time he is not interested in feeding and just needs to be carried back to sleep. My husband does shift work and it seems to disturb ds if he is in bed with us making his sleep even worse.
His waking time is not that much more enjoyable. He is mostly unhappy unless i am holding him and wont let anyone else hold him (except very occaisionally DH). I am lucky enough to have my mum live close by, she sees Ds at least twice per week but I have never been able to leave him with her for more than a couple of hours as he screams constantly, not a phase as he has done since birth.
Im not enjoying my baby at all, surely its not supposed to be like this. :confused:
Id also love to hear any advice!

[Nomsie]

No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantly :thumbsup:

Has a myriad of suggestions of gentle ways of getting your baby to sleep :)