How do you stop your child from crying as soon as he opens his eyes?

Question

My son (almost a year old) wakes from his sleep and goes straight to crying. Wether it's waking in the morning or from his two daily naps... he's always howling. How can I break him from this habit? I've tried letting him cry for a few minutes... placed toys in his crib to keep him occupied when he wakes... I've even stood by his door to catch him as soon as he wakes before he wails to counter the act... but nothing seems to work. Do you have the same problems? Suggestions would be appreciated.

Answer 1

I always figured that when a baby first wakes, he/she may feel disoriented and so I always walked over and smiled and said, "hello, hows is mommy's angel and kept smiling and touch the baby's hands then picked the baby up and reassured him/her that everything is ok. Then waking up won't become so unpleasant an scarey. From then on they woke up with a little more of a secure feeling in the surroundings of their own bed.

Answer 2

You can try the other two [2] suggestion they both seem to be good advice, but what you may also may want to try is having some soothing music in the room or maybe his favorite television show. The silence maybe deafing to him. He may need a little noise then soon with time he will break out of it. But you were definiately on the right track with the toys and standing close to the door when he awakens. He needs some sort of interaction when he opens his eyes. Also get his eyes check he may be senstive to light, or have an ear ache, you know the something like that. Its always better to be safe than sorry. Good luck! :)

Answer 3

Wow! That's a tough one. My daughter (4 yrs old) still takes naps once in a while, but if she doesn't wake on her own and in her own time, she's horrid, so I do know your frustration. What I tried is to make sure it's a routine thing - same time down means usually the same time up. Do you make sure his pants are dry and his tummy's full? that may help. Also, another thing may be some sort of diversion. That works on occasion: my daughter needed a bath and her nap started late so we had to wake her up. Screaming al through the bath. I started talking about a Spongebob episode we saw where S'bob was taking a shower and got full of soap etc., etc. She smiled and becan to recall it herself. I have been using diversion tactics since she was a baby. Maybe have a bottle or something ready when he wakes up? My sister in law was telling me about when her son was little, he'd wake up so hungry that it was hard to get him to eat b/c he was so upset, but when he did he was fine.

I guess you just need keep trying all kinds of suggestions you get until you find what works. Once you do find something, consistency is key. Good luck.

Answer 4

Perhaps he is a little confused coming out of a deep sleep and this causes the crying but most likely it is just how he has always signaled you that he has woken and wants up and he has developed a pattern. He may just need to outgrow it and become more verbal so that he can tell you with words that he is awake. My oldest use to do the same thing and then one day instead of crying on the monitor I heard "Wake me up. Wake me up. Wake me up." , it took until he was about 4 yrs old to then make him understand he was awake and he was allowed to just get up and come get me. Kids are just funny sometimes and they don't always think the same way we do.

Answer 5

Some babies have a hard time transitioning from sleeping to waking. I had one like that! I could not stop her from crying out, but I did find a way of calming her quickly.

What worked for us was to try to keep close to her when I thought she might be waking up - of course this was not always possible, but I did try!
Then, as soon as she woke, I would nurse her. This really helped her to reorientate herself. If you are bottle feeding, you could have a bottle ready for her instead, and hold him close. It is the sucking that helps babies to *find themselves.*

Leaving a baby to cry alone makes them feel abandoned. Sure, they will eventually stop crying, but only because they realize that nobody will come. This is not the way to build trust, is it? If we want our children to trust us, we have to show them that we can be relied upon to be there when they need us. Building a good relationship with our children starts at birth.

Answer 6

Well, I had similar problems when my daughter was small.
1st - don't pick him up right away - this will only enocurage him
2nd - talk to him, coo at him ect. for a few min. He should get intersted in you enough to stop
3rd - try giving him a toy or hang a mobile over his head and turn it on. (When my daughter was small she would wake up from her nap and 'talk and coo' to the mobile. She loved it.

Answer 7

Babies develop habits early on. Or, he might wake up hungry and criy as a signal for you to feed him. You know your baby better than anyone. Comfort him the best way you know how.

Answer 8

you might want to look into If your child has head aches, also crying is your child's way of letting you know I am awake and I want out.... Tip one try to let them cry until they stop then go in and take them out of the bed.

also your baby could be very sensitive to having a wet diaper.

Answer 9

you do no longer say how previous he's...maximum toddlers cry whilst they awaken just to get your interest and announce themselves..if he's older, some thing could desire to be inflicting him discomfort. attempt ignoring him if no longer something is bodily incorrect. (i understand, it is complicated) AFTER he stops crying (he will) then circulate in his room with a huge smile and get him.

Answer 10

ONE YEAR OLD HIS TEETH ARE CUMING IN THAT PROBLY THE PROBLEM WHY HES CRYING GET HIM A COLD RING THAT GOES IN THE FREEZER AND WHEN HEAWAKES GIVE HIM IT SO HIS TEETH DOT HURT

HOPE YOU FIGUREIT OUT---GOOD LUCK