Fussy baby?

Question

I am a stay at home mom, I try to play with my son as much as possible during the day.The thing is around supper time when I'm trying to get supper cooked, dishes washed, and get bathes done, he fusses the whole time. I try to play with him some while I'm trying to get these things done, but, he still fusses and carries on and it is about to drive me crazy. He has two two hour naps a day and I try to get him in bed by 9:00. Please give me some advice here, am I not spending enough time with him? Also, what are some neat things to play with him, he is only 5 months old?

Answer 1

OHH! I had the same problem with my youngest. I got a sling and could do most chores with him in it. It was so awesome I was actually sad I never had the sling with my older 2...I had never heard of it. Also for cooking dinner what I tried to do was alot of casseroles and crock pot dishes. For the most part they can be prepared earlier in the day when baby is sleeping and put in the oven (in the case of casseroles) or just taken out of the crock pot and served. www.allrecipes.com has some really good recipes for both casseroles and crockpots. I think it is common though that they get fussy at this time of day...I don't know if they sence you have something to do that doesn't involve them or if there is a medical reason...no clue but I would bet your are spending enough time with him and he will outgrow it soon.
Also (and I'm gonna catch hell for this one) the little ones seem to love the BABY EINSTEIN series, I would put the video (DVD) in and put my son in the swing and he would watch it while I did a chore (maybe 15-20 minutes)

Answer 2

You could literally tell time by when my baby fussed, which is a nice way of saying it. She would scream so terribly sometimes my husband and I were afraid the neighbors might report us to child services! It didn't matter what we did, we tried holding her, the baby swing, baths, any advice from friends, family and the doctor. We would put her to bed and let her cry it out (usually took an hour) which then lead to her falling asleep. That was a really hard time; it's difficult when the only thing you can do is nothing and wait. Hang in there, it's just a stage that will pass and you can laugh about later.

Games: Peek-a-Boo, my daughter thought it was so funny if I pretended to sneeze - I'd say in a high squeaky voice "Ahhhh Choo!" and she'd laugh so hard.

Answer 3

It sounds like you need to move his bedtime up at least one hour, two would be better. It's good that he's getting enough day time sleep but I think you are keeping him awake too long in the evening and he is becoming overtired and cranky. A 7:00 bedtime really could do wonders. I think you are spending plenty of time with him, face it you can't hold him and play with him every second of the day. He does need to be able to entertain himself while you do a couple of short tasks. I would try moving his bedtime up. He's probably up from his afternoon nap around 3 or so? Think about it, you are keeping him awake for about 6 hours straight, if I'm guessing correctly about his naps. Babies his age should only spend about 2 hours awake at a time. Any longer and they start behaving the way you have described. I have a day care in my home and I deal with overtired babies on a daily basis. They need more sleep that we realize, about 16 hours in a 24 hour period. Good luck, I know it's frustrating, but you sound like a good mom.

Answer 4

He just seems like a social butterfly and wants attention! Since you're a stay home mom, I'm sure you're giving him enough attention! But he does need to learn that he can't have you ALL THE TIME! Pop in a sing a long video, give him something to look at, something to keep him busy while you're doing your thing. Maybe you could have neighbors, friends, relatives over to also play with him as you guys talk and as you do your thing. I'd get one of those hanging swings and put it in your kitchen. They're little things that you can put the baby in- their feet barely touch the floor, and when they're old enough they can bounce in it. That way, he's near you and you can coo and talk to him but still do what you need to do.

As for neat things to play with him, babies love to watch your facial expressions. They also love to be touched. Tickle him, play peek a boo, make weird noises, and just be absolutely crazy and he'll laugh his little head off!

Hope this helps. Good luck

Answer 5

Well it sounds to me that he may be a bit spoiled if at 5 months he is crying and trying to get your attention the entire time. Do you ever let him play alone? Do you let him sit on the floor or in a crib alone with a few toys while you are not there? If not you should try that. if he gets too attached to you. You will have a lot more problems as he gets older. There is not too much you can play with him at 5 months old! You could put him in his highchair in the kitchen while you are cooking. Sing to him and clap. Turn on the radio maybe. Give him a few cherrios. Not only do they like to eat them they also like to play with them. Give him a pan and show him how to hit his hands on it like a drum. Otherwise where is your partner? Cant they help you with him?

Answer 6

hey from another stay-at-home mom!!!
been there done that!!!! and great news! i have some awesome advice you can try! lol
well, first of all, i would give your baby his bath around 5 or 6 in the afternoon...right after, it seems to give them a burst of energy, but within 1/2 to an hour or so that energy leaves them and they tend to calm down a lot faster...and when they calm down, they get tired, not so much fussy...try to get him to start going to bed between 7-8 pm...
second of all, make sure his second nap starts around 3-4 pm...right after his nap, feed him and then bathe him...that sudden burst of energy will come right as you're making dinner, so he won't be fussy if you keep him entertained with tupperware...keep him in the kitchen with you and let him make a mess with tupperware or a bowl of oatmeal or something that will peak his interest...something that won't hurt him if it goes into his mouth...
trust me, cleaning up the mess later is nothing compared to going through the aggravation of trying to do five million things at once...

make sure that during the day, you give him "alone-time", in which he is in his room playing in his crib or on the living room floor playing with his toys and you're kinda out of sight...be somewhere where you can keep an eye on him, but leave him alone...don't be with him all the time...that way he'll get used to entertaining himself and not needing mommy for that all the time...

also, just b/c your husband works and you "don't", doesn't mean he can't help you with the dishes at the end of the night...motherhood is the hardest job on earth and did you know that if we got paid for being a mom and housewife, we'd make $33,000 a year? exactly...we work hard, too...though most husbands don't really think we work...so have him help you with the dishes if you're going to go to the trouble of cooking...either that or have your husband play with your son while you're cooking and cleaning up...

good luck and if you have any other questions, my email address is: [e-mail]

Answer 7

I had the very same thing with my daughter until she was about 5-6 months old. She was so sweet all day, and then, around dinner time, she would become super fussy. My mother called it 'the witching hour'. It is really pretty normal and should subside soon. My daughter is 7 months old and we sing songs (I sing to her), put on music and quietly dance, look at books, and shake teething rings and rattles. When she was 5 months old, she used to love her gymini (floor mat with hanging toys) and this piano thing that she used to lie on the floor and watch the keys light up and play music.

Answer 8

I had a baby like that! My second son was like this and I about lost it. I finally figured out that he was very sensative to me. He picked up on anytime I felt stressed. When I was rushing around trying to get things done I swear he could feel that and boy could he fuss!
The thing I remember working the best is a bouncy chair. It was one with it some play things on it and it bounced and he liked that. It got his mind off me. Later it was a walker.
You'll get through this-that son is now 12!

Answer 9

It's called "the witching hour" and LOTS of babys do this. The house gets really busy in that time period when people are coming home from work and making dinner. Lots of babys react to this activity by getting fussy.

Can you wear him in a sling?

Put him in a high chair in the kitchen while you work and give him plastic bowls and spoons and stuff to play with? Or a sippy of water to practice with?

Get hubby to do the dishes so you can take care of the baby?

Get dad to take him for a walk and distract him?

Answer 10

Great answers! I would add shortening the naps during the day and to start letting him stimulate himself and not playing with him all day everyday. Put him on a schedule for everything even play time with you. He may be getting to the point at 5 months where he is starting to depend only on you for his little activities. Although 5 months is young, he could swing, have floor time, bouncer time. etc. Make sure that you begin now preparing him for independence. 9pm is a little late for that age. Wake him earlier in the morning and put him down earlier. Another way to calm him is night air. Depending on your climate, before you bath him and put him down for the night take him for a stroll to relax him. Then bathe and feed him and put him down. Routine Routine Routine...Especially for fussy babies. Hope this helps!