5 month old ornary every night at same time... (Full Version)

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learningmom -> 5 month old ornary every night at same time... (7/16/2008 11:21:16 AM)

Let me state that this is my first time here and I have read some of the forums and found them interesting and very informative.

My question is I am a first time mom and my dd is 5 months old and every night between 5 and 7 she is extrememly ornary. She has been doing this for the last 2 months. To the point where she screams like she's been pinched or something. He bed time is between 8 and 8:30. One minute she's happy and the next minute she cried "bloody murder". On top of all of this she is starting to teeth, so that makes the problem worse. I have asked some of my friends about this and one informed me it is called the "terror hour(s)".

Have any of you ever experienced this and if so, have you found anything (routine or things) that worked with preventing this?

Thank you very much for any input :) [:D]



daisies4u -> RE: 5 month old ornary every night at same time... (7/16/2008 11:33:04 AM)

Well, there are lots of explantions and things you could try.

Does she get enough sleep during the day? If she is extra tired and is fighting sleep, that could be the problem.

What does she eat? Could you try something a little more solid in the evening hours. Or if you are already doing that, it could be that her little tummy cannot handle that yet and she has a tummy ache.

What about a warm bath right before bedtime? For some kids this makes them sleepy, but for others it wakes them up.

You see, the explanations and things to try vary with each child. They are all SO different.

If she is screaming like she is being pinched, it sound like she is either in some sort of pain (could be the teeth-have you tried rubbing something on her gums?) or she is MAD. Does she have little crying bouts during the day at all? It could just be her temperment - as in when she gets really tired, she cries like that.



Kat_D -> RE: 5 month old ornary every night at same time... (7/16/2008 11:34:07 AM)

Oh, yeah...I remember the dreaded dinner hour(s). Most babies in their early months are cranky/crying at that time of the day. Not so convenient and very frustrating for mothers trying to make the evening meal, etc., but it's normal.

Just deal...trust me, this too shall pass![;)]

ETA: I used to put mine in a bouncy seat where they could see me...turning on a Baby Eistein video can also be helpful....or you may want to just "wear" your baby during those hours.



Mrs.X -> RE: 5 month old ornary every night at same time... (7/16/2008 11:41:32 AM)

Welcome to the forums! I love this place!

I was always under the impression that night terrors only happen to 1ish year olds. And, that it happens in the middle of the night when baby is sleeping and they wake up screaming bloody murder. I could be wrong.

Does she seem like she's in pain (pulling her knees to her chest or arching her back and straightening up)? Because it's every evening, it makes me want to say colic, but she might be a little old for that, since colic typically starts at around 6 weeks, peaks at 12 weeks and begins to subside from there.

Do you think she may be over stimulated? What time is her nap before that time? If she doesn't seem like she's in pain, and you think she may be overstimulated, try taking her to quiet dark room and nursing her or giving her a bottle. If she doesn't fall asleep, but is happy to lay there, just keep holding her and being quiet for a while. She may just need to wind down.

Have you given her Tylenol for her teething pain? If so, what happens between 5 and 7 on the day you give her Tylenol? If she seems fine, I'd bet it's either teething or something else that makes her be in pain.

If you can't figure it out, try wearing her in a carrier or wrap.



Jenny-Fair -> RE: 5 month old ornary every night at same time... (7/16/2008 11:46:18 AM)

She sounds tired to me. What kind of naps is she taking? They make a lot of developmental leaps around that age and need more sleep, and possibly more food, as well. Is she breastfed or formula? Does she eat solids?

A baby will have a very quiet, kind of zoning-out time, prior to getting upset, when they are tired. If you put them to sleep during that time, things go much more smoothly.



Sideways -> RE: 5 month old ornary every night at same time... (7/16/2008 11:55:40 AM)

I think Jenny is right on the money. It's odd, but depending on growth/development spurts, a child can sometimes need more sleep as they get older.

How are you treating the teething?



Jenny-Fair -> RE: 5 month old ornary every night at same time... (7/16/2008 11:57:47 AM)

Other than the spurt, the only thing that occurred to me, and why I asked about feeding, is that possibly she's been eating something for lunch or dinner that is not agreeing with her. Beyond that, I would definitely up the formula or breastfeeding (solid food is just play right now, not actually nutrition) and switch around the nap times--ie, an earlier morning nap if she's only taking one a day, so that she will take an afternoon nap, that sort of thing.



pbaribeault -> RE: 5 month old ornary every night at same time... (7/16/2008 12:10:38 PM)

I'm not clear if we're talking about 5-7pm (every 'night' at supper time) or 5-7am (still part of the 'night's sleep).



Hislittleone -> RE: 5 month old ornary every night at same time... (7/16/2008 12:15:45 PM)

quote:

Mrs.X "Does she seem like she's in pain (pulling her knees to her chest or arching her back and straightening up)? Because it's every evening, it makes me want to say colic, but she might be a little old for that, since colic typically starts at around 6 weeks, peaks at 12 weeks and begins to subside from there."


That's what I was thinking too except I think I remember our pediatrician saying colic doesn't start until later.....at 3 or 6 months. [&:] It's been a while so I may be remembering wrong. We thought our ds#2 had colic but it turned out he wasn't getting enough milk. Once I built my supply back up he was fine.

Typing this just triggered a memory. Ds went through a short lived (thank goodness [8D]) stage when he was ~1 year when he would cry as if he were in terrible pain at the same time every day. NOTHING could comfort him. It only lasted a ~ a couple of weeks though.



Mrs.X -> RE: 5 month old ornary every night at same time... (7/16/2008 12:30:04 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Hislittleone

quote:

Mrs.X "Does she seem like she's in pain (pulling her knees to her chest or arching her back and straightening up)? Because it's every evening, it makes me want to say colic, but she might be a little old for that, since colic typically starts at around 6 weeks, peaks at 12 weeks and begins to subside from there."


That's what I was thinking too except I think I remember our pediatrician saying colic doesn't start until later.....at 3 or 6 months. [&:] It's been a while so I may be remembering wrong. We thought our ds#2 had colic but it turned out he wasn't getting enough milk. Once I built my supply back up he was fine.

Typing this just triggered a memory. Ds went through a short lived (thank goodness [8D]) stage when he was ~1 year when he would cry as if he were in terrible pain at the same time every day. NOTHING could comfort him. It only lasted a ~ a couple of weeks though.

I could be wrong about the ages too.

I like Jenny's suggestion about paying attention to the signs of her being tired prior to her crying time and trying to get her to sleep before it happens. That might mean she has a bit of later bedtime though, but it's worth it. It's what we had to do with my littlest.

If all else fails, prep dinner way beforehand, do all the chopping, marinading and getting everything ready to go into the pan at around 3pm. That way it will only take 15 minutes to make dinner.



manda59 -> RE: 5 month old ornary every night at same time... (7/16/2008 12:46:34 PM)

Have you tried putting her to bed earlier? It might be that she wants to go down for the night.



PrincessDonna -> RE: 5 month old ornary every night at same time... (7/16/2008 1:05:09 PM)

Tired, teething, or too much stimulation...or a combo of all three. I have the same questions as everyone else before I guess at which. LOL

Something that may work for ANY of those though is to make after dinner a regular "go for a walk" time. Sometimes that is enough to distract them from whatever is bothering, and it certainly is good for Mom and/or Dad to get out and get some fresh air and exercise.



learningmom -> RE: 5 month old ornary every night at same time... (7/16/2008 1:57:12 PM)

Thank you all for your advice, I really appreciate it and I will try anything at this point.

Let me clarify that this cranky time is at night.

Tired - she's sleeping roughly 3 hours every day in naps and is sleeping through the night for aprrox 12 hours. She usually goes to bed between 7:30 and 8:30 for the night, wakes up between 7 and 8 in the morning. She eats and takes a half hour nap around 10 am. She plays, eats and takes her long nap around 1 for around 1 1/2 - 2 hours, she also take another quick nap around 4:30 - 5 for a half hour. When she wakes up from that nap she's good for a little while, then the crankiness kicks in.

Food - she is formula fed. She eats oatmeal cereal in the morning and loves it. She eats bottles throughout the day every 3-5 hours. Around 6pm she eats baby food - veggies or fruits. She gets fussy sometimes before her feedings, sometimes after. She's been eating these for about 6 weeks. I thought she was getting fussy because she was anxious for her night feed, but she's fussy before and after the feed.

I do give her a bath every other night after her 6pm feed. She likes it, but after the bath - back at crying again.

She is cranky and I have tried her swing, vibrating chair, high chair, positioner - the only thing that works is if I hold her and walk around. Which I don't mind for the first half hour or so- but physically it get's hard for me to do it and I'm exhausted. My husband and I have just gotten use to eating our dinner when she goes to bed.

Oh- the teething, I have used orajel but that only seem to make her stop biting her fists. She's still cranky. I really don't use tylenol just b/c I don't want to rely on med's - but I guess I should maybe try that once she wakes up from her last nap.

Let me also note that she is my miracle baby! She was 7 weeks premature so I'm not exactly sure where she is development wise.

Thanks again for all your input!



JoyfulLady -> RE: 5 month old ornary every night at same time... (7/16/2008 2:21:01 PM)

My son went through the exact same thing, at around 4 months. The only thing I could figure out is that he was overtired or possibly hurting from teething. He was over it after 3-4 weeks, thankfully.
Things that helped were:

Riding in the car (even as little as 10 minutes of riding)
Tylenol, on the nights he seemed to be in pain.
Going outside for a change of scenery.

I would suggest you try wearing her in a sling or wrap, too. Maybe that would help, since she wants to be held....then your hands would be free.



daisies4u -> RE: 5 month old ornary every night at same time... (7/16/2008 2:37:40 PM)

How about switching to oatmeal in the evenings as well. You could put a little fruit with it. Her little tummy may not be ready for veggies and fruit yet. I realize she is in the age frame to eat these but every baby is different. Maybe just a change of schedule would work. Could you feed her before she goes down for last nap or either right after she wakes up?



Mrs.X -> RE: 5 month old ornary every night at same time... (7/16/2008 3:56:37 PM)

Oh yeah, if she's 7 weeks premature, it definetely could be colic. Nothing really helps that, but it does pass, and if she's been at it for 2 months already, it won't be too long now. You can try gas drops or homeopathic colic tablets. Hylands (the folks who make teething tablets) makes colic tablets too.

She may not even be ready for solids yet because her developmental age is 3 1/2 months. Have you talked to the pediatrician about her eating solids yet? If her digestive system is only that of a 3 1/2 month old, I'd think it would be too early for her to be eating. A couple of tell-tale signs--She can sit up with very little assistance (in a high chair completely upright), she can hold her head up easily, she doesn't have the tongue-thrust action going on when she is eating.



learningmom -> RE: 5 month old ornary every night at same time... (7/16/2008 4:31:09 PM)

Thanks for all your help!!

I did ask the dr about solids. She had to take rice cereal at 3 months b/c she had a reaction to her formula (long story but Similac Isolmil RS really don't work for diareaha!) and we started oatmeal at 4 months. She took so well to it that the dr said she could start baby food. She really likes it- especially fruit. She can sit in her bebe (positioner) and in her high chair. She opens her mouth when the spoon is there and swollows just fine.

Because she was early I have her in a program to see where she is development wise and based on all the tests she is between 5 and 6 months (she's 5.5 months now). She jas rolled over already, which I know that veries alot with ages.

I think I'll back off the baby food for a little while and give her some tylenol at night to help with the teething pain and see if that helps.

I was reading more in the internet and there was another suggestion for gripe water which is all natural for colic and teething - so maybe I'll try that too.

Thanks Again for the input :)



manda59 -> RE: 5 month old ornary every night at same time... (7/16/2008 4:31:34 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: daisies4u
How about switching to oatmeal in the evenings as well. You could put a little fruit with it. Her little tummy may not be ready for veggies and fruit yet.




I was actually more the other way round. Fruit and veggies are often easier on a babies' tummy than products containing wheat or gluten. Even just rice doesn't always go down well.



Mrs.X -> RE: 5 month old ornary every night at same time... (7/16/2008 5:32:23 PM)

Learningmom, she sounds like she's doing great. I agree with Manda, mild things like pears, bananas, apples, squash, potatoes might be a better choice just for now. You can do the "Try this, try that" method for a few days at a time and then try something else. Like switching up the food a few days, then Tylenol a few days, then colic tablets a few days. Hopefully you'll get some answers sooner than later!



Jenny-Fair -> RE: 5 month old ornary every night at same time... (7/16/2008 5:36:56 PM)

quote:

I did ask the dr about solids. She had to take rice cereal at 3 months b/c she had a reaction to her formula (long story but Similac Isolmil RS really don't work for diareaha!) and we started oatmeal at 4 months

I'd be looking for a new doc[&:] I had a preemie--until they are 1 year old, you count their age from their originial due date, not their birth date, so that child would have only been TWO MONTHS OLD when you started oatmeal, and even younger for rice. That can totally mess up a baby's system.

Have you tried offering her a bottle after her short nap, before she gets fussy?



MrsTracy72 -> RE: 5 month old ornary every night at same time... (7/16/2008 9:30:01 PM)

You know if you can give her the bath during that time and maybe use something with lavander in it, that might help, and if she is good in the bath, then keep her in there just a bit longer. Let her play in the water. Maybe getting her to do something else during that time, might get her out of the habit of that crankiness if that is what is causing it.

For our kids, we gave them Enfamil AR that has the added rice startches in it so it is a bit more filling, but if you have to use a certain kind of formula, you can add the rice startches yourself by boiling rice until the water starts to turn white. Then you strain the water out of the rice and add that to the formula. It is pretty much the same thing as the Enfamil AR (Added Rice).

Otherwise you may want to talk to the doc, but if it is at the same time every day and has been going on for two months, then it probably is just colic. That is one of those times where you do what you can, like the bath during that time or something else that makes her happy until it passes.



locomom -> RE: 5 month old ornary every night at same time... (7/18/2008 12:43:34 AM)

Your daughter sounds a lot like mine. We went through a phase of evening irritability every night before bed time. My daughter would cry for hours. Since she is our only child, like you we were first time parents. We finally figured out that she was over stimulated at the end of the day. The solution was to put her in her crib. She would cry for a short period (6 minutes) and then fall asleep. At first it was very hard to wait that short time out, but it soon became obvious that she could blow off steam for a few minutes or we could go on for hours with one of us holding her.

Before you change foods, etc., you might try putting her down to rest somewhere. Of course you will not just walk out, but give her some time to herself. Then every few minutes check on her quietly, rub her back, tell her you love her and see how she was. I think we started with every 3-5 minutes.

I agree with giving her a bath. You can also to do the one thing that works for many babies and toddlers--get them nice and warm, toasty yet not sweating.



stampinlady -> RE: 5 month old ornary every night at same time... (7/18/2008 12:16:42 PM)

quote:

every night between 5 and 7 she is extrememly ornary.


Dh thought our dd hated him because everytime he'd come home she'd be crying. I wasn't one to read alot of books when dd was that age and maybe what we did was wrong, but it worked for us. We'd put her in her car seat and sit her in her room and after awhile she'd be ok. This only lasted for a few weeks, but it worked for us. Dd was a very alert baby early on and we think she was over stimulated by 5 and this was her time to unwind.



sisrev -> RE: 5 month old ornary every night at same time... (7/21/2008 1:38:43 PM)

Try moving the new foods to earlier in the day--that way if it is something she's eating, it will not be at your stress time.

I agree with the other posters--sounds like overstimulation to me. Let her spend some time in a semi-darkened room with minimum visual and audio stimuli and see if that helps.



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