BabyWhispererForums.com
ACTIVITY => Activity Time & Toddler Activity => Topic started by: eidos on March 26, 2013, 17:26:46 pm
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DD is just over 9 months and all of a sudden seems to have gotten so much moodier and fussy during the day. She's a spirited baby anyway, and has just learnt how to add a really grating edge to her cry, but she always used to seem reasonably content so long as she was entertained and had her needs taken care of. Now whenever she's upset, even slightly, she seems to rage! We can't even change her nappy or clothes without her raging at us, she gets bored so she rages, she doesn't want me to do this or that or seems to be slightly unhappy with something or whatever she's doing - so rage! It is really getting to me, honestly I sometimes wish I could tell her to shut up but obviously can't and wouldn't, I know she's just a baby and doesn't know any better (and that hopefully this too shall pass!!!). But it's all I can do to stop myself sometimes, it is really using up all of my patience and making me angry in turn. What can I do that will preserve my sanity?
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earplugs! No, seriously, not so much that you can't hear her, just enough to take the grating edge off the cry. It might make it easier to remain calm when she has these meltdowns. As to the rage itself, no suggestions there, just hugs. Maybe she is feeling frustrated that she wants to communicate but can't yet, maybe she just figured out how to mommy's attention. It is aslo possible that she is getting her first year molars and it is making her grumpy overall - the molars can bother the LO's for a good while before they actually erupt.
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Is she teething? This can make a otherwise happy baby seem like all of a sudden they are a different baby!
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Could be teeth, could be developmental. She might be noticing that she has more control over herself and her environment than she used to, or has stronger feelings about them. She's still pre-verbal (unless she's VERY advanced! LOL) so she might have something to say but frustrated that she can't yet say it.
9 months is also prime time for separation anxiety to rear its head if it isn't teeth (this time); we had it closer to 11 months but still a developmental thing.
Agree with earplugs to take the edge off for you - women react strongly to baby/kid crying/whining noises due to biology - and lots of sympathy/empathy/naming stuff: "Wow, you seem really [frustrated/annoyed/angry/whatever] that [X] is happening!"
Oh, and give pain meds at naptime/bedtime and see if it makes a difference; if they can't sleep due to pain, humans tend to be crankier.
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Tantrums can be brought on, or made worse, by over tiredness too so it might be worth looking again at her routine to see if she's getting enough sleep.