Does Grunting=Change in Temperment?

[Jodi and her boys]

Hi there.  My lo is 4.5 months old and has just started this grunting thing.  He has been an angel/ textbook baby (aside from not sleeping through the night yet ), but seems like he is starting to get a bit spirited?  During A time he starts grunting really loud.  Under his gymini he will flail his hanging toys all around, almost out of frustration.  Same when I have him on his tummy or in the swing.  Any toys that he is playing with he gets frustrated with them!  He also has been taking a bit longer to go down for naps.  I thought that it may be teething as he is drooling like crazy and chews on everything, but he is so young and he doesn't seem to have anything going on in his gums.

Do any other mothers have grunting babies out there? Is it just a new-found noise or is he unhappy?

Thanks,

Jodi

[tinytatsmom]

HI JOdi,
My lo would sometimes grunt out of fustration but lots of times I think that it was that she had just figured out how to make that noise and it amused her.  Just wait til your lo learns how to scream.  Tatiana was about 5 months old and she would screech away.  I thought that  she learnt it from a sreamer at the daycare, but my friends lo did it too and he doesn't go to daycare.
As for the teething I thought that Tat was teething around the same time frame but no teeth until 10 months, I think that chewing on stuff is natural and the drooling started around that time to.
your lo may be taking longer to get to sleep b/c he is learning that he can fight it now, just try to be persistant with your routine and he will figure out what's going on.
Good luck

[Jodi and her boys]

Thanks Tinytatsmom.  I think you are right. He was grunting and smiling all day today, so it must not be that he is unhappy. I guess the grunting is more bearable than the screeming!!!  We will wait until that stage!  Thanks!

Jodi

[New Mommasita]

Hi Jodi,

I could have written your post word for word! My LO just turned 5 months old and he does the grunting thing too - he's been doing it for a while now. I used to think that he was unhappy or uncomfortable but I eventually realized that he's was just grunting to make sounds. You'll see, they will become less and less frequent. My LO doesn't grunt as much anymore. I completely understand about activity time too. It's almost as if my LO gets angry when the toy doesn't do what he expects it to. He's got some spirit I tell ya'! The gymini worked for a little while but it wasn't too long before he got frustrated. I've realized that he likes toys that are a little bit more intricate - things that he can turn or buttons that he can push etc...I don't know what to say about the teething thing...I've been expecting my LO to cut a tooth any day (lots of drooling and biting) but so far nothing has appeared.
Hope I can help a bit!

[mumtobrandon]

Hi Jodi,

Yes my lo is 7 months old and he grunts all the time now and I think it is more about learning different sounds and developing what he can do with his mouth. As for the drooling my son was drooling from three months and I thought he was teething that whole time but they did not pop through until this month. I speculated for months. A tell tale sign is the red cheeks and large amounts of drooling enough to soak a shirt and very clingy. I hope this helps.

[Jodi and her boys]

Thanks guys!  After watching him during A time, I am learning that the gymini and laying on his back don't do it anymore for him.  He is much happier in an excersaucer or practicing sitting up with me.  He must just want to see things from a different view!  He still grunts, but now I know he just wants to be a big boy!  Thanks for your stories!

[maevamena]

I could have written Jodi's post word for word too. My 7-month old is a grunter too. Good to know there are other textbook-turned-grunter babies out there. It's been worrying me lately because it seems to be getting louder and more frequent. I'm starting to wonder if it's the beginning of a tantrum. Can tantrums start at this age??  If so, can I do to something to reinforce her when she's not grunting?

[Erin M]

Grunting is really just one way of communicating with you at this age.  If it really bothers you, you can make a big deal of it when she's making noises other than grunting and not react when she does (though do make sure she's not trying to communicate some need to you) -- my dd went through several screaming stages and that's what usually worked for us. 

Babies generally start to drool more around 3/4 months - I want to say I've read it's because they're getting to the stage where they're going to start putting everything in their mouths and it's just their body's way of getting ready for it.  There are a ton of different teething symptoms - my LO's teething has always been accompanied by rather upset early morning wake ups - you'll figure out what your LO's collection of symptoms are (though I find I only realize it after the fact usually).