Crabbiest baby on the block and activity time

[PuppyLuf]

I have a very touchy 2-month-old baby.  He is generally awake 45 minutes into each nap and I can't get him down again, no matter how much shushing, patting, etc. I do.  Thankfully, he sleeps well at night.  He generally makes about 1.5 hours between waking up and going back down, but because he is so surly, activity time is absolutely no fun.

He can be relatively happy in his bouncy seat looking at things for about 15-20 minutes, and then he starts to get crabby.  He does not want to be held, to sit, or to do anything.  He just screams.  Sometimes, he is happy standing on my lap while I hold him under the arms, but my biceps can only do this for so long.  Sitting on my lap or lying over my shoulder does nothing.   Looking at anything overstimulates him. So, basically, after about 15 minutes of A-time, I have another 45 minutes of activity time that constitutes of him crying.  It's not a happy time. 

I end up putting him in his swing with a dummy so he is quiet, and this makes me feel like a neglectful parent.  I know that when naps increase, he will be better, but what in the world do you do with a baby who gets overstimulated at the sight of...well... just about anything?

Thank you.

[Erin M]

My first and third were very much like this as babies -- they got overstimulated so easily sometimes at this age (the good news being that both of mine grew out of it somewhere around 4 months and have been wonderfully happy and content every since).  What kinds of things is he looking at?  Maybe it's too much?  You can just have him look out the window.  I think with my first LO, I thought they should be so focused on looking at all sorts of things that I probably just completely overstimulated them. 

I know you have a post on the reflux board -- it could be that you're still working out some discomfort.  It also could be that he's up a little bit too long -- you mention 45 minute naps, he could be a bit overtired at that point.  Being outside always calmed mine at that age -- though noticing you're in the US, chances are it's ridiculously cold by you and not really easy to get out.  Do you ever use white noise to calm him when he gets upset? 

[PuppyLuf]

Mostly he looks at photographs on the wall.  Or he looks at a vase of flowers.  Sometimes he looks at designs on the futon sheet.  It is indeed too cold to be outside much.  His reflux seems to be finally under control.  He sleeps comfortably at night and has stopped wailing in his sleep.  He appears to get bored easily and overstimulated easily.  I have tried a white noise maker at bedtimes, but that seemed to make no difference and sometimes make things worse because he associated it with sleep time, which he fights every nap and each night.  He has to "cry down" for at least 5 minutes in order to relax enough to sleep.  It's exhausting...

[Erin M]

Yeah, it was a really rough age for 2 of my 3.  Keep it as low key as you are, make sure you aren't walking with overtiredness and he will eventually grow into it -- 4 months was pretty much magic for my two who were rough until then -- ds always cried at bed time -- I used to hold my phone in one hand and play games on it as sit distracted me from the crying as I say with him and soothed him.   Wish I had some more helpful advice other than "wait it out"