Angry Little 6 1/2 mo old boy

Last month we all came down with the flu.....YEAH. My DS has not been right since. He had the toughest time of all of us. Now, he is an angry/frustrated little boy. I never thought a child so young could exhaust this much frustration. Out twins had been following sleep schedules for months. After the flu, my DD went right back into routine. My DS, refuses the crib, refuses naps, refuses the floor time, refuses pretty much everything. He grunts and whines when he can't move quick enough or reach the toy he wants. He need to constantly have some type of contact with me or my partner. He loves his jumpy for about 5 minutes, and loves his cereal. He has also become obsessed with my hair. He needs to be touching it, smelling it, rubbing it in his face when I am holding him??? I have already taken him to the DR for follow-up about a week after I thought he was feeling better because at one point I thought it was an ear infection. No...DR. responded the world just needs angry little boys. REALLY? Are you kidding me? MY DS was always needy but this has gone to far. My partner wants me to let him CIO at night to help him get back to his sleeping patterns and to learn to love the crib again. BUT - I listen to him cry, fuss and whine all day. That is the last thing I want. I've lost my bed, my mind, and my sanity.

Thoughts???? Suggestions?????

 

It sounds like something might be wrong, I don't think a 6 month old can feel anger. I would take him back to the pedi if he still isn't acting like himself, it sounds like he might still be feeling sick.

 

I agree with the pp. Sounds like he's still uncomfortable and may be something else going on. Maybe something else besides the flu. I would definitely take him in and explain all this to your pedi; doesn't hurt to get a professional opinion anyways! I hope he starts feeling better soon! GL!

 

Do you think he could be teething? One of my girls goes through something similar: if she wasn't eating, or sleeping she was whining if I didn't hold her. It only lasted a few days. I was told that the teeth move and then stop so that could have been it...Or maybe he is not feeling well still. We had the flu last month and it lingered with me for awhile (that could have been attributed to no rest though!)I started to use fennel which helps their digestive system and their teeth. (make it like a tea and then give it to them in dropper form).

 

It's possible that this is just a developmental stage, nothing to do with the illness. You're right at the time when babies are making some big neurological leaps and they can find them frightening and their slow progess frustrating. Separation anxiety is also very common. My boys are right in the same time period and they're sleeping poorly or not at all, being very demanding and clingy but not happy even if they get what they wanted like being picked up. They always want to be entertained and given attention. They're harder to change their diaper and clothes and they don't like new people as much as they used to. There's a book that I really like - The Wonder Weeks - that has really helped me understand different developmental stages. It also reassures me that these things are normal and that they'll pass!

 

I think I would take him back to the doctor. If your doctor isn't taking this seriously, maybe you could get a second opinion from another pedi. I'm sorry you're going through this. Hopefully it's just a phase that will pass quickly.

 

I agree with Rebekah.

My son Eli has a temper, and it started at 5 months old. In his case, he was really angry because he wanted to grab his toys, but he couldn't get to them. If I would have let him, he was have yelled for 20-30 minutes while trying to grab his toys in front of him. In some ways it was kind of funny, he'd bang his hand on the floor and yell louder and louder. It slowed around 5.5 months when he started to army crawl and by 6 months when he could crawl regularly he stopped. He's like this a lot. His brain gets ahead of his body, and it makes him angry.

The clinginess may be related to something else, who knows. You could always take him back to the doctor if it will set your mind at ease.

On another note, illnesses can often lead to bad habits. My kids are pretty poor sleepers, and every single time they've gotten sick (from about 8 months on) I had to do CIO or some other measure to readjust their sleeping. At this point, he could also be cranky because he tired and out of his routine.

 

Thank You for all the thoughts and suggestions so far. We are going for our 6 month check-up and shots tomorrow....The shots always go over very well..... NOT. :bad:

 

Definitely bring it up with your doctor again when you go tomorrow, just to make sure all is well & he is recovering well from the flu. Hopefully, it's just a phase he is going through and it will pass quickly. :hug:

 

Yes, I would definitely bring it up to your Dr at your visit. :hug: