What do you do when they won't stop screaming?

**Duckie** · 21-08-2008, 09:19am

We had our worst night with Elliot last night - he just wouldn't settle at all, spent most of the evening screaming and finally, eventually got him to sleep about 1am

. He hasn't been much better so far this morning - woke about 8am and when he's not feeding he's crying. He seems to have just dozed off in his swing for now though luckily.

I think it's wind causing him pain but I can't get anything up. I'm sure it's not hunger - last night I fed him quite a lot; actually I'm sure that probably exacerbated the problem but he wouldn't take the dummy and it was the only way to get him to calm down and be quiet

. I think probably part of it was overtiredness as well as he only really slept/dozed on me for a few minutes here and there throughout the evening. I don't know if it's colic yet - we never had this with Anna so no experience, but I've got a horrible feeling it might be

. I seriously don't know how I'll cope if he's like this every day/evening - I just don't know what to do. With Anna we could just put her down in her chair or pram and she'd be happy most of the time but I can't seem to put him down, but can't seem to comfort him/calm him either

. I don't want to feed him all the time as I'm pretty sure that's not helping either. So what do you do when your baby is like this? How do you calm them down & comfort them? I wish he loved his dummy as that might help, but he's really not that fussed and when he's really going for it there's no way it will stay in.

**One Sock** · 21-08-2008, 09:23am

Ruben basically would not let us put him down for the first six weeks so I used to pop him in a sling and just go about my normal evening. Then at bedtime just let him sleep on me/next to me in the bed.

**Booh** · 21-08-2008, 09:25am

It does sound like colic, or maybe silent reflux.

Have you tried infacol? That may help a little.

Most babies will brow out of colic, both of mine had it, DD was a total nightmare. But they do grow out of it

Another thought, have you eaten anything that may upset him (beans always made DS unsettled)

**S-J** · 21-08-2008, 09:59am

It does sound like colic. My DS had this and it is awful

We used Dentinox, and found it the bst thing to help him. Dont think you are bottle feeding, but if you ever use bottles, Dr Browns ones the best.

**Posie** · 21-08-2008, 11:15am

We had evenings of crying with Willow until she was just over 8 weeks old. There's nothing so depressing than at the end of a long day with 2 kids, one of them screaming throughout the evening, when you just want to switch off. So you have my sympathies!

Suggestions to try (some of which have been suggested already):

- Dr Brown bottles (I ended up expressing the 6pm feed and putting it in these bottles to try and help, as she got less wind than from my boob - strangely)
- infacol before every feed. Works brilliantly to help bring up the wind, and we stopped using it about 9 weeks.
- Sitting upright. We used to put Willow in her bouncy chair in the evenings when she wouldn't settle. And she always slept better in her car seat when we were out and about, rather than her cot

Is fine in her cot now though, so don't worry about habits this early on!
- I did buy Colief which can apparently help, but she had a really bad evening the night I decided to try it, so I didn't use it again.
- A large glass of wine. For you to have to help get through the evening.

Hope it sorts itself out soon...

**L66TTY** · 21-08-2008, 11:19am

Popped him in a sling and went for a walk twighlight walks were quite common for me in the first few weeks but were a sure fire way to get him to go to sleep and were quite a nice thing for me to do too!

**Elektra** · 21-08-2008, 11:19am

Massive hugs, a crying newborn is THE most sressful thing. If it is colic we used a triple whammy of Dr Brown bottles, infacol and colief but TBH it only really got better at 12 weeks.
I hope Elliot and you have a better evening tonight.

**Duckie** · 21-08-2008, 12:33pm

Thanks girls

. I'm praying it's not colic - he's been okay so far this morning but who knows what this evening will bring. I need to try the Infacol - got it upstairs in the bathroom but keep forgetting to bring it down before feeding him

. Good to know other suggestions of things that might help though - I've heard of Coleif but not Dentinox (well, not as anything other than teething gel anyway!).

I was very lucky with Anna and don't really know how to cope with a screamer

.

**Littlemisstwinks** · 21-08-2008, 01:22pm

Katie was just like this - an absolute nightmare. She did grow out of it by about 4months but thats no help to you now is it!

We have a rocker chair from Mothercare, and until she was about six or seven weeks old she slept in that......the health visitor said it was ok and the gentle pressure of the harness on her tummy might actually help with the colicky pain.

We tried EVERYTHING, camomile tea, colief, infacol, dentinox, teething sachets......actually the other thing i used to have to do with her was put her in the swing for a couple of hours in the night whilst i got some sleep.

God i almost forgot how dreadful that time was, i'm so pleased Matthew wasnt like that!!

Have a

It will get better, much as it probably irritates you to hear!

x

**Chickster** · 21-08-2008, 03:47pm

I had this with Will but it was from 4-8pm every day. I put it down to colic and personally found Infacol very effective in helping to bring up Will's wind.

Another trick I tried (which I got from a lovely Damsel) is to lay baby on their tummy across your lap so that one of your knees is in their gut, gently pat their back and try to bring the wind up that way. If it doesn't work, or is too uncomfortable for Elliot, try slinging him up on your shoulder so that your shoulder is in his gut and bring his wind up that way (obviously with a muslin protecting your back!).

to you hun. It's awful when they're screaming and you can't calm them down.