8 month old melt downs

llreid10

Ok so he's steadily getting worse with his I want to be held tantrums... My husband makes me feel like I shouldn't pick him up just bc he's crying but he's my little man and it breaks my heart to see him upset is this wrong of me?? Am I really creating a problem like my husband says!?!?

llreid10

Oh and I forgot to mention the meltdowns are more than likely bc he is teething...

PB102012

AFwifelife said:

I think you should comfort your child. Especially if you think he is in pain.

This exactly.

llreid10

THANK YA'LL GLAD TO KNOW I'M NOT MAKING A SPOILED BRAT (AS MY HUSBAND SAYS LOL) ^:)^

I think I just needed to hear that I was doing the right thing!!! It's funny you can read so many different things on one topic it gets so confusing to where you really start to question your own judgement.

llreid10

MrsMuq said:

somerandomchick said:

8 months can be the first wave of separation anxiety... Where they understand YOU ARE NOT HOLDING ME and I want to be held. By mommy, specifically. At that age we went to my moms 50th birthday party... DD would be happy in my aunts arms until I walk past within eyesight. Commence meltdown and reaching out for mommy. It's normal. It's a phase, sort of. Babies go in and out of meltdown phases. But it's perfectly ok to comfort them when they cry. I will sometimes let her fuss and see if she settles herself. Sometimes she has to cry cause I'm busy--sorry hun, this mama doesn't do lap-pooping (holding your baby while you're on the toilet!). But in general I will pick her up when she cries, or just hang out with her inside the playpen.

somerandomchick - I just spit my coffee all over my desk LOLing.

HAHAHAH that was great!!! But SOOO true!!! I won't stop what I'm doing and rush to him but I'm not one to let him cry for 5-10 mins when it is obvious he's not going to settle down!!! 

Thank ya'll for all the great advice!!!!

llreid10

dhaueisen said:

I didn't think that babies this young threw tantrums. Until DD started throwing them at 7 months. She has always been a very loud and dramatic crier when she needs something, but around 7 months she started to angry cry with tears gushing, angry shrieks, arching and throwing herself backwards with her hands in the air...the whole 9 yards. However, she is still too young to understand what she is doing and too young to be able to get control of her emotions on her own. I don't leave her when she does this because it just upsets her more and confuses her. For DD it requires cuddles and her wubbanub and lovey to help her get control again. She hiccups and fusses for a minute or two while she fights to calm back down, and then is all smiles again.
At this age there is still a reason they are crying, even if it's a tantrum. For DD it is usually that she is tired or separation anxiety. You aren't spoiling your LO by being there for them, even when they are throwing a tantrum. I understand not wanting your LO to start to associate a tantrum with getting positive attention. Therefore, with DD I work to avoid the tantrums and meet her need that if left unmet will result in hysteria. If she is starting to get restless when playing by herself I go pick her up before the tears start. When she is starting to get tired I stop what I am doing and put her down for a nap or bedtime before she gets too tired and has a meltdown. For the tantrums that can't be avoided, such as LO having a meltdown because you won't let him eat the car keys, then you obviously don't give him what he wants but still comfort him while he learns the tough lesson that in life, we don't always get what we want. They are babies. They are going to cry over silly things and be, well, a crybaby sometimes. This is the age where it is perfectly normal and acceptable to think your world is ending because you aren't allowed to eat car keys or you missed a nap. Let him be a baby. Dry his silly tears and comfort him when he cries for you. You aren't spoiling him, you're being his mom.

Thank you SO much for that post!!!! Sometimes you just need to be reassured you're doing the right thing with this confusing emotional journey called motherhood lol!!!