Does your baby do this when they are overtired?

GE · October 2011

I try to do my best to get DS down in his "window" before he gets overtired but its really hit or miss, I only make it about 50% of the time. If he gets overtired he fusses, usually he can be soothed with nursing, but if the tiredness is extreme (take tonight for example - only took one 20 min nap between 3:15 and 8:15) he just cries and cries and is inconsolable. He cried for 1 hour and 40 min and I'm not so sure he's down now. I try to do everything to calm him down but he's not having it. I think this is because he's way past tired and can't settle down, but my first DS was not like this so I am just wondering if any other babies do this or if maybe I need to talk to the doctor to make sure I'm not missing something. He just turned three months old today.

MissManda · October 2011

I can usually read his signs... but, especially for naps, he goes from happy to overtired in about 2 minutes. At night, turning the bath water on calms him down -- he knows it's bedtime and calms down immediately. For naps, I just walk/rock/sometimes swaddle... and sometimes he just has to cry himself to sleep (I do hold him until he's asleep because if I just let him CIO he gets even more mad and worked up and ends up puking).

CarlaAndJames · October 2011

we swaddled when she got like that. She would usually go from freakout to passed out in 2 minutes flat!

GE · October 2011

Yeah I swaddle, unfortunately doesn't seem to help =(

vtwildlifer04 · October 2011

I'd say it sounds like he's extremely overtired, not just tonight but over time (esp since you say it happens about 50% of the time). Understandable since you have another LO to care for - perhaps why DS #1 wasn't the same way. At that point, it was a lot easier to make sure he was able to sleep when necessary. So he probably wasn't as sleep-deprived. With two, that's a lot more difficult. Every LOs temperament is different and they respond to lack of sleep in their own way, so I'd say this is completely normal IMO.

greneyeself · November 2011

I am not sure if this will be much help, my LO only got to that point once, we did not know what to do. And when he winds up he does not cry he screams. I put him in the bath all crying stopped, he hung out in the tub maybe 10-15 minutes then we dried him off did a massage w soothing scented massage oil and he cried a little after that but I was able to rock him to sleep. I feel terrible for him when he gets wounnd up but most of the time a nice warm bath helps.

AmberLiz99 · November 2011

ds would get like that at church because it was 3 hours long and he had a hard time sleeping with all the people around. We found that putting him in his carseat and swinging him would calm him down emoung that sometimes I could walk him to sleep. Mostly he just had to outgrow it. Now at almost 4 months he doesn't get like that even when he's tired

GE · November 2011

Thanks Ladies. I'll definitely try doing a bath next time it happens - haven't tried that yet. And AmberLiz - its encouraging that your DS outgrew this, my DH keeps asking me when he's going to stop doing that....uummm I have no clue but I hope its soon!

genekelly · November 2011

LO does this as well and just can't be consoled once he's worked himself up. I would look for the "tired" cues and use the clock a little bit too. The cues my LO gives are way more subtle now for sleep so I also have to use the clock as a guide. GL!

rileylr215 · November 2011

My LO has gotten like that a few times when over tired. On the nights when nothing seems to soothe him, a ride in the car usually puts him right out. Good luck!

lbursey · November 2011

This happens all the time to us. We can easily read his signs (rubbing his eyes, yawns, fusses etc) but he is so hard to put down for a nap that he usually starts becoming overtired before he naps. Then we have to deal with the meltdown. Sigh, I'm hoping he won't fight sleep forever.

Sarafuss · November 2011

DS does this exact same thing for every nap. It's exhausting. I have to swaddle him, hold him on his side and pat him continuously (and have a binky in his mouth) until he falls asleep. He rarely falls asleep on his own and he cannot self soothe once he's overtired or upset. I too am going to ask my pedi about it at his 4 mo checkup this Saturday.

Snapdragon750 · November 2011

LO used to do that around that age too: once she was overtired, nothing at all would console her except sometimes the pacifier until she just crashed. This got much MUCH better once she learned to suck her thumb, by the way; the problem basically disappeared since she could console herself. Hang in there.

The only thing that calmed her when she got like that was a walk in the stroller.

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