Screaming Girls--help! Also posted in PAL

daisy19782011 · April 2014

We had 2 family stops this weekend both where my girls SCREAMED non-stop for hours. They are 5 months and they have done this once before about a month ago when my husband took them to his parents and they had the whole neighborhood over there to see them. He said it was a disaster. Now this weekend, at his family's gathering and mine, they did the same thing. Once they started screaming, they were inconsolable and would not stop. Any ideas? They were not hungry and had clean diapers....we are at a loss. They do fine when we take them in public...restaurants, Target, grocery store, church, etc. and even took pictures with the Easter Bunny with no problem! Also, once we get home, they are fine! TIA!

raraavis28 · April 2014

Sounds like my little guys around that age. They are sensitive babies and get overwhelmed easily by a lot of people they aren't familiar w/....even at almost 16 months they were on the fussy and clingy side at the ILs' Easter party just b/c the crowd was huge (35 people in a smallish house). They were able to cope with it, play outside etc. but when they were your girls' age such a situation would have been just intolerable. I remember DH and I doing a lot of walking babies in separate rooms at IL gatherings while everyone else had fun....and wondering "why they heck did we go to this thing again??" :-P

No advice, really, besides "ride it out," but you are not alone. I remember this age being challenging with the boys in many areas.....but it did get better!

daisy19782011 · April 2014

Thanks! I am starting to think that is what it is. Poor girls...it is so hard to see them so upset...and Everyone wants to be the one that can calm them down and they just keep getting passed around and get madder and madder.

dmurrie · April 2014

Our Singleton did this around the same age... lots of people who know you, and get very close and want to talk to them and touch them. At the store, most people stay farther away or at least aren't as touchy-feely. There's a distance there, which is comforting. She can still be a bit clingy now, but she doesn't scream any more, and she usually opens up an hour or so into a family function. Twins are still inside babies... we'll see how they do at that age. Also, DD is still creeped out by men we aren't related to, specifically those without facial hair. Once again, doesn't scream, but she is very cautious.

Wishing35 · April 2014

Usually if my girls are like that it means they are over tired. It may also have been a combo of that and being overstimulated by different people and things going on. What I tried to do if this happend was take them into a quiet room if possible, turn down the lights and hold or rock them.

Rachiemoo · April 2014

Babies need some time to get used to new people before they are comfortable with them. My girls are the same way. I wish there was a nice way to tell people to just relax and not approach the babies for 30 minutes or so, after the babies get used to them and know they are "safe", then they are much more relaxed.

ballygirl · April 2014

My girls were like that about then too. They would get very overwhelmed in new places or around a lot of new people. They were usually ok if it was just one or two new people, but we had several epic double meltdowns when we tried to take them to a couple family functions around 3-5 months. We tried to bring them to a superbowl party and had to leave 1/2 hour after getting there. They were just little messes. They are a little over 6 months now and seem to be taking it a bit better. We were nervous for Passover at my BILs and Easter this year but they were fantastic - charmed the pants off everybody.

I have one girl who is still a little more sensitive though, so I always make sure to hold her myself and look for cues that she is getting overstimulated and then I will just take her to a quiet room for a bit until she seems better. Sometimes I also ration the number of people who can hover over them at one time. Sometimes, especially with twins, everyone wants to get in on the action all at once and it is too overwhelming. Often if it seems like there are too many people crowding around and getting up in their faces, I'll just take them away and try to get them to visit with only 1 or 2 people at a time. I think it is less overwhelming and over stimulating for them.

CaliCarly77 · April 2014

ballygirl said:

My girls were like that about then too. ...

Nothing to add since our girls are only 15 weeks old and I refuse to take them anywhere, just wanted to say I love your new picture, BallyGirl!!

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Screaming Girls--help! Also posted in PAL

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