[brieanniepannie]

Mikael is 14 months old... and he has become a little monster! He throws a fit about EVERYTHING.. and is not content with ANYTHING. He wants up he wants down he wants this toy he hates this toy... he just is NOT happy with anything! What do i do?
In addition he has turned on me... he only wants his dad to get him ready in the morning. It used to be me... but now that my boyfriend takes him to daycare he only wants his daddy. I only see him probably 4 hours a day as it is and now he wants nothing to do with me. what did i do wrong?
Finally, ever since he was like 6-7 months old, he has been waking up (at 10 p.m. on the dot) screaming! He is never awake, and as soon as i pick him up he is still asleep and is fine. but this happens several times a night. What could this be? I googled nightmares and thought that was it but this has been going on for several months. What do i do about that? I am ripping my hair out. Im at my wits end! I thought it might be teething (he had like 5 come in at once) so I have been giving him tylenol at night but that doesnt help. What do i do???

[ASheppa0821]

You're not alone... Emma has the fits, too (screaming, going limp on the floor, etc.), but she's quickly learning that they're not acceptable behavior patterns. A lot of it stems from lack of being able to communicate what they want. Try asking him if he wants certain things (it's also a good time to learn new vocabulary for him), like "Do you want down?" or "Do you want some juice?" and point to things. If he looks like he wants something, you can say "Juice, please." It will make him feel more empowered, in a sense. Sometimes, it's just purely attention-getting and they're ticked about something. Now, it's just getting to the point where I just have to look at Emma and she chills out, but it took awhile to get to that point. It's a very trying time, but it calms down, I promise!

As far as the "dumped for Daddy" syndrome... Emma goes through phases where she just wants my husband, or even my mom (who lives across the street). Yesterday, I was laying her down for a nap, and she tells me "Daddy... No mama..." and I said "You want me to call daddy?" and she said "Dess!" and shook her head yes. Other times, she wants nothing to do with him. He's probably gotten in the habit of seeing his Dad in the morning and having him take care of morning routines that he's become comfortable with him at this point. He doesn't love you any less... Believe me - there will come times where only Mommy will do!

Emma also did the bedtime thing. If he's still asleep and crying, just walk in, rub his back or tummy (whatever side he's not laying on) to let him know you're there, until he goes back to sleep. Sometimes, they just want to sense that someone is there. Emma stopped doing this when she hit 12 months and I put her bumper pad back into her crib. She felt like someone or something comforting was there with her and she wasn't so alone. You just have to find what works for them. Is there a blanket or toy he likes to snuggle with?

[brieanniepannie]

No, Mikael does not have something he is particularly attached to... I took off the bumper on his crib because he kept pulling up on it. Would that affect him? I know i just have to go in and calm him down but its several times a night and I am exhausted. I am worried its an indication of how he is being treated at daycare or something... idk.

[ASheppa0821]

Don't worry - I'm a SAHM and Emma went through the same thing. Do you give him a warm bath before bed? I found that if I hurried up and washed Emma's hair and body, then let her play for 15-20 minutes in the tub, it really helped her sleep through without waking up at all.

When did you take the bumper out? Maybe try putting it back in to see how he does with it...??? When he wakes up, does he go right back down? I know when Emma woke me up, she'd wake up at 1:00 or 3:00 and not go back down for 3-4 hours, if at all. She'd fall asleep in my arms, and wake up the moment I laid her down. I know this is extremely hard. Do you rock him, or just lay him down at night? This is the routine that got Emma out of this "funk":

*Warm bath/water play 1 hour before bedtime (around 30 minutes, including getting dressed afterward).
*Short body massage with lotion
*Reading a book while she drank her sippy, and once sippy was done, then reading time was done (unless she really was into it and interactive).
*Turn on CD and rock in the dark for 5 minutes (the length of two songs)
*Leave the CD running softly all night on repeat so that if he wakes up, he hears calming music and won't be so afraid. This oftentimes will help them fall back to sleep on their own.
*Laid her down and walked away. She only cries for about 1-5 minutes most of the time.

That routine has gotten Emma to sleep for 11-12 hours a night without interruption. Until then, I didn't get a full night's sleep in about 9 months. It was hard! Don't worry - it's normal!

[Tracey with 6]

I'm afraid it's a stage he will work himself through , unfortunatley not one of the nice ones, I think the night problems could be night terrors especially if he appearsto be asleep, my 11 year old went through it , try googling night terrors , sorry I can't be of much more help than that