Dr. Robert Needlman
Specialist in pediatric behavior and development.
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 Ask Dr. Needlman
Sweet Six-Month-Old Suddenly Irritable | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Needlman,
Help! My six-month-old son has completely gotten out of his routine over the past two weeks. He used to sleep through the night and now wakes up several times. When he wakes up at 4:30 in the morning he will not go back to sleep until he's been fed. All these disruptions cause him to need an extra nap and completely throws off his feeding schedule. I already feed him a total of 10 tbsp of cereal, 10 ounces of fruits and veggies, and about 24 ounces of formula a day. He weighs 19 pounds and is 27 inches long. He has also taken to screaming, which he does with great frequency; my husband or I holding him seems to be the only thing that will soothe him. I am not sure what to do with all this new behavior. Could he be teething or going through a growth spurt? Help bring back my sweet six-month-old!— Mamakrabill in Arlington, Texas | | | ANSWER |
November 19, 2001 | | | Dear Mamakrabill,
It sounds as though you are feeding your son appropriately, and he is (according to the official growth charts) perfectly proportioned, and above average in size (a good, healthy size, not too big, certainly not undernourished!).
There are phases in children's development when usually pleasant, happy children can become irritable or clingy for no apparent reason. But six months is not usually one of these times. It certainly is possible that teething could be making your child irritable. Teething can hurt well before the teeth actually cut through the gums. You would probably see slightly swollen gums, and they might be tender. Growth spurts usually result in children wanting to eat a lot, but not in being irritable (unless they are hungry.)
It also is possible that there is something going on of a medical nature. An illness could be interfering with your child's sleep, making him want to be held a lot more than usual, and also making cry much more than usual--or scream, as you put it. One common illness that does this is ear infections. The only way to make sure your child doesn't have an ear infection or other illness, is to have your child examined carefully by his doctor.— by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
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