[jhatfield]

Hi ladies - I feel like I'm on here all the time asking for help, but sometimes I don't know what to do! Just wanting opinions on my 10 mo DD. From the start she has been a tricky baby. Heaps of screaming, no smiles, velcro baby, bad sleep etc. Massive temper tantrums and continuous meltdowns at the smallest things where it takes a long time to calm her down. During these tantrums she will scratch herself wildly which results in her face and neck constantly covered in red marks and scratches, and she'll often do it until she's bleeding. Now, over time she has actually gotten heaps better. The temper tantrums are really the only thing that really remain. And I've figured I can normally settle her with REALLY loud music which drowns out her screams and seems to help her relax. However, these tantrums are really killing me. If I do anything she doesn't like, or she's the slightest bit unhappy she turns it on. And sometimes I have to just let her go, cause I can't do what she wants all the time. This isn't a phase or teething cause she's been crazy like this from the word go. Anyway, I guess I'm just a little concerned as to whether there is anything wrong, and also, what to do. I don't think there's anything wrong, I think its just her temperament, but I'm not sure. I wouldn't mind getting her checked by a developmental paed but not sure if thats overkill. Also, not really sure how to handle the tantrums. If anyone has any tips or advice I would be most appreciative. Thanks again

[Blueberrymummy]

My mum was just telling me the other day that my older brother was like that when he was a baby. She took him to the doctors, (early 80's) and he gave her a diet plan as apparently the behavior was caused by food intolerances. The changes to his diet created a complete turn around in him. I have no idea if my mum's story is right, but it might be something to consider.

[~Supernova~]

Does she never have smiley happy laughing times throughout the day? Ever? If not, I'd probably be looking into it more.

DS is a feral little thing, and always has been. He screams, whinges, clings, sleeps for crap...but he also has his beautiful times when he giggles, squeals, chatters, cuddles, kisses, and plays independently.

If she seems constantly unhappy, I'd certainly be seeing if anything may be causing it. The scratching til bleeding through tantrums, particularly at such a young age, would have me a little concerned to be honest.

[Jenflea]

Does she tantrum about the same things each time?
I found the best ways to avoid a tantrum are to avoid the triggers if at all possible, and if not, distract asap "look a tiny ant, see it??" .

I'd also take her to see a developmental pediatrician as well, get her assessed and to get ways to deal with the tantrums.

Try to give her some control over her day, if she;s in cloth nappies ask her if she wants this one or that one(only give a choice of 2, they can get overwhelmed with too many choices), or ask her if she wants to eat A or B etc.

Possibly look into teaching her baby sign language to help her communicate as well.


good luck! I found this age really frustrating but my DD turned a corner at 14 months or so and is now a delightful 3yr old.



Most of the time.

[~Supernova~]

Does she tantrum about the same things each time?
I found the best ways to avoid a tantrum are to avoid the triggers if at all possible, and if not, distract asap "look a tiny ant, see it??" .

We do the same thing. Sometimes I have to spend up to half an hour "distracting" to snap him out of his funk. Oh where has that kitty cat gone?!?! Let's go find him....can you see the kitty cat? It's annoying, but it works lol.

[Guest_Ferdinand_*]

"If in doubt, check it out"

Make an appointment to see a developmental paediatrician. Even privately wait lists are long, 4-6 months usually. If in that time she settles down and you no longer have fears/concerns, you can always cancel the appointment.

[TwiceThe Woman]

Poor little mite. I would get the baby checked out. As pp said - food intolerances / allergies may often cause children to feel anything from miserable to utterly distressed.

[ms flib]

I think that's worth checking out. At her age, she's not really having tantrums. She can't really decide that's she's going to kick up a fuss to get what she wants. She sounds highly irritable and sensitive to external stimuli.

I'd get everything checked. You'd do best by getting a referral to a paed who works with babies.

Going to the audiologist and getting her hearing checked as well as making sure she doesn't have any fluid in her ears could be useful too.

All the best

[KRT]

I think there are some good suggestions above. I agree that your DD sounds quite sensitive, and that tantrums are something that might be starting around now rather than being there from the beginning.

I'd also consider taking her to see a MCHN - you should be able to get an appointment fairly quickly and maybe get some suggestions, or at least an idea on whether the behaviour is within the realms of normal. And if you get one that doesn't take you seriously, it should be easy enough to get an appointment with another one in your council - just ring up the central booking number.

[Ellie bean]

Do you think she might be in pain? My daughter had severe silent reflux and couldn't sleep/relax/smile till we got her diagnosed and treated. Might be a long shot, I also know reflux is a minor issue only for most babies, but for a small % (like mine) the acid pain is agonising and throws out their temperament- for my daughter it was food related too and restricting her diet helped. Anyway it might be worth checking out www.reflux.org.au (a fantastic charity for reflux kids who helped me a lot) to see if the symptoms match, and if so ask your doctor- as I say its probably a long shot but worth checking