Fussy 6 month old

As new parents, you are happy that your baby is growing and getting older, and that your sleepless nights are over. At this point, you finally feel like you’ve figured things out and have found your rhythm. All of a sudden, Bang! Fussy 6 month old baby is what you’ve got.

Gosh! Why is my baby suddenly so fussy? I have tried all the tricks in the book to calm her, but nothing seems to work. What is the solution to a fussy 6 month old child?

I understand it’s challenging and frustrating. I urge you to read on to the last paragraph to grab every solution listed in this article, and this is very vital.

To tell you the truth, you are not alone. Many parents have gone through this process, some are going through it, and more will still do. In this article, I will be sharing with you my experiences on the causes and solution to fussy 6 month old baby AND when to visit the doctor when the fussy behavior persist for long.

Understanding Why Your Baby is Extra Fussy?

For new parents, a fussy 6 month old could be an overwhelmingly frustrating baby to care for.

You must understand why your baby is fussy. Baby gets fussy for a lot of reasons, and yours may be way much different from the causes we’ve enumerated in this article. I will try as much as possible to give way more than enough reasons why your baby gets fussy when they are 6 month old, at night or any time of the day. 

When babies are constantly fussy, it’s reasonable to get frustrated with them; we’re only human after all. Especially when you have survived the fourth trimester and things finally seemed like they were getting more relaxed.

It is incredibly exhausting for mom and dad when taking care of a baby who suddenly gets fussy. When you don’t get enough sleep or if you feel like you can’t deal with the crying anymore, it’s hard not to feel frustrated.

I firmly believe that it is so much easier to feel more patient and empathetic once you understand all the things your baby is going through and why they suddenly get fussy during these periods. Furthermore, be more supportive as they go through these trying phases.

Is This Normal? My Fussy Baby Wouldn’t Stop Crying!

It is normal for babies to get fussy when they feel irritated. Your baby is fine and okay. Fussiness in a baby isn’t what you should panic about. To get a Fussy baby to stop crying sometimes can be a hell of a job; it is stressful and so tiring. They can’t stop even when you begged them to stop. Isn’t it? Here is where your intuition comes in. You have to do what you need to do in order to calm your baby and get him to smile again. I must tell you, it is not an easy task, but it’s achievable.

Before going further, I must say here that babies are different and behave distinctly different from one another. Invariably, I will say that each baby has its unique peculiarities, personality, likes and dislikes from day one. So it will be unfair on your part as parents to compare your baby with a neighbour’s child or with his older siblings.

Some need more of your attention, and some are easy going, you just have to figure out which side of the coin your baby belongs. The like or dislike of your fussy 6 month old baby is different from the other baby of the same age. As a parent, you need to know why your baby is fussy all of a sudden and what simple solution is required to soothe your baby.

If you are still reading this, then you are on the right path. So without wasting much time, let’s dive into the business of the day – Fussy 6 month old won’t stop crying.

Fussy 6 Month old Won’t Stop Crying, What are the Causes?

Babies go through a lot in their first few years; if you take a step back and think about it critically, you see that it’s not easy for them.

Babies are discovering the world around them; they are learning new skills, developing their sense of self. The brain is rapidly growing every day while their body is changing and growing dramatically – growth and developmental milestones.

Plus, you have to consider other factors like diaper rash, illnesses, Allergies, nipple confusion, boredom, teething, and others that constitutes for sudden fussy behaviours of your baby.

1. Hunger

When a baby is hungry, she is likely to get fussy over little things. I have heard mothers saying “But I just fed her some minutes ago!” It is essential to know your baby is growing a lot and will keep eating in this manner for some time.

The fact is that babies are born with a tiny stomach; they digest their food quickly and get hungry again regardless of how you feed them.

In the earlier stage, breastfed babies cluster feed at various stages of growth and development. It’s a good thing; this is the stage that looks as if they want to be at the breast for hours. Don’t worry; you won’t run out of milk! It shows your baby is growing, and the constant feeding routine is sending a message to your body to make more milk.

Solutions that soothes a hungry baby

While some mothers have gone ahead with scheduling how they feed their babies, from my experience, it doesn’t work for all babies. To tell your body to produce more milk, your baby urgently needed to nurse frequently.  Scheduling is not an option and is not going to work.

To develop a successful, healthy, breastfeeding relationship with your baby, I recommend this excellent resource – The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. It remains one of the most valuable resources I had as a breastfeeding mother, even before I had my first.

2. Parting Anxieties

A baby may begin to experience separation anxiety somewhere around six months to a year. Your baby can get fussy all of a sudden when you leave the room or when held by someone else even when you are in the same room. By 18 months separation anxiety hit its peak and diminishing before her 2^nd birthday celebration.

So long as they know you can hear them, most 6 month old fussy babies will cry for hours. A typical example is when you are dropping off your baby at the daycare. A happy smiling child suddenly gets fussy and cries uncontrollably, when they noticed you are about leaving them, Hanging around and trying to console them usually result in a situation that is even more difficult for everyone involved.

Luckily, caregivers can get your baby a new toy or activity that will cheer them up and distract them easily within a short time.

Solutions to Parting anxiety

Talking to your baby, letting them know what is going on is the best course of action. Using words like “Mommy needs to go to the groceries or work. See you soon”. Promise them you will be back in a loving voice with an expression of assurance on your face.

Babies can understand more than you think, even if they are very young. When you return, use words like, “You see? I told you I would be back.” in time, your baby will learn that even when you leave, you will always come back.

3 Growth and development

Going through growth and development usually makes babies fussy all of a sudden, especially at six-month growth spurt.

When baby’s bones, muscles, and tendons grow and stretch, they feel pain as their bodies grow. At this point, their bodies collect or absorb more calories to see them pass the growth spurt stage, causing these kids to get hungrier. Babies become fussier, and it often disturbs their sleep.

At some point, babies begin to respond to the faces that you make and notice objects on the wall. He will stare attentively at moving shadows and also respond to voices in the room. As your baby flaps his hand at the toys on the play mat, He begins to understand cause and effect of things around him. These are developmental millstones, which begot Neurological changes which are upsetting for babies as they develop and grow in a world seem to be continually shifting.

At six months, your baby is going through so many physical and cognitive changes. Unfortunately, babies are usually extra fussy as they go through these significant developmental milestones.

Solutions to Growth and development milestones

It’s important to know that your fussy 6 month old baby needs your loving, patient hand to guide them through these milestones. Give lots of cuddles and be extra patient with your baby. Your baby will be happy and start sleeping even better than before, in no time.

4. Stomach aches

Stomach aches are one of the common reasons babies suddenly become fussier than normal as they start eating more and more solid foods.

Some babies are daring; they eat different flavours and textures of food, even at their tender age. However, as reality set in, their little belly may not able to digest some of these foods properly. They become fussy as their stomach begins to pain them.

You might have started introducing solids to your baby around four months – this is a traditional feeding method. Your baby will likely experience stomach aches or constipation as you introduce more foods and textures. They become extra fussy. Interestingly, as they grow, their belly learns how to digest these new foods.

Findings have shown that constipation, rashes, stomachaches, could be as a result of your baby’s new solid food diet. So it normal for your baby to cry for a few days while their digestive system makes the switch.

Solution to fussiness caused by Stomach aches

Pediatrician wills likely advice parents to start solid foods for the first time around six months because at that time baby’s digestive system has started learning how to digest all of this new solid food diet. This approach is encouraged through baby-led weaning; an example is the baby-led weaning strawberries.

5. Discomfort

Feeling uncomfortable can make a baby fussy all of a sudden. Let look at it this way; you put on a sweater when you’re cold. When you feel itchy, you scratch, right? And you turn on the fan when you are hot. Babies can’t help themselves; they result in crying to communicate to you that something is wrong.

Solutions to fussiness caused by Discomfort

To get a fussy 6 old baby smiling again – Examine your baby’s temperature; check the chest if you notice any particular change in temperature. It is normal for the hands and feet to be colder than the trunk, so the chest should feel warm and dry.

To make the baby comfortable, all it takes is to add or remove a layer of clothing or turn on or off a fan.

Check for anything that could be causing discomfort if your baby doesn’t seem to be hot or cold. It may be a clothing tag, a wet diaper, or a hair twisted around her finger or toe that could be scratching her.

If the above solutions couldn’t calm her, take her clothes off and give her a warm bath and some cuddles. Surely this approach will ease her fussiness and make her sleep peacefully. 

6. Teething

Child mostly starts teething around six months, while some may begin much earlier. An early starter may cut her first tooth at three months, and some may wait till they are six months old. Drooling, reddish/swollen gums, fussiness, chewing on hands are the common signs of teething.

Teething pain only lasts a few days per tooth. When your baby continued been fussy longer than expected, then the fussiness is probably due to some other motive (if the gums aren’t red and swollen).

Be patient with your baby, especially at night when you’re exhausted and needed to sleep because cutting a tooth is painful, and it makes the baby cry.

How to solve fussiness caused by teething

There are several ways you can soothe a fussy 6 month old baby, once you’ve determined that growing a tooth is indeed the problem.

Since the baby’s gum would appear red and swollen, wash your hands and massage baby’s gum with your finger. You can also put a wet washcloth in the freezer, allow for while so it gets cold then use it to massage baby’s gum.

You can try putting some frozen fruit (sliced banana) in a mesh feeder and then allow your baby to suck and chew on them to soothe her gum. You can also buy a teething toy for your baby; they play and chew this toy to massage get their gums equally.

Some parents do use vanilla extract for teething, which is also an effective home remedy to calm a fussy 6 month old suffering from tooth cutting pain. Just deep a ball of clean wool into the vanilla extract, massage baby’s gum thoroughly. The extract will soothe your baby make them sleep peaceful at through the night.

7. Allergies

When my baby was six months old, I went ahead with baby-led weaning as she starts eating more and more solid foods; she became fussy after developing food allergies when fed with strawberries. When babies are having an allergic reaction to any meal, this can certainly cause your baby to be extra fussy.

Follow your pediatric dietitian’s recommendations regarding foods, as you introduce new foods, especially those that are highly allergenic.

If you noticed any persistent or excessive crying after eating a specific food, and your baby cry has a sharp and loud sound, he might be having a food allergy.

Solutions for Allergies in fussy 6 month old

If you notice any of these symptoms (diarrhea, vomiting, runny nose, congestion, hives, or difficulty breathing) and suspect a food allergy, speak with your doctor fast.

When fussy 6 month old baby become fussier than usual or cry all of a sudden, work with your doctor and pay special attention to baby’s food to identify any allergens and decrease any extra fussiness that is caused by these symptoms.

8. Diaper Rash

Diaper rash can be seen on your baby’s bottom and around the entire diaper region as red patches. It is painful, feels hot and could irritate the skin. A baby with this rash is extra fussy because the feeling is excruciating or miserable.

Some new parents do experience their baby become fussy suddenly after bath; this is because they wear their baby diaper immediately after bathing them. Baby bottom needs to get aired, properly dried before wearing them diaper. Putting on diaper too early may cause diaper rash and makes them fussy and cranky.

Solutions to fussiness caused by Diaper Rash

Regularly change the baby diaper. Allow your baby bottom to get aired during the day. When a baby has diaper rashes, apply diaper rash cream to the bottom to soothe, moisturize and create a protective barrier from wetness.

See Price for Diaper rash cream

9. Drooling

When our baby was three months, she began drooling, when she was six-month-old, she drooled more profusely. Drooling at this stage in a baby’s life is a common growing occurrence. The drool flows straight down from the mouth into the neck region’s skin folds. The deposits of moisture under the skin folds can cause neck rash due to microbial infestation and friction in the baby’s neck if not promptly cleaned. The rash and abrasion cause bruises/blisters, which are painful; it then triggers fussy behaviour in babies.

Solutions to fussiness caused by drooling

Regularly clean up drools in baby’s neck or any part of babies’ body. Use soft clothing or baby wipe when cleaning drools to prevent friction which may lead to bruises/blisters.

10. Infections (Skin and ear)

Fungal infections are responsible for causing a rash on babies’ skin and make them fussy. Fungi tend to grow in humid, wet places, and heat rash is an example of this infection. The moisture trapped in the skin makes a baby skinfold the ideal breeding ground for these fungi to strive.

Heat rash/prickly rash occur due to high temperature; they make babies grumpy are prevalent during the summer season. As a result, the baby sweats profusely; the sweats get stuck in the skinfolds, scratching the baby’s tender skin. A fussy baby is not easy to console as the rash causes tiny red bumps which may later become itchy.

Although teething is terrible, I believe that ear infections are a lot worse. An ear infection is responsible for almost any time a baby is abruptly enormously fussy, especially all through the night.

A Fussy 6 month old baby could also be as a result of ear infection. Ear infections are widespread in kids, and before they celebrate their 3^rd birthday, more than 80% of children will suffer from the disease. When there is soreness in the inner ear, it allows bacteria to build up at the back of the eardrum, then resulting in an ear infection.

During chewing, sucking a bottle, or laying down, ear infection pains often get worse. It explains why babies cry way more often than usual and might suddenly be extra fussy at night.

When babies are cranky, fluid draining from the ear, have trouble hearing, trouble sleeping, fever and pulling the ear or trying to put a finger or other object in the ear – All these are signs of ear infections.

Solutions to infection in fussy baby

See a doctor immediately if you think your baby has an ear infection. Get an over-the-counter pain medication according to your doctor’s recommendations.

For heat rash, always keep baby dry and aired. You may also use cream/lotion for heat rash to clear the infection fast.

12. Tired Baby

A baby gets fussier after bath time when she is too tired and ready to sleep. The process becomes tedious and uncomfortable even to a healthy, happy baby that loves smiling. Babies are supposed to relax after bathing. When kids are tired, it could be an effort in futility, mainly if your baby’s bed-time is within the time you want to bath her. They will be fussy and cranky to show their anger for been disturbed.

Solution to fussy tired baby

Bath your baby ahead before their usual bed-time and watch your baby smile like the princess she has always been.

13. Nipple confusion

When your baby gets used to sucking from bottles and has a hard time getting back on the breast is called nipple confusion. Babies get fussy as they protest the difference (size and texture) in the nipple, as they experience difficulty latching on.

Of a truth, just a few percentages of babies have difficulty moving from bottle to breast. The issue arises just after birth. These mainly, are babies who have gotten used to sucking of the breast, face challenges switching from breast to bottle, and then back to the breast. Prospectively, I advised new moms to wait until their newborn gets conversant with breastfeeding before you break out the bottle.

Solution to fussy baby with nipple confusion

Yes, mama! I understand you need to get back to work, and then hurried your baby to take a bottle. It may not go down well. You then tagged her “a fussy 6 month old baby that refuses to take a bottle”. Your baby could be suffering and going through hard times. They need your patient and love to get through this stage.

Some babies need time to move from breast to bottle and then back. However, the type of bottle you feed your baby matters too, so check the bottle.

14. A bored baby

Do you know that boredom and loneliness also affect babies?

Babies will begin to want more interaction with the world around them, as they reach different developmental milestones. Fussy 6 month old Jane! Only become happier when her father or her older siblings are playing with her, talking or holding her. When a busy mom who is cooking, getting ready for work or helping other children. A  bored fussy 6 month old can be very challenging. You get frustrated when you’re alone with a fussy baby, and no one to play with her while you get on with your chores.

Solutions to fussiness caused by boredom

Take some time to play with your baby, if you can, play peek-a-boo with your child, walk around the house flipping light switches or look through colourful books.

When you can’t play right there or preoccupied with an important job, let someone (your partner or older children) at home play or read a colourful book with your baby. When you are through with what you are doing, you can take over from them.

You may find after a few minutes she decides that the toys in front of her are exciting after all.

When to See A Doctor

• If you notice any of these symptoms (diarrhea, vomiting, runny nose, congestion, hives, or difficulty breathing) and suspect a food allergy, speak with your doctor fast
• When you noticed your baby diaper rash or any other rash staying for prolong period, see the doctor immediately.
• See a doctor immediately if you think your baby has an ear infection.
• When baby rejects food and get fussier for long
• When the baby has a fever

Final words

Before I conclude on fussy 6 month old won’t stop crying, the causes and solution. You must keep these in mind; listen to your gut, remember that every baby is different and if you think something is wrong with your baby please consult with your doctor.

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