Is anyone else's DC totally intense?

Ava is a happy baby, but man, she's just so intense. There's no inbetween with her, it's extremely happy or extremely cranky. And at the end of the day, when I'm trying to calm her down for bedtime, it takes a good 45 minutes for her to settle. I used to rock her to sleep, but now, she can't handle being held when she's tired. You have to just put her down and let her fight it out. She moans and thrashes in her sleep for the first 30 minutes until it all gets out. I mean, I don't know what to do to calm her. I've tried bathing her, reading to her, sitting in the dark with a dvd on, sitting in the dark with nothing, etc. I am looking for a good way for her to "wind down" at the end of the day. During the day, she really enjoys a baby massage (she knows the good stuff already ), but at night, she's like a different baby. Should I maybe let her fuss and cry BEFORE putting her to bed to see if she can "get it all out"? I don't even know what to do. She's just so intense!

Re: Is anyone else's DC totally intense?

I could have written this. She is either happy or mad, almost never mellow.
If I don;t put her to sleep at the exact right second (which I have no way of predicting) it can take an hour to get her to sleep.
Sorry- I know this didn't help. I need help too!

Re: Is anyone else's DC totally intense?

Gianna has been like this since i brought her home.

She gets to a point sometimes where she just refuses to be held, and just wants to be alone.
It's like her breaking point of stimulation.

She's a chill baby. She likes her alone time already

Gianna never liked to rocked, held, and now since she can hold her own bottle, she refuses to let me do it, even if she's half asleep.

We just go with her flow and let her be on her own. She calms down by herself, then lets us know it's time to go sleepy. Once that time arrives, within 2 minutes she's out for night.

If we bust in on that sleepy time, or if we are out and she wants to be alone or sleep, I have a little diva who crabs, crabs, crabs!

So far from what we can tell, she is going to be an independent, strong willed girl, which i am so fine with, and that's exactly like me, uh oh

Re: Is anyone else's DC totally intense?

Maybe she needs an earlier bedtime???

Our routine after waking from nap #2 (which is anywhere between 3:30-4:30pm) is snack (if it's the earlier of the times), NOGGIN tv.
Dinner @ 5pm or so
Bath for awhile
PJS and downstairs to play or read books. She's been enjoying a Chase game....she crawls and I stomp around after her saying I'm Gonna Get You and off she goes. Sometimes we switch. We just really try to wear her out. She sips her bottle as she plays starting around 6pm. Then she will settle down and take a good amount of it.

When she starts whining and complaining we know it's time to go sit upstairs in our room in the dark and let her get drowsy. (I don't have a glider in her room).

Also, I happen to be a lucky mom whose child gets overly rambunctious when she's overtired. She will NOT just pass out on the floor like some kids do. Nope...it's gotta be her crib, gotta be dark. Doesn't nap in the stroller AT ALL. When she falls asleep in the car, it's for 30 min TOPS and then she wakes up all pissy and upset.

Re: Is anyone else's DC totally intense?

Re: Is anyone else's DC totally intense?

Posted by prncssrachel



I wish there was like an alarm that would go off that tells me there's 5 minutes left in the window to get her to sleep

Re: Is anyone else's DC totally intense?

sounds like she needs an earlier bedtime!

Re: Is anyone else's DC totally intense?

yes I always say my son cries hard and laughs hard.He is full of personality.


Like someone just posted when he is tired he gets wilder and out of control. I have to remove him from his toys otherwise all hell breaks loose. Throwing and touching everything he is not supposed to.

I let him unwind on the couch with Sesame Street.

When he was about your daughters age a bath and rocking would do it.

He still has a pacifier so that calms him down after a long busy day.

Re: Is anyone else's DC totally intense?

Re: Is anyone else's DC totally intense?

Jacob is the exact same. Totally intense. He is either super happy or completely pi$$ed. He wakes up every morning as happy as can be, but after waking from a nap he is SO SO SO CRANKY.. CRYING.. AND WHINING.. FOR LIKE A HALF HOUR AND I CANT PUT HIM DOWN. I also never know when to put him down for a nap and if i miss my window its all over for me. Same with bedtime. Sometimes he is still up at midnight. I still have to rock this child to sleep every night. I cannot let him CIO, the kid never tires out. He will never just fall asleep from exhaustion, he keeps going and going and going.. it should be my son in the energizer commercials not the bunny!

He can and has cried for 2 1/2 hrs straight. (more like whine) He will not nap at anyone's house but his own. He flings his binky across the room and smacks his bottle out of my hand if he doesnt want it. He is one very "spirited" baby, and I have come to the conclusion that this is just HIM. I'm dreading those terrible 2's...

Re: Is anyone else's DC totally intense?

What about the Baby Enstein videos. The music can be very soothing if it isn't on to loud and that might help. Luka likes to put himself to sleep and I notice he sleeps better if he does do that. Also when I give DS his last bottle I rock him in glider with it and the room is dark except for a nightlight and I have been doing that since I brought him home. He will only sleep in his crib and in the car in a long car ride. The stroller is turning into a challenge.

Re: Is anyone else's DC totally intense?

Same with Noah, he is always "thinking" about smiling, especially when we are out in like supermarkets and old ladies smile at him. It takes ages for him to actually do it, he is always scheming, scheming in his little brain. He is thinking...what can I destroy next? What can I build? How can I hit the television with a wooden block to make a new sound now? He is very inquisitive, which leads to his intensivity. But we still love him.

Right now he is standing against the television cooing at baby television...strange kid. but yes, I still love him!

Re: Is anyone else's DC totally intense?

Welcome to my world

Re: Is anyone else's DC totally intense?

Matthew does not like being cuddled at all! He knows it's a con to get him to sleep. So I just lay him down and let him move about until he gets tired.

Storytime does make him sit still but as soon as the story is over it's back to play time. DS is active whether he's happy or cranky....