7 months old won't settle down

Question

Our baby just turned 7 months and he had been very crying for one month, waking after every 1-2 hours in the night, not having milk and rather blocking the nipple of the feeder and rotating in his mouth from left to right, a lot of feed go to waste. He does have a huge appetite compared to our first one and does have a big build as in heavy babies. He sleeps for 1 hour and wakes up during day and night as well and he won't sleep until he is using a pacifier and if it drops it crying, my wife and I are unable to get sleep and I can't focus on work because the baby won't seem to settle.

I noticed my phone is read so he wants to suckle on it and my thinking was to get rid of his pacifier but I am not sure if I will be doing the right thing as a pacifier is a blessing and a curse.

We tried everything but can't seem to make it to sleep well or stop crying. we got him lot of toys but nothing is working and the nurse has a big queue to babies ahead of him to see.

Any experienced parent will help?

Answer 1

There could be a few things going on. I can't say for completely certain, but here are some possibilities and solutions you can try.

A baby that isn't eating well, isn't sleeping well, and fussy with feeding suggests some mild pain or discomfort. Teething is the obvious reason, but stomach pains or ear infection are also possible. The fact that this has gone on for a month probably rules out ear infection, but teething can go on for some time, and gas, reflux or sensitivity to something in the feed is also possible. You don't mention how the baby does with eating solid foods, but the timeline seems to be around the time it's common (at least in the US) for babies to begin their first foods. If this matches up with the timeline for a change in behavior, consider a food allergy or just digestive discomfort while adjusting to the new foods as possible causes.

A too-small nipple flow size can be a cause of fussy bottle behavior as well, or a flow that is too fast. You might want to experiment with faster or slower bottle nipples.

It could also be that your baby is going through a growth spurt or rapidly developing new skills. Some babies become very unsettled for a while just before making a big "breakthrough" such as starting to crawl. If this is the cause, sometimes being worn in baby carrier or wrap helps, since the baby feels secure while also being able to get some interesting sights and stimulation, since the parent can go about their daily actives with the baby watching.

Finally, I don't think it is likely to be very helpful to get rid of the pacifier right now. I agree it's a blessing and curse, but your whole family might not be in the right frame of mind to get rid of one of your baby's main sources of comfort right now. I think it will likely be too stressful for everyone at the moment.