I feel like a horrible mother. Someone help me?

Question

My daughter only slept for 40 minutes this afternoon and I know she's still tired. I can hear it in her cry, but she's screaming blood murder and has been for 20 minutes right now. It's really beginning to frustrate me. I know going in will only make her scream harder, but her screaming is stressing me out, and I feel like going in and hitting her. I don't want to, and could never dream of doing that, but I'm frsutrated and stressed to my max.

Please help me. what should I do?

Answer 1

If she's been crying that long, I would go get her and rock her for a little bit until she settles back down.

Answer 2

Calm down - don't hit her.  If you can't handle it - please call a friend or family member over.  Please.

Why can't you just get her up - change her, give her a snack, and a drink, and then try laying her back down again in an hour or so.

OR if she doesn't want to lay back down then, just put her to bed earlier than normal tonight?

It's ok - really.  Calm down.  Babies aren't like little robots that you can program. Some days they nap great, others not so great.

Call someone!

Answer 3

Ahhhh....the great internal debate of every parent with a child who won't stop screaming.

First, you need to take a deep breath and know that it's okay to be frustrated. Everyone feels like strangling their kids sometimes. Lol....such are the joys of parenting.

I understand not wanting to go in the room for fear of upsetting her more and completely ruining any chance of afternoon peace. But, you really should check on her. Maybe she's running a fever, or is caught in something in her crib/bed. If she only slept for 40 minutes and you know she's still tired, there must be some reason she woke up, right?

Try going in and checking her to make sure everythig is all right, and then soothing her back to sleep. I'm not sure how old she is, but a back rub is always a comfort. Maybe she just misses her mommy, and has got herself so worked up right now that she can't fall back asleep without some comfort.

If you know she's still tired, a little soothing should get her back to sleep in no time.

Then you can pat yourself on the back for being a great mom who fought the temptation to get angry, and comforted instead.

It's a hard thing to do, every parent knows it, but you feel so much better about yourself when you resist the temptation to get angry at a screaming kid. We all know it never works anyway, right?

Luck!

Answer 4

your not a horrible mother. it is possible for some children to be harder than others. i think what yooh really need is a break!!it would do yooh the world of good. yooh should get your husband to spend the day with her and yooh book yourself into a spa and just relax. its natural for a babys scream to be stressful. and although yooh wanna hit her yooh never would. its just become too much for yooh at this point. thats all. so take a break and it will help yooh feel less stressed.

Answer 5

honey every mother feels like that at one time  my 2 year old son used to do that all the time and one time i was sobbing outside his door then my mother told me to just let him cry it out even though i felt horrible it worked he finally cried himself to sleep

Answer 6

See, I didn't want to criticise CIO in your last post as its a parental choice and it works for some. Me, personally, never felt it right because I can't stand to hear my daughter cry (esp when younger.) The fact that it makes you feel as you do is the reason babies cry! They are telling you that they need you and it isn't natural to not go to them or comfort them.

I also wonder if she really IS so in need of more sleep for her to protest so much! Maybe you'd be better of letting her have two seperate naps a day instead of trying to get her to have one long one? Or else try my lay-with-her/read-a-story options I said in your last question-post.

Don't feel like a bad mother. We've all had our bad days. Go give her comfort and feel that love you have for her! If she is tired maybe she'll fall asleep in your arms?

Answer 7

how old is she? go and let her out to play for another hour. its ok. she wants her mommy. maybe she is teething. maybe its nothing.

but i agree call someone to come help you. dont hurt your baby. so many mothers are killing their children and it hurts me. dont hurt her.

its stressful i know. i have had four children. but crying also doesnt hurt them at all. calm down.

maybe try a warm bath for her. bath her in lavender. works every time for my babies

Answer 8

I fully know what you mean, there are days my daughter has done the smae thing . Over all when i couldnt get out of the house. I put her in a time out in her bed she is still in a crib, and told she could get out of bed when she stop screaming. i close the door almost all the way and go sit in the living room i use that time even if she is still screaming to take a deep breath and claim myself.  Usally my daughter stops shortly there after. Its worth a shot.

Answer 9

How old is she. My three year old used to scream like that when she was younger. I usually tried to calm her down by softly talking to her. If that dosn't work, try putting a movie on for her or music. Something that she likes. It might calm her down.

Answer 10

You said in one sentence that you feel like going in and hitting her, and then in another that you would never dream of hitting her.  You just did dream of hitting her, which is understandable, a babies cry can be EXTREMELY stressful when it is non stop.  You are NOT a bad mother, just one who is stretched to her limit.

Call someone if you can, take yourself out of the house into the front yard for a few moments where you cannot hear her screaming, CALM DOWN, you do not want to do anything to hurt yourself or your child.

I cannot stress enough...CALL SOMEONE.