Lily

What do you do when a baby demands constant attention? She won't go to sleep unless she's being held and rocked. When she's awake she screams the whole time she's not being held. What can be done to break these habits?

TheNanna

Try playing a radio at a low volume while the child sleeps or when you aren't in the same room.

MinnieMa

That's a hard habit to break. Running and picking up the baby every time it whimpers is the worst thing a parent can do. It won't hurt to let the child cry a bit. This way they learn crying won't always get the attention they want.

Lily

But a crying baby just isn't a sound I'm comfortable with. I always feel like something could seriously be wrong.

babysaurus

You've gotten really good advice here. Picking the baby up every time she makes a sound is only going to spoil her. This isn't good for you or for her. You both need to be able to get some rest.

MinnieMa

I can understand that but, you are doing yourself and the baby no favors by picking the child up every time it whippers. Even as an tiny baby they learn fast how to get attention. They are helpless but, not dumb.
If the child has been fed, changed and otherwise taken care of and you know it's not sick, crying for a bit will not harm the child.

dad of the year

You've let her develop some pretty bad habits. You're the only one who can put a stop to it. Like others have said, if she's been fed and changed and you know nothing is wrong, let her cry. She's not crying because she's hurting, she's crying because she's spoiled and she's not getting her way. And if you keep letting her get away with that kind of behavior, I'd really hate to be around when you have a teenager on your hands.

Dr. Cox

I see a lot of sleepless nights in your future if you continue to cater to her every cry. If there's really nothing wrong with your baby, letting her cry isn't going to hurt her.

DCMerkle

I would say everyone has given you good advise. It is very important to set a night time schedule. I would turn the lights down low, see if the temperature needed to be adjusted in the room. Get all the baby bankies ready for sunggling. A nice warm bubble bath for the baby, some soft music, a warm bottle in the cold months and a little less warm bottle in the summer.

I would sit on the edge of the bed and rock the baby. My daughter did not like the rocking chair. I think that by sitting on the edge of the bed forced me to snuggle her more. She would be out like a light in an hour.

DCMerkle

Sgt.peppers

Maybe try to slowly stop attending the baby every time it cries. So, for a few days you can answer her when she cries most of the time but once or twice dont. The next few days answer half the times and not the other half. After a few weeks hopefully she wont cry as much.

just a thought