DD is just over 9 mths old.  She is going through a very cranky phase, and I'm wondering if it happens to everyone else as well?

DD was VERY frustrated and grizzly for the month or so before she turned 9 mths.  Then she learned to shuffle forward - kind of a commando crawl.  Happiness filled the house for a couple of days , and then she went back to grizzling. 

DD used to be content to play quite independently, but now seems to need constant entertaining and my close presence.  I know the clingy thing is a developmental thing at DD's age.  However the constant grizzling and having to think up new and interesting entertaining ideas is quite taxing!

She is a litte bit snuffly at the mo, but not a full on cold, and she is also a heavy teether, having 10 teeth already.  I just don't know if there is a problem I should be taking her to the doctor for, or if most babies of her age go through this sort of grumpy phase?  It's like she's had a little personality change!

Hope my ramble makes sense! 

Oh good (in the nicest possible way).  I'm not the only one! 

Yes DD is entertained just fine when we are out and about.  Unfortunately we have had the crappiest weather in the last week and I haven't wanted to subject her to that, so we've spent a lot of time at home.  I've spent the week listening to her go "grrrr, grrrr, grrrrr!"  Sometimes she will get grizzly about an hour after waking, sometimes she will be grizzly upon waking.

Would be interested in any ideas for games we can play or anything that keeps DD amused for longer than 5 mins.  We play peek-a-boo, banging kitchen implements together, mainly music, reading books, songs, coffee group and a few other outings.  Also encouraging crawling.  DD doesn't seem to have much of an attention span at the mo.  Don't know what else I can do.  At least we might get out in the pram if the weather is better this week.

Thanks for your replies - it really helps to know I'm not the only one!

Yes DD's really frustrated about the crawling, Whitewave.  Sometimes she will start crying with the amount of effort she puts in trying to get that bum in the air!

Also I forgot to mention the night wakings.... yes the dreaded night wakings have made an appearance (about a week ago)!  DD has been a fairly dependable night sleeper - maybe one or two wakenings for a dummy replacement, then immediately nodding off.

Can all of you guys tell me whether this night waking happened to your 9 mth old?  DD will sometimes go to sleep just fine, but will wake after about an hour, then try to stay awake for at least two hours.  She cries if we don't sit in with her, and if we do sit with her, all she wants to do is burble and make eyes at us.

I don't like the controlled crying, but sometimes it's either that, or sit in with her for hours.  I'm very impatient, so hubby sits in with DD sometimes, and then we get no couple time.

*waves* to Kel and Babe. 

Another 1 hour sleep last night followed by 2-3 hrs of wanting to stay up.  It's almost like she thinks she's going down for a day nap, not a night sleep. 

Anyway, today Brooke is sunny and happy and slept very well for her morning nap.  Not a grizzle!  Hope this is not temporary! 

We did the check naps, remove blankets, remove sleeping bag - and as a last resort pamol.  Basically everything we can think of.  I've been wearing Brooke a lot lately too Babe.  I'm taking advantage of all the lovely cuddles while she's so clingy!

Brooke is asleep and has been that way since 8pm - only one waking for a dummy replacement, immediately nodding off.  She has been sooo good today and has played independently and no grizzles at all.  Teeth, earache, growth spurt???  Guess we will never know. 

Our day sleeps went to crap too Whitewave.  Sometimes Brooke would get all clingy and not want me to leave the room, sometimes she would lie there for a bit and squawk when she couldn't settle, or sometimes she would have her nap - but only 45 mins.  So unpredictable and I couldn't get much done around the house. 

Fingers crossed for this week.  Need Brooke to sleep as we are shifting things from one house to the other. 

Hi Beck - your baby is just 3 days older than Brooke! 

Brooke gets hot pretty quickly.  She sleeps in a sleeping bag (still swaddle-style), with nappy and woollen singlet underneath.  She also has two blankets and a duvet and a thermostat heater.  We are turning the heater down very low these nights as it only gets a little cooler in the wee hours - so the heater kicks in then. 

Don't think the behaviour we've been having lately is due to warm/cold though.  I think it was a developmental phase and she probably wanted to practice or go over in her mind a few of the things she has learned lately.  And also I believe she was cranky with frustration at wanting to get moving / co-ordinate herself.

She's less cranky now - so must have been a phase.  Seems like they are always going through something at sometime.  Today we have a constipated baby - oh joy!