Easy Startling

[newbelly2002]

Has anyone else noticed that their baby suddenly startles easily? DS used to love it when I vaccummed. The noise would often put him to sleep. But suddenly when I tried it 2 days ago, he began to cry. Put this in context with the fact that he startled enough to cry a few days ago when I was nursing him and burped (it wasm't *that* loud!); and the same thing happened when we were in a French restaurant and he heard a live clarinet.

He turns 4 months on Sunday and the only thing I can think of is that perhaps his hearing is developing and is thus more sensitive? I couldn't find anything in my books about this. Just want to know if I should be concerned.

TIA!
Paula

[jojo2324]

This may be along the same lines...DS will be 5 months on Monday (Gasp! Where has it gone?) and I've noticed that the vacuum doesn't put him to sleep like it used to, or even calm him down. That was my secret weapon! I would use it when he started getting hysterical and I felt really close to losing it, hoping the time would calm us both down. Now he cries right through it. It has gotten to the point that if I yell quite suddenly at one of the cats to stop scratching or busting around the house, he'll startle and then start to cry.

I had read that when babies are overstimulated they tend to either cry or fall asleep (at least that was what I read in reference to the vacuum). Maybe all of those synapses are coming together and the sleep option is disappearing, but the noise is still too much? Just my very unscientific opinion :)

[brubeck]

My husband likes to tell the story of how when he was a baby if he cried too much his mother would just put him in his crib and then put the running vacuum cleaner next to it. He just couldn't compete with the noise so he would just give up and go to sleep. To this day he can sleep through anything.

Enter our daughter. At first I thought she had Daddy's genes because she would sleep in the Bouncenette on the floor while I vacuumed all around her. Then somewhere around 5 or 6 months she started looking anxious when I used it, and by 8 months she would crawl away from it and cry loudly if I was using it. From about then until 20 months she would run away and hide from the vacuum cleaner when it was on, even sitting in a corner and pulling some big toy in front of her. Eventually she stopped crying, but you could tell the thing scared her to death. A couple of months ago I bought her one of those books with pictures of items and the words naming them in it. There was a picture of a vacuum cleaner and I would always point it out to her. I also started keeping the vacuum cleaner out in the open and pointed it out to her when it was sitting quietly in the corner. Now she is interested in the vacuum cleaner but still runs and hides when I turn it on. Occasionally she will watch me use it from afar. She had her 2nd birthday last weekend and I gave her one of those Little Tikes plastic vacuum cleaners and guess what? She loves it. Now she is constantly cleaning the floor with her own cleaner! She's still a little intimidated by the big vacuum cleaners, (mostly the noise I think) but she's much more used to it now.

Anyhow, that's a long story, but the short of it is that my daughter developed a fear of vacuum cleaners (which I understand is pretty typical) and it started at about the age your baby is now. That could be the issue too.

[jojo2324]

Great! I need yet another excuse not to clean! :) I did the same thing though, using the vacuum very early on, especially when he was sleeping. (Nap when they do? Ha!) I would even put on the radio, TV, speak normally, etc, just trying to make it noisy while he slept. Now he doesn't really nap at all. But I don't want him to be afraid! I have a friend who said that when she was a baby, her mother kept the house so quiet that she would wake up when the refrigerator turned on.

[Sheila]

I had a similar experience w/ my now 21 old daughter. At first she slept through the vacuum, but then when she got a bit older, she got really afraid of it! I had read that one thing you can try to get them over the fear is to hold them while you are vacuuming. I tried it, but this is murder on the back!!!! Pushing a vaccum with one arm and holding a crying baby in the other (a HEAVY crying baby) is not fun!

I don't know if the holding worked, cause I only tried it a few times (just too hard to do!!) But then, maybe 6 mo ago, the craziest thing happened, and she began to love when I vacuum! I guess it's been since she started walking. She loves to run through the house yelling and playing while I am vacuuming. The only thing I can think is she likes the security of knowing where I am (she can hear the vacuum from the other room) while she runs around and plays. I really have NO CLUE why she likes it so much, but it has gotten to the point where I can't say "the v word" around her, cause when she hears it, she will run out to the laundry room and stand at the vacuum and cry, wanting me to use it!!!

We have gone from a very messy house to a clean one! :)

Sheila

________
CORVAIR ENGINE (http://www.chevy-wiki.com/wiki/Chevrolet_Corvair_engine)

[brubeck]

At first our daughter would sleep through anything (and did!) and we took no special precautions. Then she started waking up if there was a sudden increase in volume (ie: turn the TV on loudly, start up the vacuum cleaner, etc.). Now at age 2 she pretty much sleeps like my husband and I do: if the environment is reasonably peaceful with no major interruptions she's fine, and if she's really tired something like the garage door opening, a low volume TV or the doorbell ringing won't bother her. But if she's just lightly dozing the slightest sound usually will wake her up. Depends on what sleep stage she's in. Of course at this age she only takes one nap a day, in her own bedroom, so we're usually asleep when she is and not really making noise anyhow!

[nigele]

Joanne,

I can't believe our babies will be five months on Monday! I didn't even realize it was so close. The time is flying (except at night!)

My DS is also startling at noises but doesn't cry yet, knock on wood.

[Annette_C]

Paula,
Sabrina just turned 5 months and has been startling since before she was born. In fact, she used to make me jump when I was pregnant from her sudden startling! It didn't change after she was born. She would even wake herself up from sleep (and still does!) because of startling so much. I'm hoping that it will get better as she gets older.
I mentioned it to the ped and she said that it's not uncommon for babies to do that and she'll outgrow it.
I'm sure Dante will do so also so, no need to be concerned.:)
Annette
SAHM to Sabrina 6/24/02

[nigele]

Great...I just closed the blinds while holding DS and the loud noise startled him, then he started to cry!