8 Month Old Not Sleeping at Night

If my 6 month old took 2-3 hour and a half to two hour naps he would be up all night too. My first thought is cut back on those naps~ My son usually takes 1 nap (1-2 hours) during the day then sleeps from 8pm-3am, eats and goes back to sleep till 7 or 8.

I agree with cutting back a bit on the naps but i would also have his ears checked. he may have an ear infection. my son never shows any signs what so ever of having and ear infection. he is 15 months and the only way we could tell last winter was because he wouldnt sleep good at nite. so i would check that and cut back a bit on the naps and see if that helps. it may take a little while but it will get better. good luck and i hope he starts sleeping better for you again.

Babies wake up at night. Sleep is never predictable and every time they start a new stage or new skill their sleep can be interupted. When they learn to roll over they can wake them self up by being stuck on their tummy or if they are getting teeth, it will also probably be interupted for crawling and walking and dont forget anytime they have a cold or dont feel well.

Make sure that his room is perfect for sleep, 70 degrees in there, make sure that he is warm enough, look at what you use for blankets on your bed to sleep, Cold toes will wake you up quickly. Get a fleece sleep sack and use nice warm fleece pj's too. I also love my sound machine for white noise to block out any sounds that may startle him awake. 6 hours of straight sleep is pretty unrealistic. Good luck be patient you have a baby now you will never sleep the same again, even if you have a new job.

Hi R.,

My son was a lot like yours. Once he was past the newborn stage, he slept like an angel for months. Then, around 9 months (or so) he was waking up in the middle of the night.

For him, this really peaked with teething. Is your little guy teething? We gave our son Hyland's Teething Tablets every night before bed. They are homeopathic, help with the pain and swelling associated teething, and are calming. You can get them at Walgreen's, and also co-ops.

I would also recommend that you completely cut out the third nap of the day. It may take your son a couple of days to adjust, but once he's getting less sleep during the day, he will sleep more at night. This could mean an earlier bedtime--watch your son for cues.

I would shorten his naps and make sure he is eating every 4 hours at the very least (don't let him go more than 4 hours). It sounds as though he may be trying to get his days and nights turned around. It also could be due partially to the time change, it messes with kids. Good luck.

I just looked through some of the responses you received and I would strongly disregard that of Jesse when she said that 6 hours is unrealistic both of my kids slept 6 plus hours straight at night from about the time they were 4 months old on. You should be able to get sleep and your baby should as well. I don't suggest using blankets in the crib just make sure the room is about 70 degrees and I have a radio in both of my kid's rooms and yes, they are addicted to having music on at night when going to bed but it helps them sleep. I usually have something light and relaxing playing all night and then I get the added benefit of hearing it through the baby monitor. If you cut out that third nap and shorten the naps (maybe one 2 or 3 hour nap and 1 1 - 2 hour nap) that should help a lot. It sounds as though he is getting a majority of his required sleep during the day.