Can anyone give any advice, my 8 month old has always been a great sleeper. He usually would go 8 hours straight then wake up for a bottle and then back for another 2. The past week he has been waking up every 2-3 hours and screaming. I tried the "cry it out" method and he just screamed and cried for a half hour until I picked him up. He has recently been pulling himself up and it looks like he is going to be walking very soon. How can I get him back to his 8 hour sleeping schedule??
At his age he could be getting teeth and having major teething pain. I'm not saying definitely - but children will often change their sleep schedule when experiencing a major change such as new teeth or reaching a milestone such as walking.
Best Wishes,
H.
Also a tired mommy of 3 :o)
Is he teething? My son, who's now 12 mos did the same thing - slept through the night at 2 mos and was a great sleeper until around 6 months when he would wake up screaming - turned out he was teething. Once the teeth came through he went back to sleeping through the night.
When he is teething I give him the Hyland Teething tablets.
Hope this helps!
Although I am a supporter of the cry it out method I would first check out other causes of him waking since he has been a great sleeper up until now. Illness, ear infection, teething etc. It is perfectly normal for sleep cycles to change during the babies first year it is how we handle it that matters. What I mean is if you haven't been feeding them in the middle of the night I wouldn't start again. I would get him checked by the doc to make sure there is nothing going on medically first. If it is teething which it probably is I would give Tylenol on occasion for pain and that would help. When he wakes I would try to just rub his back, pat him and soothe him back to sleep if you can without picking him up. Teething is really painful and can definitely disturb sleep cycles in even the best sleepers. There is nothing wrong with the baby crying it out once you make sure he is okay, and it can be done with you in the room by just soothing him in other ways. Once they learn new tricks like rolling over, or how to stand they have no concept of daytime or night time they just want to try out their new skill. Just go in lay him back down (I always used music) put music on and just rub him back to sleep. Good luck!!
my son did the same thing at exactly the same age,as soon as he started pulling himself up and becoming independently mobile. he'd wake up in the middle of the night to try out his new tricks.you could try to eliminate a nap during the day, as they get older they need less sleep. even if he's teething it should only be between 24 and 48 hours when he's in pain(so the doctor says)my son was just excited and wanted to wake up and play, he grew out of it and by 10 months he was sleeping from 8 to 8. just don't stay with him too long and never take him to bed with you-my five year old still wants to sleep with me!
I would not let him cry it out.... Suddenly going from a very good sleeper, to waking and screaming during the night, means that something is not right. It must be either teeth coming in or an ear infection because such a sudden personality change has got to mean that something is going on with him. Adults take Tylonal for themselves when they need it, so we should do the same for our wee ones when they are not feeling well. Good luck.
D.
Hi. Could he be uncomfortable? My daughter is 8 months and a pretty good sleeper, but the other day she got some type of a rash on her tummy and would wake up literally every 20 mins, and I had to pick her up and eventually put her in my bed. And then she'd toss and turn anyway. Then, I figured I'd put some lotion on her and she went back to sleep for almost 4 hours without waking up. Then yesterday, as silly as that may sound, the pacifier got stuck underneath her on the side and she kept waking up again. Finally I figured it out, took it from underneath her, and she went back to sleep. Sometimes it could be a very simple thing that can bother the baby that we may not even think about. BTW: I never do the "cry it out" method because I figured the kid wouldn't be crying if everything was ok with him or her. Especially if your kid is a good sleeper and not used to having you pick him up at night, there's no reason he'd cry to have you pick him up. So just think about whether something could be making him uncomfortable.
Could be teeth or milestones! My son's sleep schedule is off right now because of walking, and this happened with all sorts of other milestones as well. (Including pulling himself up- very exciting!)
Assuming he's not sick, or getting a tooth, it's probably the pulling up. Your son may be unable to lay back down on his own. I would be very consistent about your approach. Go in, keeping the lights off. Don't talk to him very much, and no playing! :) Lay him back down, and gently soothe him. Then leave. Give him time to holler. If he is still crying in 15 minutes, repeat it. At that point, I'd let him cry! (If you're not comfortable with that, then stay consistent with whatever you choose!)
I wouldn't do this if he's teething though. Try motrin before bed. If that helps, then it's teeth. If not, assuming he doesn't have an ear infection (always a possibility!), then it just takes time. He'll learn to handle all this excitement...then he'll start walking and the cycle will repeat!
Good luck!
Hello, a well feed baby will sleep well. If your not already adding some sort of cereal to his bottle. Start to do so. Your little 8 month old, bundle of joy is requiring a little more norishment. That's all. Best Wishes!
Hi,
This is a common thing at this age in relation to seperation anxiety (your baby is getting more human!). The second wave comes around 18 months. The No Cry Sleep Solution is actually by Elizbeth Pantley, but she is a big fan of Dr. Sears. I know people have different feelings about co-sleeping. I loved it and it did the trick when my son started waking around 17 months. If this is not for you, you could try an intermediate solution like staying close on an air matress for a while. You still have to wean from that. Another book that was helpful to me was the following
http://www.amazon.com/Good-Night-Sleep-Tight-Helping/dp/1...
It is slower that Cry it Out but for kids who just don't take to it, this is a reassuring way to help your child learn to fall asleep alone, and that should help them to stay asleep. These kids need the extra reassurance to build trust.
Some kids just don't take to the Cry it Out method. Once it has been tried they may even be a bit more nervous about sleep, they just need extra reassurance that you are near. It frustrating because you can explain to such a young child.
All the best,
C.
Probably teeth. I wouldn't do cry-it-out until you're absolutely 100% sure it's not something like teeth or an ear infection. You can try hyland's teething tablets (which soften the gums to speed up teething) or just the absolute tiniest bit possible of orajel. you really don't want to use too much - especially when they're sleeping - since it can also numb their throats and cause breathing/swallowing issues. most of all, patience. this will pass and he'll be sleeping well again soon, i promise!
Hi J., Is your baby teething? That would wake him up. Baby sleep schedules do change but should get better. Look at his gums. Do not let him cry. Soothe him and try to find out what is wrong. Grandma Mary
Hi J.,
I had recently written in because my 9month old breastfed son wakes up numerous times during the night. Some mothers suggested "The no cry sleep solution" by Dr. Sears. I am currently reading it and find it helpful. I don't have results yet because I've just started but I like the book because it makes you not feel alone and has some very good suggestions for all different situations. I got it from my library. I just didn't know that they have a baby one and then a toddler and preschool book. I accidentally got the toddler and preschool one. It starts at 12months. It is helping me but you may want the infant one. Good Luck!
