Sleep Issues with 8 Mo. Old

Hi Michelle,

Your baby girl is waking up because she needs you! Are nursing? She probably is hungry and wants to be with Mom. We did something so simple but it's been profound for everyone's well being and happiness. We co-sleep with our second. Our first, we tried keeping her in a separate room and it was torture for everyone till I put a loft bed above our bed when she was 4! There is lots of research out there supporting co-sleeping. Plus, people have been doing it for eons. As long as you are not intoxicated or on medications, it is perfectly safe. And so worth the sleep! Mothering.com has great resources for honest info on the subject. Good luck!

Hey - I had similar issues with my oldest, and she didn't sleep through the night until she was 16 mos old. I used to give her another 8 oz of warm milk when she woke, which turned into its own bad habit (not recommended). Then I read the baby whisperer book. this was the only 'sleep book' that really helped me. It talks about doing a mantra (go to sleep little one; sleep is what you need or something to that effect) while you're rubbing her back. The first couple of times I tried this it did take a while, but for my second child it worked like a charm for those middle of the night annoying wake ups. You can do this when she's going to sleep at her normal time, and then continue it when she has her little wake ups; this will condition her to sleep when you are doing this. The other thing I would recommend is lots of sleep during the day; two to three naps for an 8 mo old is normal. again, this will help her sleep more at night.
As for the crib standing, there isn't much you can do. She's pretty proud of this milestone it seems and she will get over it when she learns to do the next big thing (like crawl or stand on her own). Best of luck!!

Hey there,

I know you think you need to help her by putting her back into position, but, we found out the hard way that sometimes, they just need to be left alone in order to 'get it'.
There are a few sleep books out there for parents of small people. I forget the name of the one we read, but it was for age 0 and up.
Our doctor is of the opinion that once they are over 6 months and waking in the middle of the night, it is a learned behavior, and that we're teaching them we will come to their aid at their slightest cry.
I realize you want to do what you're doing, and you fear for her safety, but unless she is getting out of her crib...mightn't you try the cry it out gradually routine? Where you answer her cry the first time nearly right away, and then every 5 min (set a clock, since 5 seconds feels like eternity when they are upset...we just want to comfort them!) go in to her and without picking her up, or touching her or speaking to her if possible just comfort her by your presence and leave. We sometimes found putting our hand on the baby's chest to calm them worked (while we were there) and they screamed more when we left...learned behavior.
Just give it a whirl, and if NOTHING works...know that at least you won't have to accompany her to college to keep her from harming herself.

Cheers,
A.

Michelle,

Cheer, she's hitting more milestones. Both my children (4 1/2 years and 13 months) were active in their cribs, and the favorite thing was to stand in the crib and jump/run/move around. Many times they would fall down so I quickly learned the sound of their heads hitting the crib. As long as they weren't crying after they bonked their heads I let them be. IF they were crying, and it was the I'm Hurt cry I'd go in a comfort them.

There is nothing wrong with letting a child fuss in their crib for a few minutes to see if they will be able to soothe themselves. I try to leave my daughter be for about 5 minutes to allow her time to soothe herself, if she can't do it, or it's an I'm Scared cry I go in and help her.

Hope this helps,
Melissa

I have the same issue with my eight month old. Last night she was up for 3.5 hours.

We tried letting her cry a bit, nursing, a bottle of water, some formula, singing, walking, etc.... I think in our case it may also be connected to teething, but I’ve been saying that for almost a month now.

I don't have a solution, I just wanted to commiserate.

I remember those nights! You and your husband are both right on this issue. You want to check in on your daughter to make sure she hasn't hurt herself, but other than that, just remind her it's sleep time and let her figure out how to get herself back into a good sleep position. Babies are fast learners, and she will learn quickly that she gets some extra time with mom or dad at 1 a.m. if you spend very much time with her. She will eventually wear herself out again and fall back to sleep, and she will probably sit down and lay down before she falls back asleep.