sleeping prblems of 8 month old

Melissa - posted on 04/22/2011

I had someone come in today to introduce her to my daughter as a babysitter, i came home while the babysitter was still here, and rocked her to sleep with a binky and she has been asleep now for almost an hour. I don't know what happened while i was gone for about 75 min. However, she wore her out. I was shocked. I told her i need that! I thought Abby was having stranger anxiety, but it may just be with certain people so it was a test run for me. Now she is napping good for me right now! It is too funny right now!

Holly - posted on 04/22/2011

You definitly have to feel good in your heart about what you are doing. I had a problem with Holly playing for hrs and not going to sleep and then i started letting her play for 1/2 an hr and then going in and helping her go to sleep by laying her down & patting her back. She would fall asleep in mins. I felt soooo much better becuase before i was so upset that she was spending so much time just in her crib. It is all what works for you. There is fussing and then there is crying. One day at a time i say!

Britany - posted on 04/21/2011

That is exactly why I chose not to cry it out with my son. It works for some people but I personally don't think it is healthy for the child. I consider myself an attatchment parent too. I just recently read an online forum from Dr. Sears where he says, One of the most misunderstood things about attatchment parenting is that you cannot sleep train. That is so far from the truth. Sleep training does not mean cry it out. it means teaching your child to safely transtition from one sleep stage to the next. However you do that is up to you. But don't feel like you can't teach her to sleep by herself without crying. In the same forum I was actually pretty shocked that Dr. Sears said mild cry it out was fine, but he was more concerned about “INTENSE WEEKS” of cry it out leading to increased levels of cortisol. I too know that if the child cries too long they become so upset that they cannot comfort themselves. Good luck! I have been there! You can do it.

Melissa - posted on 04/21/2011

My parents have let my daughter cry herself to sleep when i have been at exercise class and i come home and she's still crying 45 min later and i can't handle it, i get her to sleep within 30 min of no crying and usually no bottle too at that point, however, she is usually so stressed at that point she is up 3 or 4 times that night. Last night she was asleep at 9 stirred 2 times until 11 she woke up and i gave her a bottle, she slepted, cried out at 6:30 and rolled over amazingly enough sucked her thumb fell back asleep until 7:15. I was so shocked- 8 hours was impressive, i took that 8 hours and was happy, even if she got up when she cried out at 6:30 i would have been happy. I liked the article that Holly did post, i know Holly has a lot of good information from that article, not all i have been able to put to good use yet, some will just take time, i did share it with my healthy babies healthy children worker. She said that she is going to pass it on to other mom's too she agreed with the article as helpful and another good resource and "acceptable" for their use. The resources they use have VERY VERY strict guidelines on what they can and cannot use. So that link will be useful to a lot of other moms too. So hopefully I will have many other restful nights especially after i get to use more of the article. I actualy just got her to sleep 10 min ago for a nap for who knows how long after cuddling her, she cried herself to sleep in my arms, but i cuddled her to sleep, just don't know how long she will sleep right now!

Stacey - posted on 04/21/2011

I wanted to say thanks to Holly for posting that link to Dr. Sears' website. I found the "8 infant sleep facts" very helpful, and I followed his advice about rocking the baby for a good 15 - 20 min until he gets back into a deep sleep and it worked - my baby slept through the night without a peep last night. This goes against everything the Dr. Weissbluth book says to do. I just cant let the baby cry so normally I would have made a bottle in this situation, but just rocking him back to sleep worked.

Britany - posted on 04/21/2011

I know this is probably not what you want to hear but part of her problem is that she is falling asleep to the bottle. Every doctor reccomends falling asleep sleepy but awake. She will start sleeping better once she learns to fall asleep without it every time. That doesn't mean you can't cuddle with her. Just make sure you cuddle then lie her down awake. She is using you to fall asleep. We usually give hugs, kisses, a bit of cuddling (which i think is great for bonding) but then he falls alseep by himself. It is great because I often hear him awake in the middle of the night but he will roll over by himself and go back to sleep by himself.

Melissa - posted on 04/21/2011

At night she usually falls asleep with a bottle, ocassionally she does fall asleep without a bottle in the midddle of the night she has fallen asleep both with and without a bottle, just depends on the time. Earlier in the night when she wakes up it's a bottle, later in the night as long as i make it to her quick enough i can stick a binky in her mouth and comfort her without a bottle. It's like i can catch her quick enough before she wakes up too much. During the day for napping her 20-30 min naps she doesn't need a bottle to fall asleep just a cuddle she doesnt fall asleep on her own too often like she used too its a rare occasion now

Holly - posted on 04/21/2011

It must be hard to have your father trying to tell you what to do. Mother knows best and try and hold your ground. Some babies have their own schedule. Rremeber waht Dr. Sears says that they are Babies. Good luck and think it will pass soon. I fell for you cuz my LO is doing this right now too but not as much. Lack of sleep is soooooo hard. Hang in there girl!

Britany - posted on 04/21/2011

Does your baby fall asleep on her own when she goes to bed? If not her problem may be with sleep associations. Sleep associations occur when a baby is too used to being rocked to sleep, nursed to sleep, bottle fed to sleep, etc. When they wake up they want the same thing. They can't comfort themselves back to sleep.



So the first step is to get your baby to go to sleep on her own. That means she falls asleep in her crib by herself without your help. I started with my baby by rocking him until his eyes were droopy but then put him in his crib BEFORE he fell asleep. Then I would pat/rub his back until he fell asleep.



After doing that for a while I would lie him down without rocking him, but would then pat/rub his back until he fell asleep. After doing that for a while I would lie him down without any assistance. At that point he was comfortable in his crib so he didn't cry when I left him there.



Just note that even with a no-cry solution there may be some fussing. A small amount of fussing is okay. You should haven't screaming though. At this age your baby can be spoiled. After six months old they understand cause and effect so she may fuss a little. You can't give in or else she will become boss. Remember you are the parent and you are the boss.



Once you get her to fall asleep by herself then you continue with the same ritual when she wakes up at night until she is able to go back to sleep by herself. It does take time but be consistant. If you fall into old habits even once you can undo days of progress.



By doing this I was able to get my baby to fall asleep by himself by 2 months old. All without crying. He does go through stages where he experiences a sleep regression so I have to start over, but within time he is back in his routine.



I hope this helps. :)

Melissa - posted on 04/21/2011

a no cry solution is best because of the fact i have a 5 year old too. I have the problem where he comes to sleep with me at night and can't successfullly get him to sleep in his own bed all night. He starts there but doesn't stay there. I can work on it, but right now, trying to get my daughter to sleep more often is more important because at least my son falls asleep imediately back in my bed and right now i don't even know when he comes into my bed because i'm just so exhausted that he can jump on me and i couldn't tell when he comes into my bed. So after my daughter sleeps more regularly and lets me get some rest maybe i can actually deal with him. 2 nights ago she kept me up almost all night with no good napping during the day before or day after

Andrea - posted on 04/20/2011

I wish i could tell you some advice, but my son does the same thing....

Britany - posted on 04/20/2011

It is common for babies to experience a sleep regression sometime between 8-10 months old. There is so much going on in their brains from learning to crawl, say a few words, pull up, etc. Due to all this growth they tend to wake up at night. I know it may not be easy but don't always give her a bottle. Babies this age do not need more than one feeding at night. If they are waking it does not necessarily mean they are hungry. I don't know how you feel about crying it out, but there are also no-cry sleep solutions.

I do feel for you. I have researched a lot on sleep because my first child is a horrible sleeper. He is five and still doesn't sleep through the night. My biggest advice is don't assume the baby is hungry. Try to let her go to sleep on her own.

Melissa - posted on 04/20/2011

that is a very interesting article i'm working on reading it now, some things i may have to try i speant most of the night up last night with my daughter more hours awake then asleep with very little napping both yesterday and today. I know that babies don't necessarly sleep all night all the time, but it's the change and it's wearing me down and living with my parents and their expectations. my dad wants her to have this set schedule for when i go back to work thinking he has to deal with her when i go back but she's still my daughter and i don't expect him to. She is so different from my son and now her teeth are definately coming closer 2 being in an article to share w/ my home visitor too

Holly - posted on 04/20/2011

http://www.askdrsears.com/faq/sl1.asp
check it out!

Holly - posted on 04/20/2011

I hear ya! My 8mth old is waking every 2-3 hrs and last night it took me 2hs to get her back to sleep once. I think she must be teething. I have had sleep problems for a while. She will be good for a bit and the bang she learnt to sit up and that was her game and now we are on vacation at my sisters and that is causing problems. Just know you are not alone nd that it is not forever, it is just a stage. It is very hard to cope with lake of sleep. Dr.Sears has really helped me. He says that baby's waking up at night is the norm and that we are here to nurture them. They grow up so fast! Good luck!

Stacey - posted on 04/19/2011

I agree with some of the other posts saying that daytime naps are important and help the baby rest better at night. Whenever I take my baby out for a day and he doesn't get proper naps, his night sleep is horrible. I am having problems with night waking too right now, Im guessing from teething. But he always takes 2 naps, one around 9am and around 2pm. I read that from the time your baby wakes up in the morning, they should only be awake for 2-3 hours. Since my baby wakes at 7am, I start soothing him to sleep around 9 (pacifier, lullaby & rocking). Same with his afternoon nap - since he wakes around 11:00 or 11:30 from the morning nap, I start to soothe him to sleep around 1:30\2:00 PM. It always works unless we are away from home. You could even try a quick warm bath as part of the routine. I suggest you try to force the naps for a few days and see if it helps his night sleep. I also agree with a consistent bed time routine - bath, book, bottle & rocking.

Melissa - posted on 04/19/2011

someone once told me to put the shirt i wear that day and hang it over her crib, it worked with her daughter. I have been half tempted to swaddle her in it ias long as it has no zippers or drawstrings on it to see if that works because sometimes it seems as if all she wants is me in the middle of the night, sometimes it seems like it's teething, sometimes it seems like it's me, sometimes it seems like it's my dad being home, my dad goes out of town this thurs- sun or mon so i will test that theory again with him. The vaporizer has helped a bit. She is now all formula fed and if i get to control her feedings and not my dad then i cut down her wakings at night!

Anita - posted on 04/18/2011

I feel for ya, it is hard to be a good mum when running on empty all the time, my son (8mth) has never slept through the night, most nights he is up every two hours but thankfully quick to settle, I give him a cuddle and some pamol and put him back down, I have started to refuse to feed him until the morning hoping that will help him sleep for longer, (hasn't yet), He sleeps extremly well during the day but i also have a 2 year old so i don't get much rest during the day, he must be teething, I give him pamol 3 times a day, does anyone else have any suggestions on how to make the little bugger sleep for longer at night.

Stephanie - posted on 04/18/2011

I found that with my son I had the exact same problem and just recently we started reading him a book and spending a little time with him in his bedroom before bedtime. Now he sleeps through the night. I didn't remove or change nap time and still follow the same schedule that we had before.
I have also been told if you actually put them to bed a half hour earlier helps instead of later. Hope that you find what works comfortably for you and your daughter. Also, I hope my advise works for you if you decide to try it :)

Melissa - posted on 04/18/2011

I thought she was fixed when my dad went out of town, with the vaporizer, but obviously not, she is working on teeth right now but they won't push through, Right now i am fighting being sick too. Last night was horrible, i couldn't fall asleep, my daughter was up at 2, my son peed in my bed at 3, and then my daughter was up at 3:45, luckly just needed cuddled back to sleep- she was up for 5 minutes, and i was up for 15 because i wasn't feeling well Just lets say tonight i am taking cold medicine for me right when she is getting her last diaper change so when she goes to bed I should hopefully fall asleep close to when she goes down!

Kelly - posted on 04/18/2011

My 8 mth old the same. She had a bad week with her teeth, once they broke back to normal. She goes bed at 7pm, stirs about 10pm for a top up, She then usually wakes bout 5am. She is breastfeedin as she wont take a bottle or cup!! Hard work but they are worth it.

Cisca - posted on 04/18/2011

I've found that the better they sleep during the day the better they sleep at night. My daughter is also 8 mnths old. She doesn't want to drink from a bottle so she only drinks breastmilk. She is a very good eater. But still wakes up 2 to 3 times during the night. I get up give her a dummy and she falls right back to sleep. She is my 3rd baby and al 3 of them have different sleeping habits. But in your case I suspect it's probably teething time. Give teething ointment and something for pain.

Melissa - posted on 04/15/2011

Monday my dad went out of town, and came back last night i live with my parents. My mom put my daughter to bed monday, due to me having an exercise class monday night and suggested trying to put on the vaporizer and see how that worked for me. My mom did the same thing i did putting my daughter to sleep, fed her the last bottle of the night laid her down asleep, wrapped her up. I went up there when i got home after talking to my mom and put on the vaporizer and wrapped her up a little tighter because she likes being tight and my mom never got that touch, so i did it and she barely budged. So i went to bed. My daughter slept all night Monday through Wednesday night yahoo! Last night, my dad came home i put my son to bed, she was still awake at that point and was fussing for me, but because my dad had been away for 3 days wouldn't give her to me. While putting my son to sleep my dad started putting her to sleep in his arms, meanwhile she could have used another bottle before bed- i didn't argue because my dad would have argued saying he knows best. However, last night she was up again at midnight or 1 am. and then slept till 7 am this morning. so i could have slept all night last night probably if my dad let me give her the last bottle because my mom said she drank the last bottle real quick and she agreed with me needing the last bottle when i talked to her. My mom i think realized that between the bottles and the vaporizer doing the finishing touches that is possibly what gets her through the night. It may be the teething causing some congestion- she has been a little snotty lately or the change of seasons with allergies. If my dad would bud out i wouldn't have any problems but how do i get him to bud out because he won't listen to me or my mom?

Tanja - posted on 04/14/2011

Oh yes, Got o bed early if you can, forgot to add that. When my children had sleep issues due to sickness, growths or teeth, I went to bed right after them, even if that meant that me and my husband did not have so much time for each other. But guess what, it is only temporary and then everything goes back to a normal pattern.

Tanja - posted on 04/14/2011

I am on my third child by now and I can tell you, the sleeping needs of every child are different. But, The key to night time wake ups with all children is to be consistent. First of all it is important to have a small routine going to bed and to make sure you do the same thing every night. Our routine for the baby is very simple, turn on the white noise, put on the PJs, feed the baby and put him to bed drowsy but not yet sleeping. Not sleeping is very important. Then we also made sure very early one, when the babies were old enough not to pick them up for feedings anymore and that meant a couple of rough nights, but when it is done before 5 months, it is easier.
Unfortunately the older they get, the easier they wake up (hence, one oft he reasons we use white noise for our children). At that age, they might also have teeth coming in and some pain reducing helpers might be good. Getting up at 5 or 6 is very normal for some children, my oldest one did it till 3 years old, the second one didn't. Keeping them up during the day is never e good idea if they like to take their naps, this will just make them crazy tired later in the day and even harder to put down for the night. Same routines during the day and in the evening are important. Just as a warning, whatever steps you might take to solve you problem, give it time usually it takes a while for changes to happen. There are many theories on how to get a baby to sleep, there are also some great books to read about the theories.
Also, whatever average time you think the child should sleep has a plus minus 3 hours to it. Some children might only need a total of 11 hours at this point and others still will sleep 15-16 hours a day.

Danielle - posted on 04/13/2011

christine aimed it right on! thanks christine!

Joanne - posted on 04/13/2011

My baby girl is having the same problem. I suspect it may be teething and/or she is trying to master crawling so she wakes herself up in the middle of the night. I don't have a solution yet but I feel your pain.

Christine - posted on 04/10/2011

My son was exactly like this when he was teething. He was not sleeping at all and was constantly crying and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. I gave him some infant's motrin and it worked like magic. He was able to sleep and I was happy to know he wasn't in pain anymore.

Melissa - posted on 04/09/2011

i will look into that website that could be what healthy babies healthy children was talking about is training your baby to sleep. She said she was working with another family on training their baby to have a certain sleep pattern. I don't care what sleep pattern my daughter has whether it is napping during the day and sleeping 8 hours at night. Or sleeping 12-14 hours at night and not napping during the day, i would just like her to get some regular sleep, but right now it's getting worse because she is NOT sleeping even 8-10 hours in a 24 hour period and it is so broken up the sleep she is getting that i am not even getting much sleep because of my son too whose 5 that my sleep is revolving around his schedule too and i'm a single parent and trying to plan some single time for him which is putting him to bed and a little time for him in the morning. I'm just worn out!

Michelle - posted on 04/09/2011

She might just be napping because she has learnt a new skill and is keen to keep trying it out, or because she has learnt object permenance ( that something still exists even if she can't see it) and knows you are in the house somewhere and if she cries you will come. This could be causing the short days sleeps and the night waking.

Do you have a routine with set feed and sleep times because this really does work. For children under 12 months the more day time sleep they get the better they should sleep at night.



Google the "Save our sleep" website. Tizzie Hall has a book called Save our Sleep with routines and tips for getting newborns to one year olds to sleep. I have used these routines from the time my children were 3 months old (I demand fed prior to 3 months old) and found it great. My daughter is almost 3 years old now and my son is 7 & 1/2 months.

Good luck

April - posted on 04/09/2011

My son doesn't sleep during day time, i've made it so that he knows that when it's day time its time to play and when it's night time its time to sleep. He only naps once during the day time for about 30 minutes and it's hours before his bedtime.

Try to keep her awake during the day. Then when her bedtime comes around she should be exhausted and ready to sleep through the night. make sure she get good and full so she doesn't wake up for feedings at night.

Some babies do like to wake up earlier and if thats the case your just going to have to let her play in the crib alone for awhile when she wakes up. That way you get a little more sleep and she learns not to cry out as soon as she wakes up.

You'll have to change your schedule also, whatever time your daughter goes to bed, go to sleep soon after. So that you have a long sleep. My son sleeps 13 hours straight because i've scheduled him like that since he was a newborn. Daytime is for playing, night time is for sleep. :) Hope this helps.