8 Month Old Waking Multiple Times per Night

I'm sorry; I'm not offering any help. My daughter is 9 months and has been waking often for the last couple of months. I keep thinking it's a phase, but how long will it last? I'm exhausted too and am just trying to hang in there.
Could you forward me any responses you get?
thanks
A.

Even though he is on antibiotics the combination of the double ear infections, cold and fever are probably making him uncomfortable especially at night. Do you have a cold mist humidfier in his room and are you giving him Tylenol around the clock for the fever and pain from the ear infections? You might want to aspirate his nose also if it is full of gunk from the cold - use one of those little bulb syringes you might have gotten from the hospital. Another idea is if you have a swing put him in his swing at night in his room. Sometimes being able to sit up helps them breathe and is more comfortable than laying down. Hope this helps!

I am going to contradict all the other advice. I am a firm believer in the attachment parenting method. We did the family bed with our kids when they were babies and toddlers. I would go to bed when they went to bed and I would wake up with them. I knew when my kids had fevers in the middle of the night. I knew when they were going through those "practicing in their sleep" stages. I know that this is not popular advice and you give up a lot of your own night by going to bed with the kids, but the "cry it out" method and the "they're old enough to comfort themselves" method break my heart. Our children are young for such a short time and the hugs and kisses can end much too soon. Co-sleeping, at least at those younger ages, actually gave me better sleep. When your kids are sick, you don't sleep well anyway. When they are next to you, it takes much less time to check on them.

Also, for ear infections, we always went to the chiropractor. There are definite draining issues that can be helped by adjustments. They can also show you some massage that you can do at home.

Ultimately, you have to do what you feel is right as a parent and what works for your family, which is why I felt compelled to add a contradicting view. Good luck. I know that all these things are frustrating, but you will do what you need to, and then move on to the next frustrating situation. We all do.

This is the most exhausting part of being a mother, when a baby is sick. I would caution you to check his formula to see that it doesn't contain corn syrup or corn syrup solids (even "high fructose"). This is a nervous system irritant and can make it impossible for babies to sleep.

Since he is so sick, give him formula based on soy for a while rather than milk. Soy is not nearly as mucus producing and he will be able to breathe better. The corn syrup also will be contributing to his cold symptoms.

You need to stop being a hero and take several days off of work so that he can take several days off of day care. Rest, rest, rest is what you both need. Imagine being sick and having to go to day care where there is noise, confusion and no mommy... Once you are home for a few days, nap when the baby naps - it will make the night time problems easier to get through.

Some illnesses just have lots of night time waking M. - which is why mothering is so hard. I hope you are making sure your husband is helping out too! If not, you are working 24 hours a day!

what we've had to do with both of our kids is is raise the head of their beds with books so the head is just a little higher than the feet. I think It helps with colds and stuff.
G.

As soon as I stopped nursing my baby at night he pretty much quit waking at night. Our Dr informed us that the reason he was waking was because I kept nursing him back to sleep. At that age he gets enough food during the day and he is only hungry at that time because his little body is used to eating at that time. So this is what you do. The first night nurse him for only 10 mins, or however long he usually nurses. Each night decrease it by 1 minute and increase the number of hours between each nursing. He will be good within a week! Do a diaper change and a pat while you rock him and he'll be back to sleep soon. He'll slowly learn he doesn't need to nurse to fall back asleep. Good luck!

You'll both sleep better if you sleep together. You can nurse him easily and go back to sleep, he will feel more secure. You can make up for some of the time you have to be a part during the day. Separation from mother is not accomplished all at once at birth, it is gradual and takes years for children to really be separate people from their mothers.

My daughter also was having a hard time going to sleep after the light change. I put a fan in her room and this helps lull her to sleep. I also recently stopped nursing and now she only wakes at night when she is really hungry. I also am not a big fan of letting them cry it out, but if I have already gotten up once with her, then I let her whimper for a little bit. Usually she goes right back to sleep after a couple minutes. I also took the bumpers out of her crib because I was having the same problem. Good luck!

My son is 8 months old as well and went through waking up at night while teething. He's now on his 5th tooth, so getting used to it, but thoughts perhaps that might be what is going on with your son???

First think of safety...lose the bumper. They are not recommended because of what is happening to your son. Second, his ears could still be bothering him; the infection may be clearing up but there still may be fuild in his ears and when a child or anyone is lying flat on their back the fuild causes more pressure. We would have our children sleep elevated when they were sick in infant seat, with a wedge or you could prop up his matress. He may also be sleeping lighter due to his illness and waking up has turned into a habit. Try to see if he can get himself back to sleep. I was never a mom who let my children cry much, but their something to be said for not creating a child dependent on you for fixing all their problems. Try waiting a 1-2 min before you go to "rescue" him. Good luck, I too wonder when I will get a good night sleep; maybe when my children are adults :)

Try putting him to bed later with a dose of Infant Tylenol.

SAHM of seven

Hi M.,
I am a mother of four: 9, 6, 2 1/2, and 10 months old. Just when I think I have everything figured out, one of my children throw me a curveball! My 10 month old has been the most difficult as far as sleep is concerned. My advice is to let your son "cry it out." It is hard, but it works. I usually start by letting them cry for five minutes. If the crying hasn't stopped I go in the room, don't pick him up, but put the blankets back on, put the pacifier back in his mouth if he uses one, and walk back out. Then wait 10 minutes and do the same adding 5 minutes everytime. Considering the child is changed, fed, and not in pain this should work. At his age the waking is out of habit, not need. Good Luck!

Ahhh.....I TOTALLY know what you mean. I have a 9 month old daughter who was doing the same thing at 8 months, and it has gotten better in the past weeks. I talked to my doctor about it, and it seems that at 8-9 months they go through some very big brain growth which causes them to wake up a lot at night. My daughter would wake up because she was practicing sitting in her sleep, and I'd have to go and rescue her (lay her down from sitting).

I say wait it out (sorry, I know that doesn't help much!). Is there anyway your partner can go to him at night, so that he can be soothed in another way other than nursing?

Good luck, I feel for you and your tiredness!

Hi M.,
Our daughter was a terrible sleeper and at 8 months, we were exhausted and desparate for sleep. We decided that something had to change and to do some sleep training. It worked very well! We went by a book call "Sleep Sense" and I wish I had it way earlier. It is an on-line book that you pay for and download.

Also, he is old enough and should have enough weight that he shouldn't "need" to be eating during the night. That again, is sleep training. He knows he can get it, so he does.

You mention getting "stuck on his belly". He should be rolling both directions on his own by now. If he is not very mobile and still having difficulty with this, you want to make sure that he has nothing in his crib. No bumper, no toys, no blanket - this is actually suggested for the first year. We used sleep blankets (like a little blanket, but you Zip him into it so it doesn't come loose).

Good luck! I know how that lack of sleep can really take a toll.

Ideas to help out:

1- Feed your son as late as possible before bedtime.

2- If he wakes up, bring him to bed with you and feed him while you (snooze) sleep. Put your arm out so your husband doesn't roll over, or just tell him not to move.

3- Another idea, lay down on another bed, feed your son, and get a little snooze in.

4- Or, get a triangle pillow to help the baby lie on his side. That would help him feel better.(You can roll up a big shower towel, and that works, too.)

5- If his ear is still hurting him, microwave a wash cloth for a few seconds, and lay it on his ear. This helps my girls, as well as an age appropriate amount of tylenol.

6- Have him go to sleep as late as possible so you can also sleep at the same time.

7- Experiment with a variety of things. As we all know, every kid is different.

8- Move his crib in to your room for awhile. That will cut down on the time getting in and out of bed to get him. He will, obviously, be closer.

9- Try to adjust him to YOUR schedule, not his. He will adapt, really! As long as there are no pillows around, he should be safe sleeping with you.

10- We have 4 little girls, so I tried all these with all four of them. They are now 11, 8, and twins 5, so they survived.

Hope some of these will help!

I would take the bumpers out of the crib immediately. I think that pediatricians recommend those to be removed when child rolls, to reduce the risk of SIDS.
My son had been waking alot also, with ear infections and wetting his bed. It must be a sign of growing at this age, as earlier stated. I did put a humidifier in his room also and this helped incredibly. I believe the sound of the constant humming helped drown out dead silence. Or outside noise (our neighbors dog barks at wind) Since then he only wakes if he drowns his sheets or in the morning. He goes to bed at 9 p.m. though and he woke this morning at 8:45. Good luck and if you dont want to put a humidifier in his room, perhaps a small desk fan would work also!

M.,

When you breast feed at night, your infant does not get completely "full", so he wakes up hungry about every two hours. What worked with my fourth child, my son, was I put breast milk into a bottle and added rice cereal. This mixture allowed for him to feel "full" and he would sleep for 7+ hours at a time; sometimes longer. Another suggestion is to also lay him down at 8pm rather than 7pm; this will allow him an extra hour to "wear out" and then he will also sleep in longer in the mornings. This will allow you to sleep completely through the night and be well rested. If this does not work, I would definantly contact your pediatrician to make sure that he isn't having like a access gas build up for maybe being lactose intolerant. This happened with my first born son and he never slept until we figured out that he was allergic to milk and we gave him a soy/rice cereal bottle at night when he went to bed. Good luck to you and have a wonderful day.
Sincerely,
Jackie B. (Wisconsin)

I think the nursing may be causing him to wake more. He shouldn't need to eat at night anymore at this age. He may be waking to get you to come in, and the nursing is just a bonus. You should probably remove the bumper in his crib as well. This may cut the wakings back some, but as far as getting "stuck" in the crib, you will probably need to continue going in for that until he figures out how to get "unstuck" himself...

An 8 month old should not need to be nursed throughout the night. Stop nursing him during the night, give him a bottle of water...he will figure out that it is not worth getting up for. Take his bumper out of his crib. He also should be able to roll onto his back by himself. Sounds like your son crys and you jump to his every whim...stop doing that. He needs to learn to figure out how to fall asleep himself. Let him cry it out for a few days(it will tear you apart), but I guarantee he won't be waking up anymore.

Take the bumper pads out of the crib, use a blanket over his curtains to stop the sun light from coming in. Does he have a pillow in his crib? Might want to think about putting one in form him. Try giving him a baby or teddy bear to cuddle with at night. You want to make his bed as comforting for him as you can.

Very Very first thing I would tell you is to get those Bumper-pads out of the crib ASAP... Secondly I would say that from many many different expierences with

with multiple children and ear infections, JUST because they are on a med for them DOES NOT mean it's working!!!!! I do in-home daycare and have seen this happen multiple times... We think all is well for 4 or 5 days and boom here are all the signs again. Only to find we need a new med. My peds doc told me with all 3 of my children that it's a matter of finding the right med for each persons body chemistry. One does not just do the trick for all involved. Thirdly try tylenol before bed times as lying flat in bed makes the ears pound ond throb.. also don't be just OK with being told that there is only fluid on the ears instead of an infection. This hurts just as bad if not worse as a full blown infection. Fluid can also hinder the speech development of the child as well. I've known children to have tubes put in due to constant fluid on the ears. I've also had family's try the chiropractor for adjustments in betweem meds or in conjuntion with them. Another therory I have is that the infant seat works like a charm in these sleep situations. They think someone is still holding them, and they are not totally lying flat. Hopefully all of the above mix will do some good. My last daughter's ears were a nightmare!!! She ended up with tubes at 13 months. and 3 out of my last 3 daycare children did too. Hope this helps But remember to get those bumper -pads out ASAP......

First off I want to let you know I have been there. It's not easy and I know it and so do many others. I would take off the bumpers as this may cause sids. If you remove the bumper you don't have to worry about him getting caught up in it. I never used them on any of my three girls and none of them got hurt. Also don't go to him everytime he starts to cry. It's ok to go in and check on him but he may be learning that when he cries mom comes to "rescue" him. It's ok for him to cry. Just check on him and let him know you are there for him but you aren't going to pick him up everytime. Sleep when he does!! Let all the other stuff go and sleep when he does. It may be that he will get into the habit of waking up several times during the night and you don't want him to think you are going to go to him everytime. Good luck and we're here for ya.
S. J

Hi M.,

I am in the same boat! I have a 10 month old son who has slept through the night twice and that has just been in the last 2 days! UGH, I find myself getting so frustrated and I am tired and cranky in the mornings. I have tried to let him cry and he can go for hours and I just feel really bad and can't let him do that. If you hear any good advice from others please let me know. I am in desperate need of a solution as well! I feel your pain, Hang in there and we will get something figured out!

Sincerely,
R.

I have a three month old little girl that has been sleeping through the night since she was about a month and a half. It has been a total blessing because I am not a happy person without sleep. Something I started doing right around the time she started sleeping through the night was putting her on formula for her last two feedings at night. I swear that this is what has made the difference. She will wimper a bit for her pacifier at night and I just pop it back in her mouth and she goes right back to sleep for me. The rest of the day she would get breast milk. Formula has a little more substance to fill her tummy. Hope this helps:)

M.,

Just hang in there. I'm a mother of 2 boys myself. I have a 6 year old and a 10 month old. My 10 month old was still waking up at night, especially when he is sick. But we have finally resloved the issue. I would suggest putting a fan or Vicks Vaporizer in his room for sound. I would also suggest waiting until 8 p.m. to put him to bed. I know that they get cranky, but if you can hold him off until 8, I would think you would get a better nights sleep. When he has a cold I would also suggest putting baby vicks on his feet and chest, using "Ocean" for his nose, and suck out the snot in his nose religiously! I would also give him a huge helping of Oatmeal mixed with fruit right before bed. This should keep his belly full.
I wish you luck, I know it's difficult to go to work on very little sleep. Please let me know how everything turns out.

I hate to tell you this, but you need to let him cry. It will be the longest night of your life, but it will be well worth it. If you can be gone form the house for a night, I would do that. Ir wear earplugs. Take the bumper out of his crib. It is really difficult, but well worth it. My 18 month old has been sleeping 7pm-7am for about 10 months now. It is heavenly. You will both be much happier in the long run. Good luck!!!

I too have an 8 month old son who wakes lot during the night. So thanks for asking this. I read all the responses, which are helpful.

M., red flags went off in my head when you said your son gets tangled in the crib bumper. I suggest getting rid of it. Couldn't he choke on it?

This is our situation: We put our son down to sleep at 8pm in a pack and play in our room. If he wakes up again before I go to sleep around 10 or 11p (which he sometimes does) I nurse him and put him back. If he doesn't wake until after I'm asleep (eg, 12, 1, 2 or 3a at the very latest), I bring him into bed with us and cosleep. Then he'll wake up 1, 2 or even 3 more times to nurse until morning. It's sort of a catch-22 because my son probably doesn't sleep as soundly in bed with us, but it helps me get more sleep b/c I just lift up my shirt when he starts fussing and boom he's quiet and we're all asleep again. I don't know how long I can last with this arrangement but it is going ok this week (one week at a time...) so I'll stick with it for now. Sometimes I'll let him cry for a while if he wakes up before 2 or 3am and if his crying isn't escalating, and sometimes he'll go back to sleep. But sometimes I can't stand to let him cry so I'll bring him to bed to nurse. Nursing is the quickest, and perhaps the only, way he'll calm down and go back to sleep.

I'm sure somebody else will say this- but GET RID OF THOSE CRIB BUMPERS!!!

If he is getting tangled up in them that is a real safety hazard.

I'll let people who had better luck than me give you good advice about the night wakings. But hang in there, when it finally stops, you will be a new person!

[[[HUGS!!!]]] from someone who's unfortunately been there, done that with the night wakings.

Normally I would encourage you to nurse him as much as possible because he is sick, but with the other factors, it seems to me that if you have one and it is possible, get your partner to get up and bottle-feed your baby. I have noticed with my daughter that she will get up more often to be nursed than if she is gets a bottle. We all get more sleep if she gets a bottle. Another thing to consider, is that you could add some cereal to the bottle and likely get a longer sleeping between feedings. When we started this with my daughter, she got up at least one less time a night. You just need to get a nipple that allows for this or widen the opening at the end with a pin.

I'm not sure if there is a medical reason for the other behavior you mentioned, did it happen before he got sick? The hard line is to let him sort it out, not respond to cries. I was never able to do this but my friends were able to help their babies learn to self-soothe by not coming every time they cried.

hang in there! Sleep deprivation is a special kind of torture.

Hi M.,

I'm also a first-time mom, but my son is now 15 months old. The first piece of advice I can give you is to not nurse throughout the night when your son wakes up. He can definitely go at least 8-10 hours without eating at his age. The second thing I can say is to get the bumper out of his crib. My son got his leg caught in the slats of the crib once after I took the bumper out, but otherwise there were no problems. Your son may also be teething, which could be waking him up at night. My son went through some sleeping issues as teeth were popping up and that was just something we dealt with for a week or so.

The first few nights might be rough, but I promise he will quickly improve! Good luck!

HI M.,

As difficult as this advice might be to here, especially as a first time mom, try waiting it out. Sometimes our little ones get into a habit during an illness that is hard to break once the illness has subsided.

Another thing that might help is an interactive crib safe toy that plays music. My daughters had the little aquarium toy attached to the side of the crib. It was motion sensored and generally did a nice job of soothing them back to sleep. A CD player in his room with some soft lullaby music may also help.

Even at 8 months old, little ones are starting to figure out how to push your buttons to get the desired response. Wow, how exhausting for new moms, right? You do need your rest to function well both at work and at home, so do yourself a favor, and let your little guy cry a bit. Before too long, he should be back on track.

Good luck!
J.

Here's what my pediatrician told me when we were going through something similar with my daughter when she was 6 mons old: your baby is starting to use you as a human pacifier! My daughter was in the 90th percentile for weight and our Dr said 'she doesn't need to eat 2-3 times per night.' My daughter would latch on to nurse, nurse a few minutes, then fall asleep. This would repeat many times during the night. After the advice from the Dr, I stopped going to her during the night and my husband would give her a paci instead. I used earplugs that first week, so I don't remember it being that bad (my husband says it was rough). All I know is that I was finally getting sleep and feeling human again! Our daughter will be 2 in May and has been sleeping 7:30 pm -7 am for months now. It will get better!!