Changing Sleeping Patterns

My son also went through a horrible sleeping change between 6-9 months. It just gradually changed, and we changed with it. Then by 9 months, we realized it was out of control. All of the sudden, he was waking every 2 hours to nurse...after being assured by the drs office that he didn't need the nighttime feeding at this age, I read the literature they sent me. It was about using a modified cry-it-out program. I know many moms have different philosophies on CIO, so I don't want to start a debate...I just know that we used what was recommended by our pediatrician & it worked! Within three days/nights, we were back on track! My advice is to contact your pediatrician & see what he/she recommends. I also used some of the advice from the book, BabyWise. Look at the options & choose what you think might work with your family. HTH, Best of luck!

He's probably ready to change his sleeping habits. We are going through the same thing. My dd is sleeping longer at night and less during the day. (Which is a blessing because she was the opposite a few months ago.) You'll just have to try to rearrange your schedule. Did you do a lot of traveling/visiting over the holiday? That can really disrupt the sleep pattern. We found out that my dd was overtired. Kids have a really hard time sleeping if they're overtired. Weird, you'd think they'd drop right off if they were tired. Also, is he more mobile now? Just try to stick to some kind of schedule. Even if he doesn't sleep, try to put him down around the same time every day. It took us forever to get my dd on some kind of schedule. She was just getting one down, and then it was Christmas time. Now we're back to square one. Just keep trying.

Dear A.,
It is not unusual for sleep habits to change as a baby gets older and is more aware of what is going on around him. As a grandmother of 10 I always tell their parents never to think that any phase is going to last, because, before you know it things will change. And never think you have it all figured out because, for the most part, you never will.
That is just the nature of being a parent!

My daughter is going through a similar difficulty now. She is 6 months and learning lots of new skills-sitting, rolling over, teething, eating solids, etc. All of these new skills are changing her and she is also taking much longer to fall asleep. It seems like she has to learn a new way to fall asleep because now she rolls over and gets stuck on her tummy, she doesn't like lying down because she'd rather sit, so she gets mad when I put her in the crib now when she used to just close her eyes. I think they have to re-learn how to fall alseep. Just be patient and help him along. I love the book "The No Cry Sleep Solution" and have been using these strategies as a gentle way to help her sleep soundly. Good luck!

He's probably going through a growth change. Anytime an infant learns something new (walking, crawling, even eating) it can disrupt sleep patterns. Give it some time and it will probably change again.

He is in pain. There is something waking him up and hurting him. Did you start new foods? Could be something as easy as reflux. Take him to the ped a tell him how much he has changed, is he arching at all or moaning or moving his liegs up? Is he constipated? There is something going on here and I bet it started when you started solids.
J.