Restless/Active 8.5 Month Old

Hi J.,

I had babies with LOTS of enery also. We did lots of warm baths before bed. Try letting her lie down flat on her back with her ears submerged in the water, she might really love it - it really helps to promote relaxation.

Meg

Babies go through a lot of changes at this age, with learning all kinds of new skills, etc. It's very common for this to affect their sleep. Also, the whininess could be due to teething or separation anxiety or both!

Her issue could be a number of things but one thing I wanted to mention was the possibility that she just wants to be put down in her crib. My son is now 14 months old and he gets to a certain point during the night time bottle ritual that he is rammy and uncomfortable and just wants to go to bed. He hasn't fallen asleep in my arms before bed in what seems like over 6 months. It's a good habit to get them used to falling asleep on their own as much as possible as well.

During the bedtime ritual, make sure there isn't a loud tv or bright lights on in the room either. They are little sponges learning every second of the day and they don't want to miss anything that might be going on around them.

The second thought I had was teething....motrin is excellent which you likely already have found out.

I wish you lots of luck.

To me, from your discription it sounds like tummy trouble. It could be gas or digestive problems from what she/you are eating. It could also be that she's older and trying to stretch her baby independence by being slightly stubborn. I wouldn't worry about her being hyper quite yet. Check for physical reasons that she is getting restless. Maybe a food allergy? Just a few things that come to mind :)

Has she gotten any teeth yet? Most babies get fussy when they are getting teeth. my son was about your daughter's age when he got his first teeth. Try to give her a toy to play with when you change her diapers. Give her a bath before she goes to bed. Get in the bathtub with her and let her splash around and relax in the warm water. when she gets out massage her arms and legs with some lotion before you put her pj's on. try some baby tylenol before she goes to sleep also. look for signs like she is drooling,chewing on things a lot. try hylands teething tablets, they are natural and dissolve in babies mouth.she is not hyperactive,she is a baby. you have to remember babies can not talk so it is hard to communicate their needs to us.

Hi J.,

This is very normal for her age. She could be teething? Does she tug at her ears or play in her mouth alot?

I personally wouldn't worry about her being hyperactive for quite some time now. An active child is a healthy child.

As for diaper changes " Welcome to the World of squirmy ". Every child goes thru this your not alone.

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I. B.

Hi I'm also a first time mom and I am experiencing some ofthe same things except I have a boy and he is 8 months and two weeks. Just be patient I know you are probably rushing and the baby is doing what ever just let her remember everything is new to her. I understand that getting her to sleep is dire so you can do what you have to but you have to be patient because once you look up she'll be tucking her self in the bed. I know you look at her and say time has flew by yiuya re already eight months. I feel your "pain" so I hopedI eased it a little bit. Imagine what I'm going throughtI'm dealing with the same thing for the most part by myself and I a m getting my masters Degree so nap and bedtimes are very important to me. Do oyu let her play in th tub until she's tired or take her out into the cool evening air??

Hi J.. Is she crawling or crusin' yet? Does she have all her back teeth? Are you keeping her really busy and active durring the day? Do you have a quiet time with a book or some quiet soothing music to relax to before bed? Have a small toy on your changing table that she can play with when you changer her...that she only gets at diaper time. Tire her out with lots of physical activities & walks outside. When my girls were that age (and the babies I have babysat) they tend to really "get active" and went though stages of whinny. Don't worry about her being "hyperactive" or jump to lable her. She is a normal healthy active baby that just needs to work out her energy (they always have more energy than we do!)and learn how to relax. Think outside of the box, get on the floor with her and have some fun!! This is the time when good structure (routines at bedtime etc) can really help you as well. Teaching your daughter how to relax is a skill that will last her life time. Just like independant sleeping. Best wishes!

Sounds to me like your little one might be teething. My daughter is 9 months and is similar. She also is now hardly sleeping through the night. I am only up now because she has had me up 6 times tonight already.

This is perfectly normal. I wouldn't worry about your child being hyperactive at this early age. She's just starting to test her boundaries, practice new skills, and I truly believe that this is when they start to realize and relish how much they can drive their parents crazy. I hope it passes quickly for you. My 2 yo is STILL doing this!

Hi J..
Both of my boys went through a stage about that age were they hated to sit still for a diaper change. A toy for distraction worked sometimes and sometimes the only way to get that diaper changed was to do it as quickly as possible while they were wiggling. That got better after awhile and then mine went through it again later, some time after a year old. It often coincided with them becoming more mobile. They just didn't want to lay still that long. Too much to do. Is your daughter still taking multiple naps? If she is then she may be ready to drop one of them. I know that whenever my boys started taking a long time to fall asleep at night I knew it was time to adjust their nap schedules. I would either move one of them earlier or drop it all together. Remember that no matter how much we wish it, they won't take 2 or 3 naps a day forever. lol. Try to do more active things during the day and fiddle with her nap schedule and hopefully that well help with the bedtime problem. I think that only time and distraction will help with the changing issue. I don't think that there is anything at all unusual with what you are discribing.

I have a 10 month old grandaughter. SHe went through the whiny teething stage around 7 months. She is still experiencing them but less frequent. I let her chew on a wet washcloth and that works great. I sometimes dip it in juice, but only when she is in the playpen. As for the diaper changing situation. I sing a song while changing her. SHe concentrates more on my voice than the distracting atmosphere. If you don't want to sing just say nursery ryhmes. Sometime just doing a silly face helps. I see you have some great advice. Have fun reading them.

L. L.

Hi J.! I am having problems with my 7 month old daughter- suddenly whiny and restless. She is still sleeping well at this point (thank goodness!!!!!) but nursing has also become difficult for us. I don't know what you're daughter is doing developmentally but mine isn't crawling yet. She loves to sit up and play but I think now she really wants to MOVE...and she can't. That frustrates her and she whines and has little temper tantrums (sometimes I laugh to myslef at how worked up she can get...bad mommy... lol). If you're daughter isn't moving yet that may be part of the problem. I wouldn't worry about hyperactivity issues at this point. Who wouldn't be restless at their age...so much to see and do, so little time!
As for the nighttime- it could be teething. Also, make sure you are "winding down" for the night at least a 1/2 hour before her bedtime ( and make sure she isn't overtired- you might try adjusting her bedtime 15 minutes earlier to see if that helps). Keep things quiet and low key. If she has a bath before bed you could give her a short baby massage after the bath to try to relax her. I hope these ideas help out some. Remember, this too shall pass and then it'll be something else to worry about- our kids like to keep things interesting, huh? lol
Best of luck!
R.

My son is that age too. I think it is normal because he is very distracted during meals. He also takes a while to settle at night. Try keeping to a normal routine and that will help. I also give my son a baby massage with this sleepy time lotion from Johnson's every night before bed. Sometimes he will play in his crib for up to an hour before he falls asleep. I think all kids that age do this. I don't think it means they are hyper, they are just adjusting to be able to move on their own and they are excited. Hope this helps.

I have a 10 month old and she was the same way. It is VERY normal. I agree with most of what the others said (ritual/routine/schedule very important; tire her out/keep her active during the day). I think it is also that she is trying so hard to do all of these new things (crawling, sitting up, teething) that she can't settle down. I found that my daughter just needed a little more "snuggle" time (even after nursing). Oh and one other thing to consider for sleep is that if it is still light out when you put her to bed, she may be confused and think it is not time b/c it is not dark. Try to make the room as dark as possible. The last thing is DON'T let any one tell you she is hyperactive or has adhd. That is SOOO overly and wrongly diagnosed. The best thing to do for "hyperactivity" (ie, lots of energy) is to avoid lots of sweets (this includes juice and fruits) near bedtime or all day for that matter. Since you are nursing, this also applies to what YOU eat too (green tea, caffeine, sweets).

We started a bedtime routine when my son was about 2 months old...dinner, playtime, small snack, bath, massage/book, bottle, bed. He knew that once he got out of the bath that it was time to calm down. Now it sounds like she may be teething too so that may make things tough, but I think that a routine wouldn't hurt if you don't have one already! During that evening playtime too, try to really tire her out.

Hi J. :) My daughter is 16 months now, but she also started to show her independence a little more around that age. She is very active (loves exploring, climbing, and just being on the go) and I think around 8 months that part of her personality was really coming out. Breastfeeding became more difficult at that time and while I think she was fine going to sleep at night, she did start to fuss a little for her naps. I just made sure everything was ok and stuck with the nap routine, if she was very upset I would rock with her for a minute or sing a short song a lay her back down. At night we also have a routine (her dad gives her a bath, she has some milk and we read a story while she drinks it). We do the milk and book downstairs and then when she goes upstairs she is ready for bed. Sometimes her dad let's the shower run a little during her bath so the warm water sprays her back (people say that is very relaxing). If you don't think it is gas/teeth/allergy/ or something medical, try tiring her out a little more during the day with obstacle courses, playing ball, pushing toys around, or things to climb on. Maybe she is just ready for some new challenges :)