8 month old son not sleeping through the night--HELP?

Question

he usually goes to sleep around 9:30 and gets up for the day around 7:00. the problem is that he wakes up every two to three hours between that crying. what do i do. he is not in pain because when i pick him up he is fine. i've tried to let him cry himself back to sleep but the more he cries the more awake he becomes. what am i doing wrong?

Answer 1

Is he maybe having some separation anxiety? When he wakes up, he may realize that he wants to be near you. Or he may be learning a new developmental skill like crawling. I have an 8 1/2 month old and he wakes up and tries to crawl and it messes his sleep cycle all up. He usually sleeps 12 hours without a peep, but he's been whining a little at night, but he goes back to sleep. Try not to get them used to being picked up at night all the time or that is what he will expect. Check his gums also for red lumps, it might be time for some teeth!

Answer 2

My son did that too! He now sleeps through the night. There were a few things we needed to do. I would only recommend doing this if the baby has slept through the night at least once before.

Hunger and comfort: I have to feed my son right before he goes to bed so he doesn't get hungry in the night. We have a space heater in his room to make sure he doesn't get too cold, and his crib is empty of all distractions.

Routine: We do the same thing every night, so he knows its time to fall asleep. I feed him, give him a bath, put lotion on, diaper, and pjs, then I nurse him, turn on the night light, turn off the big lights, put him in his crib, then read to him for 10 minutes.

Give it three nights: The first three nights we tried this, he cried for most of the night. It seems cruel, but we really wanted him to sleep in his own bed, and through the night. The first night I sat next to his crib, and held his hand while he cried. The second night I slept on the floor where he could see me. The third night i just let him cry. Then the night after that he just cried for 5 mintutes then fell asleep.

Don't pick him up until morning: This will only teach the child that if he cries louder you will come get him. Its up to you though, if you are not ready to let him cry then don't do it.

Praise him: in the morning, when he wakes up I make a big deal of the fact that it is morning and he slept through the night. I give him a big hug and a kiss and tell him good job.

The first three nights were really hard, but they have been worth it, we are now on the 4th month of him sleeping in his own bed, and through the night.

Answer 3

You're not doing anything wrong.

I know it's frustrating, but their sleep patterns are going to change a lot. Just imagine how hard it must be to grow so quickly... often their little brains can't keep up with the rate of growth for their little bodies. Maybe he's just going through a growth spurt.

Crying back to sleep never worked for me either... for the same reason.... they just become more awake. Sometimes I will just pick my daughter up and rock her back to sleep... I never talk to her though... you don't want to make it too fun!!

Good luck... it will get better.

Answer 4

Some babies do better if you co-sleep. My 8 month old daughter has NEVER woken up in the middle of the night crying. I feel her start to wake and the breast is offered and sleep befalls us both before either of us is really awake. It is cold and lonely sleeping in a crib. Try co-sleeping.

Answer 5

My son was like that too... Does he sleep in the bedroom with you? Is his crib in there? That could be a possibility... Or what my DR. suggested, was to make sure he had a snack before bed... if you feed him solids, give him a yogurt or a bananna or something filling... then bathe him and give him a bottle when hes ready to go down...
This worked really well with my son.. we put him in his own room, and started doing that and it worked like a charm... he would only wake up crying for like 30 sec. and pass back out...
Hope that helps you out... I remember how difficult it was.

Answer 6

artwork on your bedtime habitual, something like: devour dinner have bottle/breast feed have bath bypass to mattress do a similar issues interior a similar order each evening before bedtime. this may help him get contained in the right mind-set for going to mattress. in the course of the day, confirm that he's getting alot of stimulation, sparkling air and workout. bypass for a walk with him for a minimum of one/2 an hour an afternoon so he receives some stimulation (points of interest and sounds) and also you get a destroy (no extra zombie land). tutor him something new daily. Be it finger portray, helping mummy cook dinner (at 8mths he can splash pancake batter with a spoon), helping wash toys in some water (shallow bathtub of water and bubbles, dunk toys sparkling, go away outdoors to dry), water the backyard (help mummy carry the backyard hose), play dough (or biscuit dough in case you want) etc. Introduce new places for him to seem at and locate at the same time with shops, pals homestead, the library, the park etc. fairly artwork at hard him so at evening at the same time as he closes his eyes... he's too drained to open them back for some hours.

Answer 7

Does your son take a pacifier or have a "lovey"? This might comfort him enough to be able to stay asleep longer. Also, you might try white noise (a blowdryer, radio static, etc.), which can be soothing for babies, or a musical mobile to help him soothe himself. Try to find a solution for your son, but don't beat yourself up too much - some babies are just naturally better sleepers than others!

Answer 8

uhh, dont pick him up, actually crying makes you more sleepy. Just let him cry, see he's expecting you come in for him. after a few nights he will get the hint that its time to sleep and your not comming back. Does he have a routine before bed, they really help.

Answer 9

you are doing nothing wrong does he take a bottle before he goes to bed.maybe he is waking up cause he is hungry give him a little cereal to fill up his belly.does he take a pacifier? maybe a night light/or a buddy to sleep with my little girl wanted me to hold her till she fell back to sleep then i would put her back in bed i would sit and doze on the couch what ever you do do not let him sleep with you .you will never get rid of them

Answer 10

Try different things. Is he too cold, too hot? My little guy did that and there were a few different answers. He got too cold on some nights and he also had problems with early allergies which caused minor breathing problems. (minor, but still enough to interrupt his sleep) Once I found his comfortable temperature and his doc. put him on allergy meds he slept through the night!
Be patient!