Sleep woes

[threefunboys]

DS is almost 8 months. The past two nights have been absolutely awful. I'm tired and cranky...and not dealing well with my older two kids, not to mention I came down with a sore throat on wed. night, so I am feeling totally sapped of energy.

For the past week or two, I'll put him to bed, and he has been waking up again after an hour or two,and not wanting to go back to bed until like 10 or 10:30, but at least he would sleep until around 5 or so. Then last night and the night before he has kept waking up a lot more, sometimes refusing to let me put him back in bed. I've probalby spent as much time on the couch as I have in bed. I can't to bring him to bed with me, so that's not an option. Cosleeping is not for us (I've tried).

There are a few reasons I wonder about the waking:
1) he gets cold--it's been cooler the past few days, and he kicks off all his blankets. I tried putting him in warmer pj's, and even layering, but to no avail.

2) he's about to learn to crawl--I've heard sometimes they'll wake up at night more often when they're about to reach a new milestone, but I have no idea if it's really true or not. If it is this, how long does it usually last?

3) teething or he has my sore throat--although he seems fine during the day, so I'm not leaning toward this one.

4) not getting enough food during the day--I spoon feed him some cereal and veggie or fruit puree at lunch, feed him bites of what we're having at breakfast and dinner, and nurse him the rest of the day (I don't count how many times--but it's probably 5-7 times a day or more, not including any night time feedings). Does a 21 lb. almost 8 month old need more food than that?


So, does anyone have any advice on what I should do when he wakes up at night? I've been trying to get to where I can put him go bed without nursing him to sleep, but I haven't been very successful lately, even for naps. I'm tempted to do the dreaded CIO, but I can't get excited about it. Nobody in the house will get any sleep that way, and I can't bring myself to disrupt my school-aged son's and DH's sleep.

Thanks!

[RedheadbyChoice]

I'd nurse him back to sleep so everyone can rest.

[threefunboys]

Yes, I have been doing that, but then I don't get any good sleep. I'm worried he's going to make a habit of waking up every hour or two all the time, and I just can't function that way, long-term. I have tried getting him up and not nursing him, but he just cries. So I nurse him back to sleep, only to have him wake up again a while later. With CIO we'll have a few bad nights, but at least after that he'll sleep through the night. At least that's how it worked with my older two. I just haven't been able to bring myself to do it.

[RedheadbyChoice]

I'd examine WHY you can't bring yourself to use CIO, aside from disturbing the sleep of the rest of the family. I firmly believe that an 8 month old baby is up at night for a reason. And I cannot see any reason that would make *me* use CIO.

That's me, though.

Any one of those reason that you listed (not feeling well, about to do something cool developmentally, wrong temp in room, etc.) could be reasons for night waking. Or, just needing extra closeness from you. Or needing to nurse for comfort or hunger. Any and all of those could be at play here.

What if he DOESN'T sleep all night for you, after using CIO? What then? How long will you use it? Some babies will NOT settle, if left to just scream and cry. Some babies will nod off after a bit of fussing; every baby is different.

My big worry, with CIO, is the message that it teaches babe: that you'll not go to him if he's crying.

Sleep deprivation sucks, momma, it does. BTDT. It's hard to function at night, it's hard to function the next day, it's just crappy, all around. :hug: Can DH be of any help to you at night? Perhaps rocking DS to get back to sleep?

Oh, your question about developmental things, and how long the disruption to sleep lasts? Usually until after said developmental cuteness is mastered. Sometimes it's hard for babies to turn off their brains and bodies, too.

Hang in there, momma!

[threefunboys]

Thanks, Red! That helps me feel better. :)

DH can't help at night, mostly because DS only wants to nurse, partly because I don't feel right by asking him to, since he has a job where he has to be completely alert or it could get dangerous real fast.

You're right about CIO. I've done it before, but I have a feeling that this baby is too persistent for it to really be successful. That's why I have been hesitant to try it. At night I'm usually on autopilot so I just do whatever my brain says to do, and I guess I am wondering if I were a little more "all there" if I would do something other than just quickly nurse him back to sleep. It's a quick fix, but maybe it is harder in the long run because it teaches him to wake up instead of to stay asleep (if that makes any sense). Anyway, I guess I just need to remind myself that he won't be this little forever, and I should embrace it while I still can, because babyhood is so fleeting.

So anyway, thanks for the encouragement. :)

[SingingMom]

Hey, you know, sometimes teething bothers kids much more at night than during the day. Laying down can put more pressure on tender spots. Also a sore throat can be more bothersome at night than during the day.

From what you describe, it sounds like there's a physical issue. Why not try a dose of Motrin before bed and see if it makes a difference? You certainly wouldn't want to try CIO if your baby is teething right now!

[Jacksmommy]

At almost 8 months of age I would assume teething and/or seperation anxiety and give teething tablest before bed and nurse baby back to sleep when he wakes. At this age we started co-sleeping. It was what worked best for us.

[TayNRobbiesMom]

Wow, i have no real advice other than to 2nd what red said about CIO not working for all children...

My DD is 2.5 and is just NOW sleeping through **MOST** nights. We did CIO and it never worked...she'd pass out for like an hr and wake still upset and end up in bed w/ us anyways.

Hang in there mom! it shall get better, and BTW, i think solid food intake sounds good...i wouldn't up it per se. good luck! can u nap w/ baby during the day?