8 Month Old Waking up at Night

It sounds to me like she's working on a developmental milestone. My child is normally a very good sleeper but whenever she's trying to sit up or crawl (she did it A LOT when she was learning to roll) her sleep is kind of poopy. What I do is just leave her be if I hear her wake up and I know she doesn't need to eat. Once she gets tired the majority of the time she'll fall back asleep. Sometimes she'll start to cry instead and then I'll go in and rock her a minute or two and she'll go back to sleep. Once the milestone is reached she goes back to sleeping normally.

My daughter did the same exact thing right before her teeth came in. Except she had a hard time going to bed. (she has been sleeping through the night since she was 6 weeks old, with breaks during growth spurts) I knew since she was acting so oddly something was going on (we have a great bedtime routine), so I gave her tylenol. It worked, within 20 minutes she went to sleep and her teeth cut through a few days later. I am not a cio parent. I feel that if sleeping schedule has changed something is going on with the child. At least that is from my expereince, which is very small. Good Luck.

J., I totally know what you are going through. Our son will be 9 months next week and it happens to us periodically (inevitably after a long day at work or one where we have to get up early!!). It is crazy how wide awake he will be for those 2 hours or so and nothing gets him back to sleep... music, milk, etc. We've even tried the big no-no of letting him sleep with us when this happens, just so we can sleep. Big disaster... all he does is want to play and rolls over and practically wakes us up to play with him. I too think that he wants to be held/cuddled, because he seems to sleep then, but the second I put him down and leave, he's up again. BTW, he hasn't cut teeth yet either and is totally a belly sleeper that kicks off any blanket. I was told that teething could be a contributing factor, as is stranger anxiety. Sometimes they just wake up and want to see someone they know I guess. Hopefully it is just a phase and they'll get better!

I would say she could be having teething pain even though teeth are not through yet OR it could be other things. Since we never know exactly I don't think it is fair to let her cry...basically turning a deaf ear to her needs. Sometimes they just have emotional needs as they develop, change and mature. Just hang in there and be there for her, night and day.You could easily change her personality into one that becomes insecure and clingy for fear of being left when crying...then you would have another entire set of problems! I am sure this is just a stage, which will run its course and then be a faded memory... She's only 8 months old, things will change many many more times! Just when you think she is doing something regularly, she will change again! You could try having her get a little more sleep during the day....even if while being held by dad... she might do well in a sling or sleeping with or on Dad. Some kids sleep better at night when they have gotten enough sleep in the day. This could be her or it could just be a physical or emotional developmental change.... Hang in there...remember this to shall pass. Just let her know that you will be there for her no matter what :-)

it could be teething, a growth spurt or both.
make sure she gets as much activity during the day as possible, and try Hylands Teething tablets at night. they are homeopathic, all natural and work wonders for teethers.
i always say if the chld is waking up hungry FEED IT! but avoid spoiling her and being all cuddly, feed her, and put her back to bed.
good luck, it will probably phase out and come back again around 2! lucky you!

I would just let her cry it out(CIO)!!!!! She is going through something. As long as you know she's not sick or hurt, you can let her cry. She is now going to train you and your husband. I went through the same exact thing, like many moms. I just let my little one cry. Sometimes it would take up to 45 minutes or longer, but she is a great sleeper now(2 years old). She sleeps through the night and takes a 3 hour nap every day. I had to sleep train her and crying it out was the only way for us to go. If we went in there, she would get excited and want our attention and wouldn't go back to sleep. Not going in there was the way to go. Teething is probably a big factor right now and growth spurts are a definite. My advise....CIO!!!!!

Well J. it does not stop. My son is 20 months and although he has been sleeping thru the night since he was 8 wks he still gets up occationally wanting to play. Stick with her routine. She is most likely teething or going thru a growth spurt. Just tell her it is still night,night time and put her back down. she might cry for 5 mins but will go back down. Do not play or entertain her. a soothing song rock her for a minute and put her back down. Limit her naps during the day to 1 hr and no sugar before bed. Good luck

It is definitely a rough time for you and your husband. Sleeping is so important and necessary. Please keep in mind that this too shall pass. My 7mo son had issues sleeping through the night. Most people told me to let him cry it out, but I am a firm believer that babies seek your love, attention because they need you for whatever reason. I tried it for a few minutes but couldn't bear it. During the day he was also getting clingy. The moment he saw me turn my back to him, he would cry (mostly after I tried the crying out). All of a sudden we noticed he cut a tooth! What a difference. My baby slept 8 hours for the first time after that. And he became his ususal fun self. After a few days he started waking again every couple of hours. I checked on him and figured he can sleep through it but after a couple days, he got a rash and wasn't feeling well. His food was causing an internal reaction. The doctor said we are lucky we saw the rash, other times you can't notice the reaction only behavioral. Now we know it can be his food that triggers this.
Basically, I would not close my eyes or ears to ignore your child. They need us to understand the world and what is going on around them. How else can they communicate for us? It's like being in a country where no one speaks English and you need something. Many times growth spurts some in and also they tend to get clingy right before a developmnetal stage.
Sorry this is too long.
Good luck and hang in there. You guys are doing great!

Maybe have your doctor check her ears. I thought the same thing about my daughter. She was a good sleeper since she was 2 mos. old and then at 7 mos. turned into the devil. After a week of staying up all nite, I tried 2 nites of half heartedly letting her cry it out I took her to the dr. and she had major ear infections. They say there is more pain when they are laying down.

Something I do when I really need to snooze a little at nite is set up her pack and play and throw in a Baby Einstein and then crash on the couch next to her. Even if she doesn't fall asleep, you or your husband can sleep a little.