9 Month Old Suddenly Waking up Through the Night

My son would wake up with teething pain and have trouble going back to sleep. I would give him a pain reliever and he would go back to sleep as soon as it started working.

Growth-spurt.
9 months is a growth spurt.
Feed him.
For the 1st year of life and especially during growth-spurts... a baby's PRIMARY source of nutrition, is from breastmilk or Formula... NOT solids and NOT other liquids. And feed on-demand 24/7.
Per our Pediatrician as well.

ALSO this is a time of great developmental changes. So that also tweaks sleep.

Sleep, is not a 'static' thing. It changes all the time per growth, per changing cognitive and motor skills, per hunger, her growth spurts, per teething, per illness, per hitting milestones, per acquiring standing up or pulling up skills etc.
It is a phase.

Intake... needs to keep up WITH the growing baby. Appetites fluctuates, daily... per their growth. Hunger is hunger. Spurts are spurts. My kids as babies had GINORMOUS appetites round the clock and I breastfed, but I fed on demand.

If a baby is hungry AND hitting growth-spurts AND developmental changes (which can and does occur all at the same time, not independently) then, baby needs to feed. And this is not a good time... for sleep 'methods' or crying it out. Wrong timing.

Babies, toddlers, older children, pre-teens, teens, College kids, Adults, Mid-aged adults, Elderly... ALL have changes in sleep "patterns." It is not static. It changes....
A baby will not sleep the same way, as they did before.

all the best,
Susan

I don't understand why so many pediatricians recommend letting infants scream themselves to sleep:( There's nothing controlled about leaving your baby there crying just because they can't figure out what the problem is.
Is he teething?
Growth spurt and hungry?
Cooler weather, waking up cold?
Noise in the neighborhood like a new dog?

I have always gone to my babies/toddlers and nursed them and put them back in bed. It would last a short time and then they'd be back to sleeping through the night.

hi fellow momma, this was my post last aug:

My little boy has been waking up for the past week between 3a-4a. every nite. He's a good eater and drinker (formula) and up until now a good sleeper. I gave him teething Tablets and Tylenol but he was only quieted after a 5oz bottle. Not Sure what to do. I know he doesn't need to be waking up like this but I'm not sure what else to do. Thanks for any help!

Lol...i only put that b/c when i ready your post i was like, that sounds so familiar!!! everyone wrote on my post it was just a growth spurt, teething, etc...everything you'll see as your answers. it's all very true & we ALL go through it. be prepared for your son to do it again (wake up in the middle of the night) around 16-18 ms....seems to just be certain ages where sleeping just sucks (for the moms i mean!)...i agree w/susan below though that crying it out's probably not a good thing just right now. in a month or two if he's still doing it then yes. i've just seen this question on here so many times and it's always right at this age, so there's definitely something to it, y'know? things will get better soon sweetie & you'll both be back to peaceful nights... :)

might also be separation anxiety :(
my son went through it. i don't remember exactly when, but it was before his first bday. he would go to bed okay, then wake up everynight at the same time. he was fine as long as he was in our arms, but the moment he touched his bed he would start crying again (even if he was asleep in our arms). it was a nightmare.
we just structured his bedtime routine better (before, we weren't very consistant with it). 10-15 minutes of cuddling and reading so he gets lots of attention. after a bath on bath days, or after lotion and jammies. that seemed to help somewhat, but mostly we just had to let him cry.
we did what your doctor said, the controlled cry technique along with the better bedtime routine. it was still hard, but he eventually outgrew it.

i hope your son feels better soon :(

Has he had an illness or vaccinations recently?

I'd say teeth or growth spurt. I would give it a week or so then try the crying it out again. Also, try Motrin and a snack before bed. I wouldn't let it go a month or more like others suggested b/c then it's become a much more ingrained habit.

I'm OK with the baby crying himself back to sleep though. I feel that waking up in the middle off the night and not being able to go back to sleep on their own isn't really in their best interest. I wouldn't let him continue to do something not in his best interest at 2 in the afternoon, so I'm not going to let him do it at 2 in the morning either. By letting him cry and you going in at intervals, he is learning that 2 AM isn't time for playing, it's for sleeping, and that you are still there you just aren't giving in. It'll tick him off, but he'll get it.

I have 3 kids this has worked well with and a fourth I plan to do the same for. My kids are happy, healthy, and well bonded, but they also have an appreciation that I'm here whenever they need but not necessarily whenever they want.

Also, interrupted sleep makes for an unhappy mother which isn't good for you or him. Kids seem to go in phases, so it will end. Another one will start later just as unexpectedly. It's normal and it happens. It's just one of those things people forget to tell you once the baby sleeps the night for the first time! Good luck - we've all been there. It does seem to happen less and less often as they get older though.

my son had a very similar issue around that age. i took him to my chiropractor, who is very good with children, and he adjusted my son's back. the waking up and crying stopped immediately. apparently it was a misalignment from birth that had started pinching a nerve. i know this is not real common, but it's worth looking into.