9 Month Old Who USED to Sleep Well

Your routine might not have changed.
But she did.
She is now 9 months old. Not a newborn.
Development/teething/cognition/motor skills/hitting milestones/hitting growth-spurts/separation anxiety... ALL changes.

Sleep in a baby, is never static. The baby changes. And as a baby/child hits different age junctures, sleep, changes.
No baby, toddler, older child, pre-teen, teen, college kid, adult.... sleeps the same way they did as an infant.

When my kids got like that as babies, it was separation-anxiety. The Ped told us that too. It is normal developmental occurrences.
Looked at another way: it is growing-pains, for the baby/child/parent.
But happens.

And, feed on demand. At growth-spurts (of which 9 months is), they get hungrier, and intake needs to keep up WITH them. They need more intake.
Breastmilk or Formula is a baby's primary source of nutrition. Not solids and not other liquids. For the 1st year.

oh man, i asked this exact same question & have seen it posted bunches....not saying that to make you feel silly for asking a repetitious question, making the point that for some reason at this age, there is a growing spurt or something keeping our little ones up! it'll last just a couple of weeks, my opinion is to just do whatever you can to help her get back to sleep. it'll pass before you know it, you'll be sleeping all through the night again....and in another few months - it'll POP up again! :) that's how those babies of ours work! :)

your mamas intuition is probably right! shes probably cutting molars, and around that age, they develop separation anxiety. you do whatever you feel is best for her. i think if she needs to fall to sleep in our arms, but still sleeps through the night once shes down, go for it!

good luck, it cant stay this way forever, and when it changes, you may miss the time of closeness :)

I am thinking it's probably the teething. Man what a pain teeth are! Lol.

Mine is teething really bad right now, so I have been giving him Motrin, Hyland's Natural Teething Gel, (Amazing!) and frozen Otter Pops. It has really helped him be more comfortable.

Also it could be seperation anxiety as well. That is always tough, and I hate to say it, and I hate listening to them cry, but they have to learn to self soothe. Lay her down, leave the room immediately, and go do something around the house for a few minutes to keep you occupied while she cries for a minute. Then wait and see if she goes to sleep. If not, go in, give her a binky and then leave again. Do this a few times and she will go to sleep.

Its always hard to listen to them cry, but I do this just for a short few minutes and go pick up his toys or put away a few dishes and wait.

Best wishes!

"she will fall asleep in our arms" who wouldn't? It is everything you say-heartbreaking, maybe teething-but I don't think separation anxiety. I think you just have to let her self soothe-it is virtually impossible- I would rather have my face ripped off by a grizzly bear than hear a baby cry-but she will foster independence and confidence and she will not grow up and write a book about you based on a few single incidences that took place when she was nine months old. God love her-and you!

Um....she knows that if she cries, you'll come and hang out with her!

She might be teething, yes. But she'll get through it.
How you respond entirely determines whether or not a new habit is created.
It's OK to let her cry. Think of it as a little temper tantrum. She doesn't want to go to sleep, she wants to hang out with you instead!

Just like with toddlers, you have to lay the ground rules. If you keep going in and getting her, she'll keep waking up and crying...more and more...until you feel forced to do something to break the habit.

She's playing a little game with you. And she's winning! :)