Trouble Sleeping for My 9 Quite 10 Months Old

It could be teething, or just the trail end of the jetlag. A lot of children learn new skills around this age and it sometimes causes them to be unsettled and that could be it too. Once my son learned how to pull up in the crib he cried for help because he could not get back down.

I would just hang in there, calm him down quickly to get him back to sleep, and trust your instincts. He could also be going through a growth spirt and may benefit from an extra snack or feeding before bedtime. Try something like baby yogurt, it has some protein in it that will help "hold him over."

Hi T.-

I don't have any advice that's specific to jet lag, but my 2 year old son's sleeping schedule pretty much inevitably gets messed up when we go anywhere. I happen to think that kids try to get away with as much as they can (I don't mean that to sound bad), so if your son realizes that if he wakes up and cries, he gets to see you in the middle of the night, he's going to keep doing that. Why not, right? So he probably is/was waking up because of the jet lag, but if you continue going to him, he's going to keep it up. We have always been OK with letting our son cry it out at night when it's something like that. After about 2 nights, things are usually back to normal. Good luck!

We have done a fair amount of travel that involved changing time zones, including going abroad, with our child who is now 16 months old. It is pretty much guaranteed that this will mess up his otherwise fairly solid sleeping habits, resulting in middle of the night and/or early morning wakings. We found that ultimately the best way to get him back on track was to eventually let him cry himself back to sleep. The first few nights back, especially if we were worried that by being off schedule he also might need a bottle or something, we will still go in and hold him and help him go back to sleep. But after a few nights we'll go in once to assure him that we are here and then not keep going back in (and after that we might won't even necessarily go in when he wakes up and he usually will go back to sleep after just a few minutes of fussing). He usually would not cry for too long especially as he is also tired and his body really does need to go back to sleep. While it can be difficult to hear him crying I also believe that consistent poor nights of sleep hurts him a lot more and the more quickly he can be assisted in returning to his routine of a solid night's sleep the better it is for him.

I would add that this does require that his day time sleeping habits also need to be synched with the return to your regular time zone. We usually find that within even just a few nights he can be back to his regular habits (though might take longer if it is a dramatic time zone shift). We now know that most travel, possibly even a weekend away, probably will affect his otherwise pretty good sleeping habits and require at least a few nights after return to re-adjust.
Hope that's of some help.
R.

Hi T.,
I know that jet lag can seriously change a person's body schedule and it may take a couple of weeks for your little guy to readjust. However, he is old enough for you to give him a little egg maybe for supper. Protien is good for jet lag. I read that in my homeopathic medical book some years ago and have used eggs to tapor jet lag ever since. It works.
M.
pediatric nurse, mom, and grandma of a 10 month old who just started eating eggs!

Hi T., Yes the Jet lag and teething could be the cause of the sleepless nights. Does he have any teeth yet? I would say look into his mouth to see if gums are white or swollen. If so, treat for teething and with patience he should get back to sleeping. Best wishes, Grandma Mary

regarding the advice to let him cry, how awful would it be that it is his teeth or his muscles from more activity associated at this age which is common, or even the mental activities during an average day, and then just let him cry??? (this is not directed to the poster, just a general statement) when parents make decisions that can affect their baby such as going on a trip with different time zones, we as parents should be a little understanding on our childrens negative reactions and help them deal.

T., there is nothing wrong with giving him water. does he sleep in the crib, hold his own bottle? you may try to start leaving a bottle of water in the crib and try to show him its there when he wakes up, in a few weeks or even now, he will pick it up himself and calm himself. i know a few people who did this.

all in all, a trip like that is completely overwhelming to a baby, and now he is back home, it may be scary for him. he may even start with some separation anxiety at that age. dont forget that this particular age is where everything in terms of physical activities, talking, understanding, ect. basically, this is a huge learning time for him in every way. that in term can be overwhelming and overload him. at this age, its quite common for babies to wake. have you tried a pacifier?

i always said, you just when i think the kids are "figured out", they change it all up on you. good luck

Hi T.,
We have exactly the same problem! We have just been around the world and my son who has just turned 10 months now wakes up twice a night. I'm not sure if it's his age, teeth or the trip? I look forward to reading some advice...