Repeated waking between 8 p.m. & 11 p.m.

[McGucks]

Our 8 month old son has developed a peculiar habit.  He usually goes down for the night between 7:30-8:00, but has started waking up very sad (screaming and crying) about every 30 minutes or so afterwords.  Around 11 p.m. or so, he finally really goes down for the night.  From then on, he typically only wakes up calmly a few times to nurse before morning.  Also, when he wakes up after day naps, he usually is happy and just talking, not crying.  I will start paying closer attention to if he has just peed his diaper, since I've noticed that this is sometimes a factor.  Any ideas?

[violet_]

I don't know, but my 4 moth old has done this since about 4 weeks. No idea why. Last night she got so upset around 8 she even threw up. I don't get it.

[NevadaMama]

Have you tried a later bedtime? When we were first getting into a rhythm with DD, we used to try putting her to bed around 8, and she would do the exact same thing. Now we stretch bedtime out to around 9 and she is so pooped that she STTN almost every night. It does take a little away from me and DH's alone time, but the extra sleep is well worth it :)

[SeattleRain]

How many naps does your LO take every day? I was having a rough time with bedtime until I realized that Daniel needed a 3rd nap (not an earlier bedtime). Now he naps from 9-10:30am, 1-3pm, and 5-6pm and then he goes down at 8pm.

[McGucks]

He is a kind of inconsistent napper with the exception of a rock solid nap about two hours after he wakes up...which might be anywhere from 5:30-7:30 a.m..  His morning nap is often around 45 minutes; subsequent naps (maybe another two) range from 25 minutes to an hour if I am very lucky.  Car naps also are sometimes injected when we pick up big brother from school or go to a mom's group, La Leche, or whatever.  We are obviously not on a schedule.  I will take a closer look, however, at late afternoon, to see if maybe I can get him to go down around our supper time.  Thanks for the idea!

[McGucks]

A later bedtime is also something to look at.  Sometimes it is a stretch to get him to stay awake (well, happily awake) until 7:30, but last night he was content to go down around 8:30.  I don't mind the variety:  it's the screamy waking that makes me sad for him (and sometimes irritated for me, but I feel so bad for him because he is so upset when he wakes).  Anyway, thanks for taking the time to write & we will keep that idea in our back pockets!  Glad your situation improved!

[Unlikely Mama]

I would go the opposite direction and try an earlier bedtime.  My DD is 8.5 months old and is just finishing up the 3-2 nap transition.  When I was still trying to give her a late afternoon nap, it always interfered with bedtime and she would wake up many more times.  I know it sounds counterintuitive, but as soon as I just dropped the third nap and started giving her a super early bedtime (depending on when her last nap ends), she actually sleeps more.  She is going to bed between 5-6pm but as she is getting older and her wake times lengthen, the bedtime is getting slowly later. I know it isn't necessarily convenient to have an EBT, but it helps to overcome the overtired state that many babies find themselves in during a nap transition time.  

[Knitting Mama]

I agree wit the earlier bedtime suggestion. I find that with my daughter, if she goes to bed earlier she has a much higher likelihood of sleeping longer and more solidly. It also helps her nap better the next day, which in turn makes bedtime go better, etc.