new here, and kinda desperate for some help w/my 8mo

[MamaAMB]

My 8 month old has never been a great sleeper. At the moment he's up several times a night, often crying for long periods of time as one of us walks with him around the house. He sometimes fusses, but often has more of a mad-yelling cry, sounding like a tantrum actually. He will push and hit and kick his legs - miserable - but goes even more crazy if we try to put him down again. Most of the time it seems like he's just really, really tired and angry that he can't get to sleep. (Not awake and wanting to play or anything like that.)

We co-sleep, and have tried him in the cot next to my side of the bed or in with us. He doesn't seem to sleep better/worse in either scenario. Most nights he starts in his own bed, finishes with me. I BF several times a night still, and often after a feed he's awake and begins crying again. (He used to feed and go right back to sleep.) Then my husband takes over and walks him around the house until he's so exhausted he falls asleep finally. It's just weird. Has gotten worse the last few weeks/month.

His day time naps are also terrible. Every now and then we get a good one or two-hour one, but often he's waking up after 30 minutes or sometimes as little as 5 or 10. He generally sleeps two naps, but sometimes three since they're so short.

He doesn't seem to have any allergies, but does have a lot of wind. Other than that he's in good health (as far as we know).

I also have a busy two-year-old (who sleeps through it all at night - thank God!) and I'm so tired I feel like I'm losing my mind.

Tonight it's 10pm and he's awake for the 4th time. I've never tried CIO, but even in our arms he will cry for hours. It's so upsetting for all of us. It's just getting to be too much and I don't know what to do.

Thoughts? I really am quite desperate...

 

[skycheattraffic]

Is he teething? When DD has sleep setbacks (not falling back asleep after nursing) it's either teething or a cold. Is he drooling a lot? Gnawing on everything in sight? Then it's teething even if you can't see any new teeth. It's always worst right before they break through.

If you think he's teething, try a dose of infant tylenol. It kicks in about 20 mins after for us and it's turned those nightmare nights into something manageable. My DD (now 14 months and teething again) LOVES water, the colder the better especially when teething. I go into the nursery with a sippy of cold water and offer it before I nurse if she's having a hard time or after if she couldn't relax enough to fall asleep.

The frequent waking sounds like maybe he is overtired. An earlier bedtime may be worth a try, say 15 mins earlier or maybe 30. Some days when DD was not able to nap, I found that a quiet cuddle/singing/hanging out on my lap after nursing helped recharge her a little. Not as good as a nap but it helped. A walk in the stroller was also a good way of getting a nap she wouldn't otherwise take and the car ride was busted out for emergencies. There were times when a run of the mill nursing turned into an impromptu nap on mommy and I just went with it. Most days I will put her in the crib once she's out but if she's only lightly dozing then I'm ok to be the mattress.

Just some ideas for you... I hope you find something that helps

[purplerose]

is he so fussy for his naps, too? you said the past month has been worse, was it a sudden change or gradual? it could be teething pain. my daughter is also 8 months, and though she is waking to nurse about every 45 minutes all night, she hasn't usually fussed in the night until now. it's not really bad like with your son, though. maybe it is a phase, and is nothing wrong at all. i hope it passes quickly for you!! i know not getting sleep is just horrible.

[wendizbaby]

Well....SOMEthing has got to be going on!  And probably by the time you figure it out, it'll all be over and you'll have your sleeping baby back.  I was just going through this two weeks ago with my 7mo.  His naps were getting shorter, frequent night wakings....it was horrible.  I kept searching to see if it was something I'm doing wrong.  And then suddenly, it stopped and he went back to sleeping well.  So ya, that's not really good advice, but it seems like with babies it can be so many different things going on.  

One thing that came to mind for me is maybe a reaction to some food you introduced?  The screaming kind of cries sounds like he's in some kind of pain. Maybe you could try a pain reliever for teething and if that doesn't help, then maybe it's something he's eating.  Is he clingy when he's awake?  

[MamaAMB]

Thanks ladies.

I don't think he's teething, but it's possible. He's already cut 6 teeth, so he's a bit of a marathon teether! He's a huge drooler, and has been since four months old or so. Doesn't seem to increase/decrease too much with his teething. 

I know this is a tough age for them as they're changing so much right now. Crawling, standing up, teeth, etc. He's had a ton of milestones lately. Can't really think of any new foods I've introduced. He's still mostly just on fruits and veg and BM.

I do think that overtiredness is factoring into the night wakings. I've tried earlier bedtimes (like 6:30 instead of 7pm) but maybe I need to go even earlier...

And yeah, naps are very hit and miss too. He's been doing a lot of micro-naps. Falls asleep nursing then wakes after a few minutes refusing to go back to sleep. It's very, very frustrating. I just can't revolve the whole day around getting him (and keeping him) asleep because I also have a two-year-old who needs me!

No, not clingy when awake - seems very normal. Some separation anxiety, but it's fairly mild. Just normal stuff for this age.

Feeling a bit hopeless about it all to be honest.

 

[skycheattraffic]

Hmm another thought... Are his poops okay? If he is mostly bf then they can be infrequent, as long as they are soft. Does he seem gassy? If he is mostly bf then maybe try cutting back on the solids to see if that might help. I think some teething is happening. My DD teethed for months on end nonstop even though nO new teeth erupted, they were still bothering her. If he enjoys cold things that's another sign that the teeth may be bothering him. My DD is also sensitive to heat and barely slept last night until I moved her into a cooler part of the house. We are going through a heat wave and being naked wasn't cool enough for her lol. I always check the back of her neck to see if she feels hot and often removing something helps her settle in warm weather.

[MN BabyDust]

Is it possible he is more hungry than you think? My DD's appetite skyrocketed around 8 months, probably because she is so much more active than before. She still nurses several times a day and a couple times at night, but I upped her solid meals. She eats 2 or 3 meals now, bigger than before, and I started giving her more than just veggies. She gets some meats, cheeses, yogurt, etc. Just a thought.