[mleh99]

I don't really know what is going on with my 8 month old LO, so I thought I would start here. For the past couple weeks, he has refused the breast or half-heartedly nursed during the day, which results in continuously feeding at night. I've been taking steps to switch this around like nursing every hour during the day, and keeping the distractions at a minimum. This seems to help him nurse better during the day.

He also is not into his solids like he used to be. He used to eat about 6 Tablespoons of a chopped up fruit or veggie, cottage cheese, oatmeal, or cereal three times a day. Now he eats maybe half of that and then fusses and turns his head away or flings his arms over the tray to make the food go flying.

Also, he will not sleep like he used to. He was waking once or twice a night to nurse before this all happened. Now, we are playing a game of how long will mommy hold me at night and not get any sleep. He takes two short naps during the day, so I know he needs to sleep at night. Every time I try to lay him down, he starts screaming and thrashing around. It takes me forever to calm him, and he gets mad if I offer him the breast at night. He only sleeps for a couple hours at a time at most, and he is up 5 - 8 times a night doing this. He sleeps in his own crib because co-sleeping did not work for us (basically I wasn't getting any sleep because I was paranoid I was going to crush him, so we started sleeping separate since he was 2 months old).

Could this be something in my diet? It has never been a problem before though. Could I not be making enough milk all of a sudden? I don't think he has an ear infection because when I push on the area around his ears or pull them gently, it doesn't bother him. Could he be teething? Could he be going through a growth spurt?

I really am at a loss. This isn't my sweet predictable baby anymore, and I don't know what to do about it. Please give me your thoughts. Thank you!

 

[Claire and Boys]

Teething? maybe it's hurting him to nurse at the moment. I know my youngest gets really cranky with nursing when he's cutting teeth.

I'd probably take him to the dr in case it's something else bothering him.

 

[~savah~]

My daughter did the same thing around then. There seems to be a pattern when babies turn 8 months or so, because I see the question pop up often in the family bed and nighttime parenting forum. I'm sure that teething is a factor. Also my feeling is that when babies are about to reach a developmental milestone they forget to eat. Not because they are not hungry, but there is just so much going on. When this happens, they tend to make up for it during the night when there is not so much going on. Thus the endless nighttime nursing sessions.

My suggestion, if you can handle it, is bring him into your bed during one of his waking moments.That way you can doze while he eats, when he had his fill you can move him back to his bed. I think that at eight months it will be really hard to squish the little guy. Good luck momma and don't worry this stage will eventually pass.

 

[Code Name Mama]

I wouldn't worry about the solids, before one year they should only be for fun/socializing anyway - breast milk should be the main source of nutrition.

I remember ds becoming a little more difficult to nurse around 7 months. I think it correlated with the fact that he realized how cool this world is

For awhile, I had to take him into the bedroom every.single.time. Our days revolved around his nursing/nap routine, because if we weren't home and quiet, he wouldn't nurse or sleep. It was trying!

He's a bit better now - although he still gets distracted! Luckily, they get so much more efficient nursing as they get older, so his sips here and there between activities go farther.

Good luck!

 

[benjamins mommy]

My 9 mo. old does these kind of things as well, he stays distracted no matter what during nursing, even when there isnt anything distracting him. Lately he's been waking up in the middle of the night and moving around ALOT...tossing, turning, fussing, and doesn't want to nurse either. I'm not sure what is going on, I just kind of go with the flow. I know he's going through developmental milestones, and he could be possibly teething, he just got over an ear infection and he has allergies and congestion right now, so you might want to take him to the dr, just to be sure nothing is wrong. I'm right with ya though momma, I'm totally feeling your pain! I hope the road get's a little less bumpy for ya, be praying the same for me!