Multiple Night Waking at 8 Months (after STTN for 6 Months)

[MillyGrace]

Hi, I am looking for advice on my 8 month old daughter who has started waking up several times a night, often for 1.5 to 2 hours at a time.
This has been happening in the last 2-3 weeks, after she had been consistently sleeping through the night from about 2-3 months old.  She goes to sleep well at night and for naps during the day, and has been on EASY since she was a few weeks old.
She has had a cold, but we tried to keep to her usual routine during that.
I don't think she is teething, as medicine doesn't help.
I have wondered about SA, but she doesn't settle even when I sit with her.
She has been on solids for 2 months, and seems to enjoy them.  I'm pretty sure she isn't waking due to hunger.
We have moved to 2 daytime naps from 3 in the last month (we did this when she was still sleeping through the night for 12-13 hours, and she seemed to need less sleep during the day).
Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.  Our routine is below.


How old is your child? 8 months (although she was 4.5 weeks prem)
What’s his/her daily routine?

8am - Breastfeed
9.30am - Breakfast (Toast; Cereal)
11am to 12-12.30pm - Nap
12.30pm - Lunch
2.30pm - Breastfeed
3pm to 4-4.30pm - Nap
4.30pm - Breastfeed
6pm - Dinner
7pm Breastfeed & Bed


What’s nap routine? Story, quiet time in cot with mobile, usually goes to sleep easily.
How long are naps? 1 hour average
What's bedtime routine? Time? 7-7.30pm; routine is bath, breastfeed, then bed.
Do you bottle or breastfed?? Breast
How much? or how long? 4X a day; 10 mins
If breastfed.. one side or both?? (at each feed) Varies depending on hunger (always both sides before bed)
How many wakes per night? (2-3)
What’s your LO like when waking at night? How long is he/she up? Varies.  Sometimes she settles quickly with some shushing.  Other times will cry for 2 hours or more.
When you go to him/her is she fussing or crying? Or is it a mantra cry? I have tried going in immediately when she starts fussing.  I've also tried leaving her to settle for a while.  Neither approach seems to work, and her fussing turns to crying.
What have you tried to settle?? Shush/Pat (which used to work well for her); sitting quietly in her room by her cot; medicine in case its teething.
What do you do for A time and how long is it? Usually just play with toys, for 3 hours or so (including feeding time)
Are there developmental issues such as teething or milestones? She is learning to crawl, but isn't there yet.  I am not sure if she is teething - no teeth yet, and pain medicine doesn't seem to be working.
Have you introduced cereal? Why, how much, and how many times a day? (for LO’s under 6 months)
Do they have a prop? If so what is it? She is still swaddled at night
Do they have a lovie? NO

[KathrynK]

hi there
I have no advice, I'm afraid, as I am in the same situation as you, except that Alex has never been a good sleeper- but now he's worse than ever, and it's just as you describe.
I have analysed every part of his daily routine and can't find anything that would cause these NW. hope you get some help soon (and me too  )
xx

[mongyon]

Hello there,
I think You have the problem realised, You just do not see it. You wrote "she is learning to crawl". That must be it. I think it is her own developing muscles, what keeps her awake. I'd try a big playtime and a bottle of milk or a little breastfeed before go to bed. And maybe put her to bed a bit later?
Wish You good luck,

M

[MillyGrace]

Thank you so much for your comments - it is so good to get some support and ideas.

We have experimented with swaddling/not swaddling, and giving her a lovie, with no difference unfortunately.  She wakes up fussing, but that develops into screaming after a few minutes (whether or not we go in to her).

BUT - I realise now that I'd noticed that her breastfeeds had got quite short, which I thought was just due to increasing solids and more efficient feeding, but a couple of days ago she started refusing the breast altogether.  It then clicked that she had had very dry nappies and I'd seen her straining a couple of times.
So, now I'm thinking that a feeding / hydration issue lies behind all this.  I've been giving her formula top-ups for the last 2 days, and she slept through the night the first night... but woke twice again last night.
We are going to see the nurse about it all today, so fingers crossed we're moving towards some sort of solution.  Will keep you posted in case this is of any relevance to others.

[louiemum]

Hi - I was in exactly this situation a few months ago.   With a lot of trial and error I finally realised that for me it was 2 things - one my supply had dropped and my LO was actually quite hungry and secondly my LO needed a bit more A time.   I started topping with formula at the 7pm feed ( i didn't want to increase my supply as was going to stop BF when he got to 9 mo) -  within days whe was back to STTN.  We get the occasional NWing now - mainly if he's teething or crawling around his cot and gets stuck 

Good luck with it all!

[cherylburlington]

Hello,
Having same problem with 9 month old...

My advice (although I haven't solved my problem yet either)...
I found some interesting info in "..Solves all your problems"  If you have the book I suggest you read Pages242-249.  PU/PD section "Eight months to a Year".  Tracy talks about cutting out the PU part and just doing PD.  If you don't have the book, let me knkow and I will go into further detail.

Here is a little info on my problem...
 Keira is 9 months (textbook /angel baby) and used to STTN with one or two NW that only took a quick PU/PD and soother.  We all seemed quite content with this.  Then she started NW and it was harder to put her down.  Keira is crawling and pulls herself up in her crib.  A few things that I am considering as possible contributors...
1 - teething (although first two teeth at 5 months gave her no problem, we didn't even know they were there, the most recent tooth resulted in fever, runny nose, bum rash, NW, lots of crying and fussing(she never cries) etc...)
2 - Growth Spurt (never needed a bottle/breast during the night, but I have been giving her a bottle if she has been up for a long period of time and won't go back to bed. She will down the entire thing.  Bottle does not make her sleepy or cause her to fall a sleep though.)
3 - Change in routine - naps were two 1.5 hour naps plus 45 minute cat nap in evening.  We were cutting out cat nap as she seemed to lead us to do that.  Still some days she needed it.
4 - Accidental parenting - not sure if we engaged in a little AP when we went into her at night.

Basically I think there are a lot of things at play and that not one thing is the probelm. I think it is a little of all of the above.

If anyone has advice for me I welcome to hear it.
Thanks, Cheryl

[MillyGrace]

Hi - I think we are looking at pretty much the same list of possibilities!
For example, I wonder whether my lo's teething pain led to her lack of interest in feeding?
We are now doing formula top-ups at each feed, to make sure she's not dehydrated, and I've dropped one feed, so that she has bigger feeds 4 times a day instead of 5 smaller ones.
The other change I have made is to bring her bed time forward to 6.15-6.30pm (we had also recently dropped the cat nap most days).  I think this might be helping?  At least, she is less tired for her last feed, so takes more.
She has slept through for the last 2 nights.  I don't really know what is making the difference, but we are feeling less tired for now anyway.
Fingers crossed you have some luck soon too Cheryl.

[Biba]

I hope the formula topups are still helping and she is now sttn, we had the same issues at the same age but we are still battling it. In fact things have got worse for us and the NW have lead to  DS2 getting OT which leads to NW which makes him OT which leads to NW its a small and vicious cycle we are struggling to break.