8 mth old NW

[KathG]

Hi Wendy
Reading through this chat and seeing your answers, I wonder if you can advise me on the sleep needs of my 8 month & 1 week old DS.

I have just started having similar problems to those described above.
Where DS used to go to sleep at night between 6:30 - 7pm latest, possibly every 2nd night a NW at around 4/4;30 which just required (APOP) a dummy to re-settle and then he would wake up at 6/6:15 for the day.  Day naps were 1h15/1h20 for morning and after lunch naps and A times were 3hours - 3hours15min.  It seems to be a longer A time than others at 8 months but it seemed to work for him.

(He is now teething his 2 front upper teeth and looks like he's about to start crawling.)

In the last 3 days, his routine has gone astray and he might sleep 9 hours at night (wake up at 5 am; take 1 hour to fall asleep at night) and sleep 1h20 in the morning nap but only 30 min in the lunchtime nap.  

MY question is:
 - what should the A time of an 8 month 1 week old be?
 - should he start having shorter morning naps (me waking him ) so that his lunchtime nap is longer? at this age?  What happens if by waking him, he gets O/T and doesnt sleep well at lunch?
 - he does battle to settle for a CN in the late pm if his lunch time sleep ends around 2pm so am afraid to not force the CN (it takes 30 mins to get him to sleep for his CN) as 2pm - 6:30  = 4h30 A time which might put him on the wrong footing for a good night's sleep?

DS was going down to sleep for ALL sleeps on his own, with no APOP. Just dummy and he would fiddle with his blanket and toy in his bed and send himself to sleep within 10 mins. Now, if I put him down after the same A time, he rolls over, tries to sit up, wrestles, moans.. as if he's overtired but fighting it. SO, I've resorted to putting him in my sling (as I did when he was 6 months just to get him drowsy) and rocking him to calm him and prevent him from so much room to move.  It works a bit but its going backward in terms of independent sleep and soothing which he's been so good at for most of his life.  

[Finallygettingthis]

Sorry, I don't have an answer, but just letting you know I am in the same boat... except I am totally just now learning about BW and trying to implement it. My DS is also 8 mths, born 9-30-09, so ours are close in age. He actually has first bottom tooth and first top tooth, but is teething second bottom tooth and second top tooth. And, he is almost crawling as well. AND we are only getting 10 hour nights, with thousands of night wakings for hours, and EW... but great days and naps to have just started... so I just thought I would post because we have 2 very similar LO's. Hang in there!

[Tweakster]

Hi there KathG, I moved your post out so that you will get more eyes on the issues :-)

I think your LO is OT with short nights and teething.  It's common.  Teething really does a number on these kids.  And if he's doing something developmental at the same time...well it takes a lot of energy to crawl.  They become physcially exhausted.

At 8 mths most LO's are on 2x 1.5 hr naps and have dropped the CN altogether.  It starts to rob night sleep if it is too late in the day so an earlier bedtime is a better alternative to a really late day nap for most LO's.  A times are 3 hrs - 3.25 hrs - some may be doing 3.5 hrs but not for every A time.  You will find that LO probably has a fluctuation in A time throughout the day now, some like a longer morning A and some are good for a longer A to bedtime.  Some like a long middle A.  It depends really.  With his teething and development, you may find that he needs his A time cut back a bit to compensate.

Are you medicating for his teeth?  You can offer meds before bed and then do a DF top up about 6 hours after he goes to bed.  It usually helps a lot, especially helps to curb the EW.  When he wakes at 5 are you able to get him back to sleep somehow?  With shush/pat or another method?  I would not start the habit of getting him up, socializing and/or exposing him to light at that hour.  You need to let him know that it's still time for sleep and we don't get up that early.

How do you feel about the dummy?  Do you think it may be becoming a prop?  Can he replug it himself and/or find it when he needs it?