Almost 8 Month Old Night Wakings (been going on 1 1/2 months)

[lncAnnison24]

First off, this forum has been SOO helpful over these past 8 months, as I am a new mother. My daughter is my pride and joy. She is amazing. However,  over the past two months her nightime sleeping routine has changed. I am a teacher and she attends daycare during the week (where her EASY schedule is a bit different than when she is at home) I'll post both, though so someone can give me some insight. Up until two months ago she was sleeping 7-4:30/5:00 (would eat at that time and then go back to sleep until about 6/6:30...) She is a very happy baby, easy to entertain and is always smiling (except the past two months with her eething... she hasn't always been a happy girl, worse at night) She wears a teething necklas (made out of Amber).

How old is your child?
8 months old (next Sat)

What’s his/her daily routine?
E (5:30/6:00) Breastfed (one side)
A/E (@ home: fruit/cereal around 7:00)
S 8:30ish (about 2.5-3hours after first wake up, nap lasting about 1-1.5 hours)
E 10:00ish (BF one side)
A/E (Solids one hour after waking up)
S 12:30/1 (again, about 2.5-3 hours after last nap ended)
E (at home), (when at daycare sometimes will take 2-4 oz around 2-3pm
E (BF) at 4:00pm/4:30
E Solids at 5:30pm
Start Bath at 6:15/6:30, Massage, BF, Bed (by 7:00ish)

** At daycare she is getting (on most days) only one nap, but it is about 2 1/2 hours long... they usually feed her around 9-10 (6oz or so), solids around 11:30, then napping 12-2(ish) and taking an afternoon bottle of about 4-6 oz
I pick her up and I am home with her around 4:15/4:30

What’s nap routine?
Swaddle, paci, and pat--- put down almost asleep and usually will settle and sleep well (naps just started lasting more than 45 minutes in the past 2 weeks ---at home)

How long are naps?
At home (1-1.5 hours), At daycare (1.5-2.5 hours--- ONE Nap)

What's bedtime routine? Solids, about an hour later bath, massage, BF, and bed (try to keep her from falling asleep at the breast, doesn't always work..) Time? She is usually in bed by 7. She is a belly sleeper, and swaddled from waist down... if she rolls to her back,hard to resettle.

Do you bottle or breastfed??
Both-- at home mostly BF, however, I can give her a bottle, husband gives bottle (at daycare about 10-14 oz a day- in two sometimes three feedings)

How much? or how long? 10 minuteds if BF (one side), bottle ranges from 4-6 oz

How many wakes per night? 2 (sometimes more) around 12 am and 3 am...

What’s your LO like when waking at night? Pulls up to standing position, will talk and make noises, and if left wil turn into crying after 10-6o min.
long is he/she up? Sometimes will eat and go right to sleep, if I have nursed her within the past 3-4 hours I try shh/pat and rocking/patting/paci to get back to sleep.. (also just last night started the bottle weaning of the second wake up-- giving a bottle and decreasing by an ounce every third day... then giving water..)

When you go to him/her is she fussing or crying? Or is it a mantra cry? Usually she is standing in her crib fussing, if left unattended for a longer period of time she will be crying..

What do you do for A time and how long is it? Play in walker, toys, walks around the yard, let her play in the floor on her own, build blocks for her to knock down, read stories...

Are there developmental issues such as teething or milestones?The night wakings started in September.. since that time she has acquired 4 teeth, fought a cold (I'm guessing), and has learned to crawl, pull up, and take a few steps holding on to things..

Have you introduced cereal? Introduced cereal end of August, DR said we could start introducing solids at a slow rate, etc.
Do they have a prop? If so what is it? Paci-- usually only at nap time, at night will nurse, get drowsy and go to bed without paci (I do sometimes give it to get her to settle if wake up during night)

Do they have a lovie? Yes.. she doesn't seem too interested in it, though..

I am torn on what to do to decrease/get rid of the night wakings...some nights they are at the same time as the previous night, sometimes an hour or two off..

I'm tired.. any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Layla]

Hi there and welcome,

Have the night wakings also coincided with her taking just 1 nap at daycare by any chance? She's very young in my opinion to be on just 1 nap and if she's at daycare full time and is on 1 nap for 5/7 days, she's probably waking up due to being overtired? Could they try and follow the same schedule as at home? Even though she takes a 2.5hr nap, she's awake for a long time before the nap and then after the nap so its not always the amount they sleep during the day but also how long they are awake for that makes a difference to night wakings.

I would try and change her daycare routine first to see if that will make a difference to her night wakings

[lncAnnison24]

I have requested naps at daycare-- and explained that she should be ready for a nap about 2 1/2 hours or so after her wake up time (and I tell them what time she woke up each morning when I drop her off). I wrote it down again for them this morning when I dropped her off. I was home with her for 9 days (Thanksgiving  break) and she was taking a morning nap and afternoon nap at about 1 1/2 hours each... so I know she needs this, and she goes down SO easy. (I swaddle her legs, arms free, give pacifier, and then pat a few minutes and lay down).

She goes down easy at naps for me and easy at nighttime (however, I am trying to break the nursing to sleep...)

The problem is at night when she wakes up I feed her if she hasn't eaten in four or more hours, otherwise I pat (or try) back to sleep. However, sometimes this is a two hour process-- for example: last night fed and in bed by 7, bottle at 10:30 (woke up on own, bottle given and right back to sleep). Then patted at 1 back to sleep (easy), woke up at 2:30---fed and was asleep (patted some --twenty minutes, then my husband patted 20 minutes-- and wouldn't resettle) At 4:15 I (in tears) picked up, rocked, paci and she went right to sleep. She woke up at 6:30 (nursed) and was up for the day...

This struggle to keep her asleep or settle her back to sleep has been going on for about two months now... in this time she has four teeth, had a cold for 3-5 days, and has learned to crawl, pull up, stand up (alone), and then "walk" while holding on to the couch, walker, etc.

I'm exhausted-- Not sure what to do...

[Skadiver13]

Hi Hun, I think the main issue may be she is just over tired from lack of sleep at day care and that's a tough one to get sorted out as you are at their mercy. Hopefully they will fix this and she'll get back on track.  Secondly just clarifying do you still nurse her back to sleep or let her fall asleep on her own after nursing?

[lncAnnison24]

When she wakes up in the middle of the night-- if it has been longer than 4 hours I nurse her or give bottle.. if nursing, I nurse until she stops rapid sucking, and then put in the crib, usually patting to sleep. This sometimes takes a while to get her back to sleep and resettled (and sometimes after an hour of patting-- I rock and then immediately lay down once drowsy-- and pat again).

Before bed--- she gets a bath, massage, and then eats, again, I try to take her off once her sucking has dwindled, pat once in crib. (I am trying to keep her more awake than not when doing this)...

[Skadiver13]

Question, if you feed her and put her back down with out falling asleep can she go back to sleep with out your help?

[lncAnnison24]

Most of the time she doesn't go back to sleep on her own... I will pat for twenty minutes and usually that will work. Sometimes it takes longer (she'll stand up.. i'll put her back down on her belly, pat... and repeat.) Only when she is crying do I pick her up, resettle... put back in crib and begin patting again.

Sometimes in the middle of the night she'll wake up and resettle herself-- however,once she is standing up, she won't lay back down and go to sleep on her own-- if left unattended she'll begin crying and after an hour of standing/crying/crawling around.. she won't go back to sleep w/out my help (patting usually--- or giving paci).

At nap time I can swaddle her, give paci and she'll get drowsy-- I"ll put in crib and pat and she is fine...

It's snowing here so I've been home with her frow two days now (and then during Thanksgiving break a full week) she will/would take a 1.5-2 hour morning nap and an hour or 1.5 hour afternoon nap-- and only waking once around 12:30am (or even 2 am a few nights)

Last night she went to bed around 7, up at 10:30 (couldn't resettle after about an hour, nursed, back to sleep until 2:30..) Then up again at 6.. Her awake time at home is right at 2.75-3 hours during the day... I'm giving solids an hour after nursing/bottle (for breakfast & lunch) and only a small amount of solids of an evening..

[Skadiver13]

Ok, well the only thing I can think to suggest is try to stat weaning the props to sleep. Nursing and patting back to sleep seem to be props for her. If you don't think there is anything else pain related etc keeping her from going back to sleep then my suggestion would be to stick to your guns and sleep train her so that she can resettle on her own.  However, that will only work if she isn't OT from daycare. Are you able to get them to change that?

[lncAnnison24]

I have been home with her for a week (we've been snowed out here in Missouri!). A couple of things have happened this week while I've been home with her... first of all, she is taking a good morning nap (1.5-2 hours), and at least an hour nap in the afternoon. I can wrap her, give paci, and pat her a few minutes and she goes right to sleep...She has also only been waking up ONE TIME.. (between 12-2) and then waking up at 6...

Now-- at night, it's another story--- if she wakes up (usually between 12am-2am) I can feed her and she'll usually go right back to sleep... but where do I start to get her to go to sleep on her own for bedtime? Do I move the feeding before bath? I don't want to cut the feeding out or keep her from getting full.. ??How/when do I move the feeding.. and what is the best way to get her to go to sleep completely on her own? I can give her a bottle even and she will take 4-6 oz, so I know she's hungry, too...

Thanks for your advice.

[Skadiver13]

There is nothing wrong with feeding before bed time and there is no reason to stop it. But perhaps you can keep the lights up and play some soft music to keep her a bit more stimulated then after the feeding read her a story etc for a bit so she's not falling asleep while eating. You start with putting her in her crib drowsy but awake and then work your way up from there. Check out the links for independent sleep:
Sleep Training  - the early days