8 month old started waking at night

[Mummy1982]

My 8 month old has slept through the night since he was just over 6 months old. However over the last week he has started waking up once in the night - it’s not the same time but is usually anytime between 1 and 4.

The first couple of nights I fed him, just a small amount as I thought he may have been hungry/thirsty. But I am now worried that he’s getting in to a pattern of thinking he has milk when he wakes at night. When he’s finished the milk he’s still awake and I put him back in his cot and he falls back to sleep.

I’m not sure if I should continue the feeding or do something differenr. The cry is not a obvious I’m just stirring and I’ll go back to sleep - it’s more of a come and get me cry. I have tried picking him up for a cuddle but when I put him back down he screams and is worse than before I picked him up!

Our routine is generally

6-6.30 wake up
9.30ish nap 1 for 1 hour
1.30isg nap for up to 2 hours
7 bed

He’s eating well and still having around 20oz of milk in the day plus solids.

[becj86]

I would try shifting the first nap a bit later and see how that goes. Are you capping that nap?

[Mummy1982]

Yes I am capping that first nap as it then allows us to get out and about in the mornings. When he wakes st night and has milk he sleeps in to 6.30 when he doesn’t wake at night he wakes at 5.30!

[becj86]

Yes, so I'd say move it 15-30mins later and you can probably cap it at 45min.

When he wakes st night and has milk he sleeps in to 6.30 when he doesn’t wake at night he wakes at 5.30!

Sounds like he's in the process of dropping that NF on his own. If he wakes at 5:30, will he feed and go back down? I presume if he did that would mean he's not hungry for breakfast... This might be a case of muddling through. You could try wake to sleep if he's consistently waking at that hour but it sounds like it varies. You could perhaps try it just on nights when he hasn't woken for a feed.

[Mummy1982]

No when he wakes at 5.30 he’s awake for the day! It would be great if he could go to 6!

Last night he woke me at 4.15 but I let him cry for 10 mins just to see if he went back - he did but was awake at 5.30.

I’ll try moving the morning nap but caping it at 45 mins.

[becj86]

No when he wakes at 5.30 he’s awake for the day! It would be great if he could go to 6!

Sounds like that increase in A time should do the trick.

Fingers crossed!

[Mummy1982]

Hello - I’m back once again!

We are now doing a 45 min morning nap - generally 9.45 to 10.30 when he wakes at 6ish. However I then put him down at 2 but we’re only getting 40 min naps and he’s screaming when we wakes up with no resettle. Should I postpone the afternoon nap a bit?

[becj86]

Ugh

This is a tricky age at which 40 mins can be UT and OT. I think the A time between naps seems reasonable - maybe try wake to sleep at 20mins? What were you doing before capping the first nap to 45min? How is he settling to sleep for that nap?

[Mummy1982]

I know! My older son was such a great sleeper and had such a great routine but then I could work around him as he was the only one but with ds2 we have to work around nursery and other activities we do!

He seems to have gone back to sleeping longer in the afternoon again so wondering if teeth were affecting him but we are back to 5am wake ups with no resettle -if it’s not one it’s the other 

I think he would prefer s really long a time (but sure what the a time should be for a 9 month old) have a long nap then a short nap in the afternoon to see him thoroug to bed but it just doesn’t work with our routine!

[becj86]

I think he would prefer s really long a time (but sure what the a time should be for a 9 month old) have a long nap then a short nap in the afternoon to see him thoroug to bed but it just doesn’t work with our routine!

It makes for a miserable lunch time but could you do a long A time, capped nap, short A time (this can be 1.5-2hr if the capped nap is 20-30min and must be packed with lots of different activities) then a long PM nap?

Otherwise, I'm fresh out of ideas, sorry. He really seems to need that long first A or he gets those pesky 5am wakings.