Developmental wakings, more info please.

[charlibabes]

My LO is 8 months and has just started crawling and pulling up this week, she has also woken in the night and won't go back to sleep which is unusual, she normally cried for 2-3 mins and puts herself back to sleep sucking her thumb.

I have found her at the other end of her cot, which seems to make her wake and panic her as if she doen't know where she is.

Can someone explain what is normal for developmental wakings and if crawling is one of them.

Schedule (ish)

6.15 wake breast
7.15 cereal
8.30 sleep (45 mins or 90 mins)
11.30 lunch solids
12.30-13.00 (depending on length of first nap) Breastfeed one side and sleep
15.00 wake breastfeed other side
17.00 solids
18.00 bath
18.30 breast
19.15 sleep

I don't feed her to sleep although she does have milk before sleep then goes down awake.  No pacifier.

Thanks for any advice

[Colin Macs Mom]

Hi there -

Ah yes, the developmental wakings are so fun, aren't they? 

Crawling is absolutely a developmental thing that will lead to wakings - just like rolling, sitting, pulling up, walking, etc. When a lo learns a new skill or is close to doing it, they want to practice, practice, practice. The best way to combat the wakings is to give them all the time they want during the day to practice. Even if they do nothing else, that's fine. It will help them get the urge out of their system and the faster they master the skill the sooner they will stop waking and deciding that it's time to work on it.

When my DS first learned to sit up from a laying down position, he was obsessed. There were a couple of days that he literally did nothing except sit in his playpen and practice the move. That was it, if we took him out he would scream his head off. And then one night when DH went to check on him he was totally asleep sitting up!

[jbepko]

My son has had alot of night wake-up's due to developmental milestones- babbling, finding fingers/toes, sitting up, rolling, standing, crawling, etc. They eventually lose interest and return to sleep pattern. I would let him practice his new trick until he needed help going to asleep. Sometimes it was 30 min, sometimes 2 hours, but it does pass.