8 Month Old Bedtime Drama

The frequent waking could be a growth spurt. Does she go back down after nursing then? I disagree with the person who said an 8 mo old doesn't need to nurse during the night at that age. It is absolutely biologically normal for a baby to nurse round the clock at that age.

Is she upset when you come to bed or refusing to go to bed at 7? She may need to have her bedtime pushed a bit later or her afternoon nap moved a bit earlier. Or she may be overtired at 7 and need to go to bed earlier. Overtired kids also have difficulty falling and staying asleep.

Since it's only been a couple nights, it might not be a new pattern. She may be teething or coming down with something or she might be gearing up for a physical or intellectual growth spurt. I know that my DD adjusted her nursing schedule when she was doing that. Even as late as 19 mos she suddenly switched to a newborn-like nursing schedule but then she started talking and went back to normal nursing and sleeping.

This may be her way of telling you that she's ready for her own space. Co-sleeping isn't comfortable for everybody. Maybe she's getting too hot, or too crowded.

I would also say that an 8 month old no longer needs overnight feedings. She could be just waking up because she's used to feeding in the middle of the night. But an 8 month old should sleep through the night without eating. Perhaps eating in the middle of the night is giving her tummy trouble.

I would suggest that you try changing your routine if this one is no longer working out for you. Kids are constantly changing their needs. When something stops working, you try something else!

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Is she fussing when SHE goes down or when you join her?... I know that with all 4 of mine, especially my 10 month old, they reached a point where they slept much better having their own space... The baby will fuss and cry thru out the night if she's in bed with us (she is a VERY light sleeper and hubby goes to the bathroom multiple times at night) But if she's in her play pen BESIDE the bed she sleeps alot better... I'd be happy to cosleep longer but she deemed it differently...
Thats all I could think of... :-)

She could be teething, have an earache, or growing, all of which can be exacerbated by lying down. A good dose of ibuprofin may help. She could also be overtired -- as they grow and get more active they may need their schedules adjusted. My first born went to sleep at 6:30 every night, you could try that too.

My DD had an early bedtime for a long time... around 7-8 months is when I pushed her bedtime back an hour. I also extended her routine. (Now at 8:00, she gets nursed, bath, lotion massage, PJ's, 'goodnight ritual' (She kisses everyone goodnight) sit in bed and read, then into her crib and lulabyes. She is usually asleep by 9:00) Maybe that would help you too? I don't neccesarily co-sleep with my DD, but if she's having a rough night I still pull her into bed with me. (She's 10 months now.) She also sleeps with me most mornings when I'm trying to squeeze that extra hour of sleep out of her. lol. I also found if I feed her an hour before bed, not right when I put her down, for some reason she sleeps better. MIL's theory is that maybe she just needs time for her tummy to settle. I still nurse her twice in the night... Mainly because she is on solids during the day and never wants to sit still long enough to nurse so the nighttime feedings are the only time I feel she gets enough breastmilk. So you aren't alone in that either! :)

Growth spurt time!! It'll pass and then once the growth spurts calm down - the next stage of co-sleeping issues will be a antsy toddler... which too passes. I still co-sleep with my 5 y./o, tho she knows when I have the baby in July, she will have to be in her own room by then.