8 Month Old Daughter Wont Sleep in Her Crib.

C.-

I'm a former Nanny and current Parent Coach. When parents have this trouble, I often ask them if they noticed a sleep pattern change earlier than the trouble started, say 6 weeks ago. Depending on the answer, we move forwards, so first think about that.

Secondly, I suggest to parents to lay their child down for sleep 30-45 minutes earlier than they have been. After years working with nappers, I've found they have a "window" for sleep, and if they pass that window we cannot get them to sleep to save our lives. Since an infant's sleep cycle is constantly changing due to age and growth spurts, a child who laid down at 1 pm may now need to sleep at 12:30 because they've used up all their energy. But when the 1 pm nap starts, they are so over tired, they cannot sleep.

If there isn't something in the prior 6 weeks which explains the issue, try an earlier bedtime.

Good Luck-

R. Magby

We bought a short pile shearling mattress pad for our son's crib, and it really helped him be more comfortable in the crib, I think. http://www.lawsonsheepskins.com/babypad.html

It worked great for us.

We never let our son cry without comforting him. We realized he was crying for a reason and it was up to us to figure it out and help him. Sometimes he was just miserable and then we just helped him through it. He started sleeping completely through the night at about 14 months. We're very close and I've never regretted always responding to his needs as an infant. Some babies sleep longer earlier than others. Feeding our son before bed has always helped him relax. I went to bed early so that I could get a little more sleep.

Consider a chiropractic checkup; something out of whack might be causing her pain or discomfort.

When my son wha 8 months old he was that way too. Finally after he fell asleep one time I just picked him up out of his bouncer and set him in his crib. The first time or two he was upset when he woke up but after that he was fine. Goph luck I hope this can help some.

Snuggle spot...It is a baby bed/pillow that makes a baby feel like it is being held when you cant hold it. www.laneybug.net

I don’t know about you but I had a spoiled baby that only liked to sleep if someone is holding her. I got tired of sleepless nights so I invented this pillow that I call the Snuggle Spot. The pillow snuggles the baby so they feel like some one is holding them and they are safe. Babies love it, the first time I put my daughter in it she slept 9 hours straight and every night since! I put her in the pillow fully awake with a full belly, and swaddled. Since the pillow snuggles them the swaddle stays intact! I recently went out of town and I did not want to pack the portable crib, changing pad, etc. so I just took a chance and only took the pillow. It was amazing, even in a diff environment she slept all night. I just put her in the pillow in the bed next to me or on the floor next to me. It is the perfect Co-sleeper! I changed her diapers in it, She likes to watch colors and lights of the TV so i put it in front of the TV. It fits perfectly in portable cribs and in regular cribs. My Daughter has reflux and has to be elevated so that her formula stays down, The pillow slightly props her up so that she is comfortable and stays clean!!! If you have and questions or concerns or want to place an order feel free to send me a message. The pillow is totally custom, you can pick the fabric, name or saying.

C.,

You will not find many supporters of CIO on mammasource, but I have succesfully used it for both my children. It may sound mean, but with my children by the time I tried it I had just reached a point that I could not take the stress anymore. I made a deviation from the CIO though. They say to go in every two min., fin min. and so on while they are crying. I just peek in to make sure everything is still o.k. as my kids would just get more upset if Iwould come in and not picck them up. Your baby is definatly old enough to do the CIO method if that is what you decide to do. If you have a hard time listening to her cry, take a walk when you put her down( if someone else is home) if you don't have that option, put on some earphones and listen to some music or something while you do something else. Hope this helps you!

N.