9Mo. Old, Not Sleeping, ?Anxiety

Is it possible he is teething? My son was never a good sleeper either, but when he was teething it was miserable. And often the sleeplessness would start before the drooling or obvious teething signs. He would sleep if he was held and cuddled. Tylenol and teething tablets did nothing for either of my kids when they were teething. I am not a fan of co-sleeping generally, but I will admit I caved and did it for periods with my son. Sometimes you do what you gotta do to get through the night!

How miserable to not be able to get enough sleep! I have no ideas as to why he may be doing this. I was just wondering if you considered cosleeping for now? It may help everyone sleep better and longer. At least you won't be getting up several times a night to tend to him and he doesn't have to cry for hours on end by himself (4 hours must've been really hard on both of you!). It doesn't have to be something that lasts forever. My son slept with me from birth-6 months. He then slept really well in his crib for about 5 months. At 11 months he started waking during the night so I brought him to my bed for a few months. He is now 2 1/2 and since 14 months old he has been back in his crib sleeping at least 13 hours/ night. Good luck! I hope you all start sleeping soon.

I'm not much help my youngest woke at night until he was 3 he also had reflux, allergies, ear/sinus issues. We just put him in bed with us after he woke the first time. Once he turned 3 he we told him enough was enough and he had no problem transitioning to sleeping all night in his bed. It took about 2 nights of walking him back to his room but up until 3 every time we tried he would cry for hours and then not be able to calm himself down enough to get back to sleep.

edited: I really don't think co sleeping is a bad habit. My oldest was ready on his own to sleep in a big boy bed around the age of 2 and my youngest took longer and he needed some motivation but it was still smooth. And if it is anxiety related the WORST thing you can do is cry it out could also be teething or approaching a milestone.

We also brought our son into our bed. He would go to sleep in his own bed. When he woke up in the middle of the night, we would just put him in bed with us. Our thought is that he needed to feel safe, even in the middle of the night. When he was about 2 or so he decided he was a big boy and wanted to sleep in his own bed. He is 4 1/2 now, and has come to our bed maybe 3 times since then.

We all sleep better this way. Personally, I wouldn't worry about forming habits, because right now he needs you. When he's a little older, you can transition into him sleeping in a big boy bed.

he is nine months old of course he is teething. teething pain occurs a LONG time before you see teeth poking through, they have to move UP! if you coslept youd all get a lot more sleep. creating a bad habit or not is all perspective.....

Have you thought of him having food intolerances/sensitivities/allergies? The eczema, ear aches and reflux all seem as though they could be food issues, which can also cause the lack of sleep. I would start with maybe taking him off dairy, or if you're breastfeeding you may have to make the changes in your diet to accommodate him for now. I've also heard that if at a certain point of the day he is acting "colicky" (for lack of a better word) he may have experienced something traumatic around then, even at his young lil age, and may just need to be comforted until it passes. If you're not comfy with co-sleeping -in the same bed, can you put his crib closer to your bed so that he can sense you there? he's still young and I will outgrow this...."this too shall pass" :)

Make sure he is sleeping on an incline to ease reflux and ear aches. If crib doesn't work, try bouncy seat, car seat, swing - sometimes they prefer one of those to the crib. Can also try co-sleeping (carefully) - they sell several diff items that either attach to your bed or put on your bed to keep baby safe while having the comfort of sleeping next to you and holding you hand.

Also, try fereding more or less before bed - may be hungry from growth spurt or may be getting reflux from too much food before laying down. Make sure he is well burped.

Last, ask the doc if the meds he is on could interfere with sleep, cause stomach pain, etc.

I went through similar issue, and finally it did get better - just hang in there and sleep when you can.

Golden rule of family sleep: Whatever gets the most people the most sleep is the right solution.
My kids are crappy sleepers too and they're perfectly healthy, and just now at 18 months is the younger one starting to sleep better. It will get better, but it might take a while.
If he sleeps more in the bed between you two, try that.
He might be teething at this age. Try ibuprofen. It lasts for 8 hours; acetominophen only lasts for 4. My kids don't drool when they teethe, and the early stages you can't see the teeth.
You aren't hurting anything by bringing him into or next to your bed for a little while, especially since you are in survival mode and if you don't start getting some sleep now you will be a road hazard. It happened to me; I'm not criticizing, but I am telling you do whatever it takes to get your family some sleep now before you fall asleep at the wheel.