How to Handle 8 Month Old Standing up in Crib and Crying

I've read in several books that babies often learn to stand up before they learn to sit down. They can scare themselves about not knowing how to sit down again; they don't know how to do it and that's why he's crying. I would advise helping him out for awhile and he'll get the hang of it after awhile. I'd consider it a passing phase, not a potential bad habit.

He's excited about learning to stand so it may take some time. Go in and lay him down, but don't pick him up turn on the light or reward the behavior in any other way. If it continues try waiting a little longer each time before you go in to lay him down, 1min then 2 then 4 etc.

I advocate a method that is somewhere in between the 1)let him cry forever until he stops and 2) you must go to him every time he whimpers - he just can't survive without you approaches. I think both extremes cause problems in the long run. Try putting him in his crib and leaving for just a couple of minutes. Come back in the room if he's still crying - don't pick him up, just lay him back down and say goodnight. Leave for a few more minutes that the first time and then repeat, extending the time you're out of the room by a few minutes each time. Eventually, your baby learns that you are still there & will always come back - so they don't freak out or feel abandoned - but he also learns how to self-soothe which is very important in the long run. He will know that if he cries long enough you'll come back, but decides it's not worth crying long enough to make it happen and eventually, that it's not worth standing up to make you come back. It usually only takes a few days before you see the crying spells last a shorter & shorter amount of time and I think he'll get the clue that standing up is just not worth it.

My daughter did this too. At first, I would help her lie back down, but after doing that a number of times it ended up just making her more mad because I wasn't taking her out of the crib. So, after a few nights of not knowing what to do, I just started going in when she would wake and stand, and pat her back for a minute and then leave. It took 10 minutes for her to fall asleep standing. Next time I checked on her, she had collapsed asleep on the mattress. It took one or two nights of that, but after that she stopped crying about standing up, so I guess she figured it out!

Do make sure she can't fall or climb out of the crib. My kid was almost 3 before she figured that out, but some kids get determined early!

so many methods! at this age or about a year I put my son in a Fisher Price rocking chair. It had straps around the waist/crotch so he couldn't get out. He cried for a bit the first few times, but after that it was like he knew he could fall asleep in it, so he'd actually calm when I put him in it. I think the first nap it took 1/2 anhour for him to sleep. My husband thought it was mean and took it away and it was back to crying so I went and got it again. Eventually we adjusted him to the crib again.

We just go in and lay our kids down. Up is easier than down. We tell them (again and again) that it's time to sleep. Usually we haven't had to do it more than two or three times a bedtime. If you're worried he's doing it for attention, go in at 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, then 15, etc., but I don't think it'll be a problem. We're doing it now with our third, and the most I remember going in recently is 3 times, 10 minutes apart. GL!

This is tough. I have two - almost 3 and 1 and 1/2. So I have just a little experience.

I should first say that I am not a fan of the cry it out method, and feel if our children are crying we need to first understand why. Having said that, if you know he's not sick, wet, dirty, hungry etc. he is likely wanting more attention. With my first I picked her up every time. With my son, we did give him some time to put himself down again - and he eventually did. Once we knew he was safe and healthy, we would leave him for a time. I struggled with this, but it helped to look at the clock and pick a time 2, 5 10 minutes and make myself wait to go get him. Eventually, he would learn to put himself back down. He now sleeps through the night 7:30 - 5:30 (early, but solid sleep).

Just be sure the crib mattress is low enough he can't climb/fall out!

Good luck, and follow your instincts about why he is crying. No right answer, just what works for you guys.

I remember a couple of my children going through this and I would go in, not saying anything, lay my child down and leave the room. I also found that my children only did that if they weren't tired or if they were over tired. Be sure to lay your little one down at the first signs of sleepiness to avoid this behavior. Good luck!

Make it a GREAT day!

S.

Let him stand up and cry. Around 6 to 8 months they start to realize a whole new world around them and want to experience it. As hard as it is, you will be happier that you let him learn to calm himself down. Just set a limit as to how long. I usually gave it a good 45 minutes before I did the comfort thing. I just wouldn't let him go for 2 hours or anything then there actually might be something wrong. You know your son and what his limits are, I had one son that never gave up and one that liked sleep so he gave up after 10 minutes. Just trust your instincts.

Hi B.,
I have never agreed with letting an 8 month old just cry. At that age they need to know you are there for them. He has only been alive for 8 months, he is tiny and cannot survive without you. It is normal for him to be nervous when you are not there. I agree with the other Moms who said to go in and soothe him, without picking him up. It will take multiple visits each night and probably many nights. But, if you stick to it you will teach him that it is okay to be in his bed because you are still going to be there when he needs you. Good luck to you. I know how hard that stage is. Take care,
B.

You should deffinately go in and "knock" him down so that he knows how to do it. He is screaming because he doesn't understand how to do it himself. Go in as many times as you need to to make sure that he can get to sleep and then practice in the middle of the day with other furniture so that he learns to get down by himself. Then you know that he is okay and you can leave him to scream if that is what you need to do. The first one can be hard because you want to walk that line between training them and teaching them to train you...heehee. Good luck and when all else fails go with your gut you can unteach him later if needs be.

The reason he is crying is because he doesn't know how to sit back down again and feels stuck. Unfortunately you have to wait this out with him until he learns to sit back down. Don't give him a frustrated look. He will not feel confident then , just place him back down in the sitting position and smile at him. Or you can help him practice sitting back down. It will be over with soon and then you both can rejoice at this new accomplished step in his development . Hang in there!

It depends on the kid. For my kids would NOT work to just leave them there crying. My first was the perfect cry-it-out baby. But when he finally cried enough (it was only about 5 minutes) to realize he was really tired and wanted to sleep, he was suddenly freaked out that he didn't know how to get down so he could go to sleep. So I'd let him cry for a few minutes, then go help him lay down. Sometimes he'd get back up, so we'd repeat. I'd just kiss him, lay him down, and say ni-night.
My second did NOT understand the cry-it-out thing, and it just made him hysterical that he was upset and no one was coming to help. So I had to go in to lay him down much more often, with little crying between.

I think the most important thing is to pick a method you think will work, and stick to it for at least 3 nights. If it's not helping after 3 nights, try something different.

The good news is that it's much less complicated once they learn to get down. You can help him learn to get down to speed up the process. Then you can go back to whatever method worked for him before he learned to pull up.

Good luck!