Yet Another Sleep Question (8.5 Month Old)

With my daughter we had to give her another quick feeding before bed. We wound up giving her actual baby food (the goodnight meals) right before bed to hold her over. She just turned one and she still wakes up around five or six in the morning to 'feed'. She gets a sippy cup with milk now, but some kids truely wake up hungry. I'd try feeding him right before bed and then let him fuss for a bit overnight to make sure that he really is hungry. I also discovered that my husband was able to go in there and give her a paci to fall back asleep. I have yet to have that experience. If I go in there she wants me, but she goes back to sleep for him with no problems.

It sounds to me like he's eating out of habit, although from what you're describing, he's also going through a developmental spurt. But this seems to be going on longer than a spurt.

DS always started waking up 2-3 times/night about a week before he hit a developmental milestone. So that may be it.
Can your husband go in and tuck him back in? Like another poster, anytime my hubby goes into to put DS down, he goes right to sleep. If it's me, he knows he can "work the system".

I would let him cry a bit, and only give him the paci. Give him more solids during the day, and a forumla right before bed. I think you just have to "create" a new habit for him. At 8.5 mos, he doesn't NEED to night feed anymore.

White noise machine!!! Better than a fan, and it allows a nice deep sleep. And are rarely woke up by sounds.

Sounds like to me he is hungry. He's becoming more active therefore he needs more food and might be hitting a growth spurt as well. If you think your supply might not be enough in the middle of the night then give him formula. It won't hurt to try and give him more food and he'll refuse it if he really isn't hungry. If he wakes up wanting to play it might be time for some tough love. Don't engage him, talk softly, tell him it's bedtime, give him the pacifier etc. But if he's co-sleeping this might not work because you are right there and I personally think 8.5 months is a little young to exactly understand what you might be saying to him. I would try the extra food.

Around this time a lot of old-timers start putting cereal in the night bottle. Also, he can start foods and cereal as well after 6 months. It might hold him longer. If you're worried about how much milk he's getting, start expressing and give him a bottle so you can be sure. I worried about that because I gave my son formula a lot, and ended up stopping around 6 months for this reason, but maybe you want to keep on for a whole year. Also, you won't want to get him used to getting up at night - he'll never stop. Check with your pediatrician to see what nutrients he needs at his age. If he has had enough, then try letting him just cry out a bit, 10-15 minutes at a time, so he can learn to put himself back to sleep. This is not bad for them, for that short amount of time. After 10-15 min. if he's still crying, get him, take him out and rock him (don't feed him, he's had enough, right?) and then gently but firmly put him back to bed. Do this for as long as it takes. He has to sleep sometime. This way you will eventually be able to sleep, and if there is a babysitter or an emergency, he will be able to sleep without being stressed.