8 month sleep regression and sleep routines?

TheAnalyticalMommy

Hi everyone! 

So my first didn't really have a sleep routine. By 4 months, he was only waking once a night and was generally pretty easy at night and didn't seem to need a routine. 

We didn't setup one with my youngest but I now think he needs one. At 8 months, he still wakes 2-3 times a night and he is really tough to put to sleep. 

I've started the nurse, bath, baby massage, nurse, rock to sleep routine and it worked decently last night except... he will only sleep in our cradle swing. The second we try to put him down in the crib, he screams like hell. This is somewhat new... he used to be tough to get to sleep but would eventually sleep in his crib.

Two weeks ago, he got sick so we  let him sleep in the cradle swing becasue it's somewhat on an angle (slight but enough that he could breath better). He seems to like that it cradles him and he doesn't seem to want to go back! I figure it's some form of sleep regression because he's showing us all sorts of new tricks (waving, trying to stand by himself etc). 

So, my question is...

What's your sleep routine? 

Have you gone through an 8 month sleep regression (or any sleep regression) and how did you get through it?

I know it'll be hard because i"m trying to establish a routine during what I suspect is a regression but i'm not sure what else to do.

Thanks for any advice you can give! This LO seems to need structure.

CCupp

Try a swaddle blanket (the kind with velcro) and a bassinet that elevates the head to help him sleep on his back. My baby hates sleeping flat on his back, especially if not held or swaddled.

jenn43

I would actually not swaddle an 8 month old- if he rolls over onto his tummy he won't be able to roll back.

My LO went through the 4 month regression a while back.  Our bedtime routine was bath, lotion massage, put on sleep sack, nursing or bottle, song, then down in his crib.  We started this when he was around 4 months.  He'd fuss for awhile, then fall asleep.  Now he pretty much just falls asleep.  MOTN wakeups are: diaper change, nurse, back to the crib.  When he hit his sleep regression he was waking up more often.  We kept the same routine, and after a couple weeks he went back to sleeping longer stretches.

I was lucky though, cause even when my LO needed to be held to fall asleep, he always went back down in the MOTN fairly easily.  How do you feel about cry vs no cry methods?

TheAnalyticalMommy

Yeah i worry about swaddling too at 8 months.

jenn43 how old is your LO? Luckily LO has always fallen back asleep during MOTN feeds pretty easily (from about 1 month on) and luckily still does. It's that first time that's challenging. We did finally cave on letting him cry. I just wasn't comfortable with cosleeping anymore and the swing wasn't working anymore. I tried some of the no cry methods and they didn't work so I couldn't think or find anything else to try. The first night he cried for quite a bit, and the next two nights he only cried for 2-3 minutes. Last night was like night one again but he settled himself down and fell asleep. I didn't want to let him cry but i'm not sure what else to do. 

Last night I did cave and pick him up figuring maybe he was still hungry. I tried to nurse him and he kept trying to wiggle out of my arms and i followed his lead - we ended up with him lying flat on my knees and it was clear he was trying to get comfortable to sleep. So i put him back in his bed, he cried for a minute or two and then was out cold until his MOTN feed. 

Not my first choice, or my second, or third ... but nothing else seemed to work and he is clearly trying to go to sleep. So here we are! 

jenn43

My LO is 6 months old.  We had to do CIO to get him to bed as well; I tried when he was about 4 months old.  I realize that many people will say that's too young, but he was really more complaining and fussing than out-and-out crying.  Honestly, if your little guy is only crying a couple minutes, I think that's not bad at all.  From what I've read, true CIO is more like an hour or two.  It's funny how it seems like forever listening to him cry.  Then I'll look at the clock and realize it's been literally less than 30 seconds.  Once in a great while he'll actually sound upset- that's when I'll try to feed him again.  Often he dozed off before he finished eating, and he wakes up hungry.

Hang in there mama!