8 month sleep regression?

[shelbyann]

I know this is a thing because I have seen it mentioned. However I have failed to pay attention because I thought for sure that JUST ONCE we'd be spared one of these horrible sleep things. 

I have posted (way too much, LOL) about our sleep issues in the past. She's always been a horrible sleeper but we've been limping along for the last couple of months by bedsharing. That was working reasonably well until this week. 

Now she just WILL NOT GO DOWN. Not by nursing, not by rocking, not by me lying there with her, not by leaving her to cry (which I've only done for about 20 min…and she did fall asleep that time but then woke up 15 min later, rinse and repeat). She won't wake a paci. She is (we are) currently sleeping on a mattress on the floor (with soft plush carpet below). We haven't tried her crib in a while and it needs to be lowered before we can use it for sleeping because she pulls up and tries to hoist herself out. (I asked my husband to do this over the weekend and it didn't get done, which is fueling my anger here this morning, LOL.)

We do plan to sleep train but until recently I haven't really felt ready, and the timing has been horrible with travel and my H's work schedule. I would do it NOW but we are leaving Sunday for a week in Paris (I know…H is going for work so DD and I are tagging along…I'm excited but the timing is really awful with this sleep stuff, and we could stay home but the idea of solo parenting for 9 days makes me dry heave) so I'm not sure there's any point, as I'm assuming the time change and sleeping in a hotel bed with us would undo anything we've done.

I don't know what else to try in the meantime. I guess I don't even really have a question here, just needed to vent as I sit here watching her roll around, 100% awake, after trying for the last two hours to get her down for her morning nap. We had lunch plans with a friend today that I was really excited about and I just canceled. Boo.

[soozy87]

If I were you I would just plan on sleep training a couple of days after you get back from your trip. Enjoy the trip as best you can because I am sure that her sleep will be off anyway from the travel.

[simpsongal]

I've been seeing it discussed too - I think we experienced it b/c J was recently waking up twice a night out of nowhere. He STTN the past 2 nights, so hopefully it's over? No trouble going down though

IDK - as DH noted, it seems like there's a regression every month. At this point I have no expectations.

ETA: - Other 8 months moms - are your LO's getting stranger or separation anxiety?  We haven't had any issues yet.  Does this mean we've dodged that bullet?

[Brie]

Have you read the Ferber book? It really has a lot of good information about sleep training, and you can skip the chapters about issues that don't apply to you, so it's not actually very long.

[shelbyann]

Two night wakings would be a banner night for us. Man, I don't know what I'll do if the MOTN wakings get worse too.

@brie - I have not read it. I hadn't really planned to because I am pretty sure that the whole "checks" thing is not going to work for us. LOL at the idea of "going in and rubbing her back" or whatever soothing her. So in my mind when we sleep train it will probably be extinction and it's probably going to suck, but at least it's uncomplicated. Is there more to the Ferber book than the sleep training/interval stuff?

[kategm]

Oct 8, 2014 10:32:42 GMT -5 shelbyann said:

Two night wakings would be a banner night for us. Man, I don't know what I'll do if the MOTN wakings get worse too.

@brie - I have not read it. I hadn't really planned to because I am pretty sure that the whole "checks" thing is not going to work for us. LOL at the idea of "going in and rubbing her back" or whatever soothing her. So in my mind when we sleep train it will probably be extinction and it's probably going to suck, but at least it's uncomplicated. Is there more to the Ferber book than the sleep training/interval stuff?

Ferber actually states in his book that the checks aren't supposed to soothe and calm the baby. The point is to reassure you (the parent) that the baby is safe and doesn't need anything. Like if you go in and smell a poopy diaper, see vomit in the crib, etc. And yes, a little bit to let the baby know that you're still there. Ferber does also say that when you go check, the baby will definitely cry harder and louder when you leave. So if you try checks and she does that, it doesn't necessarily mean checks won't work for you. Anecdote time - After the first few nights of Ferbering (we did it around 7.5 months) she'd fall asleep after the first check every time. She'd cry for the first time block, we'd go in, Shush her, rub her back, then leave. She screamed louder as soon as the door shut, but within a few minutes was asleep. I'm sure other people will have different experiences, and obviously you know your baby best, but after reading the book I saw the checks in a different light. I also assumed they were supposed to calm the baby and stop them from crying. And my baby is NOT a "oh, I'll just rub your back gently and you'll stop crying" type of kid.

[kategm]

Oct 8, 2014 10:24:21 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

I've been seeing it discussed too - I think we experienced it b/c J was recently waking up twice a night out of nowhere. He STTN the past 2 nights, so hopefully it's over? No trouble going down though

IDK - as DH noted, it seems like there's a regression every month. At this point I have no expectations.

ETA: - Other 8 months moms - are your LO's getting stranger or separation anxiety?  We haven't had any issues yet.  Does this mean we've dodged that bullet?

DD is almost 9 months and we haven't hit this yet. I thought it was supposed to be around 10 months? Maybe not. She did go through a period around 8 months where she'd cry if I set her down and walked away. I had to cart her around the house. And night time regressed BIG TIME. But we never had any issues at daycare drop off, or if I went to the grocery store and left her with DH, etc. She hasn't hit stranger danger at all.

[shelbyann]

kategm - Interesting, I had not thought of the checks that way either. Maybe I should actually read the book huh?

Thanks for sharing your experience! I think I recall from some of your other posts that my kid has been kinda similar to yours, temperament and sleep-wise. Hoping we have a success too!

[kategm]

Oct 8, 2014 10:42:48 GMT -5 shelbyann said:

kategm - Interesting, I had not thought of the checks that way either. Maybe I should actually read the book huh?

Thanks for sharing your experience! I think I recall from some of your other posts that my kid has been kinda similar to yours, temperament and sleep-wise. Hoping we have a success too!

Sleep training changed our lives completely. We were kicking ourselves for not trying it earlier. We never bed shared though, and sleep regression/ Wonder Week 37 hit us HARD for a few weeks. There are so many ups and downs it's hard to keep up. I have given up getting used to anything, and just expect every night to be a crapshoot. But it is nice to be able to dump her in her crib and walk away. She still cries for 10 minutes or so before falling to sleep, but it's so nice to feel like it's not my responsibility any more. I can walk away and breathe and let her sort it out.

[shelbyann]

SHE JUST WENT TO SLEEP BY HERSELF. Did I just sleep train her? LOL.

About the time I made this post I had given up on getting her to sleep and just left her on the bed to whine while watching her on the monitor…I needed a break and figured the worst that could happen is she'd crawl off and out of monitor view and I'd go down there.

She's now sprawled across the bed sleeping. 45 minutes later. This has never ever happened before!