Demented with my 8 month old!!

[kitkat321]

My lo is just turning 8 months old and I'm really struggling to keep her content and happy these days.

She's reached that stage where she wants to be mobile but isn't. She can sit up and is able to roll over on her tummy but immediately gets upset when she does. No signs of crawling or weight bearing on her legs yet which is fine but I just find it so difficult to keep her entertained all day and it's getting exhausting.

She's also recently stopped napping during the day - or if she does nap it's for 30 minutes. This means that as the day progresses she gets grumpier and grumpier and by about 4pm I'm counting down the minutes until bed time which makes me feel like an awful mum.

Sometimes, on a rare occasion, she'll fall asleep as soon as she's in her cot but most days, like today, I have to force her to nap as I know she's tired. I'm using the timed crying method which does work eventually but it feels like even when she's had a reasonable nap (say about 30 minutes in the morning and an hour in the afternoon) she is still pretty grumpy by the end of the day.

It's really getting me down and I feel almost stuck in the house with her unless we can arrange to do something in the morning because after about 2pm she's just difficult.

Is this just a phase they go through? Or is it just her personality? Or is there some other way to help her so that she can feel more content throughout the day?

I'm back at work soon and will only really see her in the evenings for most of the working week and that is when she is at her worst and I'm worried that we'll not get to spend any time together when she's not grumpy!

[squizita]

I use the pram or carrier/sling to get dd to sleep when she's refusing. Just go shopping or walking. She's too nosey to sleep well by day (though milk + rock = sleep at night). Friday I walked round the park in a downpour ... but dd was much better for it!

[squizita]

Also she napped wonderfully when I had a trial week back at work recently! They are sometimes fussier for mummy.

[kitkat321]

Unfortunately, she'll rarely sleep in the buggy anymore - too nosey for her own good. We are out walking the dog about 3 times a day and while she's generally content she won't sleep. She will sometimes sleep in the car but again not for long (wakes up as soon as the car stops). Not had her in the carrier for ages as she is very big for her age and quite heavy to carry for a prolonged period.

Thankfully, she's fallen asleep now! She fights it so much that I start questioning that she is tired. She also has this amazing ability to be almost asleep and then suddenly full of beans again fighting sleep.

Thankfully, she's great at night - goes down first time and sleeps all night.

Having a cuppa now to de-stress before she wakes up (hopefully she's in a better mood!!)

[Laquila]

I'm very much of the opinions that all babies are different, and that there isn't one rule fits all, but I'd amazed that she (and you!) are getting by on around 30mins nap during that day. At that age my son was probably having three naps of around an hour each. What kind of sling do you have? There are plenty that should make it easy to carry an 8 month old, even a hefty one, for an hour or so. Will she sleep in the car? I used to schedule my day, when possible, around my son having a morning nap on the drive out somewhere (anywhere!), a midday nap in the buggy and an afternoon nap on the drive home. I do sympathise though - good luck OP.

[FATEdestiny]

Glad she's gone to sleep now. I second what was said above that you may well find your childcare can get her to sleep more in the daytime. Nursery staff are very experienced with sleeping issues and also babies are generally less fussy when it is not Mummy. So fear not, going back to work may mean lovely cuddly evenings, not fretful ones.

You generally will find babies get 'harder work' just before a significant milestone. Mobility is one, speech is another (many a tantrum from a toddler is simply because they do not yet have the words to explain). So your DD may well be frustrated at her lack of being able to physically get what she wants.

Equally, and I suspect I'm telling you nothing new here, the lack of daytime sleep is having an additional significant effect on her grumpiness.

Does your pushchair have a hood? What about hood up and muslin draped over it to block out stimulation?

I assume you've tried a dummy? They are God-sends for daytime sleep.

[kitkat321]

Thanks all - the wee monkey has thankfully slept better the last couple of days. She seems to be waking up from her nap quite upset - not sure why as she's sleeping in a familiar environment. I've been comforting her and then putting her down again and she's gone back to sleep so thankfully her mood has been much better.

I don't have a sling anymore - never really liked them tbh and she seemed to get quite hot when in the sling. Buggy has a huge canopy and I give her a muslin when I put her down which she sometimes like to use to cover her face (which I then move to uncover her mouth when she's asleep).

Definitely think we are going through some sort of leap - she's also been waking at around 2am for a party and a feed. Might be teeth might be the 8 month sleep regression - time will tell.

[zombiemeow]

No advice Kitkat but just want to let you know you are not alone! my ds is exactly the same (also 8mo). Exhausting isn't it!