8 month old doesn't sleep

Teething is hard! All the pain relief stuff can really help but ultimately I think they just want you close and comfort. Which is understandable but so hard sometimes!
I hope your partner is able to take the baby for a few hours this weekend and you can get back to bed!
Take care of yourself x

How did you get on last night?
If co-sleeping helps you, when your partner is home can he sleep in a different room to allow you to continue?
Or try a different set up… My mattress is on the floor with a single mattress on the other side of it that my partner sleeps in. Baby in bed with me in the middle of us!
I hope you can get some help in the day, you must be exhausted x

Hi OP,

My baby (who I will say upfront has always been a pretty decent sleeper) went through an awful phase at 8m old and I snapped.

Here are some things which helped:

1. we got a sleep trainer. It was £300 for 4 weeks of support. Best money I’ve ever spent in terms of advice and support, but I fully appreciate it’s a privilege to have that cash to blow
2. pre sleep trainer, we taught self settling using some of the techniques in the book “The Sleep Guide” by Lucy Wolfe.
3. we worked hard at establishing a schedule. So set nap times and durations and a set bedtime with a consistent bedtime routine. Good day sleep does really help with good night sleep
4. we stopped going out. Gone were the days of napping in the pram, we fixed all naps to be in the cot at home. And we didn’t change that until the sleep was at a solid consistent stage. Now we do some in the car if we’re going somewhere, else all outings are planned around napping at home. It can be super frustrating but IMO it’s worth it for the good sleep
5. Anbesol - if there’s a chance it’s teething pain, we have found that the best pain relief is this, it has worked so well for us when calpol and ibuprofen weren’t making a difference
6. moving baby, when possible, into own room. I know this is a HUGE step but my goodness my baby slept soooo much better when in their own room. It was stressful moving him over for the first few days but after that it made a world of difference
7. Get some help. You’re effectively a solo parent. What’s your support network like? If you don’t have a huge amount of people around you to help (perhaps watch baby for a few hours while you get some rest, could you consider putting them into a childminder or nursery for one day a week? Or a half day? I know it’s expensive but I reckon it’s cheaper than the cost of therapy post breakdown from lack of sleep

8-10 months was the absolute worst for us. Wakes every 1-2 hours, I was broken. That was when I finally turned to co-sleeping just to get some rest. She's 15 months now and the last two nights we've had just one wake which is amazing for us, so it does get better! No real advice as I didn't try any sleep training, but many people do and get results quicker. Solidarity, it's a tough phase!

Things I found that helped:

• Getting rid of the dummy, as she'd lose it in the night and wake up, and not be able to put it back. So it was better if she learnt to not depend on it. It took 2 nights of going cold turkey and worked.
• Putting her in her own room, as we didn't disturb her so much.
• Weaning her off milk feeds. Every night, feeding her slightly less milk so she'd instead fill up during the day.
• White noise, black out blinds, a star projector for her to watch as she fell asleep.

I had similar issues with my little girl not sleeping, waking for her tummy or to be picked up. I came across so tips online and it helped so much. I got rid of the dummy as she could only settle with that so every time it came out of her mouth she woke up. And rather than picking her up i would put my hand on her chest and gently rub, she got use to the fact that I wasn't going to pick her up every time and just that touch was a comfort and settled her. Of course if she was really upset I'd pick her up, but if she was just a bit unsettled I went with this technique instead.

I would put him in own room. And teething affects them more at night as there is no distractions.

I would recommend trying Ashton and Parsons teething powder. It's a miracle worker and you can get it from most supermarkets/chemists ETC. I'd also recommend trying him in his own room as the space and can of his own room might help. My daughter started sleeping slot better when she went into her own room. If you've tried feeding, nappy, calpol and teething powder and he's just whinging rather than full on crying then I'd suggest doing some controlled crying. Usually if they're just whinging they don't need anything and are just being grumpy. If he's left he'll likely tire and fall asleep.

Same OP 😩 were fortunate to have a spare room so I’m currently co sleeping. Although now she’s ill so even that’s not working 😭

8 months was a particularly bad time for my bad sleeper, like PP we co-slept to survive (and still do for some of the night)

If you have the space he may do better in his own room. Mine is a light sleeper and would wake even if we rolled over or husband snored.

The temperature has dropped so make sure he is warm enough. Does he have a sleeping bag? Make sure it's the right tog for the temperature.

You mention he has a dummy put loads in the cot with him so he can always grab one and it won't matter if he throws a couple out. The glow in the dark ones are good.

Don't pick him up unless you have to, so if he's just making noise leave him. If he's upset try to soothe him in the crib and then leave.

8 months is a hard one, hopefully it's just a phase!

Also maybe move him into his won room? I've heard anecdotally that it sometimes helps with sleep.

Tey some methods to get him to self settle. It might be time to drop the dummy if he wakes up after a sleep cycle, it isn't in his mouth, and he can't go to sleep again without it. Again it's going to be rough the first week but persevere.

Pick one sleep training technique that you're comfortable with and then consistently apply it for a few weeks and see if it helps.

Sounds really tough and I feel for you! I have a 9 month old who has never slept through… longest she’s ever slept is 3.5 hours but that’s not a common occurrence!
Co-sleeping is only thing that allows me to get enough sleep. Is this an option for you?
Hope tonight is better for you x

Also is he warm enough? Could you add another piece of light clothing like a vest and see if that works?

Is he actually crying or just awake? Is he in his own room?

That sucks.

Is he teething? Is he sleeping in his own room and his own crib? Have you tried any sleep training yet?

What worked for us is our version of the pick up, put down method. Could you try something like that? It might be rough the first week but keep going until its better. Consistency is key.

I feel for you. It's really hard.