8month old crying in the middle of the night

[Momo36]

My DD started crying in the middle of the night a couple of weeks ago. She never used to do this and I'm wondering what could be the cause. I'm a first time mom and wonder if this is just a stage or is she having bad dreams? So far, I know that she is not hungry, cold/hot but I'm at a loss as to what can cause her to cry all of the sudden. She sometimes settles herself but last night I went in, gave her the dummy (she is fine sleeping without it so I don't think this is a cause) and settled her without picking her up.

I would appreciate any thoughts.

Hi, I am sorry to hear this, I had two babies who did not sleep through the nigh before they were 7 and 8 months. Im not an expert but the questions I would ask myself are: of course has anything changed lately (room, bed, noisy neighbours etc)? How long ago did she start slleping through the night? and most importantly, what does she need to settle herself, what do you need to do?
It could well be that her teething pain is waking her up and she cries a bit and then falls asleep. Its important she does not develop the need to see you to fall asleep so just be aware of that. Try to leave her a bit first to see if she settles herself. If you do feel that you need to go in and check on her, make sure you leave the room while she is fully awake- even if she cries a bit. I read a book to help me with my children and their sleep and a few things stroke me as very true, one was, if the child is really distressed, in pain, sick etc, the crying will not stop when you go in their room.
I wish you all the best, I know its not an easy thing to deal with!

Thank you for your reply. I think you are right saying that it could be teething. She is drooling a lot more as well. Last night she did not cry for the first time in ages so we just have to take it as it comes I guess...

Yes thats it I think what works best, to go with your instincts. Hopefully, the pain is not such that she would fully wake but rather wake up, cry and settle herself. My children did this a lot.