(Huge sigh) this is developmental, right?

[IAteRoseMaryConleyForBreakfast]

DS is 8 months, and has always been a shit sleeper. He now only wakes around 2-3 times between 11 and 6 and we think that's fantastic in comparison to what he used to be like.

Thing is, this week he's been a total bugger to get to sleep. I've been back to work 4 days a week and his dad looks after him - I get home at lunchtimes and feed him to sleep for a nap. But DP was really getting there with him, getting him down for good naps, but this week no way. Today he's had 2 x 45 minutes even with me feeding him down at lunch time. Not enough, he's really jittery and hyper now. I am soon to begin the arduous task of getting him to bed, oh joy ...

At the moment we're doing much rolling and standing on all fours, but can't quite rack this crawling thing, which is a source of much frustration. I also suspect incisor number 2 is en route. He still suffers from horrendous wind (of the fart variety) and associated sore tummies (so controlled crying is an absolute no).

What I'm wondering is this - obviously loads of development going on just now which may explain the sleeplessness, but I thought that just made them wake more, not necessarily be harder to calm down enough for sleep? And what can we do (I know the answer is wait it out, I know, but hey, I had to ask!). And just remind me, right, it does get better, huh? I am soooooooooooo tired.

All I can say is in my experience these mad phases do pass. Usually just before you kill them. It does get better. But not for a while. Is there something you could tweak with your night time routine - make it totally predictable, if not already? Have you been back at work long - sleep went totally to pot with us for a while when I went back, but it did settle down. I must say it was at about this age that my ds stopped being able to feed to sleep at bedtime and I walked out of the room in hysteria only for him to lie down and go to sleep within 2 minutes. Am not advocating that at all but he may need something else if he finds going off hard. They are all soooo different, and their night time needs are just not as clear as people would have us think! (not to me anyway(

Thanks cockles. I should have said, I've been working for a couple of months. And I've tried leaving him and he just howls, although we were approaching put-down-sleepy-and-run before all this. It is maddening. He's just haywire just now. I keep willing him to crawl and then go back to sleep! I've got a week off shortly, maybe that'll bugger his routine enough that he goes back to being easier!

Thanks cockles. I should have said, I've been working for a couple of months. And I've tried leaving him and he just howls, although we were approaching put-down-sleepy-and-run before all this. It is maddening. He's just haywire just now. I keep willing him to crawl and then go back to sleep! I've got a week off shortly, maybe that'll bugger his routine enough that he goes back to being easier!

Have you tried starting the bedtime routine about half an hour earlier? Sometimes, if there is a lot of development going on, they get overtired and overstimulated and winding down a bit earlier can help to stop them going into overdrive. It wouldn't do any harm to give it a try for a few nights and see.

But - everything is a phase and they do outgrow most things. It is hard while it lasts though.