Why is my 9mo suddenly waking in the night?

[Bumperlicious]

Help! My baby has slept 11-7 since she was 2 months old and 8-7 not much longer after that, but suddenly at 9 months she is waking up 1-4 times a night!

She isn't particularly hungry, sometimes she will fall back asleep as soon as you pick up her, or sometimes (like last night) she won't go back to sleep for an hour, just wants to be held. We tried bringing her into our bed last night but she wouldn't go to sleep. She wakes up crying, but stops once you get her up.

I was concerned that it might be something like sleep apnoea (my thread here) but the gp checked her ears and chest and said she had never seen it in a baby so probably wasn't.

Can someone please suggest any reasons why she might be waking up or what to do? This has been going on for about 3 weeks (since her 1st 2 teeth came though) and I went back to work yesterday so am not overjoyed at being woken up several times a night.

Hello girls,
Just back from osteopath. It went well, but I cannot tell you now 'cause DD is climbing up my leg and cannot really write much. Will try tomorrow a.m. when she is a bit distracted with her toys after breakfast.
By the way, the "whole night sleep" only lasted for 6 nights, she is back to waking up at night and being very difficult to get her to bed or settle her when she wakes up during the night... .
Wish you all a good night

Hi, from a more developmental point of view. Babys tend to start to dream in real pictures between 7 and 9 months (before this it is in feelings and needs!) and this can account for loads of this unusual waking up in this age group.
Also can mean bright baby!!

Hi eddiejo,

That's interesting. Thanks - when does it pass?!!! It's very strange this waking...it's like she's not totally awake and very sleepy but just cannot settle so I think you might be right. I tried a small spoonful of calpol night yesterday and she slept all night long 7pm til 6.30 am. Beautiful, better not get into the habit though!

Hi Emmahugs,
Don't know when it passes just know it calms down supposidly as they learn what they are and how to deal with them.
Oh for calpol!! sometimes you need to cover all angles and maybe it could be a mixure of that and the dreaded teething!
Hope tonights not too bad.

This probably won't help but my boy is 18months and still waking up 2 or 3 times a night. Only mummy will do so I can't even send daddy. Sometimes he goes back to sleep after a littel cuddle, other times he's up for 2 hours. I work 9-3pm 5 days a week and I'm shattered.

We have also tried the Calpol night and found we get about 4-5 hours. This only takes us to 12-1am without him waking. I don't like to use it too often so I save it for times when he has a cold or his teeth are obviously hurting.

I came on mums net tonight to see if anyone had heard about the Vicks on the feet trick to stop a night time cough. This evening Adam was coughing every 30 secs for over 2 hours in the run up to bed time. There was no way he was going to go to sleep. Husband then came out with something he thinks he heard on GMTV. Rub Vicks into the soles of your childs feet and put their socks on and they sleep cough free. The effect was almost instant. This is my first time on mums net so I don't know if I should have started a new discussion, but as its part of the whole sleeping issue I thought you may find it useful.

Hello girls,
Back again. Managed to get laptop to living room, although it is soooo slow...
Anyway, osteopath. It was 1 hr session (the 1st one is like this to assess the baby and set up the "treatment")and I think it went well.
They ask you about your pregnancy, the birth and your baby (general stuff, but you also tell them everything you can think of, so they have an idea). Then they check the baby: head, arms, legs, spine... After this, they check if there is any tension in their bodies by placing their hands on them (IT IS NOT HEALING). It seems strange, but I don't know, I trust this and I think it works.
DD will need around 5 or 6 sessions to release the tension they found: 1 on top of her head (probably because of the teething that is making extra preassure in all the bones and because of the preassure in her head while she was engaged at the end of the pregnancy) and 1 on her chest area: they believe because she did not cry when she was born, so it is like she has something tight in her chest that she needs to release.
So this is what they will do: help to release this tension. This will help her in general and might also help her (hopefully) with her sleep as she will be moe relaxed.
I will let you know if it works.

At the begining I also thought of giving her Calpol, but I do not want her to get used to it, like the only thing, like an addiction.
But I understand that it works ,so if there is a next time when it takes too long for her to settle, I might use it...

It is true it is interesting to know about the dreams. I did think that it could be nightmares, but so many and so often?? Noooo, she is a happy and contented baby, so it could not be. But it makes sense, they need to get used to dreaming, they do not know what that is. Let's hope it does not take very long for them to get used to them! .

Emma I feel for your DD, poor her, the pain must be awful! Is she ok during the day? Give her extra cuddles and kisses, that helps (same for the separation anxiety!), I think. Any excuse to hug them more!

Bumperlicious: how is it going? Seeing any light at the end of the tunnel?

I am positive (I want to be, I HAVE to be) and I believe this is just a short period in our babies life, even if it does not feel like it know.

Good night to you all and hopefully we will get some rest (and our babies, of course!)

Hello girls,
Just a quick one: DD has been sleeping the whole night for 3 nights now . She still cries in her sleep a couple of times, but there is no need to go to her room or anything as she is sleeping. Keep my fingers crossed!
Going to osteopath again this week.

Hope everything is getting better for all of you .