10 month old waking 8-12 times a night - advice needed urgently please

[peakaboo]

Our 10 month old DD has recently started nursery and is experiencing intense separation anxiety, the result of which is that she has gone from waking 1-2 times a night to waking 8-12 times. She seems to crawl/stand herself awake, and then cries. She can be up for minutes or hours, and can wake 4 times in an hour or once in 4 hours - it doesn't seem to have a pattern. DH and I are exhausted, as is she - what is the best way to get through this? Do we pick her up and cuddle her until she falls asleep? Let her cry a little? Talk her down to sleep? Bring her into bed with us (she's a kicker)? Any advice most welcome.

Forgot to mention that we are putting her down awake, and she falls asleep ok, with just a little patting and shushing. She also doesn't feed in the night.

Had to reply to this as no-one else has yet. I cant really suggest anything. DD is only 14 wks but bumping it for you.

Lots of dcs go through wakeful/restless periods that are linked to doing in their sleep (crawling/standing) what they have learnt to do during the day. This is a developmental stage and not always linked to being at nursery!

It is not necessarily seperation anxiety - so don't beat yourselves up.

Firstly check with nursery what amount of sleep she has been getting there - IMO over tired dcs can behave like this so if nursery is exciting and stimulating she may actually not be getting much daytine sleep.

Conversly if she is having settling probs she may have opted to sleep all day at nursery to avoid the challenges there.

Try a sleeping bag to help keep her lying down?

Then there's teething about now too?

And there's being a bit hungry with the increased activity of a nursery day?

DD1 did this from about 8 months (no apparent reason), I was exhausted and ended up extending my mat leave a few months till she got a bit better.

I'm afraid I can't really offer any suggestions as we tried all of the things you list, but she wasn't as good going to sleep on her own as yours in the first place.

She did grow out of it eventually but within a couple of months it was down to a couple of wakenings a night till it disappeared but it did take some time. Sorry

personally I would do whatever it takes to get her back to sleep with the minimum amount of stress to her.

so, if she'll drift off again with you patting and shushing her in the cot, do that.
if you need to cuddle her to sleep do that.

she's lettign you know she needs you, you just have to be there for her! (I have a 9.5 month old exactly the same)
it is exhausting though isn't it? hopefully she'll settle down soon though.

just wondering if there could be anything else involved though?> teeth perhaps?