My 8-month-old is falling asleep on his own, napping great throughout the day but is still waking up 2-6 times throughout the night. I feel like I have all the pieces in place for him to sleep through the night, so why is he still waking so much?
You sound very knowledgeable about infant sleep so I can understand that these frequent night wakings are frustrating.
First, I always want to rule out anything physical or medical that may be causing frequent wakings. Please consult your pediatrician to rule out something like eczema that may be disrupting your baby’s sleep.
When I think of healthy sleep habits I think of a jigsaw puzzle. If pieces of the puzzle are out of place it can make it difficult to achieve the results you want. Since your son is napping well and falling asleep on his own, there are a few other pieces of the puzzle to consider.
Although he is falling asleep on his own, take a look at how quickly he falls asleep. When you put him down in his crib (is he sleeping in a crib? If not, that may be a factor to consider) does he look at you, roll over and go to sleep? If so, then you have likely done most of the work for him. It takes an average of 15 or so minutes to fall asleep so keep that in mind when you’re putting him down.
Next, is he sleeping on his right clock? If your little guy is missing his sleep window, he may wake more frequently throughout the night. At 8 months he needs about 3 to 3.5 hours of daytime sleep and should be asleep at bedtime around 7 pm. If he’s going to sleep much later than that, sometimes backing up bedtime can make a huge difference. It’s counterintuitive but if he’s going to bed too late he will wake more frequently and maybe even wake up earlier. Watch him get a good idea of his ideal sleep window, and keep in mind that when you are seeing his sleepy cues the window is already closing.
You will want to make sure he is taking in the right amount of daytime calories for his age and weight, also. At this stage he should be eating solid food in addition to his bottles or nursings, so get the biggest bang for your buck and feed a high quality, real food whenever possible.
Finally, have a consistent wake time in the morning. It can be enticing to let your little one sleep in but 97% of babies and children have a natural wake time between 6 and 7:30 a.m. Starting the day during that window and keeping your little one’s sleep tank filled at the right times for naps and bedtime, as well as making sure he is doing most of the work to fall asleep on his, maybe the pieces of the puzzle that will result in better nighttime sleep.
