8 month old doesn't like the bedtime routine!?

Question

before, I was able to put my daughter right to sleep.. but now she is wanting to play ALL THE TIME, I try to let her cry for a while, but she just gets hysterical with boogers running down her face and everything.. plus she is standing in her crib doing this.. so obviously she can't sleep standing up.. so the "CRY IT OUT" thing, don't think will work.. can someone help me? maybe the bedtime routine isn't working so how can I change it?

8:30, start bath, brush teeth

9 light massage with lotion

9:15 feeding (breast) while rocking her

9:30, rocking her until he falls asleep

but now, it is feeding her while rocking her and holding her hands down so she wills top playing trying to rock her while she pushes against me wanting to grab my hair and my face and then i get tired of trying to rock her to sleep, so I put her in the crib and she gets hysterical... I need HELP!

another question, when should I stop rocking her? should I feed her then brush her teeth? but if I do that, i am afraid she won't go to bed.. uhg..

thank you-

Tired mom

Answer 1

I "sleep-trained" my daughter at about this age.  I DID NOT let her cry it out.  I just made her understand that nighttime is for her crib.  I nurse her and then put her into her crib.  If she falls asleep at the breast I will wake her up before I put her down so she knows where she is.  The key is to put them down awake.  Then I stay by the crib side and work with her but do not take her out again.  I lay her down over and over, say "night-night," and rub her back.  She does scream and she does want to be held, but I just tell her "night-night time" and lay her back down.  Eventually she stays laying down and lets me rub or pat her back and then she crashes.  I don't leave her until I know she's asleep.  For about 3 nights this whole process took 3 hours.  Now she just lays down and goes to sleep because she knows that it's bedtime and that I'll be there next to her until she falls asleep.  Hopefully in the future she won't even need me there anymore.  I get a lot more sleep now.  Hope this helps.  

Answer 2

sounds like she wants to be up when you are too.  Be content to have her close to you in the early evening and she will look at nite nite time for sleepy time.  Have you noticed that when you are asleep she sleeps too?  This is just old advice.  My baby is 23 and he tell me to quit calling him baby.

Answer 3

  If she is overtired, she will be just as cranky

about going to bed as when she isn't tired enough to go to sleep.

My little guy sometimes play with his toys or watches a cartoon

prior to last feeding and bed, but the lights are dim and the niose

level is low. He just likes that time with the family before he snoozes.

You might try a short nap prior to supper amd see if that helps.

Sometimes I give my son a little bit of cereal. A little while

later he gets the last bottle.  He seems to go to sleep much

better. Good luck.

Answer 4

Your routine sounds good, I wouldn't change it. I had troubles too with this. I understand hoe tired you are!!! I would try to catch her just getting sleepy..you know that deep stage she gets in after eating. Don't rock any longer than needed. However, the fact of the matter is, some kids don't need as much sleep as others. She sounds very smart and alert and wants to see what's going on. She may need her bedtime tweaked to suit you, but She just needs less sleep. Things  will get better...my sons are 12 +14 now!Anger wont help. Tell yourself- everything will work itself out. Good luck.

Answer 5

I have a 9 month old that is waking up in the middle of the night, happy as a clam, just wanting to play. Apparently this is very normal for this age group.  The "books" say that they're so excited by their new skills that the babies just don't want to sleep.

I highly recommend co sleeping, by the way - I lay down to nurse with her, she falls asleep, and then I can get up and get some work done around the house.

You might consider that she's got extra energy because she doesn't get enough exercise during the day. My daughter had this problem about 7 and 8 months. I found that more floor time really helped.  

Or, conversely, she's overly tired, and having a hard time falling asleep. I find that my daughter falls asleep much more easily at night when she naps well during the day.

As far as changing the bedtime routine, consider a baby soap with lavender in it - clinically proven to be calming.

Also, remember that she feeds off your emotions, so that you want to be as calm and sleepy as possible when you nurse her. If you're anxious, she's going to pick up on that and be anxious as well.