How to help an 8 month old sleep while he is teething and has a cold?!?

Question

My 8 month old son has been teething for about 2 weeks now, one tooth has come through and it looks like two more are working there way up. Not only is he teething but he now has a cold and is not sleeping through the night at all, he used to sleep all through the night! Can anyone offer tips on how to help him sleep so we can get through this teething time? We have tried Baby Oragel, tylenol, a herbal sachet in the corner of his crib, teethers, etc. His swing calms him down but I don't want him to sleep in his swing all night. Please help, very tired parent with a very tired child!!!

Answer 1

Getting thru colds and flu's just plain suck.  You just might not be able to get him to sleep thru the night. Think about when you have a sucky cold and how you wake up all night long and are uncomfortable?  It bites.  I am definatel a "cry it out" parent when the case calls for it, but when baby is sick, due to cold or teething whatever, you just have to snuggle them...sometimes we even would come otu and sleep in the recliner, baby on chest cuz that is the ONLY way they would sleep and NO it did not interfere with getting them back on track sleeping thru the night in their own bedroom!  Just as the others said, unless you want to be up all night w/ baby (which just might sometimes be the case) you have to do what works and go w/ the swing if you need to. NO it won't mean that he'll insist on sleeping in a swing from here on out.  Babies are really resiliant adn he'll bounce right back to his crib wehn he's feeling better.  =)

Answer 2

Baby oragel are infant night quail?

Answer 3

I hate to say this, but your son is not NEARLY as bothered about this as you are. That's actually good news, because it should set your mind at ease that he is not in any kind of physical distress.

Having said that, I can offer only what we did with our kids: We let them cry it out, while offering minimal aid. I know, it sounds cruel, but consider this: The human body (even a baby's) knows when it needs to sleep. Eventually, the crying and the cold (virus) will make him so tired that he will stop crying and fall asleep. The teething and the discomfort from the cold are just that -- discomfort. And discomfort does not equal harm.

The bad news is that it is still driving you crazy. While letting your son fall asleep in the swing is not the best way to go, it is not harmful either. If you are losing sleep and sanity, then go ahead and let him sleep in the swing. (Just make sure he can't fall out, and that his head doesn't lean over at an odd angle). This is one of those situations in which you just have to "do what works."

Good luck!