Help with my 8 month old!!! (a bit long sorry)

[jocr]

A couple of questions, was wondering if anyone could help.

Does anyone know if eight months olds can be scared of the dark. DD was sleeping through (since about 7.5 months) on a consistent basis until she got sick last week. (She is now fully recovered) Since then she has woken up consistently once a night anywhere from 3 am onwards and is impossible to settle, normally we used to just go in and resettle her with dummy and a reassuring pat, the whole process taking about 2 minutes. This week she stands in the cot and cries uncontrollably no matter how many times we go into her. The last couple of nights we have ended up with her in bed with us just to get some sleep. but we really don't want this. Tonight when I put her to bed , when she was obviously tired she started again until I turned her light on, (dimmed down low so hardly any light) She settled instantly so was wondering about when babies get scared of the dark. Could it have anything to do with her starting one day of day care a week recently. What have other people experienced?

[sueliz]

Hey Jo and Megan! :wave:

I cannot really answer your question but can tell you that we have this turtle that lights up the ceiling and wall with stars which we have always put on at night and a CD called 'Peace Baby'
If Owen wakes up through the night and is difficult to resettle, the cd goes back on and sometimes the light, (we leave our lounge light on the whole night though and Owen's door open when we have gone to bed so light from that spills in already), and this seems to always do the trick.

Good luck though I hope you find a good solution soon that means a better night's sleep for all of you!

[~mia&ryan~]

Hi:wave:
DD gets a bit frightened at night if we dont put her nightlight on. We got it from kmart its really dull but just enough so she can see where she is if she wakes. Maybe give it a go and she how she does.

[FourAngelKisses]

Maybe get a night light for her room and leave the radio on softly for her.

[OJandMe]

DS1 did this for a while. He was sleeping beautifully through the night and then all of a sudden (he didn't even get sick) he just started refusing to sleep. It is about 8-9 months that babies can actually start 'fighting' sleep which is what we thought was happening with DS1. What we did which may or may not work for you.. was I wrapped his teddy bear in one of my 'dirty' shirts all day (usually the shirt I had worn to bed the night before) so that after a couple of days it 'smelled' like Mummy was lying next to him, even though he knew it was his teddy bear. We were bringing him in with us too, but didn't want to start that habit (although I LOVE snuggling up to my bubbas... not now though DS1 won't stay still!!) So, as cruel as it sounds we just let him cry a couple of nights... at first I'd go in first and say 'go to sleep Jordie, we'll see you in the morning' But then I found that going in upset him even more when I left. So when I heard him start, I'd check the time and leave him for 10 mins. If he was still going I'd get him and just bring him out to the loungeroom and sit and watch a kids video with him (nothing with music though.. usually something like Finding Nemo) after he was looking really sleepy I'd bring him back into his cot and just try patting his back for a while. I found that after about 3-4 days of us just letting him cry it out, he stopped waking up at night and went back to sleeping through. Also do you have a music box? We always use a music box as a way to signal bedtime, so if the boys wake up at night I always put the music box on.

[LucyE]

DS has been afraid of the dark from quite a young age. I remember this happening from before he's first christmas when he would have been just going on 8months. He will stir in his sleep and if the hallway light isn't on, he will lose it (not good with the recent power failures and more expected this summer :( ). So long as a light's on, he will wriggle about, maybe have a drink and then resettle.

[SassyMummy]

DD was scared of the dark for a bit - she would freak out. I used hte nightlight, and would then turn it off once she was asleep for the night.

After a while, the light seemed to be creating a problem though - she could see things, and therefore she'd stuff around instead of sleep. So I turned it off again.

She now sleeps in utter darkness - and I'm so glad she does. I think it's best if she gets over it now, instead of needing a nightlight for years to come (and then having to wean her from that - my parents did that to me, and it was scary as all hell!).