Dear Jennifer/ Ai-Ling,
My boy is a healthy 10 mths old weighing approx 12 kg. After I wrote to you in Oct 2009, he was able to sleep through the night (and I thought I would have a peaceful sleep, too) until he turned 9 mths old. My boy is having a hard-time falling to sleep and been crying alot in his sleep.
He is now able to push himself up in a standing position via the cot railing and everytime when he ‘wakes’ up and cry, he will lift his head up and pulled himself up to stand by the cot looking for me or my husband, crying very loudly (as if someone has given him a smack at the buttock).
He sleeps around 10.15pm (due to the tossing, climbing up & down in the cot). We do have the normal bedtime routine from feeding him milk, wipe him, change him, read a book and then to his cot. He will be doing his usual truants for abt 45 mins before he really lies down & sleep. He would normally sleep from 10.15pm – 5.00am (occasionally waking up and cry but will fall back to sleep with his soother). By 5.00am, he would then cry very loudly while standing up in his cot.
The only thing that can keep him quiet is his milk. Even after feeding him, and by the time I put him back to his cot, he will cry again. What is going on with my boy? My husband said it is the phase he is going through ie. separation anxiety, which I don’t think so. I am depriving from sleep as every single sound he made, I would just jump out from my bed to have a look at him.
Please advise.
Thanks so much!!
Jessica
Dear Jessica,
Baby sleep can be affected by a few factors and one of them is when a baby develops new skills. It maybe just learning to pull himself up and stand or just learning to walk. When he sleeps, his brain is still practising his newly learned skills.
My suggestion is to continue with your bedtime routine. If your baby has had a very busy and exciting day, do ensure he has sufficient time to unwind. You may want to consider a winding down period before bed time. This will help him to be ready for bed and can settle down easier.
If you are sure that he is not hungry when he wakes up in the night, I would suggest that you lie him down when he wake and stand up. Try to avoid eye contact or talk to him. The message we are trying to send to him is that he needs to lie down so that he can settle himself to sleep again. This may be a very long and tiring process but it will work. You may have to initially lie him down again and again but with time, he will get up standing less and less.
I understand how anxious and tiring this whole episode must be for both you and your husband but staying calm will not only help you but also your baby.
All the best!
Jennifer
