9 Month Old Waking at Night

J.,
If you haven't got it by now - yup, that's classic teething.

If he is drooling before bed, you might consider giving him a pain reliever - since he can't eat frozen stuff in his sleep - it might tide him over until AM. Be prepared though for a very grumpy customer - or you might get lucky and he has pulled through without a hitch!

Good Luck,
M.

Yes, cutting teeth can make a sound sleeper not so sound for sure. With my 9 1/2 month old, I gave him motrin before bed. If he woke in the night still, I'd give him another dose. (Of course, not before six hours since his last dose.) As far as how long it will take to come in, it could be awhile. My guess is it won't be too long if it's bothering him, maybe a week or two. Ask your doctor how many days in a row is safe to give him motrin. Mine said it was fine for however long it took, but yours might say different.

Hey J.

My daughter went through the same thing almost as soon as she turned 9 months. She is now 10 months and has started sleeping through the night. Lots of people said she wa getting teeth, but she still has none. My dr said it was very normal and is just a phase. She was waking up every couple of hours, which was worse than when we first brought her home from the hospital :) Don't worry, it's probably just a phase and he'll get back to sleeping through the night again soon. Good luck and hang in there! :)

A.

Hi J.,
Each new milestone can bring on night time wakenings! It could be teething as many moms have suggested or he could be learning a new task! Whenever my twins have hit a new milestone they wake up at night to 'practice' it! Often times they will just go back to sleep, but sometimes they can scare themselves ( ie: waking up in a seated position and not knowing how they got there or how to lay down!)....A lot of my mom friends have also said this happend with their kids at each new stage or milestone too ! If it is teething....it can take forever....Mine are 6m and have been teething off and on for 3 m w/o any teeth yet...sigh, it is worse than newborns...you get out of the habit of getting up at night.
Good luck

Hi

this is likely to be separation anxiety. the 2 peaks are at 9 and 18 months. I would suggest giving extra reassurance at night, and pay attention to when it seems to drop off some, then wean baby off the extra night time attention. It's hard but it does pass. I was co-sleeping at that time, so did not have a problem, but that is not for everyone. It happened with my son at 17 months, and back into the bed did the trick. if that is not for you, you could try sleeping nearby for a couple of weeks, in an air bed. This is a good compromise, gives reassurance without creating a habit that admittedly is very hard to break.

All the best,
C.

He is waking because it hurts when you cut teeth. Then
he will go thru it again when his 12 month molars come
in etc. etc. Part of babyhood and motherhood. Good luck.

My first daughter was a horrible sleeper taking 5-7 days for that tooth to 'pop'. My second daughter I was told was starting to cut her top teeth since she was 3 months. 9 months old we had 3 nights of SCREAMING! 4 teeth at the same time. So yes, teeth can do that. Does he have the other symptoms? Drooling, diarrhea, not eating etc...Try Ibuprofen not Tylenol. It will help because his gums are probably inflamed. Also, when they lay down at night the Transferrence (sp?) Pain flows from the teeth back to their ears so maybe he has to sleep sitting up for a few nights. In a nutshell, those teeth come up and down for a while before breaking the surface. Just be liberal with the teething gel and hold him tight.

J., to see if he's teething, try giving him natural thing called Teething Tablets or Teething Gel. The gel may last longer but it's difficult to know if you got the gel in their mouths and rubbed on both top and bottom gums but tables you know you got it in their mouth and it dissolves instantly when their salva touches it. It's best to put the tablet under the tongue which will get into their system quicker. Even if you have him chew it, it doesn't matter, as long as he gets them. It'll make the pain go away and the best time to give it to him before he goes to sleep at night sincede that is when he wakes up screaming. That is what I do for my youngest and have done so for the older two. Let us know how it went.

It can take a long time, months for teething. My babies were late teethers and they would *teeth* for several days then off then on, and no obvious teeth..... Perhaps he is cold, hears noise, is hungry, wet, growing pains, what comforts him to sleep?

Teething can be so painful for some babies. I remember my son's first tooth he was up at least three times in one night screaming. I would give Tylenol and that would help with the discomfort. Ask your doctor of course before you do to make sure it's okay. Use as many teething toys as you can for him to chew on and help the teeth cut through. When my kids were little I would also get some ice cold fruit, like an apple, peach, or pear, cut a piece out and let them just gnaw on it. This is before they have teeth of course. He will love the cold and also get to suck on the juices from the fruit. Sometimes you can't get them to use those cold teething toys. Who want to suck on cold plastic. If you do try it make sure YOU hold the fruit and make sure they do not have any teeth to take a bite. My kids loved it and the cold really helped on their gum's. Just another mommy trick that worked for me. Just hang in there I know this can be a trying time for them and us with no sleep.