8 Month Old Sleep Suggestions
There’s a LOT of physical changes going on at 8 months which can affect sleep.
It’s likely they’ll start to crawl, pull themselves up or even walk!
As they grow they may be able to manage more awake time during the day. With their new fun and unfamiliar skills, they might find it harder to switch off at bedtime and want to practice their new skills at night. This is tiring but very normal!
My top sleep suggestions for 8 month old infants are:
Check their first nap isn’t too long for them. If their second nap is getting short, late or they’re refusing it, it might be time to cap it to 40/45 mins max.
Do their nap gaps need to grow? As they get older, they can manage much longer periods of awake time before needing a nap and if their nap gap is too short it can lead to a nap time tussle and short naps.
It’s natural they’ll want to crawl and cruise around their cot (or bed!) before falling asleep. Your role isn’t to coax them to sleep, but give them the space and support to figure out how to fall asleep with a new skill.
Learning any new skills takes time and patience! It’s natural once they start moving we want to get in there and help them, but doing this doesn’t give them the chance to practice.
Cot crawling, or cruising, is part of what I call “sleep space”. They’re not always communicating to you, or asking you for support. If they’re not crying or upset, I suggest giving them the sleep space they’re asking for, to either get to sleep or ask for support. If they start to cry, the best response is always to support them, get them calm and try again.
It’s so tempting to go in and lie them straight back down when they spring up! But this can quickly become a game and you’ll both end up even more frustrated. Plus it can take them even longer to fall asleep in the long run!
Give them lots of time to practice their new and exciting skills during the day!
If you’re sleep struggling, remember to check out my E-courses:
An Introduction to my 4 sleep steps to a settled night’s sleep without tears or training.
A Bedtime Boundary is HOW your Small falls asleep at night. This course breaks down how you can go about changing it if it’s not working for you and your Small.