Developmental Night Waking

Starting around 8 months, your child is going through all sorts of changes that may lead him to wake during the night. One of these is stranger anxiety, which is a kind of stress your child can feel when around people he doesn't know. He is also starting to understand that even when he can't see you, you still exist! Lastly, his ability to move around is really growing! This may lead him to be more restless, even at night.

During this time, your baby may wake up in fear, and may only be comforted by you. You want your baby to be able to get to sleep on his or her own, without needing you to be there. You can ease your baby's separation fears by trying the following strategy:

• When your child wakes up, let her cry for at least three minutes to allow her a chance to settle down on her own.
• If your baby is still crying after three minutes, comfort her by saying "I'm right here", but say nothing else. Sit or lay in the same room, visible but a few feet away from your child for the rest of the night. Your child is more likely to be angry than frightened, but this should go away.
• If your baby vomits, refrain from cleaning it up until the morning.

Waking usually lasts for seven days or less. After this point, you should no longer need to go into the child's room at night.