8.5 months: Waking every hour, contact sleep stopped working, standing unsupported, ex-Snoo, and no CIO. Looking for low-cry options?
Looking for some perspective from parents who’ve been through a rough sleep phase without using Ferber or Cry-It-Out.
Our 8.5-month-old was never a particularly long sleeper. Pre-regression, she was waking up every 2 hours, but we could usually get a solid 3-4 hour stretch if she slept on one of us.
Over the last week or two, things have gotten significantly harder:
Hourly wakeups: She's up every 45 to 60 minutes pretty much all night.
Contact sleep isn't working: Holding her used to be our reliable backup, but now she just thrashes and fights if we try to cuddle her to sleep.
Standing independently: She recently learned to crawl and pull up, but now she’s standing completely unsupported in the middle of her crib at night. She seems to pop right up between sleep cycles and then doesn't know how to get back down comfortably.
Snoo history: She was in the Snoo until around 6 months, so moving to a stationary crib is still a relatively recent shift for her.
We really don't want to use Ferber, CIO, or any method that involves leaving her to cry alone in the crib. We're feeling pretty exhausted trying to navigate the constant wakeups and the lost safety net of contact sleeping.
If you had a high-needs sleeper who went through a major motor leap like this:
What gentle or hands-on techniques helped calm them down when they kept standing up in the crib?
How did you help them figure out how to sit back down on their own during the day?
How long did it take for their sleep to settle back down after learning to balance and stand?
Appreciate any practical experiences or low-cry strategies that worked for your family.