Has your infant previously been sleeping through the night only to wake up crying? This sudden change in schedule is certainly not what you had in mind and neither is it what your baby was expecting, either. Usually, between the ages of six and 10 months babies will begin to teethe. However, the drooling and pain can begin earlier than that. For these babies, teething can create an uncomfortable or painful feeling that will cause them to wake in the middle of the night crying. This new level of crankiness can put the whole house in a bad mood, but teething generally comes and goes. You will know teething pain when it rolls around because it is usually sudden and accompanied by drooling, loss of appetite, and overall crankiness. However, if your baby is waking during the middle of the night without these symptoms it could be something else like the excitement over learning new tricks like sitting up or rolling over. Babies like to practice their new skills and sometime the joy is enough to keep them awake practicing. Since babies don’t have to get up and go to work tomorrow they aren’t worried about staying up all night because they can always sleep later!
If your baby does not seem to have any pain and continues to wake at night just follow your typical bedtime routine. You don’t want to get off schedule because this can mix your baby up even more. If you can tell your baby is in pain from teething because his gums are red and irritated then you may want to consider massaging his gums gently. Or, give him a frozen teething ring he can munch on that will help the pain and calm the fussiness. If your baby still seems to be in pain talk to your doctor about giving him a dose of baby Tylenol or Motrin before bed. You shouldn’t give your baby any medicine without speaking with your doctor first.