Why won't my 8 month old go to sleep for me?

[RoRobb]

He will spend all day and all evening with me and will let me put him down for nap but when it comes to bed time its a no go. He absolutely has to have his mommy. Is this a comfort thing for him kind of like their special bonding time? Will this ever change or will it always have to be mommy? Is there anything i can do to persuade him to change his mind?

 

[Victor Leigh]

I would have no problem with that. If my eight-month-old wants to sleep with me, fine. If he prefers to sleep with his mommy, no problem.

 

[Victor]

Just go with it for now. Sometimes kids develop preferences and it is easiest to go with it. Besides, this gives you some free time to relax.

 

[Jack]

It is normal for babies about eight months old to experience separation anxiety. As he developes, he'll outgrow it. Give it a month or two and he'll probably not have issues with going to sleep at night.

 

[RoRobb]

I guess I never thought about the fact that it could be separation anxiety. It's just something that has me flustered because his mommy works hard all day and sometimes he can be a night owl. She can't go to bed to get a good nights sleep on those night. If she does he ends up staying up until 4am and its a battle to get him to sleep. I guess it is just something we will have to deal with until this phase passes. Thanks for the input!

 

[Lorenzo]

He will spend all day and all evening with me and will let me put him down for nap but when it comes to bed time its a no go. He absolutely has to have his mommy. Is this a comfort thing for him kind of like their special bonding time? Will this ever change or will it always have to be mommy? Is there anything i can do to persuade him to change his mind?

This is normal for eight-month old babies to prefer their mothers over us. Yes, I believe babies at this stage still long for their mother's warmth, smell, hugs, everything that spells out mom. They will outgrow this sooner or later.