Recent Sleep problems

My son is nearly 9 mos & has been a very good night sleeper for months.  Before last week, he was sleeping from about 8:30pm until 9am.  During the last week, he has had three nights of TERRIBLE sleep patterns. I took him to the doctor because I thought he was waking was due to an ear infection.  She examined him and said he is getting FOUR of his upper teeth at once and this is why he's waking.

At her suggestion, we switched from using Tylenol to Motrin because it lasts longer and because it works better for teething.  This has helped, but he woke at night A LOT last night again.  Here's what happened last night.  He went to sleep about 9:15pm.  He woke at: 10:40 (he was hungry after not eating well during the day), 1am, 3am, 5:30, 7:30, and then finally at 9:30am when I got him up, changed him, fed him, etc.  

The previous night when he woke (nearly every hour before I gave him Tylenol), it was obvious he was in pain as he was not able to go back to sleep for awhile even though I was holding and rocking him. He was moving his head back and forth, banging his head on my shoulder, crying, etc.  

Last night, instead of looking like he was in pain, he calmed down as soon as I held him and rocked him for a second.  He'd fall asleep in my arms and stay asleep when I put him in his crib (sometimes after a few times of getting him to sleep), but then wake up again a few hours later. There was no evidence that he was in pain - except once when I knew his pain meds had run out.

I usually rock him to sleep because it's our wind down routine, because I enjoy it, and because he's had no problems putting himself back to sleep at night.  Typically, even during nap times, he will fall asleep while I rock him, wake for a second when I put him in the crib, and then go back to sleep.  So, his behavior the last few nights is VERY atypical.

I know I've included a lot of details, but I'm desperate for sleep...for him and for me!  Suggestions?

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

First, he is going to have a period of unrest due to the teething and there is no way around that. However, a separate issue is your rocking him to sleep. You are in essence teaching him that rocking is a necessary part of the sleep routine and you would do well to stop that practice. If you don't you are essentially inviting him to await your rocking whenever he wakes up. Why? Because you are not teaching him to fall asleep on his own.