Seperation Anxiety?!

My eight month old son had no problems with sleeping until last week.  We have a strict bedtime routine and always put him to bed awake.  Now, when he is put in his crib, he screams, stands up and wants to be held.  He is also waking up at night and screaming.  I try to let him cry it out, but last night it was 2 hours of crying.  As soon as  I held him he would stop crying.  He has 6 teeth already, and they were no problem when he was teething, so I don't think it is that.  I have noticed that he has become very clingy, but if I leave he is fine with whomever is caring for him.  When I come home, he cries for me.  I have never slept with him, or had him in my room, as I have read about the dangers of that.  So why now, is he not sleeping?  Is it seperation anxiety and is there anything I can do?  Should I be holding him at night?  Or should I let him cry for hours?  He cried so much the other night, he vomitted.  What can I do to help him?

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Carry on as you always have; he'll be fine. Do not get into the habit of holding him, because this will then be the norm. Obviously if he goes through a period of illness, and it's the illness that is causing his distress, that is a different story and of course you'd want to attend to him. But, if he's healthy, stick to the usual routine. Be sure he doesn't have an ear infection - these can be symptom-free when the child is in an upright position and cause distress only when in a prone position.