What happened to my baby? Help!

2 weeks ago we hopped on a plane for a family holiday to Fiji.

Prior to that, I had a beautiful placid 8 month old, who self settled, had good day sleeps, woke up twice overnight for milk then straight back to sleep. She wasn't clingy and hardly ever ever cried.

Since we left home that day, I've had a clingy, unsettled baby who appears to be trying to break the world record for longest amount of time an 8 month old can go without sleep! She has been doing this hysterical, inconsolable screaming from 3-5 every evening, and is awake most of the night. I don't know how she is surviving on so little sleep.

I'm really worried that I'm not going to get my bubba back! We've been home for a week now and it's not getting any better. I'm at the end of my rope, I can't listen to the screaming anymore!

Anyone else travelled and come back with the wrong baby lol?

She isn't unwell at all is she? Tummy bug or something like that?

YES YES YES!!!! We're still 'officially' on our honeymoon. DD is nearly 9 1/2 months old (8 months corrected, so the same as your little one) and she's being a little demon. She slept all day in the car, an absolute angel. But, as soon as we'd get to the cabin at night she'd scream, cry, wouldn't eat or drink, want to be cuddled, or not cuddled, and take up to 3 hours to go to sleep and then wake 1-2 (or 3) times over the night, rather than just sleeping for 10 hours.

I know how you feel. I cried myself to sleep more than once over the last 10 days. We're at FILs at the moment, so she's being better just playing and sleeping rather than sitting in the car all day.

I feel your pain. I truly do. I wish I could offer advice, but I can only offer :hug:

Good luck, hopefully this passes soon.

Delphmoon, I don't think Shes unwell... She's still eating ok... However, I have had a tummy bug for the last week so maybe.... ??

Donyou guys normally follow a routine? Being on holidays throws this all out of whack despite ur best intentions and some kids can't cope with the break to routine and the other changes like a portacot and extra stimulation of new surroundings. We took dd to NZ at 7 months old and it took her a week to get back to normal. Hang in there, this too shall pass.

Maybe have her ears checked. Flying can mess with people's ears.

Saying that though, my 8 1/2mth old has been the devils spawn for the best part of 2weeks now. He's never slep well, but is now waking hourly and being awake for hours at a time. I can't put him down and if he's with someone else and sees me he will scream bloody murder until I take him. This is the age they get rather clingy and experience seperation anxiety though, so I can forgive the screaming for me all the time, but the not sleeping is doing my head in. I do think he's teething rather terribly too at the moment though.

I agree that I would take her to get her ears checked in case the flying caused a problem and she is in pain. Hope she is back to normal soon. :hug:

Eight months was terrible with dd, so it could be a stage? I think illness is a possibility too :hug: this too shall pass

Around 8 months was the start of a whole sleep regression phase here - the transition from three to two naps a day plus DS was learning so much more - 'wonder month' more than a wonder week here! (and it wasn't all that wonderful, I can tell you!). Could it also be teething (I know, I know, everyone says that!)? I also agree that the change in routine and environment could be putting things out of whack. The flying could have hurt her little ears (I am a terrible flyer and my ears are sore/blocked for 1-4 days after flying) so it might be worth getting them checked if things don't improve.

Lots of people who go on holidays with little ones say they're atrocious for a couple of weeks after they get back.... not that that helps! ;)

We had a very similar experience when we went overseas with DS. It took us a good 6 weeks or so to get back to where we were before we left. If you think about it though, when we go away we turn everything they've every know upside down. Even though we're still there with them, everything else is different. Who can really blame them for being unsettled and insecure when they go through such a big upheaval? And even though you're home now, she now knows that that could happen again at any time... I think all you can do is comfort her as much as you can and make sure she knows that you will always be there for her... With a little bit of time things will go back to normal.