Here are the five most common sleep regressions and how to handle them

May 18

Ahhh regressions - that pesky little term that refers to a sudden change in your child's sleep.

Just when it seems like your baby is finally sleeping through the night, something changes and suddenly you’re dealing with multiple night wakings or short naps.

But here's what I want you to know about regressions... most of the time what your child is experiencing is not a true regression, but rather a progression. Here's what I mean by that: regression actually means "returning to a former or less developed state.” But in the first year of life, what is actually happening is that your baby is progressing and reaching developmental milestones and leaps, which inevitably are going to affect sleep.

A true regression would actually mean that your child's sleep backtracks, which often happens after sickness or travel. So keep in mind as we take a look at progressions that it is completely normal for your baby's sleep to change as they reach these new milestones and development stages.

Here is a look at some of the common progressions that can interfere with sleep...

4 MONTHS

Chances are you've heard of the four month "regression.” Most parents dread it. and if you're in the middle of it now, you probably know why. This is one of the more intense progressions because there is so much going on during this stage.

As your baby develops and exits the newborn stage, so do their sleeping patterns. They have graduated from their former state and are now able to stay awake in longer stretches and are finally able to tell the difference between day and night... yay!

This is also the time that your baby's sleep cycles start to form and they are able to follow a more predictable pattern for sleep, as opposed to sleeping anywhere and anytime. All of these changes bring what can seem like a sudden disruption in sleep, and most parents feel that their baby's habits completely change. While all babies experience this leap differently, some babies have a harder time transitioning and will start waking multiple times per night, start taking really short naps, or refusing bedtime all together.

What to do:

It is important that you really focus on laying the foundations of sleep in this stage. That means focusing on nutrition during the day, following awake windows and routine, and providing a consistent sleep environment that promotes healthy sleep. Be careful of jumping straight to sleep training before you lay foundations. You always need to address foundations first, and our 4-12 month guide and online class teach you how to do this in depth.

6 MONTHS

By six months of age, your child has probably been practicing (or mastering) the skill of rolling over, and you have started to introduce solids. This is also typically the stage that your baby will drop from four naps to three. Because of these minor shifts, there can often be a disruption in sleep, specifically as it relates to timing of naps.

What to do:

Your goal is to shoot for three naps between 1-2 hours long, following 1.5-2.5 hour awake windows. At this age you might also start thinking about dropping a night feed if it seems your baby is ready for that (is able to go back to sleep without it and doesn't have any weight/development concerns). This is also a good time to really focus on putting your baby down awake and practice independent sleep/self soothing skills, if you haven't already.

8 MONTHS

Around 8/9 months, your baby has likely started crawling, might have a tooth popping through, and/or has started transitioning to two naps. This is a lot at once, and any one of these things alone can have an affect on sleep, so together it can seem to disrupt both day and night sleep.

What to do:

By eight months, your baby definitely has the capability of sleeping long stretches at night (between 8-12 hours) and can understand a bit better the concept of independent sleep. If your baby is still in your room at this stage, I also see that this can disrupt sleep, so I'd start thinking about moving him/her to their own sleep space. Stay consistent with your approach during this stage and help promote good naps and night sleep.

11.5 MONTHS

Second to the four-month progression, the 11/12 month progression can feel like a pretty big shift in your baby's development. Typically by this age, babies are starting to pull up on things, might be trying to walk and talk, and their overall development skyrockets as they approach their first birthday. What's also different about this progression is that it sometimes brings unexplained sleep struggles that seem to just phase out over time - meaning you don't necessarily need to change anything.

What to do:

Stay as consistent as possible in your approach and go back to the foundations of sleep. Make sure all foundations are in place, and if you're seeing major sleep disruptions, you may need to make some minor tweaks in the schedule or in your approach, but try not to change too much at once.

18 MONTHS

The eighteen month progression is also an actual regression, which is often due to the peak of separation anxiety. We often see at this age that completely independent sleepers suddenly cling to mom or dad and start rejecting their sleep space all together.

What to do:

If this is happening with your baby, don't be afraid to be more involved in the process of bedtime if you need to. We want to provide that secure attachment that our baby is seeking, but we also want to continue promoting independence - but remember, we can't force our babies to be independent. Instead, we should give them opportunities throughout the day by leaving and coming back, communicating a plan to our babies, and giving them some extra snuggles at night if that helps them feel safe. This is often a great time to introduce or promote a lovey or special object.

For more tips, feel free to reach out to us for help, or look into our 4-12 month sleep guide and online class.

Milestones

Rachel Mitchell