You bring home your sweet bundle of joy and hope they will be good sleepers. I always love when I hear a new Mom say their baby is sleeping through the night at 2 months old! Just wait…then it happens…the start of the sleep regressions. It is something that new parents or soon to be parents should really learn about and become familiar with because it can help you prepare, cope and understand your baby a little more. A good place to start is knowing that sleep regressions are temporary and every baby is different.
Sleep regressions can occur anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. It is the period of time when your “sleeping through the night” baby and “fantastic napper” suddenly decides he or she is going to wake many times throughout the night and refuse their naps or take shorter naps. Sleep regressions happen because of growth spurts and development such as learning to crawl, stand, walk, talk, etc. Typically, sleep regressions can be expected around 4 months, 6 months, 8-10 months, 12 months, 15 months, 18 months (just wait for this one!) and 2 years old.
So far, with my 3 children I have experienced every single stage of sleep regressions but some more than others. My beautiful, 10 month old baby girl just loves her sleep regressions. So much so that she thinks they should happen all the time!
Remember that it is not a magic switch that as soon as the baby turns 4 months to the day they will begin their sleep regression. Keep a watch out on your child’s development –
- Are they learning something new?
- Are they eating more frequently because they are growing?
- Is a tooth coming in (or 5 at the same time if you are my baby)?
This is when you can expect a regression approaching. Also, some months are worse or better than others. Your baby might experience a sleep regression for 3 nights one time and the next time it could be 3 weeks! Through all of this, consistency is key for babies and toddlers. They thrive on routines and schedules so keep the same routine going every day (same goes for adults by the way, check out this post).
Don’t change their nap schedule or bedtime routine just because of a sleep regression. This confuse your baby and it could make it worse. Keep up with the routine and eventually they will just fall back into it. That being said, we also need to make adjustments to their sleep schedules based on their age to make sure they are getting the appropriate amount of “wake time”.
So we know why sleep regressions happen, roughly when to expect them and roughly how long they last. The question every parent is dying to know – how the heck do I make it through this?! Here are some ideas…
- Be patient. Know that it will not last long.
- Drink lots of coffee.
- Join a Mom’s group or have a friend with a baby going through it too.
- Bring yourself (temporarily) back to the newborn stage. It will not be as difficult as that time but try to remember…how did you get through your days then?
- Focus on your baby. Learning about your baby’s sleep habits can help you be more in tune with your baby’s growth and development and help to understand them more. Like anything, the more you know about it, the more comfortable you will be with it and it will help you cope with the ups and downs.
- Put a positive spin on it. Your baby has learned something new, they have grown in size, their cute teeth are coming through which will all make for adorable pictures!
- And don’t forget…drink lots of coffee!
Good luck. You and your baby will get through it!
Check out some of these helpful websites that teach you about sleep regressions and age appropriate “awake time” for babies!
Your Baby’s Sleep Schedule in the First Year