Baby Sleep Regression: What, When & How to Survive It?

Imagine this: your baby was a top sleeper, sleeping through the night, but just when you thought you had overcome all sleep problems, you suddenly face constant nighttime wake-ups. How could this have happened?

This is known as a sleep regression, and if you're struggling with it, you're not alone.

Research published in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology found that at least one in three mothers experience problems with their baby's or toddler's sleep patterns, and that this can have serious consequences for their daytime mental functioning and mental health.

In short, a sleep regression is a period when a baby or toddler who has always slept well suddenly starts waking up at night and/or skipping naps. They may now be difficult to soothe to sleep for naps and bedtime. A bummer, right?

We're sharing our secrets for surviving the 4-month sleep regression and improving your little one's naps, focus, and nighttime sleep.

What is a sleep regression?

Basically, a sleep regression is any time your baby seems to regress in their sleep. For example, a baby who settles well and naps might suddenly start resisting naps, or a baby who sleeps through the night with only 1-2 feeds might wake up every 2 hours.

This deterioration in sleeping and settling is often linked to developmental changes. While this can seem discouraging when you're in the thick of it, remember that sleep regressions are a sign that your baby's development is on track.

The bad news is, yes, their sleep is suffering, but the good news is that your baby is growing, learning new things, and becoming more engaged with their environment, and that's something to celebrate!

What is the difference between a sleep regression and a 'phase'?

Sleep regressions are often dismissed as a 'phase', when in fact they are a normal and in some cases, a permanent part of your little one's development that cannot be avoided.

A phase suggests something that will pass on its own, which is true for most regressions, except for the famous four-month sleep regression. This regression is certainly not a phase, as it is a permanent change in your little one's sleep – read on for more information.

There are many things that can cause your little one to go through a 'phase', such as daylight saving time causing early morning wake-ups, learning new skills like rolling or crawling, or feeling unwell.

In some cases, changes in your baby's settling or sleep may simply be due to their naps needing some adjustment. For example, if something is disrupting their sleep environment, like sunlight, this can cause your baby to go through a bad sleep phase, or if your little one is sick, that can temporarily disrupt their sleep patterns.

A sleep regression is a setback in a baby's sleep.

What are the signs of a sleep regression?

The main sign that your little one is experiencing a regression is that their sleep pattern takes a turn for the worse. For example, your baby may have loved sleeping before they were 3-4 months old, and suddenly you're part of an anti-sleep rebellion. Or your 8-10 month old baby used to happily sleep through the night and now throws a party at 3 AM every night!

Some common signs of sleep regression in babies include:

• Waking more frequently at night
• Your baby's daytime naps may become shorter
• Becoming overtired due to poor naps
• Resisting naps/bedtime
• Needing more help to fall asleep
• General fussiness or irritability without a clear cause
• Lack of interest in food

When do babies experience sleep regressions?

There are five different sleep regression periods that most babies and toddlers will go through:

1. As early as 8 weeks (it's a small regression, but it happens)
2. Around 4 months
3. Between 8-10 months
4. Between 12-15 months
5. Around 2 years

8-week sleep regression

This is the magic point where many babies start catnapping and sleeping worse during the day. The newborn sleepiness has worn off, and your baby suddenly seems much more alert.

What also happens at this point is that the mother's melatonin has worn off, so they need to produce their own melatonin to fall asleep easily and sleep well. Melatonin is a sleep hormone that is only produced and released in the dark, so a super dark room from this age really helps babies link sleep cycles and stay asleep during naps and at night.

If your baby continues to catnap after this point, even if you're using blackout blinds, it may be that nap times need to be adjusted a bit to gently move them away from newborn sleep patterns. Read more about how to deal with a catnapping baby.

4-month sleep regression

The first of the major sleep regressions is the biggest change in your baby's sleep cycle! As we said before, it's even a permanent change. Your little one will now fully wake up between each sleep cycle, instead of automatically transitioning from one cycle to the next as they did when they were younger.

If your baby relies on a parent-led sleep association, such as feeding, rocking, or patting to fall asleep, they will now seek that out when they wake up between sleep cycles.

Sleeping has now become a very conscious thing for your baby, and it will take practice to teach them to settle and resettle themselves. Unfortunately, this regression does NOT go away until your baby has learned to self-settle.

From 4 months, sleeping becomes a conscious act.

8-month sleep regression

At this age, your baby is undergoing a huge physiological developmental change. They're learning to crawl, pulling themselves up to stand, and finding their voice – your baby is a busy bee, which means they'll want to wake up during naps or at night to practice their newfound skills. Basically, babies at this age are distracted by their own amazingness (and rightly so).

There's also often a peak in separation anxiety at this age, which can mean your baby becomes clingy and difficult to soothe to sleep during naps and bedtime. If this happens, it's very easy to form new sleep habits, so it's best to try and stay consistent!

Don't worry too much though, unlike the 4-month regression, this one will only last a few weeks.

Also read more about: Probiotics for babies

12-month sleep regression

This sleep regression is less common and is more related to the transition to one nap around this age. Around 12 months, your baby may refuse to take two naps, and many parents assume this means it's time to transition from two to one nap. This may be the case for some babies, but for others, it may be closer to 15 months.

If your baby is alert or a very good sleeper who sleeps until 7 AM, you might be able to transition to one nap shortly after 12 months, but if your little one wakes up earlier in the morning, it will be closer to 15 months. Don't rush this transition!

While your little one adjusts to this new change, they may wake up a few days earlier in the morning or after one sleep cycle before bedtime. But just like with the 8-10 month regression, this usually resolves itself once your baby is comfortably through the nap transition period.

2-year sleep regression

Just when you thought it was over... well, you were wrong! At this age, your child has become a toddler, and with that comes independence. At this age, they go through a number of important developmental milestones that can negatively affect their sleep, and there's often a peak in separation anxiety.

This regression often causes toddlers to resist their afternoon nap – sometimes they refuse their afternoon nap altogether. Many parents assume this is a sign that their toddler is ready to drop the nap, but this is rarely the case, and most 2-year-olds also become overtired without a nap.

Again, this regression will pass, but you need to stay strong with your sleep schedule, especially now that your toddler has found their voice and can argue as if there's no tomorrow! As long as you remain consistent with offering the nap every day, your toddler will most likely start sleeping well again once this regression is over.

Keep offering afternoon naps to 2-year-old toddlers.

How does a sleep regression affect sleep cycles?

Your baby's sleep cycles change significantly during the 4-month sleep regression. Before 3 or 4 months, babies' sleep cycles at night are 4 to 6 hours long, but after that, babies undergo a huge development, where their sleep cycles become more organized and pronounced.

Changes in sleep cycles around four months:

• Daytime cycles change – Here, babies start waking up completely between each 45-minute daytime sleep cycle.
• Nighttime cycles change – Nighttime sleep cycles become 2 hours shorter, and babies no longer transition as easily from one cycle to the next.

Because your little one's sleep cycles have changed, this usually means they will start catnapping more and go to bed very overtired in the evening, as catnaps are the least restorative type of nap for a baby. This change also marks the point where learning to self-settle can really benefit your baby's nap and nighttime sleep. You can learn more about self-settling here.

How does a sleep regression affect sleep associations?

New sleep associations often develop around periods of major developmental changes or nap transitions. For example, around 8 weeks, at 3-4 months, during the 8-10 month regression, or the 12-15 month regression/nap transition period.

Babies can be harder to get to sleep during these periods because they may be over- or overtired, because they are standing or sitting in their crib, or because their sleep needs have changed. A baby in any of these situations will not easily fall asleep.

During these sleep regressions, you might start rocking or feeding to help your baby fall asleep, and if your little one has come to rely on that method to fall asleep, they will now need you to repeat that every time they wake up between cycles.

How long does a sleep regression last?

Not all sleep regressions last the same amount of time; it depends on your little one's age and when they reach developmental milestones.

We hate to say it, but the infamous four-month sleep regression is a completely different story. As mentioned earlier, this is the biggest change in your baby's sleep that will ever occur, and it's also a permanent change. This regression will only pass once your baby has learned to self-settle.

Unlike the four-month sleep regression, the other sleep regressions do pass and only last a few weeks – as long as no new sleep habits creep in during that time.

What causes sleep regression?

Nothing necessarily causes regressions, as they are developmental phases that all babies go through, but sleep regressions are often confused with other things such as growth spurts or the need for naps.

These can certainly cause a change in your little one's sleep patterns, but are not a 'regression' as such, because sleep regressions are more about your baby's mental growth than physical growth.

Is it a sleep regression or something else?

If your little one suddenly starts showing signs of a sleep regression, it's a good idea to rule out other possible causes first.

Growth spurts

If babies suddenly wake up more frequently during naps or at night, it can sometimes be due to a growth spurt – especially if they want to feed as soon as they wake up. Growth spurts are more common than sleep regressions and usually don't last longer than a week.

If your baby seems to be going through a 'growth spurt' around 4 months, keep in mind that the waking may actually be due to the sleep regression. Some babies, especially those who are fed to sleep at the beginning of naps and bedtime, may wake up between sleep cycles and expect to be fed back to sleep each time.

Teething

Teething is usually blamed for many problems with your little one. My baby isn't feeding… oh, it must be teething, my baby is cranky… it must be teething, my baby isn't sleeping… it must be teething.

But the truth is that teething is actually a short-lived nightmare that only lasts a day or two, and you'll know when your little one is teething when you see the tooth emerging from the gums.

So if your little one is waking up more than usual and they are around 3-4 months old and you don't see any teeth coming in, you can safely say they're experiencing the 4-month sleep regression. Read more about teething.

Separation anxiety

As your baby gets older, you may notice them clinging to you more or crying when they are with someone else. This is common from around 6 months, when babies begin to develop the concept of object permanence.

Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be observed (seen, heard, touched, smelled, or sensed in any way).

In the first months of your baby's life, you may have noticed your little one enjoying playing peek-a-boo, because in their mind, once you disappeared from their sight, you disappeared and reappeared (the best trick in the book), but for older babies, this is no longer the case.

This can cause your baby to become clingy and difficult to get to sleep for naps or bedtime, or to need you to stay in the room with them while they fall asleep. This is especially common during the 8-10 month sleep regression.

Also read: Golden tip for baby cramps

How do sleep regressions coincide with sleep changes?

Some sleep regressions occur around the same time as nap transitions, which usually happen around 6-8 months and 12-15 months. During this period, you may find your baby is clingier during the day and harder to settle in bed.

• The 3-2 nap transition occurs around 6-8 months old
• The 2-1 nap transition occurs around 12-15 months of age

Do sleep regressions ruin baby sleep training?

The answer is not at all. Certainly, during a regression, it becomes a bit more challenging to follow a plan, but working on self-settling is the only way to get through the major 4-month sleep regression, so we would say: the better prepared you are, the better.

Following a schedule and introducing good sleep habits early will certainly help you later and allow you to recognize when something like a sleep regression is occurring, because you can recognize changes in your baby's sleep habits. And even more importantly, you will recognize when your baby's sleep needs have changed due to illness, in which case you can contact your doctor immediately.

There are also apps available to help regulate your baby's sleep patterns. We're not saying it will be easy, because dealing with a regression is incredibly difficult, but following a routine will help your little one adjust to these big changes, making it much easier for them to get through the regression.

How to survive your baby's sleep regression?

We know it probably feels like the first 12-18 months of your little one's life is an endless whirlwind of regressions, but remember that these are natural developmental periods in your baby's life that help them to grow, mature, and develop. And yes, it will be hard, but there are plenty of things you can do to help you and your little one along the way.

1. Take a breath and realize it won't last forever

Aside from the four-month sleep regression, the other regressions are not permanent and can disappear within a few weeks.

2. Give your baby the chance to self-settle.

This doesn't mean harsh sleep training or a crying, abandoned baby. Instead, self-settling simply means your baby is able to fall asleep on their own when they're ready (this shift happens during the four-month sleep regression). Try putting your baby to sleep in their bassinet when they are sleepy but still awake. This helps your little one to self-settle and also breaks existing sleep associations.

3. Encourage good sleep habits early on, before the regression hits.

That way, you won't have to try to change deeply ingrained sleep associations later.

Good sleep habits to encourage:

• Ensure awake times are age-appropriate
• Let your baby sleep in a completely dark room to promote the release of the sleep hormone melatonin.
• Follow a good bedtime routine (check out our article on the importance of a bedtime routine here)
• Use white noise to help your baby fall asleep
• Get rid of the pacifier if you have to replace it all night
• Let your baby sleep in their crib for daytime naps so they associate their bed with sleep.

4. Stick to your routine

Although sleep regressions make it difficult to stick to your schedule, try to maintain your regular routine because it will be much easier to get back into it once the regression is over.

5. Don't suffer in silence and take care of yourself too

You also need to take care of yourself during this period, and if that means asking a grandparent, your partner, or a friend for help, then do it. The more help you can get, the better.

Conclusion

Baby sleep is a constantly changing phenomenon. From infancy to toddlerhood, many things influence your baby's sleep patterns, and some are fleeting, like a cooler night, while other things persist, like developmental leaps during a regression.

Almost everything in your baby's world affects their sleep, so in a sense, babies are constantly regressing and progressing in their sleep, and sleep regressions are just part of that process. So, with that in mind, just remember that you can do it too!