Infant Sleep Regressions

What comes to mind when someone says the phrase “sleep regression?”

Dread, nervousness, panic, warnings from other parents?

4 Month Regression

6 Month Regression

8, 9,10 Month Regression

11 Month Regression

15 Month Regression

18 Month Regression

Gosh, it seems like there’s a regression at almost every month! Before I get to why, I want to define what a sleep regression is.

An infant’s sleep regression is when their sleep patterns (naps or at night) become off, all of a sudden. This can happen for 1-6 weeks. One night they’re on schedule, everything’s great… and then the next 3-4 nights are crazy and make no sense because you’ve been doing everything the same! So frustrating!

Now the WHY? 

If your child is going through a regression it means that they are progressing through their development well. It means your child is healthy, and everything they are going through in normal. Each child is unique too, so your child may not hit their 4 month regression right at 4 months… they might start closer to 3.5 or 4.5 months. That is still normal! So try to remember that, when things get tough and they are not sleeping, there is no need to worry.

So now, let’s go through each regression period and talk about what is happening developmentally for their sleep to get thrown off.

The 4 Month Regression

This is the first one to pop up, and can hit pretty hard sometimes. Your newborn is sleeping great for the first couple months, things are great… and then all of a sudden they are around 4 months and they aren’t sleeping the same at all. What the heck!

Around this time, they are switching sleep cycles from an infant one to an adult one! That’s quite the change so that’s why their sleep can be a mess. Children 0-4 months have a sleep cycle that lasts around 40-50 minutes. So through the night, they cycle through the different sleep stages completing a full cycle in 40-50 minutes and then starting all over again. An adult sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes, so everyone.. Anyone past the age of 4 months old, kids and adults, have this longer 90 minute cycle. It really is quite incredible. 

What’s the best thing to do to help the regression pass smoothly? Have a good clean sleep routine and habits from the get go. Then keep your routine the same, and as you get through the regression… make sure your wake windows are age appropriate and babe doesn’t get himself overtired. Message me if you’d like more support because each child is different and will be a little different in their advice.

The 6 Month Regression 

There isn’t really a regression at 6 months, just some indirect aspects that COULD affect sleep. So if we are thinking about what developmental things are happening with babe around 6 months… what could be “causing” the 6 month regression? 

Teething usually hits at this point and that really puts a damper on things. Again, teething is an awesome, healthy milestone for your babe BUT it causes discomfort which is sad to watch. Now, I want to say that your baby will never wake up from the pain of teething- take comfort in that fact. When we sleep, our body puts a muffle on our pain sensors and we actually feel less pain. So what might happen, is babe wakes up from something in the environment or just wakes himself up, and then starts to feel the discomfort and becomes upset.

Also, it’s around this time lots of motor and sensory skills are developing. All of that put together, means a more curious and clever babe who might be a little more difficult to get to fall and stay asleep. Soothing teething before they go to bed and right when they wake up will help their discomfort and again, sticking to a routine even when things get a little wonky. 

The 8 / 9 / 10 Month Regression

Why all three months? Because children will go through the regression at any point through those months depending how they are growing and developing. Around this time, baby is making some great strides in their motor skills. Pun intended. Starting to crawl, pull-up, cruise etc. so that makes for a very active baby. 

Plus lots of cognitive skills like absorbing all the language around them and developing their own language skills. So putting it all together, you have a curious baby who can now stand up or pull up on the crib and that might cause a little trouble at nap/bed time.

Routine is super helpful here because even if your babe is excited they can stand up in the crib, if there is a comforting routine for bed or nap time, it will signal them that it’s sleep time and not play time. 

The 11 / 12 Month Regression

This one blends into the previous three a little bit but also now, you are adding on that your babe is starting to want to drop that second nap. At 11 months, they aren’t ready to drop down to 1 nap a day, but they are starting to sleep a little less. So I urge you to sort of take this as a medium space between 2 and 1 nap. Don’t drop that 2nd nap quite yet, but know that it’s coming soon. Keep an eye on those cues he gives you and don’t expect the exact same nap durations as a month before.

If your babe is 12 months + that is when you can take a look at dropping that 2nd nap. They might be ready to drop down early. To do this without having babe overtired, take a look at how much day and night sleep they are getting and if it is age appropriate. 

15 Month Regression

By 15 months, babe should be transitioning down from 2 naps to 1 nap which can be confusing and a little tricky. You want to make sure babe is getting enough sleep but you also don’t want to push back against their natural cues they are giving you to drop it. So take it slowly and if you drop that 2nd nap and things don’t look good… go back to the 2nd nap for another week or two.

Keep calm and carry on, keeping an eye on those sleepy cues and if something doesn’t seem right, give them a short 2nd nap till they seem ready to fully drop it. 

18 Month Regression 

Congrats! Your babe is now a full blown toddler. Seems like two seconds ago we were helping them through their 4 month regression and now we are here. So now, your child is exploring their independence, voice and opinions so this will obviously make naps and bedtimes a little tricky. Separation anxiety also says hello around this age and so watching you leave the room at bedtime can be super sad. There’s also a little bit of teething (the molars) which can be extra uncomfortable. There are lots of different ways to tackle this time if you are having some troubles so please don’t hesitate to reach out. I am here for you and your family to get a great sleep.

Okay so that about wraps it up! If you have any questions about any of these please give me a shout. I am here to support you through any tricky times you might experience, and possibly prepare for any further tricky times down the road. Remember all these scary regressions are just normal developmental phases that your child is going through and it is healthy when they go through it. I hope you have a great week.

• Marina