What causes sleep regressions in babies & how to navigate them with ease!
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Picture this, your baby is sleeping well and you heard about this thing called a ‘sleep regression’. Onsets the anxiety as you are just waiting for a dreaded sleep regression to start. Should you be worried?
Well, I have good news! If your baby has great sleep skills where they are able to fall asleep independently from wide awake to sleeping on their own, then your baby will likely ride out a sleep regression with ease.
But one thing to note about sleep regressions — they do not just happen because a baby is a certain age.
You know, such as the 4-month sleep regression, the 6-month sleep regression, the 1-year sleep regression, or the 18-month sleep regression. Not a thing!
However, the milestones associated with those specific age marks are what play a bigger role in why your baby’s sleep might be a little wonky, let me explain.
This is a guest post by Shan Roth, a Mama & Pediatric Sleep Consultant from Jammy Time. Read more about Shan from her author profile below.
What are sleep regressions and why do babies experience them?
First off, baby sleep regressions are really a regression at all.
They’re more like a progression.
Imagine you were bouncing a ball and all of the sudden you figured out you could dunk! You might get sidetracked practicing your dunking skills that your bouncing takes a back seat for a bit.
However, this doesn’t mean you don’t know how to bounce a ball. And once you master dunking, you can go right back to mastering bouncing again too!
Let’s dig a little deeper into these progressions and how they can hinder your baby’s sleep!
1 – Baby is learning a new physical skill
The first reason being a sleep regression related to learning a new physical skill.
Developmental sleep regressions can occur when a baby learns to roll, sit up, crawl and walk. This can cause a temporary disruption to sleep as your baby learns and masters this new skill.
You may have to provide some extra help to get your baby into a comfortable position for sleep during this time.
For example, rolling your baby back onto their back or helping your child go from standing to laying down might be needed.
2 – Baby is relying on a sleep prop
The second reason is when a baby is relying on a sleep prop to start their journey to sleep or go to sleep.
If a baby is falling asleep or getting drowsy before being put down in the crib they are relying on a sleep prop.
What is a sleep prop? A sleep prop is anything external to baby that they are using to get drowsy or fall asleep. This includes a bottle, breast, soothers and rocking to name a few.
If a baby is relying on a sleep prop, sleep will typically fall apart between 3-4 months old when your baby comes out of the newborn stage and starts to become much wiser and aware of their environment.
If they fall asleep with a prop they’ll start to realize that and will begin to wake up looking for the prop which causes frequent night wakings and even short naps.
You may begin to notice this happen around the 3-4 month mark which could appear to be a 4-month sleep regression.
However, in babies that have great sleep habits before this age and are falling asleep on their own, they do not experience a regression at this time.
The regression only happens in babies that are relying on props and do not have developed independent sleep skills.
The solution to this problem — sleep training your baby to fall asleep independently.
And the good news is that every baby has the ability to sleep well. They need to be able to tap into their own innate ability. And YOU are your child’s most important teacher!
In fact, in all my experience, I have never come across a parent that wasn’t able to teach their baby to sleep well and a baby that wasn’t capable of learning to sleep well.
Having a proven plan and support are the 2 most important factors in having success the first time when sleep training your baby.
Having trouble getting baby to sleep? I’d like to offer you my baby sleep masterclass (How To Teach Your Baby To Sleep Well Without Feeling Like A Bad Mom) FOR FREE!
3 – Baby’s schedule needs to be adjusted
The third reason for a ‘sleep regression’ is related to your baby’s schedule.
If your baby is going to sleep easily on their own one minute and suddenly they just stop, it typically means their schedule needs some adjusting.
This kind of adjustment to your baby’s schedule results in dropping a nap or lengthening the amount of awake time.
Below is the appropriate amount of wake time and the number of naps needed depending on your baby’s age:
- 4 months old — 3 naps a day with 1.5-2 hours of awake time
- 6 months old — 2 naps a day with 2.5-3 hours of awake time
- 9 months old — 2 naps a day with 3-4 hours of awake time
- 13 months old — 1 nap a day with 5-6 hours of awake time
4 – Baby is teething or sick
Finally, the fourth reason your baby may experience a ‘sleep regression’ is due to teething or sickness.
First things first, this will be temporary for only a few days and nights.
It’s possible your baby may need help from you, their #1 teacher, to get back on track with great sleep during this time.
Remember, during teething or sickness, the best thing to do is provide some extra comfort and support without introducing or resorting to past sleep props.
For example, if your baby was sleeping through the night without a night feed, then it is best not to reintroduce one.
Just try to provide them some extra comfort and support during this time. It could be as simple as picking up your baby and walking around to help him or her settle in the comfort of your arms.
And then once your baby is feeling well again, get right back on track.
If your baby has hit any of these ‘sleep regressions’ listed above, do not fear! You’ve got this mama!
Looking for more baby sleep advice?
I would love for you to join my free Facebook group: Baby Sleep Advice For Moms Who Love Sleep. Hope to see you in the group!
About: Shan Roth
Jammy Time | Sleep SolutionsShan is a mom of 3. Lover of all things sleep and passionate for helping ALL moms have the confidence to feel like they are the best mom they can be.
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