5 Common Ages For Sleep Regressions
Here we will talk you through what are the most common ages that sleep regressions occur, why they happen and how to survive them.
At what age do babies go through sleep regressions?
There are a number of distinct regressions that most babies and toddlers experience, the first being as early as 6-8 weeks.
The 4 month sleep regression is next followed by 8 months, 12 months and then another at 2 years.
Remember not all babies will reach these developmental stages at these exact ages, so if your baby is for example 3.5 months and has started waking every two hours overnight, it’s safe to assume they've hit the 4 month sleep regression.
The 8-week baby sleep regression
At 8 weeks many babies begin to catnap and day sleeps may become disrupted.
Their newborn sleepiness has worn off and so your baby suddenly seems a lot more alert now. What also happens at this point is their maternal melatonin has worn off, so they need to produce their own melatonin in order to settle to sleep easily and sleep well. Melatonin is a sleep hormone that is only produced and released in the dark, so having a super dark room from this age onwards really helps babies link sleep cycles and stay asleep during naps and overnight.
If your baby is continuing to catnap past this point, even if you are using blackout blinds, it could be that their nap timings need a bit of tweaking to move them gently away from newborn sleeping patterns.
See our Awake Times Guide for age appropriate awake times to help you establish a good sleep routine.
The 4-month sleep regression
This is the first of the big sleep regressions as it is the biggest change in your baby’s sleep cycle and it’s a permanent change. Your little one will start to wake fully between each sleep cycle rather than drift between cycles automatically as they did when they were younger. Sleep has now become a very conscious thing for your baby and it takes practise for them to get this new skill right. Therefore, this regression won’t go away until your baby has learnt to self-settle.
If your little one is experiencing a 4 month sleep regression and need some extra help, you can book in a free 15min consult. We can help you with techniques to teach your baby how to self-settle and create positive sleep associations.
The 8-month sleep regression
At this age, your baby is going through a massive psychological developmental change. They’ll be learning to crawl, pulling up to stand and finding their voice - your baby is very busy, this means they want to wake in the night to practise their newfound skills. Therefore, at this age babies are distracted by their own amazingness (and rightly so). The good news is this sleep regression should only last for a couple of weeks on and off.
If you are worried about your child’s sleep or need some extra help, you can book in a free 15min consult. We can help you and your little one by creating a tailored sleep plan to help your family get the sleep they deserve.
The 12-month regression
This sleep regression is less common and is more to do with nap transitioning. At around 12 months your baby might refuse to take 2 naps and a lot of parents assume this means it’s time to transition from 2 naps to 1. We always encourage to keep the morning nap till 18 months. If we persist with some settling at this time your baby will continue to keep their morning nap and their lunch nap. But the morning nap must be short to maintain the sleep drive for the long lunch nap.
Some families may find they need help with this sleep transition, especially if it has already interfered with the night sleep.
If you are worried about your child’s sleep or need some extra help, you can book in a free 15min consult. We can help you and your little one by creating a tailored sleep plan to help your family get the sleep they deserve.
The 2 year regression
At this age, your baby is now a toddler and with that comes independence as they’re going through some developmental milestones that can negatively impact their sleep, like separation anxiety. Again, this regression will pass, but you have to remain strong with your sleep schedule, especially now your toddler has found their voice and can share their thoughts and opinions.
Want some extra help?
If you’d like some assistance when your baby has a sleep regression, you can book in a free 15min consult. We can offer support by helping with the environment and nutrition, settling tools and techniques to support your little ones changing patterns.