Sleep Regressions: When They Happen and How to Deal with Them

I very recently had my third consultation with a family (they chose not to sleep train so we’ve just been doing one-off consultation calls as needed), and they seem to reach out to me any time the baby is going through a regression. I was chatting with the mom, and she asked me, “Ariana, when do these regressions end?!”

“Well,” I said, “sleep is not linear. Your baby will have a good stretch of sleep and then there will be a regression. Repeat.”

Why is this??

In this article, I’m going to dive into all of it:

• Causes of regressions

• Signs of regressions

• When they typically happen

• How to deal with them

Causes of Sleep Regressions

There is only one true “sleep” regression - the 4-month sleep regression. This regression is due to the development of a child’s sleep cycles. When a baby is first born, they only have two sleep cycles - light sleep and deep sleep. Around 4-months, though, their sleep reorganizes biologically, and they will now have the same four cycles that we as adults have.

The other big thing that causes regressions with sleep is when your little one is working on mastering a new skill and is very close to reaching a new developmental milestone like rolling, sitting, crawling, or walking. Illness, travel, and big life changes like moving, potty training, or starting daycare or school can also cause your child to regress with sleep.

Signs of Sleep Regressions

If your baby is anywhere between 3.5-5 months of age and they suddenly seem to wake up as soon as you lay them down, this is likely due to the reorganization of their sleep cycles and the 4-month sleep regression. This is because their first stage of sleep is now drowsiness. Before, you could lay them down drowsy and off to La La Land they’d go, but now, whatever was happening as they entered that first stage of sleep (drowsiness), is needed in order for them to get to that point of sleepiness again. You may also notice more night wakings again and shorter naps because your little one now has more stages of sleep to connect during each cycle.

If your child is getting close to mastering a new developmental milestone, it’s almost inevitable that there will be a regression with sleep because these milestones get solidified in stage 2 of sleep, meaning, this is when your baby may be practicing their skills!

Another thing that can affect sleep, and what I believe is 100% related to the development of new milestones, is separation anxiety. Here’s my theory: I think the separation anxiety that peaks around these times (developmental milestone mastery) also coincides with the attachment they have with you as their primary caregiver as these new milestones develop. They need to make sure - as they're exploring these new skills - that they're safe and you're close by.

It makes sense, right?!

Basically, if your baby was sleeping well and all-of-the-sudden they’re not sleeping well any longer, it’s a sign they’re starting a regression of some sort.

If you’re noticing any of these things, a sleep regression may be on the horizon…but when can we expect them??

When do sleep regressions typically occur?

Well, that’s a loaded question.

Child development happens on a continuum. Every child has a window of development and every child develops in their own time.

For example, some babies will begin rolling at 3.5 months, and others, not until 5.5 months. Some will start crawling at 6 months, and others not until 11 months. This is all within the realm of normal development.

You can expect to see sleep regressions around these times, give or take a month, and most typically paired with separation anxiety and/or milestone development:

• 4 months

• 6 months

• 12 months

• 18 months

• 24 months

How to Get Through a Sleep Regression

Now that you know why and when they typically happen, it’s time to dig deeper into how the heck you get through a sleep regression!

My first recommendation is to optimize the sleep environment. Make it easy for them to fall asleep and stay asleep. Consider cave-like darkness, playing stagnant white noise in the background, a cool temperature, and safe sleep space (bassinet, crib, or playard).

Then, make sure you’re utilizing a bedtime and nap time routine. Routines are powerful tools that can help signal to your child’s body that it’s time to sleep.

Next, make sure you’ve optimized their schedule or are following the right wake windows for their age. Getting too little or too much sleep can prevent them from connecting sleep cycles and promote unnecessary wakings when they otherwise might sleep through.

Finally, teach them some independence with some gentle sleep training. Allowing your child to learn the skill of putting themselves to sleep will help them be able to connect those sleep cycles, resulting in more consolidated naps and less wakings throughout the night.

Now, if you need help with any of this^^^, you can work with me, or, like the family I mentioned at the beginning of this article, schedule a one-off consultation with me and we can chat through what’s going on with your baby and how you can help them through it!