Surviving the 8 Month Sleep Regression
I'm not going to lie, it’s been tough…
I don’t remember experiencing the 8 month sleep regression with my first born but I sure won’t forget what I experienced with my second in a hurry!
He was a perfect sleeper from about the age of 5 months. He settled calmly and took long, predictable naps in his cot. It was great! That is, until he discovered the world of movement!
At first he started sitting up happily in his cot, I would leave him to it and eventually (sometimes after an hour!) he’d go to sleep. But then he started pulling himself up to standing and that’s ALL he would do in his sleep space. Continually cruising from one end of the cot to the other. At one point I actually thought he’d forgotten how to lay down and go to sleep! Then I realised…. we’d well and truly hit the 8 month sleep regression.
Sleep regressions are sudden, temporary disruptions in your babies sleep patterns that correlate with other developmental changes. In fact, they’re not really ‘regressions’ at all but progressions because your baby is actually going through huge mental and/or physical brain growth in order to learn something new. They’re progressing! But because your baby is developing in one area (physically for example), this often lead to a regression in another area (like sleep).
The 8 month regression can actually happen any time around 8-10 months and coincides with when your baby learns new skills such as crawling, pulling himself up or standing. Babies brains are so full of excitement over their new skills that they can’t switch off and want to take every opportunity to practice their newfound freedom – including in their cot!
Other developments that happen around this age are a sudden maturity of communication skills. You might notice your baby making more recognisable sounds or attempts at ‘mama’ and ‘dada’. He will start to recognise familiar faces and may respond to his name.
Separation anxiety can also increase around this age as babies start to understand object permanence; the realisation that people and objects still exist, even when we can’t see them.
Signs of the 8 month sleep regression:
- Baby refuses to nap
- Increased night waking
- Unsettled bedtimes
- Fussiness or clinginess
- Hungrier (due to using more energy)
The good news is that sleep regressions are temporary and never usually more than a few weeks. For me it was 3 weeks of some serious nap anxiety (yes, even as sleep consultants, when they don’t nap it makes us tear our hair out!) but we got through it with consistency and persistence.
How to Survive the 8 Month Sleep Regression:
- Stay calm. Children can often read how we, as adults, are feeling and will pick up on it. How we are feeling will rub off on them so even if you are feeling stressed and exhausted, try to stay calm around the baby and he will be more likely to remain calm too.
- Spend lots of time encouraging and allowing baby to practice his newfound skills during the day. Allow time for lots of physical activity so he is less likely to need to practice at night. If he wants to stand up and walk, take his hands and lead him around so he has plenty of experience.
- If your baby is happy in his sleep space – leave him to it! Don’t be tempted to keep going into your baby’s room and repeatedly lay him back down. This is tempting but it can quickly become a game and be stimulating for a baby. If you do need to go in then make it short and sweet, pat the mattress and whisper ‘lie down’ so that baby knows he is to lie back down and go to sleep.
- Be consistent and persevere! Whatever approach you take to settle your baby, consistency is key. Even if it feels like it’s not working, if you change things up then you’ll be back to square one. Pick an approach and fully commit to it.
- Remember, like most phases with babies, this is temporary and it will pass. Your baby will sleep well again and so will you.
I’d also like to remind you that not all babies show signs of the 8 month regression and it doesn’t mean they’re not developing. Don’t worry about what may or may not happen with your baby’s sleep. All sleep challenges can be improved upon so there is no need to feel anxious.
For more information on sleep regressions and separation anxiety please visit my Facebook and Instagram pages.
If you do need help with your child’s sleep then do get in touch… because sometime we just need a little support.
The strategies in my FREE eBook are FANTASTIC for getting your whole family a great night's sleep. Download NOW and watch your child’s sleep improve instantly!