8 MONTH BABY SLEEP REGRESSION | How to survive baby sleep regressions - Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant and Potty Training Coach

8 MONTH BABY SLEEP REGRESSION | How to survive baby sleep regressions

I know sleep progression sucks, but they don’t last forever. If you’re wondering why they happen and what we can do to help your child get through them, keep reading! The title of this blog is about the eight-month sleep regression, but truth be told this sleep regression can take place anywhere between seven and 10 months. It really depends on your child’s mental and physical development. This sleep regression is directly correlated with separation anxiety. Once your child discovers that even when you walk out of the room, you still exist, they’re going to develop some separation anxiety.

8 MONTH BABY SLEEP REGRESSION | How to survive baby sleep regressions

Generally sleep regression lasts about two weeks, but they can last up to four. The best thing that you can do for your baby during any sleep regression at any age is to stick to your routine. I want to make sure that you are set up for successful and healthy sleep habits for your child, so here’s my free potty training guide. This guide is full of information that you need to make sure that you are laying the foundation of healthy sleep to last your child’s entire life.

Tips on how to handle sleep regression:

Lengthen your bedtime routine. This means that maybe you add 5-10 minutes of special face to face time with your baby so that maybe you’re singing songs, maybe you’re just talking about your day, you’re listening to your sweet baby battles and you’re having that conversation with them.
Practice separation during the day. You can practice separation by doing things like going into the kitchen for a couple of minutes and saying mommy is going to go in the kitchen and get lunch ready, I’ll be right back. So you’re going away for a couple of minutes, it doesn’t have to be a long time.
Play games like peek a boo. This is going to help your child understand the concept of I can’t see you now I can, I know you’re still there.
Revisit your schedule. Around eight months old is when your baby can drop from three naps to two naps, if they haven’t already. So revisit their wait windows, revisit their nap schedule, and their bedtime schedule, and make sure that it’s age appropriate. I don’t like to jump into schedule shifts or changes until we know that you’re out of the sleep regression and that your child can actually have a full night of sleep uninterrupted.
Decipher if your child is going through physical milestones. A lot of sleep regressions will happen when your baby is learning to crawl. Maybe they’re pulling to standing up, maybe they’re starting to cruise along the furniture. And as these things happen in both your child’s brain development and physical development, it can lead to a sleep regression.

* Disclaimer, make sure that once your baby is getting up on all fours on hands and knees, make sure you’re lowering that crib mattress, because once they’re up on all fours, they can definitely start pulling themselves up to standing. So just get ahead of it and lower the crib matches as soon as you see them up on all fours.

Make sure that you are not developing any new habits.

If you know of any families who might be going through the eight month sleep regression, then please share this blog with them and encourage your friends that more sleep is just around the corner. There is light at the end of the tunnel and this sleep regression does not last forever.