The 8-10 month regression is the 2nd sleep regression your baby goes through and unfortunately not the last!
Whether you’re reading this to prepare yourself, or because you’re going through this regression right now, just know this one thing:
IT DOES NOT LAST FOREVER, AS LONG AS YOU DON’T INTRODUCE NEW HABITS.
I know you hear that lots, but it’s only because it’s true!
First, I want to talk about how to know if your baby has hit a sleep regression.
A sleep regression means your baby will start to sleep worse. Usually fighting naps, fighting bedtime, taking shorter naps, and waking more frequently in the night. It can last for a couple of days, or a couple of weeks.
You may be asking “why does this happen??!” Especially if you’ve had a good sleeper and now their sleep has all of a sudden turned bad.
Well around 8-10 months your baby reaches the 3-2 nap transition, and new physical and mental milestones. All of which will affect your babies sleep.
*Some babies will learn to crawl, stand, walk or climb around this age and they love to practice when they should be sleeping.
*All babies by the age of 10 months will have dropped to 2 naps, and if you don’t catch the transition soon enough, it will lead to over tiredness.
*And lastly, babies go through separation anxiety at this age. You can read about how to deal with separation anxiety here.
Now, your next question may be “how do we get through this regression?!”
#1. Continue to remind yourself this won’t last forever
#2. Don’t introduce new habits to get your baby to sleep. Such as going to rock them to sleep, etc. If you already have a sleep association created you may want to consider the option of eliminating the sleep prop before claiming your baby is going through a regression.
#3. Make an earlier bedtime if baby is skipping naps.
#4. Start dropping the third nap if your baby is still taking it.
#5. Give your baby lots of extra time during the day to practice their new skills. This means working with them and helping them as well as limiting their time in equipment such as exersaucers and jolly jumpers.
#6. Don’t pay too much attention to their new behaviors at sleep time. The more attention they get, the worse it will become and the more stimulated they will get, making it harder for them to fall asleep. Give yourself a distraction.
#7. Be patient :)
If you’re still struggling with the regression, or maybe it’s been going on for some time and you feel your baby should be through it by now, you can schedule your FREE 20 minute sleep assessment. We will discuss your baby’s sleep situation and see what might be causing your little one's sleep struggles so you can get started on your way to more sleep.
You can schedule your FREE 20 minute sleep assessment here. If you would like to receive more sleep tips regarding regressions and learn more about how you can help your little one sleep better, you can join our mailing list and get our weekly newsletter! (Yes, that's it, we don't spam you everyday. You will only hear from us once a week)
Sleep Easy!