Sleep Regressions
Developmental regressions are not a regression at all; but a positive, normal progression which happens at exciting times when they hit a developmental milestone. Not all babies will have sleep changes during a ‘regression’ and if they have sleep changes during one ‘regression’ doesn’t mean they will have sleep changes in others.
These developmental progressions are a common cause of disrupted sleep. They can result in less sleep, broken sleep and have us dreaming of more sleep! But it’s not all doom and gloom. The reasons for the progressions are exciting and will have you coo’ing and clapping at your baby’s new tricks and forgetting about the lack of sleep you had last night.
The progressions affecting your child’s sleep usually results it some pretty amazing milestones;
- learning to roll, sit, stand or walk
- increased speech and language growth
- expressing more emotions
- separation and stranger anxiety
- starting their solid foods journey
- understanding they have a place in the world, and where they fit in
- cognitive and emotional development as they move from a baby to toddler
- increase in language, physical and social skills
The 3 main developmental progression that occur in the first year usually arise around 4 months, 8 months and then again around their first birthday.
The 4 month progression is the first of many milestone leaps your little one goes through.
Why does this regression happen?
Around 16 weeks old your baby’s circadian rhythm (their body clock) and sleep cycles are maturing. If you have been using any sort of association to get to sleep (e.g. feeding, rocking, dummy, patting) they may seek that association to fall back to sleep between cycles. So long as this is working for you and your baby then this is fine. All babies go through this developmental change and for some it can have a significant impact on their sleep.
What does the 4 month regression look like?
This regression is usually fairly obvious and can happen anytime between 3-5 months of age. Common signs include:
- suddenly start to wake during their day naps and taking shorter naps
- waking more frequently overnight
Babies don’t grow out of this progression. Some will learn to settle themselves but most need support from us to learn this skill.
Although it may mean a shift in sleep, this age group are going through leaps and bounds developmentally.
What does the 8 month regression look like?
- you might notice that your baby is waking for long periods overnight and practising their new skill such as rocking on all fours or standing up and down in the cot
- you might find that they are having shorter naps and waking more overnight
- games such as hide and seek, peek a boo and any fun activity where you pop out of sight but reappear will show you little one that you are never far away