Your child is going to go through many transitions from birth through to preschool years and there are a few fun “regressions” thrown in there just for fun!
It’s sometimes hard to know whether it is a regression or a new habit that is forming and going to stick so in today's blog post I am going to give you the clues and the “need to know” info so you can get on the right side of peaceful nights as soon as possible with as little stress and sleepless nights as possible.
First of all let’s understand what a sleep regression is.
These are certain times where your baby will have a leap as it were, their cognitive, physical, emotional development is developing, they are learning new skills, they often can happen all at the same time and the brain is trying to make sense of it all…while they sleep. Why when they sleep? Because this is when the brain is less active and starts to move around memories from the day and remembers new skills they may have learned and they want to practise it and why not, it's an exciting time learning a new skill…like standing up right! So yes, you may wake to find your baby standing in their cot in the middle of the night and they want to show you so they cry and call out to you and then the fun times really happen as you try to encourage them back to sleep with little luck. Forget it, you are up for a while now!
In short a sleep regression is when your child's sleep patterns suddenly change and you find yourself up a lot more in the night and naps can be challenging.
Sleep regressions can happen at different ages but also when there has been an event such as a holiday or starting day care or perhaps an illness.
Now how do you know it is not a habit this waking in the night?
A sleep regression usually lasts for about 2-6 weeks at most. 6 weeks is being on the generous side here but it is always good to take into account all children learn and develop at different speeds. So if your baby's sleep has been a little more challenging with those wakes and not settling back to sleep so easily for more than 6 weeks then you could find it is more of a habit wake now.
The most obvious regression that the majority of babies display is that 4 month sleep regression. All of a sudden your baby has gone from sleeping long stretches at night perhaps 3-5 and now they wake every 1-2 hours. And those naps have gone from 2 hours to 30 minutes. It's been happening for more than 6 weeks now, your baby is near 6 months old and still nothing has changed. Perhaps you are now co sleeping because it is the only way anyone is getting any sleep, you are feeding back to sleep every wake and those naps are contact…you are nap trapped at least twice a day. This is your new life now and not exactly what you may have signed up for…it is the new norm and what your baby asks for every time they wake. This my friend, is now a habit.
So how do you handle those regressions so it does not turn into a habit?
Babies change so fast and so you need to keep up with the program! Ensure your baby is on the right nap schedule and bedtime is optimum. Not sure what that nap schedule should look like? Grab your FREE GUIDE HERE and find out!
Check out what to expect and how to manage the following sleep regressions in the following links below…
How to manage the habit?
If you don't want to co sleep then you have to make a plan on stopping. If you have started feeding to sleep then you ll need to stop those feeds whether it is cold turkey or taking a gentler gradual approach.
Whilst making any changes to schedules or sleep patterns in a hope to end those habitual night wakes and crazy short naps it is important to STAY CONSISTENT. If you are not, how can you expect to see any changes happen and know if they work? You can’t. I always advise sticking with a plan for 7-10 days to give it a good go of consistency.
If you are still struggling with your child's sleep and feel you have tried everything and you want some fresh, experienced eyes over the situation that is where my sleep programs come into light. Designed to get to the core of the problem, I will give you the solutions to nip it all in the bud and get all your sleep back on track just like waving a magic wand!
You can take a look at those programs HERE!
If you are still not sure and want to have a chat about how I can help you you can book in your free sleep assessment call here!
As always,
Peaceful nights to you all,
Rachael,
Your Paediatric Sleep Consultant
xo
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