You’ve just been telling your friend how great of a sleeper your baby is, then all of a sudden it’s short naps and broken nights all over again. How do you know if your baby is going through a sleep regression… or something else?
🔺First, you’d always want to rule out the possibility of illness and discomfort. Also review your baby’s sleep environment and check if there is anything that may be disrupting sleep.
🔺True sleep regressions are usually accompanied by developmental progressions – physical and cognitive milestones that your baby is busy achieving. Changes to your baby’s life and routine can also bring upon temporary sleep disruptions.
🔺Every baby experiences sleep regressions differently, some are more impacted than others, and the same baby may not be impacted equally by each sleep regression.
If it is a true sleep regression, it should be temporary and should not last more than 1-2 weeks considering everything else are on point. So what can you do to support your baby if they are indeed going through one?
❌ Make up for lost sleep by adding nap time during the day.
❌ Start adding in extra night feeds if your baby has already dropped so.
💚 Offer your baby lots of chances to practise new skills during the day.
💚 Review your baby’s eat and sleep schedule. Baby sleep continues to evolve in the first few years, and they may have just outgrown their current wake windows.
💚 Stay consistent with your usual sleep protocol.
💚 Sleep regressions can often throw parents off, but with consistency and patience your baby will be back on track in no time. If sleep struggles do persist over 2 weeks, consider consulting a sleep expert for tailored advice.
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Hi I’m Lydia, certified sleep therapist and trained specialist in CBT for insomnia. Follow me on IG @thesleepcode.hk or visit the-sleep-code.com for more sleep resources.
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The Sleep Code | Sleep Specialist in Hong Kong 