Palm Beach Moms Blog loves when we have guest contributors. Today’s post is from Colleen Garland, a certified infant & child sleep consultant and owner of Love Sleep Grow. Colleen works with parents to trouble-shoot their child’s sleep problems, create good sleep habits, and develop happy, well-rested families. Colleen is also mom to two spunky little girls who are pretty sure they’re Disney princesses.
If you have a child and you’ve ever scrolled through Facebook, you’re familiar with the term “Sleep Regression”.
As a sleep coach, it’s something I deal with on a daily basis.
What is a sleep regression?
A sleep regression is a period of time when your child goes from sleeping well or consistently to very inconsistent sleep patterns/schedules that cause a lot of frustration for parents. They often occur when a child is around 4 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 2 years.
Why are they so awful?
Sleep regressions get kind of a bad rap. They have a negative connotation because they usually involve lost sleep which nobody likes!
However, your child is not so much regressing as developing and changing. These regressions coincide with big developmental leaps and milestones.
Your child will change drastically in the first 2 years of their life, so it’s fitting that their sleep patterns will also change.
The most common sleep regression I deal with is the 4 month one. And it’s a rough one!
I hear something like this about once a week…
“My baby was sleeping a solid 6-8 hour stretch at night and is now waking up every 1-2 hours!”
Sleep regressions are difficult because you had something great going, you feel like you’ve finally figured things out, you’re happy and fairly well-rested…and then BAM, it can hit out of nowhere.
What can I do?
One theory is to wait out the regression, which may last 2-4 weeks (hopefully). HOWEVER, this will only work if your child has great sleep hygiene already in place. This means that your child is on an age-appropriate schedule, not overtired, and can fall asleep independently.
If you have a great sleep routine in place, just stay strong and consistent, and your child will eventually return to their great sleeping patterns.
If you’re honest with yourself and find that your child’s sleep routine, schedule, and soothing methods aren’t the greatest, then waiting out a regression is not your best option.
I often hear well-meaning moms say “eventually they’ll sleep through again” or “it goes so fast, enjoy the extra time at night with your baby”.
That’s an amazingly positive outlook for someone who’s up every hour in the night. And unfortunately, if you are just doing whatever you can to survive, you may be creating bad habits, which will be difficult for your child to break.
Of course, if you do nothing your child will eventually sleep through the night, but it may honestly be several years later. I have had many preschool-age clients who have never slept through the night in their own bed.
So let’s fix this!
4 month olds: At this age your child is changing from helpless newborn to a smiley, interactive baby! This is a great time to get them headed toward a solid schedule. Transition yourself from their parent who does everything for them (including put them to sleep) to their sleep coach. Coach them through the process of falling asleep independently using a sleep training method. You don’t have to let them cry-it-out at this age but give them an opportunity to show you how awesome they are and how they really can self-soothe.
12 month olds: At 1 year old, your child is changing from baby to toddler. They may be learning to crawl, walk, and/or talk and are super excited to practice these new skills during sleep times. Again, make sure they’re on a good schedule and have lots of consistency from you as their parent.
18 months & 2 years: These two go well together because they involve lots of independence and limit-testing. Again, make sure you take a step back and look at their schedule, as well as how they are being put to sleep. Then the best thing you can do for this age is “say what you mean and mean what you say”. Follow through, be consistent, fair and try hard to keep them in that crib as long as you can!
Our children are continuously changing, so try to be 1 step ahead of them by creating good sleep habits from the start! If you need help navigating schedules, routines, and methods, reach out to a sleep coach!
