If you’re going through a sleep regression there are some things you need to know.
A sleep regression is a sleep disruption caused by development, either physical or cognitive development. It should be temporary, rarely lasting more than 2 weeks BUT this depends on your consistency during the regression.
When you are facing a regression a few things need to be considered:
Are your nap schedules still age appropriate?
or
Have you changed your response and how baby falls asleep?
There is no instruction manual for our babies, they are humans and always going through lots of development, their little brains are growing rapidly and that’s bound to cause some changes in sleep.
Here are 3 things that you should do during a regression:
Stay consistent. This is the key to all sleep success but incredibly important during regressions. Don’t start changing things now, that can cause regressions to become permanent because we are introducing new associations. If you don’t have a sleep plan this would be a great time to get one so you are sure what to do to get you through this stage.
Keep feeds the same and don’t shift calories back to your nights. Often when babies wake up at night we assume they are hungry and although during growth spurts they could be needing some more calories, we can increase our calories during the day and it doesn’t necessarily have to be done at night.Your baby will get the calories they need and still not rely on feeds in order to fall asleep.
Check that your schedule is age appropriate. As your baby grows the schedule that once worked may not work anymore because as our little one’s get older their sleep needs change. Make sure you are increasing wake windows and decreasing day sleep if it’s affecting your nights. Here are some sample schedules that will help guide you - 5-12 month schedules, 3-4 month schedules.
Ups and downs happen and sleep is not linear, but getting back on track should be predictable.
Having a plan make make consistency so much easier, it brings clarity and a guide. A rested baby bounces back, a baby that is sleep deprived may not and that can be the difference between sleep struggles for years and quick bumps in the road.
Reach out to get you a roadmap and some much needed rest for your entire family xx
Lily
