"Why has my baby stopped sleeping?" "My baby was a great sleeper until he was 5 months old." "4 month sleep regression!" "8 month sleep regression!" "She's having a midnight dance party!" Sound familiar and wondering what the heck is going on?
It can be a common misconception that babies’ sleep will improve as they get older. I'm afraid I’m here to tell you that this isn’t the case. Sleep is not linear, meaning that you won't necessarily find your baby's sleep improving over time.....at least not long term anyway! Your little one will not necessarily settle easier the older they get, or sleep longer stretches as they grow. You may have had weeks or months or consistently 'good sleep' then one night it all goes downhill and seems to be staying down there for a few weeks at least. There will be ups and downs so if you're wondering why your little one has suddenly stopped sleeping.... this is normal! Frustrating, yes, but also normal.
Even as adults, our sleep won’t be perfect every night. Some nights we may lie awake waiting for sleep to come, others we may drift off within minutes. Some mornings we may wake early, others we may sleep in for longer.
The below graph shows the ups and downs of infant sleep in the first few years, it is by no means scientific or based on data but simply what you can realistically expect of your little one's sleep.
So what the heck is going on to make your little ones' sleep so up and down? Here are some of the main causes.
- sleep routine may be off. There is only so much sleep your baby can have in 24 hours so maybe they need less daytime sleep and it’s time to drop a nap, maybe bedtime is too early. Download my sleep diary and start keeping track so you can identify some patterns.
- separation anxiety. This can happen at various times as each little one is different but it can also occur if your little one starts spending less time with you in the day such as when they start nursery/ daycare or school. Up your connection time before bed by spending some 1:1 time with your baby or child.
- developmental milestones. Your baby or child may want to start practising their new skills at bedtime or when they wake in the night and this can interrupt their sleep. Allow plenty of time to practise in the day and remember, this is a phase.
- significant changes. If your little one has recently started daycare, school or you have welcomed a new sibling into the home or moved these things can have an impact on how settled they are at bedtime and at night.
- tired enough? Are they getting plenty of exercise and stimulation in the day? Toddlers have a ridiculous amount of energy to burn. Getting outdoors can really help improve sleep.
- teething and illness- an obvious one but it’s still made the list as it will happen a gazillion times in their life! You simply have to see this one through.
- small or temporary changes - a later/shorter/longer nap/ or earlier/ later bedtime can have an impact on nighttime sleep. So can sleeping somewhere new, such as on holiday, changes in normal diet, too much sugar/ caffeine etc.
If you think your little one is experiencing one of these as a cause of their disrupted sleep, the good news is that it is short term. You may need to make some small tweaks to their daily routine, but all in all, nothing major has to change. Get in touch if you'd like some more information on this.
Luci x