Baby sleep regressions: Why I prefer to call them sleep progressions

Your baby was sleeping well. You thought you had finally figured it out… and suddenly, everything changed.

More night wakings. Shorter naps. Bedtime suddenly takes forever. Your baby may only want to sleep in your arms, wake up the moment you put them down, or start asking for more contact during the night.

And then comes the question most parents ask:

“What happened? Why did my baby suddenly stop sleeping?”

First of all, take a breath.

There is a good chance that nothing has “gone wrong”. What many people call a “sleep regression”, I prefer to call a “sleep progression”. And that small change in words actually reflects a very different way of looking at your child’s sleep.

Why do we call it a “sleep regression”?

The term sleep regression is commonly used to describe a period when a baby or child who was previously sleeping relatively well suddenly starts waking more often, resisting sleep or experiencing changes in their naps.

You may have heard about the 4-month, 8-month, 12-month or 18-month regression. But there is one important thing to remember: Babies don’t follow a calendar.

Development is not linear, and neither is sleep. The idea of a “regression” can sometimes make us feel that our baby has gone backwards, as if they had learned how to sleep and suddenly forgotten. But sleep development doesn’t really work that way.

Sleep patterns naturally change and mature as babies grow. So instead of thinking: “My baby has gone backwards,” I like to think:

Why I prefer the word “progression”

For me, progression feels much closer to what is actually happening. Your baby is growing, developing and experiencing the world differently.

They might be learning to crawl, stand or walk. They may be developing new communication skills, becoming more aware of their surroundings or beginning to understand that you can leave the room and come back. They may also be experiencing stronger separation anxiety or looking for more connection with you.

All of these things can influence sleep. That doesn’t mean that development causes every sleep disruption, or that every difficult night is a progression. It simply means that sleep doesn’t exist separately from the rest of your child’s development.

Why does sleep suddenly become harder?

There isn’t always one simple answer. A change in sleep can happen alongside:

• A new developmental milestone
• Separation anxiety
• Teething or illness
• A change in nursery or childcare
• Travelling or a different environment
• Changes in naps
• Changes in your family’s routine
• A new need for connection or reassurance

And sometimes… we simply don’t know. That’s okay too.

Rather than immediately looking for the sleep regression that matches your baby’s age, I prefer to look at the whole picture:

• What has changed recently?
• How is your baby sleeping during the day?
• How are they feeling?
• What are they learning?
• And how is the current situation affecting your family?

Does a sleep progression mean you need to change everything?

Not necessarily. You don’t have to fix every change in your baby’s sleep. Sometimes a progression is temporary, and your baby simply needs some extra support while they adjust.

You can keep the familiar parts of your routine. You can offer more connection. You can give them opportunities to practise their new skills during the day and make sure they are getting enough rest.

And if your baby suddenly wants more cuddles, more feeding or more reassurance, that doesn’t automatically mean you are creating a “bad habit”. Connection is not the enemy of sleep.

At the same time, if the changes are leaving your whole family exhausted, it is absolutely okay to look for ways to make things more manageable. Both things can be true: Your baby can need extra support and you can need more sleep.

What can you do when your baby’s sleep changes?

Before changing everything, take a moment to observe. Ask yourself:

1. What has changed?
2. How are the naps going?
3. Is bedtime still working for my child?
4. Is my child going through a big developmental stage?
5. What does my child need from me right now?

And finally: How are we doing as a family? Because your sleep matters too.

When will it end?

I wish I could give you an exact answer. But babies don’t work according to a timer.

Some periods of disrupted sleep are short. Others take longer, especially when several changes are happening at the same time.

The important thing is not to feel that you have somehow failed because your baby’s sleep has changed. You haven’t gone back to the beginning. Your baby is simply in a new stage, and you may need to find a new way of supporting them through it.

Sleep is development too

I believe that understanding sleep starts with understanding the child behind it.

There is no single age when every baby should sleep through the night. There is no one method that works for every family. And there isn’t always something that needs to be “fixed”.

• Sometimes we need to make changes.
• Sometimes we need to offer more support.
• Sometimes we need to adjust the routine.
• And sometimes we simply need to give our child, and ourselves, a little more time.