6-month sleep regression, no matter how horrible it happens to be, is actually an indicator of biological transformation in babies. And it’s not bad at all if you know how to handle it. Let me walk you through my journey of sleep regression!
When your little crawler starts having intermittent wake-up calls in sleep during 6 months or above, it’s called 6-month sleep regression.
The sleep pattern will change radically, waking up at night will be frequent, while you’ll have to roll your baby over right and left to put it to sleep at last. Whatever tips and tricks worked for me, may not work for you. But finding a solution, whatever it may be, is a great feeling once you accomplish it.
Nonetheless, our article will put you at ease as we’ll talk more about 6-month sleep regression, and its causes while busting some old myths.
Table of Contents
- What Is 6-Month Sleep Regression and What to Expect from It
- Symptoms of 6-Month Sleep Regression
- 5 Possible Causes of 6 Month Sleep Regression in Your Baby
- Is 6 Month Sleep Regression a Common Problem
- How to Deal with Six Month Sleep Regression: The 5 Best Tips
- How Long Can You Expect Your Baby Go Through Sleep Regression
- 4 Myths of Baby Sleep Regression Busted
- Final Words
What Is 6-Month Sleep Regression and What to Expect from It
If your baby is about six months old and is having a sleep disturbance now and then, and you’re having a hard time putting it back to sleep, you may identify it as 6-month sleep regression. It happens whether or not you like it! My kids did it for a few months each.
In sleep regression, you might manage your kid to sleep at night for a while but find it wide awake after a couple of hours. The telltale signs it may show include being fussy, irritated, crying, staring, etc. And most importantly, it’ll refuse by all means to hit the bed again.
Amazingly, sleep regression can even occur in babies who are well trained in sleep by their moms and dads. I thought I did a good job, but to no avail!
Hence, the things you can expect at this point can be tricky sometimes because the individual reactions and signs vary in babies.
Some babies may wake up in the middle of the night and then dive back into sleep very shortly. However, the wake-up alarm in other babies may go off several times at night, making the parents’ lives difficult.
Don’t be intimidated by this sudden in-and-out sleep pattern in your baby because that’s important to continue that trend.
As said earlier, sleep regression in 6-month-old babies is a natural transformation trait. It clearly shows that your kid’s going through some necessary physical and neurological changes.
In the next section, we’ll discuss the symptoms of 6-month sleep regression by which you can relate this problem better with your child’s current state.
Symptoms of 6-Month Sleep Regression
It’s essential to identify the symptoms of 6-month sleep regression in your child, so you can specifically determine the transition it’s going through.
You’ll typically observe three types of sleep regression patterns in your little one as follows:
- Longer Day Sleeps Vs. Shorter Night Sleeps
One of the discrepancies you’ll notice in your 6-month-old kid is that he’s sleeping more during the daytime than at nighttime. While naps during the daytime are definitely important for its health, cutting on the night’s sleep may act perilously on both you and your kid.
However, this change in sleep schedule stands right for your kid because it’s making up for the night’s sleep by snoozing more in the day.
- More Breaks During Night Sleep
That’s a common symptom in most babies with sleep regression. And it starts with the 6-month sleep regression.
No matter how much effort you put into getting your night owl a decent sleep, it’ll break free and wake up multiple times during the night, making your life bitter. As we’ve mentioned above, daytime naps prolong naturally in babies at around 6 months. So, it’s obvious that they’ll have a hard time getting in the mood to spend the whole night in one sleep.
- Difficulty in Making Your Baby Sleep
When your kid’s getting around six, it starts learning new skills like crawling, uttering words, and recognizing people and stuff. In short, its brain is going through a natural transition.
So, being the ever enthusiast and curious as your baby is, it’s actually focused more on its new toys, colored walls and ceilings, a furry pet, and maybe a few small treats. No wonder it won’t agree to waste its time sleeping at night and miss all the fun it has just discovered during the day.
5 Possible Causes of 6 Month Sleep Regression in Your Baby
Going through sleep regression at six months of age is scientifically accepted. So, learn to wrap your head around this regressed sleep phenomenon.
No grown-ups love to lose their precious night’s sleep; not even the most caring and loving parents. But since it’s inevitable, you must learn why your baby’s showing these irritating signs so you’re in a better place to handle the situation.
Below, we’ve shared five possible causes of 6-month sleep regression. Go through them to know if you can relate:
- Urge to Speak Up
Your little master is learning to speak up, and you can’t take that away from him or her. Yes, we know those cute and adorable phonetics like ‘gu gu’ or ‘mum mum’ but they won’t ever sound pretty in the dead of night, but you eventually have to bow down to it.
The new babbling skill in kids makes them excited, and it lasts till midnight or later. After all, your kid wants to let you know how much it’s learned and get some appreciative pats and kisses from you in exchange.
- Learning to Sit Up
If your baby isn’t doing that yet, it’s completely alright. But many kids learn to get themselves up to a wobbly sitting position around six months, and it really makes them joyous!
While this is the case, the physical advancement the kids go through during this time can contribute to their late-night fusses and hard time napping during the day.
- Rolling in Sleep
The physical and mental transition in your kid when it’s around six months can make it roll over in its crib while asleep. This rolling can easily break its sleep while you’ll find your junior calling you to sing the next lullaby to it.
- Tooth Arrival
If your little one’s constantly crying while keeping you awake most of the night, you should take their dental health into account. Babies between six and twelve months typically have tooth eruptions.
You won’t know it without peeking into its mouth. Make sure you check it carefully because the arrival of the tooth can be painful for your junior, which might be keeping it off sleep schedules.
- Active Playfulness at Night
As we’ve said before, kids during their six months tend to be more active in playing and communicating. It’s quite hard to stop them at once.
This hyperactiveness might cause them to remain alert at night, finding any opportunity, object, or person to play with.
Is 6 Month Sleep Regression a Common Problem
Sleep regression, in general, is a common phenomenon, but when you’re seeking a specific time related to this, it’s variable.
To relate you more with the general cases, it’s important to tell that babies between four and seven months can sleep 12-15 hours a day while having a couple of naps during the daytime as well. In other cases, kids about the same age may sleep even longer.
Amazingly, you’ll be envious of those parents whose kids sleep through the night, ranging from 10 to 12 hours, followed by daytime naps. And those kids are about six to nine months old.
Still, since the sleep pattern keeps changing throughout the first few years of a baby’s life (6 to 60 months variably), we can’t say that sleep regression is a compulsory change each kid has to go through.
How to Deal with Six Month Sleep Regression: The 5 Best Tips
6-month sleep regression isn’t a disease, so you don’t have to cure it. All types of sleep regressions are biological transformations in babies that reflect their sleep pattern changes.
Nonetheless, what you can do is learn to approach this change by following some tips. This will help you learn your baby’s sleep habits and needs better. Moreover, you’ll establish a lovelier and more harmonious bond with your kid.
So, let’s take a look at those five tips on how you can get through your baby’s 6-month sleep regression:
- Maintain a Bedtime Schedule
Always maintain the same bedtime schedule for your kid. Feed your kid one to two hours before nighttime sleep and engage in some relaxing activities.
You can pick your bay in your arms and pat its back, keeping it against your chest. Also, rocking it in its bassinet can make it drool and fall asleep.
- Don’t Disturb Their Babbling
It’s alright if your baby keeps babbling and cooing in its crib before falling asleep at night. Since it’s a natural process for them, don’t interrupt.
You can keep an eye on your baby when it’s doing while dealing with its sleep regression. Rest assured, it will fall asleep on its own after a while.
- Comfort Your Tot
If your kid doesn’t go back to sleep on its own after speaking alone or crying for a while, slip into its room. Don’t take it in your arms. Instead, pat its shoulder, stroke its hair, or rub its belly to let her know that you’re there and it’s okay to fall asleep anyway.
- Reduce Distraction
Make sure that your baby’s room is quiet and that there’s no other sound outside that can distract your baby from its relaxation.
Besides, if your baby’s suffering from tooth eruption, the pain may distract it from falling asleep. Consult a pediatrician for painkillers to relieve the pain.
- Remove Clutters from Bed
Keep a clean bassinet or crib. Remove any toys or other hard objects from your baby’s crib. Such things may make your baby’s sleep uncomfortable, breaking its sleep several times in the middle of the night.
How Long Can You Expect Your Baby Go Through Sleep Regression
Although it varies in babies, a 6-month sleep regression may last for a couple of weeks or more. This temporary phase in kids goes away on its own without leaving behind many worries.
It’s all about your kid getting used to its newfound skills and adapting to the nighttime sleep over time. It’ll learn that playing, chattering, or crying out is for daytime mostly, and it’s not a good idea to cut on the after-hour sleep.
You shouldn’t be bothered about the sleep regression period. Just be there with your junior as he or she passes through this transition while occasionally consulting with the pediatrician for better guidelines.
4 Myths of Baby Sleep Regression Busted
Believe it or not, there are several myths regarding sleep regression. In this section, we’ll try to bust a few of those myths.
Here they are:
- Sleep through the Night
Myth: Many parents believe that their kids should sleep through the night at least, on a few occasions, when going through the 6-month sleep regression.
Reality: Nearly 62.4% of children who are about 6 months old get a 6-hour or less sleep through the night, whereas 37.6% of kids consecutively get less than 6 hours of sleep at night. So, kids about six months getting consistently 10-12 hours of sleep through the night is quite unrealistic.
- Sleep Regression Is Forever
Myth: Many parents become frustrated and restless, often thinking that 6-month sleep regression will linger on forever or at least, for several months.
Reality: In fact, sleep regression is temporary, and it wears off within a couple of weeks or so. The timeline may vary in children depending on gender, environment, nutrition, etc.
- Sleep Regression for All Babies
Myth: Most parents may have a misnomer that the 6-month sleep regression is tagged on each baby that’s six months old.
Reality: The reality is that this type of sleep regression doesn’t stick to the exact six months period, rather it can start from the fifth or even seventh month as well. Also, not all babies are bound to go through this stage since it’s absolutely related to their developmental transition. And it surely varies in children.
- Resolve Sleep Regression Completely
Myth: Some moms claim that they can handle and stop sleep regression in their six-month-old babies.
Reality: In fact, sleep regression isn’t anything about to be regulated by medicine or therapy. Instead, moms should support their kids while they’re a little off their regular sleep pattern and follow the necessary tips as we’ve discussed earlier.
Final Words
If your six-month-old child is regressing in its sleep, let it adjust with it on its own while you just keep a watchful eye on it. Let it cry it out, blabber, laugh, or play when it’s sat right up from its sleep.
Yes, you must maintain its nutrition, daytime naps, and a comfortable bedroom, so your kid can hit the bed at night with a full belly and a happy smile.
And in due time, your baby will get through the sleep regression with flying colors.
Thanks for reading my article!
Sharon Dunn
