Sleep regression solutions for your baby month by month

Sleep regressions feel big because your baby is growing fast. New skills arrive. Routines wobble. The aim is not to force sleep. The aim is to guide your baby with better timing, a calm routine, and gentle help you can repeat.

What fits your family

Some parents want an easy plan they can follow at home. For them, an age based printable guide works well because it gives ready to use wake windows, nap caps, and sample days.

Other families want custom support. If reflux, frequent wakes, or a tricky work schedule are in the mix, a one to one sleep consult is the better choice. Eat Sleep Love Baby offers both, so you can choose what fits today and switch later if you need more help.

Months 1 to 2

These weeks are about adjustment. Your baby is learning day and night. Wake windows are tiny and feeds are frequent. Keep days bright and nights dark. Use a short wind down. Hold your baby when needed. If sleep falls apart, shorten the current wake time by about ten minutes and try again.

A quick safety check helps every time:

• Back to sleep for every nap and night

• Firm flat mattress with a fitted sheet only

• Room sharing, not bed sharing

Month 3

Naps can be messy and evenings can run long. Choose a morning wake time and repeat it most days. That anchor helps the body clock settle.

Once a day, try a gentle practice laydown. Settle until calm and drowsy, place in the crib, and stay close with your voice or a warm hand. If late afternoon is hard, shift bedtime earlier by about thirty minutes for two nights and watch for easier settling.

Month 4

This is the classic regression. Sleep cycles have matured. Your baby now wakes between cycles and needs help linking them. Keep night feeds that your baby needs, but end the feed with a short cue such as a song before laying down. Try finishing the last minute of soothing in the crib. Protect bedtime with a slightly shorter last wake window so there is enough sleep pressure.

Want exact wake windows and simple daily timing for this stage. Reach out to Eat Sleep Love Baby for a gentle one to one sleep consult, or choose the age based guide you can print and follow today.

Months 5 to 6

New body control and rolling often stir the night. Give extra practice for new skills during the day. Five minutes of rolling play on a blanket before naps helps the night.

Use the chair beside the crib method. Sit close. Use your voice first, then light touch if needed. Over a few nights, move the chair a little farther away. If mornings start too early, end the last nap two to three hours before bedtime and try an earlier bedtime for two nights to reset.

Months 7 to 8

Separation awareness grows. Naps may shorten and bedtime can feel clingy. Keep connection strong and steps simple.

Add a tiny pre nap ritual:

• Close the curtains

• Say one line, I am right here and it is time to sleep

• Place your baby down and pause a moment before you soothe

At night, respond with your voice first. Add touch only if needed. If the pacifier is a frequent rescue, practice finding and replacing it during the day so the skill transfers to night.

Months 9 to 10

Crawling and standing can make laydown hard. Your baby wants to move. Offer ten minutes of floor play before each nap, then start your calm routine.

If your baby stands in the crib, teach sit down during the day. At night, guide to sitting with a light touch at the hips, then to lying down while you repeat your phrase. Keep the steps the same each time. Predictability brings confidence.

Month 11

Nap balance gets tricky. Most babies still need two naps, though the second one may shrink. Keep the last wake window a little shorter so bedtime stays on time.

If nights get choppy, check two things. First, daytime calories. Many babies do better with a small bump in food if they are ready. Second, a steadier nap rhythm for three or four days. Those two changes often bring nights back on track.

Month 12

Busy days and celebrations can shake sleep. Hold your anchors. Keep the morning wake time steady and keep the bedtime routine short and familiar.

Some children test one nap now, but many still need two. If one nap causes rough nights, return to two for a few weeks and try again later.

Months 13 to 15

This is the true switch to one nap for many families. Slide the single nap later by fifteen minutes every few days until it lands around midday.

Evenings can feel tender during the change. Keep bedtime early. If meltdown is near, a short ten minute catnap rescue can help, but use it sparingly. Within a week or two the new rhythm usually holds.

Months 16 to 18

Language is blooming and feelings are big. Toddlers want choice. Offer small choices that do not change the plan. Book one or book two. Blue pajamas or green pajamas.

Give five minutes of one to one time before the wind down. Sit on the floor, play quietly, and make eye contact. Then begin your steps. Predictable cues calm protests and shorten settling.

Months 19 to 24

Teeth, travel, and leaps can unsettle sleep again. Return to your plan as soon as you can. Keep one nap and watch the last wake window so bedtime stays on time.

If your toddler keeps calling you back, bring common requests into the routine on your terms. One extra hug and one sip of water happen before lights out. After that, repeat your phrase in a calm voice and stay consistent.

Troubleshooting that works at any age

Start with timing. If settling takes a long time or wakes pile up, shift wake windows by ten to fifteen minutes and hold the change for three days before changing again.

Check the room next. Dark, quiet, and comfortably cool helps. Use white noise if household sounds interrupt sleep. Then choose one gentle support method and repeat it the same way each night. Keep needed night feeds and end each feed with your short cue so your baby can link sleep cycles after feeding.

Need a simple plan that fits your baby right now. Book a one to one sleep consult with Eat Sleep Love Baby for custom wake windows and a gentle settling method, or choose their age based printable guide if you prefer a do it yourself plan with clear daily timing.

When extra help makes sense

Ask for support if you have tried a steady plan for two weeks without progress, if reflux or allergies affect nights, or if shift work and older siblings make timing hard. A coach can tune your schedule, suggest tiny changes with big impact, and stay with you through the tough nights.

You are not alone in this. With calm steps and the right fit of support, regressions turn into a short season, not a long struggle.