The 8-10 Month Sleep Regression and What You Need to Know About It
When my kids first learned to sit up independently, both of them would fall asleep sitting up! My daughter mastered lying herself back down fairly quickly. My son took a bit longer. I’d get so freaked out that he would fall back, hit his head, and hurt himself, so I began lying him back down each time I noticed him asleep sitting up. But in lying him down, I accidentally woke him up. He was not happy about it. And then resumed sitting!
So I learned to leave him and give him a little space to figure it out. And sure enough, within a few days, he was able to lie himself back down!
It’s normal to feel anxious when you experience something like this…your child falling asleep in a seated or standing position. I had these exact thoughts: "Oh no, he’s sitting up. Asleep! Is that ok? Is he ok?!" Being hands-off can feel like you're not helping your little one—and make you feel anxious—but think of it this way: giving your child space to learn something that you know they are developmentally capable of learning to do (ie. sitting and lying back down) is another way of supporting them.
We will get more into that in this article.
If your baby is between 6-12 months and you’ve been thinking, "My baby was doing so well and all of a sudden they're not," keep reading! This article is for you, too.
Causes of Sleep Regressions Between 8-10 Months
There is SO MUCH physical milestone development going on between 8 and 10 months, actually, between 6 and 12 months! The range of skills your little one will likely master during these few months is staggering. It’ll start with rolling, progress to walking, and before you know it, they’ll be running, jumping, and maybe even competing in the next Olympics.
In all seriousness, though, you can expect to see some or all of the following during this time:
Rolling
Sitting
Crawling
Pulling to stand
Cruising along furniture
Walking?!
Each of these physical milestones has its own range of development that will vary from baby to baby, and not so coincidentally, a possible sleep regression to accompany it.
Why the Development of Physical Milestones Causes Regressions with Sleep
As your little one works on mastering any of their newly developed skills, their brain is working to fully refine this ability. But did you know that babies' brains can’t prioritize development and sleep at the same time? (And development usually wins.) While their brains are working to fully refine the physical skill, sleep may take a hit.
Plus, some physical milestones affect sleep more than others. And some babies are more affected by physical development more than others. I will say, too, that a baby with independent sleep skills can often get through these bouts of development a bit quicker than those who are used to falling asleep with assistance.
The best thing you can do to help your child master their new skill is to allow them to practice as much as possible during their wake time. Work to help them master their skill more quickly so that their brain doesn’t feel the need to do it when they should be resting.
The other thing you can do to help baby get through any regression caused by physical milestone development is to stay consistent and don’t change your expectations around sleep.
Let’s get into some specifics.
Rolling and Sleep
Rolling seems to be the first big thing that affects sleep (along with the 4-month sleep regression) because it can happen anywhere between 3 and 6-7 months. So, what should we do when your baby rolls onto their belly in their crib and it’s disrupting their sleep? Do we flip them back? Do we now allow them to sleep on their belly?
Here’s what I will tell you…
…your baby is maturing and is now capable of things they weren’t before.
Once your baby can get onto their belly, they can safely sleep that way. If they can roll, they have the neck and core strength to reposition as needed.
And babies are often much more comfortable sleeping this way too, once they figure it out.
Figure it out.
That’s the key. Because going in and rescuing your baby by flipping them to their back doesn’t allow them to do so. So how do we help babies figure it out?
Helping Your Baby Through a Sleep Regression
As I mentioned earlier, being consistent and not changing your expectations around sleep during a regression is going to help your baby get through it faster. Let’s dive into this a little deeper.
Babies pick up on new routines very quickly. When it comes to sleep, that means if your child was an independent sleeper prior to the sleep regression, and you reintroduce previous sleep crutches (like rocking/holding to sleep or feeding to sleep), your baby is going to expect that help as the new norm, elongating the regression and ultimately causing sleep to totally unravel. So, aim to work on physical skills during the day, and limit intervening at night, as providing more hands-on assistance at bedtime and overnight can backfire.
If your child is not yet an independent sleeper, a regression is the perfect time to sleep train because they will get a lot of opportunities to practice going to sleep! It will also help them get through the regression more quickly.
I want you to remember one thing: It's important to support our children, but at some point they may just need to practice on their own to get there. Supporting your baby doesn’t only look like “rescuing” them or doing something for them…it looks like teaching, encouraging, and giving your child space to learn something that you know they are developmentally capable of learning to do on their own. (Similarly, supporting your child in hands-on ways when they do need an adult’s help, such as in preparing food or bathing, teaches your child that they can rely on you to meet their needs. This balance—allowing both independence and dependence to be present in a loving relationship—is the idea behind secure attachment.) And for most babies during a regression, giving them the space and time to figure things out for themselves is the best support we can give.
If your child is already an independent sleeper, but all of the sudden their sleep has gone to shit, and, after reading this, you realize it’s due to all of this development…and you also realize you’ve been backtracking and helping them a little too much, let’s set up an Ask-Me-Anything call to get you and your little one back on track and navigate things as your child is working on their new physical skills.
And if your child is not yet an independent sleeper, you can work with me to get the support you need while sleep training to get through the regression—all without compromising your parent-child attachment. I’d love to help you!