Developmental milestones, often referred to as regressions or progressions, occur when your baby learns a new skill 🔤, experiences a growth spurt 📈, or has a leap in brain development 🧠. Consequently, these significant changes in their physical and mental development can temporarily disrupt their sleep for a few days 😫🆘
It is also common for your baby’s sleep to become disrupted a few weeks before* they start show signs of their new developmental skill, such as learning to crawl or walk 🕺🏻. A study revealed that babies were MORE challenging to settle at bedtime and experienced increased night wakes two weeks BEFORE reaching a developmental milestone 😫. Therefore, it is important to maintain consistency in your approach to avoid inadvertently introducing a negative sleep association during the process 🤞🏻.
Your baby may also wake more frequently throughout the night while they learn their new skill. While this disruption is usually temporary and tends to subside once they have mastered it, providing lots of opportunities to practice throughout the day may help alleviate their desire to practice these skills overnight! 🌃
The most common sleep regressions occur around 3-4 months, 8-9 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 2 years, coinciding with significant leaps in their development. Recognising these common ages can help you determine if their disrupted sleep may be associated with an upcoming developmental milestone 🏆
If your baby continues to wake frequently overnight and you need support in consolidating their sleep, book a consultation or download our sleep essentials guide via our website to help restore sleep for you and your family 💫🩷🌸