Dealing With The 18 Month Sleep Regression
Your baby acts less like a baby and more like a toddler by now. The year after they turn one year old is my favorite. They start to play more, they are more expressive, and they are hilarious.
Your baby is starting to learn a lot, so play time feels more fun for you too. They’ve come a long way from tummy time and sleeping every two hours.
Hopefully, you’ve been able to get full nights of sleep. You and your partner are finally feeling rested again. Movie nights are back. Your relationship feels good and parenting feels a little bit easier now.
One night, you’re watching The Fast and The Furious because family is everything now. Suddenly, you hear your 18-month-old crying in their room. You try to comfort them, so they wil go back to sleep, but it doesn’t work. They wake up a couple of times at night.
Two more days of the same thing happening and it dawns on you that it’s a sleep regression. What is causing it this time and how do we deal with it?
What is The 18-Month Sleep Regression?
The 18-month sleep regression is when your 18-month-old struggles to either fall asleep or stay asleep. Sleep regressions aren’t guaranteed. Every baby develops and hits milestones at their own pace.
If your baby is teething, they aren’t going through a sleep regression. All you need to do is wait for that tooth to finish cutting through. After the tooth has come in and they still aren’t sleeping, you want to start treating it as a sleep regression.
Causes of The 18-Month Sleep Regression
Most of the time, sleep regressions are a result of your baby’s development. As they hit different milestones, their brains are on overdrive. Think about how much more difficult it is for you to sleep when mentally overwhelmed.
Speech
Your baby should be starting to talk. Not much, but the little amount they are talking is exciting. You’re not carrying a conversation with them but they are consistently able to say at least a few words.
Don’t be worried if no one else understands them yet. Parents are usually the first to understand what their children are saying while everyone just hears gibberish.
Separation Anxiety
With our 3rd, separation anxiety was one of the reasons he went through this sleep regression. He was waking up a lot at night. If we slept with him, though, he stayed asleep the entire night. But he would reach his arm out to touch us to make sure we were still there.
Physical Development
18-Month olds are starting to show off physically. They walk confidently. They are climbing and using utensils. It was about this time that each of our kids starting jumping off the couch.
Outgrowing the Crib
Toddlers grow out of their cribs at different times. The general rule is to move them out of the crib when they are trying to climb out of it. Climbing is an 18-month milestone, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are climbing out of the crib yet.
How to Deal With The 18-Month Sleep Regression
A sleep regression can last anywhere from 2-8 weeks, so how can we speed up the process?
Stay consistent
We don’t want to make big changes to their routine. That can be more disruptive that helpful. Keep the same bedtime routine. You can try to extend the routine a little to help with separation anxiety.
Moving out of the Crib
Like I said before, the general rule is to keep them in the crib until they are climbing out. That was the rule we followed with our 1st. He’s the most active of all of our kids. It’s not that our other kids aren’t active. They still climb, jump, and hang upside down wherever they can.
With our 2nd and 3rd, we decided to take them out of the crib, and put them in beds before they were climbing out. We made that decision at 18 months old for both of them and saw immediate improvement. Try it out and see if you have the same result.
Let them Fall Asleep on their Own
We found ourselves in a cycle of laying down with our 3rd until he fell asleep every time he woke up. He slept better when we took him out of the crib, but we put him in this bad habit of sleeping with us. To start letting him fall asleep alone, I put him down for naps without laying down with him at all.
At night, we were laying down with him but trying to leave before he fell asleep. We shortened the time we laid down with him each night until we didn’t have to anymore.
Be Patient
Your baby is learning a lot at this age. The physical development is exciting and stimulating. Now is a good time to wrestle with them a bit more roughly to help them get the stimulation they need.
At the end of everything, remember that they need time. Be patient and keep your cool while with them.
Conclusion
18-Months is my favorite age. They are still so small. They are still your baby but are starting to behave more like a toddler. They are funny and fun to play with. You’ll start to realize how incredibly smart they are at this age too.
Keeping in mind all the change they are going through, it’s no surprise they are going through a sleep regression. Enjoy this age. Play and interact with them. Make small changes around bedtime. I hope these tips help get back to more restful nights.
