Handling The 6 Month Sleep Regression

A 6 month sleep regression feels like a train derailing. You’ve made it through the newborn stage. Your baby no longer needs constant feedings through the night. You are starting to get longer stretches of good sleep.

Or maybe not… You thought everything was going better. Suddenly, your 6-month-old isn’t sleeping well.

They are struggling to go to sleep at night. They wake up more in the middle of the night. And now your mornings are starting earlier than ever.

What’s going on?

What is The 6 Month Sleep Regression?

The 6 month sleep regression is one of many you could go through as a parent. If you notice a negative change in your baby’s sleep behavior, they might be experiencing a 6 month sleep regression.

Your baby is harder to put down for bed, they are up more at night, or they are waking up earlier. I’m sorry, but this is going to happen more as they get older. Sleep regressions are usually caused by the baby’s development. As a dad, I cling to that thought to get through these stages.

Causes of The 6 Month Sleep Regression

Your 6-month-old is hitting developmental milestones. When they are newborns, they don’t really know what’s going on. They can barely even see. By the time they are 6 months old, they have a much better understanding of everything around them.

Development

Some of the milestones they are hitting are:

• Rolling over
• Sitting up
• Blowing raspberries
• Laughing

They are excited to learn. Bedtime is a perfect time to practice their development. They might try to roll over in their bed. Sometimes you can hear them giggling and babbling before falling asleep. If you are watching them through a monitor, it’ll be easier to tell if they are practicing.

Wake Windows

It’s impossible to keep your baby synchronized with a perfect sleeping schedule. Adjusting naps and wake windows can help.

Teething

A 6 month sleep regression might only be the baby teething. Check for those beautiful chompers. 6 months is when most babies start getting teeth. If your baby is crying a lot in the middle of the night, there is a good chance a tooth is coming in. Cutting teeth hurts, so obviously it will keep them up at night.

Separation Anxiety

They are more aware of people. They know that you are Mom or Dad. Your baby is still developing object permanence. What does that mean? For your baby, if they can’t see you, they don’t know that you are ever coming back.

If they could talk, they wouldn’t understand the concept of “I’m in the other room.”

How to Handle The 6 Month Sleep Regression

There are a few things that you can do to help your baby get through their 6 month sleep regression. Keep in mind that you have to wait for it to be over. There is no overnight solution.

Be Patient

This is the most important advice for dealing with every sleep regression. It’s part of being a parent and we have to accept that. Nothing causes me more stress and anxiety than sleepless nights.

I get agitated and my temper is more fragile than glass. Remember that your baby is trying their best. They are still learning. They can’t take care of themselves, so they rely on you for everything. The best thing you can do as a parent is be there for them and be patient.

Help Their Development

Give them more time to practice with your help during the day. Help them roll over and support themselves with their arms during tummy time. Help them learn how to sit up. You can speed their development along and hopefully, they won’t feel the need to practice for as long.

Naps

Is your baby overtired or undertired? If their naps have gotten shorter, they might be overtired. An overtired baby will scream in frustration because they don’t understand what they feel. What they need is sleep, but only you know that. If they are having long naps and you haven’t increased their wake windows in a while, it might be time to.

The constant balance and shifting for nap times can be tricky. Don’t make any big changes to their schedule. Add small amounts of time to their wake windows. That might be enough to get them sleeping better at night again.

Teething

If your baby won’t sleep because they are teething, it’s not really a sleep regression. They are in pain. Do whatever you can to relieve that pain for them. Make sure they have some teething toys to chew on. You can try massaging their gums yourself.

This is when most babies start getting their teeth so keep an eye out for them.

Bedtime Routine

If you haven’t made a structured bedtime routine with your baby yet, now is an excellent time to do so. Start reading with them. One of my favorite things at bedtime was when our babies started wanting to turn the pages themselves.

A bedtime routine will help send a signal to your baby’s brain that it’s time to sleep. It will take some time for them to adjust, and for it to settle in as a habit. Bedtime routines will also help if they are dealing with separation anxiety. Quality time with Mom and Dad before bed will help comfort them while they get ready to sleep.

Keeping a consistent bedtime routine will help with the 6 month sleep regression as will as future ones. It will slowly evolve as they get older but try to be as consistent as possible.

Feeding

We want to make sure that they are eating enough. My wife goes through anxiety for every baby worrying that they aren’t eating enough. You can’t measure how much they eat when they are breastfeeding. If you are pumping, try feeding the baby a bottle of breastmilk and pay attention to how much they are getting.

Your baby is getting older, and it’s easier for them to get distracted. Distracted eating can lead to them undereating. Now is also a good time to start introducing solids. We noticed with all of our kids that they started sleeping better after introducing solids.

Conclusion

Your baby is getting older! It’s an exciting time for them. They are learning so much and are gaining so much more control over their bodies. Help them along in their development. Be patient with them as they learn. Get as much sleep as you can if you are up all night with them. It won’t last forever.

Try out these tips to speed up the regression so everyone can go back to sleep. In the end, we’re playing a waiting game. Not every baby goes through a 6 month sleep regression, but they can last anywhere between 2-6 weeks. Good night!