How do I get through developmental leaps that affect sleep?
Has anyone else been here before?
Sleep has been better for a while. Baby has slowly started to wake less and less. You begin to feel more like yourself. You can carry a coherent conversation without losing your train of thought. You’re feeling hopeful that you’ve passed through the valley of exhaustion from multiple night wakings. The brain fog is clearing and life is gooooooood.
And then sleep changes.
It starts with the odd short nap. Then baby wakes less than an hour after you’ve laid them down for bedtime. They start calling for you in the middle of the night. And you think, Why is this happening? I can’t go back to this. I just can’t.
I’ve been there before. It’s a disheartening place to be. But I have good news: Developmental regressions affect sleep, but they are generally short-term. A sudden disruption in sleep is often a sign of a developmental leap.
Here are other signs of a developmental leap:
Baby goes in and out of sleep. Baby's brain is working extra-hard to develop a new skill, and this can make them encounter overtiredness more quickly than normal. Be on the lookout for those sleep cues. If baby is learning a new skill, it is okay to temporarily shorten a wake window if they are showing sleep cues a bit earlier.
Baby practices the skill in their sleep. If baby is learning to roll, for example, you might notice they often roll over in their sleep and become startled, calling for you to help fix the problem.
Once calmed, baby can get back to sleep without help. No need to be alarmed here. Allow baby space if they are asleep practicing as it can startle them when you directly interfere. If baby has confidence in independent sleep, they will go back to sleep on their own once you have calmed them (gently patting their bum, shushing, etc. as oppose to picking them up to give a feed).
How can you help your baby if they are going through a developmental leap?
You’ll want to make sure to keep routines and your responses to their wake ups steady. It can be easy to revert to feeding or rocking baby back to sleep during a developmental leap, which causes confusion and more sleep issues. However, it may be that your baby just needs some reassurance that you are there and they are okay rather than a full night waking routine.
The other best way to shorten developmental effects on sleep is to practice, practice, practice that new skill during wake time. If you think your baby may be going through a developmental leap, and sleep is affected, then watch our YouTube videos with helpful activities here:
Now let’s talk about the actual sleep regression.
FACT: The only leap that is directly related to sleep is the 4 month sleep regression.
This is where baby’s sleep cycle changes permanently from two phases to four phases. Where “drowsy but awake” used to work well, it actually has a negative effect after 4 months.
Once baby passes through the 4 month sleep regression, the first phase of sleep is drowsiness, and whatever is happening when baby gets drowsy is what they associate with needing to fall asleep every time.
It can have a lasting effect for babies who associate how to fall asleep with something that is out of their control, but is relatively short if baby associates falling to sleep with something they can do on their own.
If you feel that your baby (4 months and older) may be struggling with how to fall asleep confidently, and without your direct support, check out our free class on Teaching Your Baby to Sleep HERE
To learn more about developmental leaps and how to navigate them, check out my YouTube video!
Your main takeaway: Just because sleep suddenly changes doesn’t mean you’re back in the trenches. Follow our tips above for smooth sailing with sleep.
Happy navigating,
Anna