06/30/2026
Raise your hand if your baby’s been in a “regression” for 18 months... 🙋🏼♀️😂
🚫 Unpopular opinion : it’s not a regression every time sleep is off the rails.
👉🏼The only true sleep regression is at 4 months - a permanent change in your baby’s sleep as their brain matures. 🧠✨
Why does it feel like sleep is going backwards then??
👏🏼 These tiny humans are constantly growing, developing and hitting new milestones.
Learning a new skill → sleep gets weird.
Wave, clap, crawl, stand, breathing the same air as you… it all counts. 🤣
New skill = messy sleep(temporarily). 🤪
✨ More night wakes
✨ Nap resistance
✨ Early mornings
✨ Suddenly acting like sleep is a brand-new concept 😅
⭐️ 8 weeks (maternal melatonin decreases, babe doesn’t have their own sleepy hormone yet)
⭐️4 months (the ONLY permanent change in sleep)
⭐️8-10 months (practicing new skills - crawling, sitting up, standing etc., 3-2 naps, separation anxiety)
⭐️12 - 15 months (2-1 naps)
⭐️18 months (becoming independent, separation anxiety)
⭐️2 years (big developmental changes, maybe potty training & independence !!! )
These phases can last 2–4 weeks (although every baby is different!). These developmental stages do not mean your babe CANT sleep - but sometimes it can be disrupted briefly.
🫶🏻The best way through:
▫️Adjust awake time as sleep needs change.
▫️Practice new skills during the day.
▫️Offer extra feeds during growth spurts.
▫️Stick with a consistent bedtime and nap routine.
▫️Lean into the cuddles - they need you.
✨ And remember: a healthy sleep foundation can make these developmental bumps much easier to navigate.
**Pay attention to 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙨. 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 & 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚.** We have to adapt with them as they grow!! Aka MORE awake time is key.
If you’ve been blaming a “sleep regression” every few months... chances are it’s actually something else. 😉
(And nope... it’s probably still not teething. 😂)