8-month sleep regression

What It Means

The 8-month sleep regressionSleep regressionA stretch when a baby or toddler who was sleeping fairly well starts waking more at night or fighting sleep, usually for a week or two. See more is what parents call a spell of more night waking or harder bedtimes somewhere around 8 to 1010,000 stepsA popular daily step goal that began as the name of a 1960s Japanese pedometer; later studies find health benefits begin well below it. See more months. It comes from everyday parenting language, and no pediatric body sets its age or length. What the official sources do describe at this age is a lot of change at once: separation anxiety, pulling up to standPulling to standWhen a baby grips something steady, like furniture or your hands, and pulls themselves up from sitting or kneeling to standing. See more, and the late-afternoon nap dropping off, any of which can unsettle sleep for a while.

How Parents Say It

• "She stands up in the crib and then just yells."
• "He's fine until I walk out of the room."
• "I think we're dropping the third nap."

The Breakdown

What the sources say happens around this age

What helps

• If your baby stands in the crib and cries, show them during the day how to bend their knees to get down, as HealthyChildren.org suggests.
• For separation anxiety, HealthyChildren.org says a child may need reassurance several times a night while it lasts.
• Keep naps and bedtime on a steady routine as the nap count changes.

When to talk to the doctor. Call your pediatrician if the worse sleep lasts well past a week or two, if your baby seems ill, or if you have any concern about how your baby moves or develops.

Good to Know

Before your baby learns to stand, HealthyChildren.org says to set the crib mattress at its lowest position, so your baby can't lean on the rail or pull themselves over it. Cleveland Clinic says a regression typically lasts a week or two. CDC places each milestone at the age by which 75% or more of children reach it, so some children reach a skill later than others, and CDC recommends talking with your child's doctor about any concern.

Related Terms and Categories

• Sleep regression

  A stretch when a baby or toddler who was sleeping fairly well starts waking more at night or fighting sleep, usually for a week or two.

• Pulling to stand

  When a baby grips something steady, like furniture or your hands, and pulls themselves up from sitting or kneeling to standing.

• Nap transition

  The stretch when a child drops a daytime nap, such as going from three naps to two, from two to one, or from one to none.

• Developmental milestones

  Skills most children can do by a certain age, like rolling over or waving bye-bye. CDC places each at the age 75% or more of children reach it.

Baby and toddler