Why is my Baby Waking Up So Much?

Just when you think that you have mastered the art of baby sleep, bam, six months hits and all of a sudden your baby is sleeping like a newborn again. They are waking up at all hours of the night crying out for you; they want to be fed several times overnight; and they have stopped self-settling. What is the heck is going on and how do you get past this sleep deprived and frustrating step backwards? We’ve decoded the infamous six month sleep regression.

Why is Your Baby Waking Up So Much? –

A sleep regression occurs when your baby starts waking up much more than usual. For some parents, your baby may have slept through the night without waking once and is now waking up three or four times. For other parents your baby may have only needed a feed once a night and is now awake every hour on the hour, or more. Whatever the case, if your baby is now sleeping a lot worse than before, then it could be due to a sleep regression.

When Does a Sleep Regression Occur?

All babies are different but most mothers find that the worst sleep regression occurs around six months. However, other sleep regressions can come at 4 months, 9 months and continue. It all depends on where your child is developmentally.

What Causes Sleep Regression?

There are two main reasons for the six month sleep regression. The first is milestones. Around the age of six to nine months your baby will start to crawl, to sit up and even to stand up on her own. These new found skills are amazing to watch but they are even more amazing to practice. And thus your little one may continue to practice these skills all through the night. They may not even be fully awake when they are pulling themselves into the sitting position or crawling around the cot.

The second reason for sleep regression is separation anxiety. Around six to nine months your baby will start to become frightened when you are not around. Separation anxiety is a common problem for most babies and most children will grow out of it. If your baby does become quite upset when you leave the room, then they could be waking up in the night because you are not there. Coming in and letting them know that you are there can help them go back to sleep. Of course, doing it fifteen times a night can become extremely tedious.

How Can I Push Them Past This?

There are several ways to try and get your baby back into the habit of sleeping. Make sure they are on a set bedtime routine with a set bedtime each night. Teach them how to self-settle and go to sleep on their own. You may wish to leave them to cry for a little while but this depends on how comfortable you feel with this. In time, hopefully your baby will grow tired of practicing their new skills and will find sleep is better.

“It’s Just a Phase” Or Is It?

If you notice that your baby is just not getting any better at sleeping and the ‘phase’ is becoming a routine, then it may be time to look into sleep training. There are several different ways to sleep train your baby and what works for you will depend on your personal values and parenting style. However, if the sleep regression has been going on for more than one month, then it may be time to revisit the sleep training books and start the process all over again.