is there an 8-month sleep regression?
Throughout your child's life, you will experience phases where their sleep is disrupted. It could happen when a new routine is introduced—like starting childcare or going on holiday—or when your child reaches a new milestone.
Many times, parents jump to the conclusion that it must be a sleep regression. However, as explained in our post about the four-month regression, not every sleep disruption needs to be challenging. Unlike the 4-month regression, where your child transitions from 2 to 4 stages of sleep, which can result in several tough nights as they adjust, other sleep regressions, like the 8-month one, are often short-lived—as long as you continue practicing good sleep hygiene.
Signs of the 8-Month Sleep Regression
A sleep regression looks different for every child. In some, this might show up as resistance to bedtime. In others, it could mean waking up in the middle of the night or taking shorter naps. Sometimes, it may simply feel "off" to you as a parent.
Why Does the 8-Month Sleep Regression Happen?
While the 4-month sleep regression involves a significant change in your child’s sleep cycle, the 8-month sleep regression is typically linked to developmental milestones. Here are some reasons why your child might be experiencing disrupted sleep around this age:
Physical Milestones: At around 8 months, many babies start crawling or pulling to stand. Their brains are buzzing with excitement as they master these new skills. This can lead to middle-of-the-night wakefulness or bedtime resistance as they want to keep practicing. Give your child plenty of opportunities to practice during the day.
Cognitive & Emotional Milestones: Around this time, children start to understand object permanence—they realize that things can exist even when they’re not visible. This newfound awareness can lead to separation anxiety, making it harder for them to settle down at night. Additionally, some babies become more vocal at this age, and the increased brain activity can disrupt their sleep.
It’s also common to see distracted eating around this time. Don’t lose heart; your child will likely get back on track if you stick to good habits.
When Does the 8-Month Sleep Regression End?
The good news is that the 8-month sleep regression is temporary. If you’ve worked hard to establish good sleep habits, take comfort in knowing that as long as you maintain those habits, allow your child to practice their new skills during the day, and offer lots of love and support, their sleep should return to normal soon.
How to Maintain Sleep Habits During the 8-Month Sleep Regression
All the good sleep hygiene practices you’ve put in place should remain consistent. If your child has been falling asleep independently, now is not the time to start picking them up, rocking them, or feeding them to sleep. Stay the course—it’s your job as the parent to maintain those boundaries.
It’s also important to ensure that your child’s wake windows are appropriate. Sometimes, children may resist sleep if they are over- or under-tired. By continuing to monitor their sleep needs and adjusting as necessary, you can help your child navigate this regression with as little disruption as possible.
Other FAQs about the 8-month baby sleep regression
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Similar to the 4-month sleep regression, you might find that your child will wake up more frequently in the night, resist bedtime and naps, have increased separation anxiety, and also show signs of hitting new milestones.
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At 8 months old, your child should be taking 2 naps (1-2h per nap) and a total of 12-14h in a 24-h clock. Wake window at this age should be 3h.
Example of schedule: 7am wake up / 10-11am nap 1 / 2-4pm nap 2 / 7-730pm bedtime
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It is tough to decipher between sleep regressions and teething. However, it is easy to suspect that it is teething. In this case, it would work against the parent to always imagine that teething is the cause of poor sleep as you can suspect teething for 2+ years of your child's life.
Even if your child is teething, it is important to follow good sleep hygiene practices like allowing him/her to go to sleep independently.
