“My 2 / 2.5 / 3 year old, is going through a sleep regression, help!”
Firstly, what is a sleep regression?
A sleep regression is when your child wakes up in the middle of the night, or earlier than usual in the morning. Ideally, your toddler should be sleeping 12 hours at night, roughly 7pm-7am, with a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. A sleep regression has many forms at this age. Waking up at 11pm and coming to your bed / yelling for you, is a sleep regression. Waking at 3 am, is a sleep regression. Waking at 5am, is a sleep regression! Protesting naps and avoiding napping, is a sleep regression! Children should be napping 1x per day until 4-5 years old.
What should I do?
Stay consistent. And get back on track!
Do NOT feed into the regression and allow it to become your new normal.
This will be difficult, and it will suck… but guess what? No matter if your child is 8 weeks old or 2.5 years old, an entirely new sleep habit can be formed and set in THREE days! Set aside 3 consecutive nights / early mornings that are allowed to suck, and go all in. Consistency is EVERYTHING!
Stick to your “threats” and make the consequences stick. Anyone who tells you they’re going to take something away, but they never actually do it, then that empty threat just becomes white noise.
How can I avoid a regression?
Realistically, you cannot avoid a sleep regression. These regressions are part of brain-building for your children. But, with the right approach and tactics, you can lessen the duration of any regression and potentially eliminate the need for any harsh sleep training.
Independence | Independence | Independence | Independence | Independence | Independence
Your child should be in a toddler bed / crib lowered into daybed position, at 12-14 months. By 18months-2 years old, your child should be in their “big kid” bed. I.e. long term bed (full size or twin bed). The earlier transitions allows you to get the transition phase out of the way, while their sleep habits are still so moldable.
The more independence the easier it will be to get them back on track and upkeep their self-confidence! Independence starts in the early weeks of life, with learning to self-soothe! But, just because your newborn / infant / toddler never slept 12 hours before, doesn’t mean they can’t start now!
Why do regressions happen?
When your child’s brain is hyper focused on something new, it blocks out all else. Regressions happen when your child is in the peak of a developmental leap (I.e. 3m, 6m, 18m, 2yr, 2.5 yrs.). This is when your baby / toddler is learning big things and you are seeing noticeable changes in their personalities, activities, or speech. Regressions can also happen when a new sibling enters the house, you are potty training, a drastic schedule change / life changing event, (starting/switching school, moving, etc), or they are sick. (Ear infections easily go unnoticed until sleep regressions are coupled with “terrible” daytime behavior / temper tantrums.
These leaps are huge and noticeable. Your child starts moving, talking, walking, standing, excelling in speech, etc. If you’re noticing a sleep regression, try to focus on what they’re doing that is new and exciting and understand that with their growth, comes patience! Just remember, for babies and children to continue developing they need sleep!
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Restful nights, here you come!! You’ve got this!
Need more assistance? Do you feel like sleep training is just too much for you to do alone?
Call a specialist for a sleep training consult. Specialists are trained to come in and get your family back on track. Don’t go another sleepless night!
Overnight sleep training available for newborns- 4 months old. Highly recommend!
Consults required for babies 5m+. Overnight sleep training for 5m+ available for those who need a little more hands on.
