Sleep Regressions Explained

Just when you think you’ve finally found a rhythm with your baby’s sleep, it suddenly falls apart. The nights become longer, naps get shorter, and settling becomes a battle you didn't see coming. If this sounds familiar, you’ve likely stumbled into what’s commonly known as a sleep regression. It can feel incredibly disheartening, leaving you exhausted and wondering what you’ve done wrong. As a Maternal Health Nurse, I want to reassure you: you’ve done nothing wrong. In fact, these periods of unsettled sleep are not really ‘regressions’ at all. They are ‘progressions’—a sign that your baby's brain and body are going through a major, healthy developmental leap. Their sleep is disrupted not because they’ve forgotten how to sleep, but because their world is expanding in exciting new ways. These phases often coincide with big milestones like rolling, crawling, talking, or significant changes in how their sleep cycles work. Understanding what’s happening developmentally can transform your experience from one of frustration to one of empowerment. This guide, and our tracker, is designed to help you identify which window you’re in and give you the tools to support your baby and yourself through it. Why this matters Reframing a ‘sleep regression’ as a ‘sleep progression’ is more than just a change in words; it’s a change in perspective that can profoundly impact how you respond to your baby. When you see unsettled sleep as a byproduct of healthy growth, it becomes easier to offer the patience and comfort your baby needs, rather than feeling pressured to ‘fix’ a problem that doesn’t exist. A baby’s brain is working incredibly hard. When it’s mastering a new skill—like understanding object permanence or figuring out how to get from their tummy to their back—it’s on fire with new connections. This cognitive burst doesn’t just switch off at night. Babies often practise their new skills in their cot, leading to more frequent waking. You might see them attempting to sit up, babble, or even crawl in the middle of the night. You can see which skills are on the horizon with our Development Milestone Tracker , which often helps explain why sleep has gone haywire. Knowing that these phases are temporary and linked to positive development helps you ride the wave. Instead of introducing rigid sleep training methods that may not be appropriate during a period of change, you can f…