1. Home
  2. Stages

Toddler sleep regression: What it is, and how you may be able to fix it

By

Just when you’ve finally remembered how good sleeping through the night feels — bam! — toddler sleep regression hits.

It can feel like you’re back to square one waking up at all hours of the night but now you have a child who can talk back and jump around if they’re left alone when they don’t want to be. They may even be able to crawl out of the crib or toddler bed so they can run out of the room, unlike your infant, who now in retrospect, seems like an angel.

Recommended Videos

What is happening to your darling little one and — even more importantly — how can you get it to stop? We have data and advice on the dreaded 18-month-old sleep regression below.

Pixel-Shot / Shutterstock

What causes toddler sleep regression?

“It’s more of a sleep maturation or evolution than a regression,” says pediatrician Dr. Phil Boucher of Lincoln, Nebraska, who calls sleep regressions an “entirely normal and an expected part of development.”

Babies and toddlers go through sleep regressions — periods when their usual sleep schedule is interrupted — at expected times when they take developmental leaps forward. They find new independence, gain new skills, and other disruptions and changes in their lives that have such a big effect that it keeps them up at night. Before toddlerhood, babies’ expected sleep regression periods happen at 4 months, 6 months, and 8 months old.

Around 18 months is one of the typical growth spurts where a growth hormone releases more than usual and this can disrupt the toddler’s naps and nighttime sleep. Toddlers may also be experiencing separation anxiety and teething at this age, which can also make it harder to sleep.

No matter the cause, it’s a natural stage of child development. It may seem far from a good thing, but it’s a positive sign your child is growing up on a typical schedule.

It usually lasts two to six weeks before things go back to normal. How long it lasts can be shorter or longer depending on how you handle it.

Irina Wilhauk / Shutterstock

What can I do about toddler sleep regression?

The 12-month, 18-month, or 2-year sleep regressions can last even longer if you instill bad sleep habits during these times, so stay consistent throughout these difficult two to six weeks to make sure it lasts as short a time as possible. You also want to ensure you don’t start bad habits that last for months or years to come. While you can’t stop the regression from happening entirely, there are strategies you can use that can help.

“Good sleep hygiene helps sleep regression and other sleep disturbances,” says Dr. Elisa Basora-Rovira, a pediatric sleep medicine physician. This means having a consistent bedtime routine, a quiet, cool, and dark bedroom, and no screen time before bed or in bed.

The bedtime routine might be bath-PJs-story-song every night, and it should always follow the same pattern to cue that it’s now time to go to sleep. You can incorporate your toddler’s new sense of independence into the bedtime routine by letting them choose the pajamas and the story.

It’s important to model being calm throughout the process of getting ready for bed, even if your toddler is fussing. Bedtime routines don’t need to be fancy (if they didn’t involve a bath every night before, you don’t need to force that now just for the sake of it), they just need to be consistent.

Closing thoughts on toddler sleep regression

Sleep regression is triggered by big life changes for your toddler, so if their sleep is already disrupted, now is not the time to introduce a new big change, such as potty training or moving from a crib to a toddler bed. Save those transitions that you have a choice about for another time. Try to keep the whole day’s routine as consistent as you can while the regression lasts.

Remember, this is a very temporary time and one of the last times you should have a sleep disturbance with your child before night wakings are over. It may be frustrating, but stay consistent and keep calm. Your child will follow your lead, and if you get upset over their sleep difficulties in front of them, it will only make things worse. Take care of yourself through this time, so you can be as calm as possible for your toddler.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Sarah Prager
Contributor
Sarah is a writer and mom who lives in Massachusetts. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, National…
How do you determine fetal weight? Use an estimated fetal weight calculator
Here's why estimated fetal weight is important

Expectant parents are curious about every aspect of their unborn child. Whether it's finding out the gender or using those 3d sonogram images to see if the baby has hair, there's endless fascination in finding out everything possible before the baby is born, and that includes birth weight. Knowing how much your baby weighs while in the womb isn't just a good way to help mentally prepare for childbirth, but it's also an important marker for fetal development that can impact wellness outcomes during childhood and adolescence.

Low birth weight can affect brain development in infancy and childhood, as studies have shown that it impacts cerebral cortex development well into adolescence. The cerebral cortex is the area of the brain responsible for functions such as consciousness, thought, emotion, reasoning, language, and memory. It's a pretty big deal.

Read more
What is nesting? Everything you need to know about this totally normal behavior
From feathery moms to human moms, nesting is a part of preparing for having a baby

From strange food cravings to constant body changes to not being able to tie your shoes, pregnancy brings about quite a few interesting shifts in life. One part of pregnancy that might seem to come out of nowhere is a fun stage called "nesting." If a vision of a bird prepping a nest for their little ones comes to mind, you are on the right track. It is along the same lines, but for people. Here's what nesting means when it doesn't relate to furry or feathery animals.

Nesting basics
What nesting is
From squirrels to cats, moms-to-be of various species have the need to create a space for their little one's arrival. Nesting is the urge to organize, clean, and prep the home for baby. It's that second wind feeling mom feels to get everything ready. And to double-check everything is ready. And maybe triple-check.
When nesting starts
A woman might feel the urge to start nesting toward the end of pregnancy or the third trimester, but it could hit in the fourth trimester. The feeling could come a few weeks before the baby's due date or as late as the week before. Every pregnancy is different, so the exact week varies, but if you are past the second trimester, the urge to redo the house isn't too far away.
Why nesting happens
The surge of adrenaline, hormones, and estrogen during the third trimester gives pregnant women a burst of energy to get things done. There's also the evolutionary factor where a mother is getting ready to protect their young.

Read more
How to relieve constipation in your toddler safely
Tips to help your toddler with this common issue

No one likes feeling constipated, and that includes toddlers. Fortunately, there are ways to relieve constipation in your toddler safely. It can be easy for toddlers to suffer from constipation and if parents don't help them alleviate the discomfort, it can lead to a very cranky little one. It requires patience, but how to help toddlers with constipation can be far less intense than it seems.

Constipation can be caused by not drinking enough water, not eating enough fiber, getting sick, taking certain medicines, stress, or deliberately holding in stool during potty training because it hurts. It could also happen if they are scared of the potty, they don't want to stop playing to go, or it might be a control issue. Thankfully, several simple solutions ensure this issue doesn't drag on or get worse.

Read more