Sleep Regression 🥲

Imagine this:

You've had a long, fun, enjoyable day with your baby. Per usual, about 5:30pm you decide to start your little ones bedtime routine that consists of playtime, dinner, a bath, bedtime stories, and finally going to bed. At 7:00 pm you've laid your baby down to fall asleep and you close the door to the nursery. You're ecstatic that your baby has been sleep trained and sleeps so well throughout the night, at least 10-12 hours straight. You check your baby monitor and you see your baby has fallen asleep and now you realize that you have a few hours to yourself to enjoy your night before you go to bed. You feel accomplished, you've eaten dinner and practiced some self care, and as the night winds down, you get tired enough to put yourself to sleep.

Then.... WAHHHH, WAHHHH, WAHHHHHH (baby crying hysterically.) You wake up, look at the clock and its 12:00am. You've just fallen asleep maybe 2 hours ago and you're confused. Why is my baby awake right now? Why are they screaming like that? It's instinctual that you get out of bed to tend to your baby.

You walk in the room and you see your little one just laying there and you realize that your baby was completely fed throughout the day, is in clean clothing, a clean diaper, and at this point they should be nothing else but tired. You put the pacifier in your little ones mouth to help sooth them back to sleep, giving a few taps on their back, and then decide to leave the room now that they are calm. Finally, you can lay back down, snuggle under the covers, and get some much needed rest.

Then, at 12:45 am... WAHHHHH, WAHHHHH, WAHHHHHH (baby crying hysterically.) "AGAIN!?" "I thought the that the baby had fallen back asleep?" "Why won't they stop crying?" As a loving and caring parent you decide to get up once again to see what's what. You go through the same motions again - pacifier, taps on the back, and back to bed. You only hope you can actually stay asleep this time.

As you lay there to sleep, you only come to realize that just a few hours later the cycle repeats again in the middle of the night and potentially over the next few days or weeks.

Welcome to my life. 😫

Y'all, this is a true story of what my life has been like for the past few weeks and it's about as crazy as it actually sounds. I found out that Chaseton has been battling with 10 month sleep regression and if I'm completely honest, it is very hard to deal with.

You might be wondering, "what is sleep regression?" It is is a period of time, usually about two to four weeks, when a baby who’s sleeping well suddenly has trouble settling down for sleep or wakes up fussing in the middle of the night. (What to Expect, 2022) Sleep regression happens at a a few different stages such as 3-4 months, 6-8 months, and 10-12 months.

It can happen for a bunch of different reasons like...

• a growth spurt, making your baby hungrier then usual

• teething pain

• learning a new milestone (that they are excited to practice)

• an illness or infection

• seperation anxiety

But, no matter the reason, it all comes as a very hard experience to work through.

What I've learned (and hopefully will encourage you mamas out there) is to look at sleep regression as sleep progression. Basically, we must come to the understanding as parents that this is a good thing! (Despite the not so good moments of waking up every night.) It just signals that your baby is growing, developing, and learning so much and that we should shift our attitudes to celebrate these milestones as they come along.

It sounds hard, I know. I've had a hard time coming to terms with that truth myself. But, after trying this method of thinking and using these next few steps to help my baby get back to his sleep schedule, I am now proud to say our little guy is working his way back to a full nights sleep.

Steps to Help with Sleep Training Amid Sleep Regression

• Remind your baby that sleep is NON-NEGOTIABLE. During their bedtime routine make it clear that sleep is what is happening next until the morning.

• Keep your routine consistent. Try not to switch up anything from your normal nighttime routine. Ex: Don't start feeding your baby more milk or picking them up in the middle of the night. This will only teach them that if they cry, they will be coddled.

• Use reassuring words when they go to sleep. Say things like: I love you, get some rest, I'll be back to see you in the morning, etc.

• Let them cry it out if needed. If you must go in your babies room keep it short and simple. Go in and give them a pacifier, remind them you are still there and love them, and give a few pats on the back to calm them down. If they get hysterical again you MUST let them fight through it. They will eventually learn how to sooth themselves.

So, mamas and parents, I hope this was helpful for you and reminds you that you all are NOT alone when it comes to the stages of sleep regression. It can come on at any moment unexpectedly and I only pray that these steps and words of encouragement help you through it! Also, just think - one day our little ones won't be so little anymore and this will be nothing but a memory in the past.

But, until then... happy reading and I'll be back soon!

- Monie Mommy ♥️`