“My newborn baby was sleeping so well…what happened??”
Sound familiar? We hear this all. the. time. Our answers vary, depending on the unique baby in question. In our experience, the answer can be anything from teething to illness to temperament to the birth of a new sibling to a nap transition.
But often, our answer is – sleep regression.
Common Sleep Regressions
Generally, we offer up a diagnosis of sleep regression for babies and toddlers who are the following ages:
- 4 months (read about the 4 month sleep regression)
- 8-10 months (read about the 8/9/10 month regression)
- 12 months (read about the 12 month sleep regression)
- 18 months (read about the 18 month sleep regression)
- 2 years (read about the 2 year sleep regression)
6 Week Sleep Problems
But recently, we’ve been hearing more and more from parents about their 6-week old babies going through what seems like a sleep regression. Their baby was sleeping pretty well (for a newborn, anyway).
But, around 6 weeks old, mom and dad are up every hour and the baby is feeding constantly…what gives?
Is this a 6-week sleep regression, or is it something else?
Sleep Regression Signs and Symptoms
First, let’s start with the definition of ‘sleep regression’. Remember, a sleep regression generally describes a phase or season in which a baby who normally sleeps well suddenly starts waking more often at night and refusing naps (or taking very short naps) – for no apparent reason at all.
Common signs of a sleep regression include:
- Increased fussiness and crying (aka major crankiness!)
- Increased night waking and/or shortened or missed naps
- Changes in appetite
- Extra clinginess and a need for more cuddle time
6 Week Sleep Regression, or 6 Week Growth Spurt?
If your 6-week old baby is currently struggling to sleep well, you may be looking at that list and nodding your head – it may be that your baby has all those symptoms!
But here’s the thing to remember – most babies also go through a pretty pronounced growth spurt at 6 weeks, too. And, that growth spurt will likely have your baby waking more often, and seeming to be fussier than usual, simply because your baby will be hungrier than usual, and will need more feedings.
So which is it? Sleep regression, or growth spurt?
Both, actually – it’s a double whammy!
In addition to a short, 2-3 day (or perhaps 1 week) growth spurt at 6 weeks, most babies also experience something that Dr. Weissbluth calls “the peak of fussiness”. By 6 weeks of age, most babies are growing out of their drowsy newborn state, and are starting to perk up and notice the world. And that world is quite overwhelming for them – so many sights and sounds and smells! What’s more, all that observing can really wear a baby out, causing overtiredness and increased fussiness.
If your 6 week old is struggling with sleep, it’s most likely due to this one-two punch – the 6 week growth spurt AND that 6 week “peak of fussiness.” (Of course, you’ll want to rule out illness or another source of discomfort first, if your baby is extra-fussy around 6 weeks.)
6 Week Sleep Regression – How Long Will It Last?
Take comfort in the fact that this phase won’t last long – the growth spurt will last just a few days, and even the “peak of fussiness” will last about a week or so and then gradually improve. It’s not nearly as long as a regular sleep regression.
Once this phase passes, you should see your baby’s sleep improve again (that is, until the 4 month sleep regression hits!).
Nicole’s Note
“I remember when my first son was about 6 weeks old. We were losing it with his fussiness! I was juuuust about to cut dairy from my diet, just in case it was that, when I let Weissbluth’s words ring in my head that fussiness peaks at 6 weeks. For us, it was SO true! It slowly started to get better at 7 weeks and beyond. I’m so glad I didn’t cut out dairy unnecessarily since I didn’t think life would be as good without cheese. However, ironically, when I turned 38, I became lactose intolerant anyway! Strange, but true. So, I am dairy-free now, but now it’s to avoid really bad stomach pain, which is actually far worse than my son’s fussiness was. :)”
6 Week Old Baby Sleep Tips
When it comes to soothing your baby during the 6 week baby growth spurt, you’ll want to stick with gentle techniques – your 6 week old baby is still a newborn, after all!
For more help with your 6-week-old, you may be interested in these resources:
- Essential Keys To Your Newborn’s Sleep
- 10 Tips to Help Your Newborn Sleep
- How to Get Your 5, 6, or 7 Week Old to Sleep
- 5 Reasons Your Baby Won’t Nap
6 Week Old Baby Sleep Resources and Personalized Help
For do-it-yourself sleep coaching help, check out our VIP Members Area, packed with exclusive content and resources: e-Books, assessments, detailed case studies, expert advice, peer support, and more. It actually costs less to join than buying products separately! And this is one baby sleep resource that will grow with your child. Our member resources are designed to help you during the newborn stage, as well as the baby and toddler stages!
Need help encouraging your newborn to sleep better, and to sleep longer stretches at night and during the day? We have a great resource designed to do just that. Check out Essential Keys to Your Newborn’s Sleep, the latest e-Book from The Baby Sleep Site®.
Interested in personalized, one-on-one help for your newborn? Why not consider one of our personalized sleep consulting packages? Our consultations allow you to work directly with us, and to get a Personalized Sleep Plan™ just for you!
Browse our sleep support packages here.
This is so interesting as my baby has slept through the night from the start. Most nights for 5 then 4 hour stretches for the first week, then 7-8 hours and by 4 weeks she was sleeping 10-11 hours straight near enough every night (9.30pm- 8am ish). We couldn’t believe it, none of my other 3 children slept like that as a newborn. She would also nap in the day with one good long sleep around midday/early afternoon. We thought we had it cracked. Two days shy of the 6 week mark and all change! For the last 3 days/nights she has been waking up at 5am and struggling to settle again. She is not sleeping in the day for longer then 10-15 minutes at a time either. This is from morning til her last bottle around 9pm. She has been mix fed from the second week as breast milk didn’t seem to be filling her up. It started with a top up bottle at night gradually increasing to 3-4 top up bottles a day by week 5. She’s constantly hungry. She’ll feed for up to an an hour on the breast and drink 3-4 ounces of formula straight after. She’s now feeding all the time and drinking 5oz of formula afterwards. I assumed I just can’t fill her up because she’s getting bigger and was even contemplating early weaning, but now I’ve read this article I’m hoping it will pass. Thank you for this, it’s very reassuring as I was wondering what happened to my content baby!
Hi @Jane – Thanks for writing to us! We are so glad that the article was helpful! Hang in there and we hope that things improve soon too!
This explains everything we are going through!!!! She turned six weeks on Sunday and that’s when it all started. I could not get her down for naps. I resorted to the carrier which got her about 30 minutes. Then she cried non stop for 4 hours. No consoling was working. She reluctantly slept all night (I know they say that doesn’t correlate to her not sleeping all day but it has to!!) the next few days were just as awful, getting about 1-2 hours total nap time. I tried all the tricks. She gives me all the sleep cues but just won’t go down. Luckily her night time sleep has been okay. Normally she wakes 1-2 times a night on the regular. I want my napping baby back! It breaks my heart that she cries and there is nothing i can do! I just have to keep telling myself it’s over soon!
Hi @Megan – Thanks for writing and for sharing your struggles with us! Hang in there, do what you can to get her to nap however you can, and try and sneak in a little rest yourself, and do know that this will soon pass! Hope things smooth out quickly!
Yes this is exactly what we are experiencing. We are 6 and a half weeks with my little one. This week has been something else, light sleeping, short naps, loud fussiness and waking up much more often in the night is unlike him. Good to hear we aren’t the only ones going through it and can expect it to be over soon.
@Sara – Hang in there!
Yes I have definitely been experiencing this today. I was so pleased at how well he was napping and sleeping yesterday and today literally one 1 hour nap and up the rest of the day with 5 to 10 min cat naps. Thanks a lot for this info. It’s great to know what’s going on.
@Christina, we are glad we could help you navigate through the phase your little one is in! Congrats on your new baby!
Yess my baby is 6 weeks old and no sleeping really during the day and late bedtime he up finally sleeping after many attempts was glad to stumble on this article because it all makes sense now!! Thank u so much!!
Hi @Rachel – We’re SO happy to hear that this article has been helpful! Thanks for taking the time to write, and keep reading!! : )
45 days old,sleeping from 10 pm to 5 am with a single or double time feed. Day time sleep reduced and crying
Hi @Dev G, thank you for using the Baby Sleep Site as a resource for sleep! Congratulations on your new baby. If you haven’t downloaded our free guide for new parents, you can sign up to receive it here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/15-free-baby-sleep-facts-new-parents-must-know/
I hope this helps!