When your 8 month old wakes up every two hours, it can be exhausting and frustrating! While waking once a night can be normal for some 8 month old babies, it’s not typical for a baby to wake up multiple times a night. Find solutions to your baby’s sleep problems and learn why your 8 month old wakes up every 2 hours, right here, based on my 15+ years as a baby sleep consultant.
In this article:
- How Much Sleep Your 8 Month Old Needs
- Reasons Your Baby is Waking Up Every 2 Hours (or Every Hour)
- How to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night
- More Sleep Help for Your 8 Month Old
How Much Sleep 8 Month Old Babies Need
Most 8 month old babies need 10-12 hours of sleep at night and 2-3 hours during the day. In total, most babies this age need 14 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period.
Is your baby sleeping less or more than this? That’s okay! All babies are different, some will fall above, and some will fall below the average amount of sleep. If your baby is happy and thriving, please don’t worry about it! However, if your baby is showing overtired signs, consider trying a new schedule to encourage more sleep.
How Many Naps Does an 8 Month Old Need?
Most babies will drop from three naps to two naps at 8 months old. Therefore, most babies take three naps when they start the eighth month, but will be taking just two naps by the time they are 9 months old.
How Many Night Wakings at 8 Months?
Many 8 month olds can sleep through the night, especially if they are formula-fed. Most formula-fed babies sleep through the night by around 6 months old.
What if you’re breastfeeding? Breastfed babies, on the other hand, typically wake up once a night at 8 months old and then go right back to sleep.
If your baby is waking up multiple times a night, it is for another reason besides hunger! I remember when my son was waking up every 1-2 hours all night long, I was exhausted and depressed. I’m happy to share my experience with you, so you can solve your baby’s sleep problems faster than I did.
Reasons Your 8 Month Old Wakes Up Every 2 Hours
There are several reasons why your 8 month old wakes up every 2 hours:
Hunger
First and foremost, you should make sure your baby is not hungry. From growth spurts to learning to be more mobile, a baby’s intake can increase rapidly. Be sure to offer enough milk and solid food. Most babies this age need to drink milk at least 4-5 times per day and eat at least two solid meals per day.
8 Month Sleep Regression
If your baby used to sleep well and is not any longer, the most likely reason is due to the 8 month sleep regression. This regression typically starts at 8 months old and lasts for 3 to 6 weeks, on average. This baby sleep regression is a temporary phase during which your baby will wake a lot at night and take short naps. Most of the time, babies are learning new skills such as crawling or standing in the crib.
It’s often a miserable time for everyone, unfortunately. But, if you have the right information, it will only be temporary.
Sleep Associations
If your baby has never slept well, then undoubtedly, your baby likely has sleep associations that involve a parent. Sleep associations aren’t “bad.” We all have them. However, when a baby has a sleep association that depends on something a parent must do over and over and over, they wake up for it. Below are common examples of sleep associations that cause babies to wake often at night:
- Eating (breastfed or bottle)
- Rocking or Bouncing
- Driving in a car
- Being held
- Patting their back or bottom
- Sucking on a pacifier (that falls out)
Separation Anxiety
At around 4-7 months old, your baby learns object permanence. This means they know an object exists even when they can’t see it. This includes people. When they are apart from you, they don’t know when you will come back and start to feel anxious about it.
When babies wake at night, especially if they aren’t comfortable, they may feel anxious that you aren’t in the room with them. Some babies wake up at night and want reassurance you’re nearby. Consider that we all wake between sleep cycles. While your baby might have gone right back to sleep before, they may now want to get reassurance you’re close by.
Schedule Problems
We talked above about how babies usually take two naps by the time they turn 9 months old. Many 8 month olds will wake up every two hours at night because they are going through this nap transition. When they are awake for long periods before bedtime, babies tend to get overtired and wake frequently at night. This is true even if they don’t have sleep associations and aren’t feeling anxious. Schedule adjustments can lead to babies this age waking a lot at night.
How to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night
Getting your 8 month old to sleep through the night can be done. Below are a few sleep tips based on my 15+ years of experience as a sleep consultant:
Fix Your 8 Month Old’s Sleep Schedule
One of the best things you can do for any baby at any age is put them on an age-appropriate schedule. To help your baby sleep better, stick to 8 month old wake windows and put them on an 8-month old sleep and feeding schedule.
Change Sleep Associations
If you are feeding, rocking, bouncing, or patting your baby to sleep, it’s a good idea to change their sleep associations. Try bouncing and rocking less gradually. Reduce their dependency on YOU to sleep. Of course, not all babies like changing their sleep habits but with your patience and loving touch, you can teach your baby how to sleep differently. We call this gentle sleep coaching. The more your baby can put themself back to sleep, the less likely your 8 month old will wake every two hours at night.
More Sleep Help For Your 8 Month Old
If you need more help for your baby’s sleep, you’re in the right place! We have over 500 articles on this website to do just that. Below are a few resources that could help:
