It is very common for your 8, 9, or 10 month old to have sleep problems. Maybe the sleep problems are new after your baby was sleeping through the night or maybe you feel like you never quite recovered from the 4 month sleep regression. This article will discuss what exactly is happening with your 8, 9, or 10 month old.
The reason I keep saying 8, 9, or 10 month old is because this sleep regression can happen at any of these ages, unfortunately. While many people tend to notice the 4-month sleep regression almost exactly at 3 1/2 to 4 months, the next sleep regression varies a bit more. This fussy period will often last for around 4 weeks, but it’s quite common for most regressions to last 3 to 6 weeks. I know all too well how 6 weeks can feel like an eternity, when you aren’t sleeping! With the 4-month sleep regression, your baby permanently changed how exactly she sleeps. With this sleep regression, it isn’t anything like that.
For the most part, the 8, 9, or 10 month old sleep regression is due to a lot of brain development. Your baby may be crawling, scooting, sitting up, pulling up, cruising, and so on. Your baby is also continuing to absorb your language and beginning to put things into categories, such as learning something is a cat, regardless of color or size. On top of the developmental milestones, many babies are also getting their first teeth or more teeth (it felt like, to me, your baby teethes for what feels like a constant two years).
8, 9, or 10 month old sleep
Your 8, 9, or 10 month old will still need 11-12 hours of sleep at night and 2-3 hours during the day, but as with all developmental milestones, night sleep can be disrupted while your baby is going through this developmental leap. Either they are too busy practicing their new skills (either by choice or impulsively) or their brain is just too wired to settle down (ever have a big meeting, graduation, wedding, or event the next day and can’t sleep?). Your 8 or 9 month old is also likely going through a nap transition and losing the third catnap (if he had it at all). As with most nap transitions, this makes your baby overtired and often even fussier than usual during this sleep regression. Finding a new age-appropriate baby nap schedule can be even more challenging during this sleep regression not only because of the nap transition but also due to the fact that the sleep regression can disrupt naps just like night sleep. Is he not napping because you are trying naps at the wrong time or is it because he is too busy practicing his new skill? Doubts can mount during this time and you might lose confidence in your parenting ability. Your baby might be clingier and fussier because she’s tired and these new changes can make her feel more insecure. Have no fear, there is likely nothing wrong with your parenting or your baby!
What to do about your 8, 9, or 10 month old’s sleep regression?
Do you do nothing because it’s a phase? Do you do hard-core sleep training? What do you do about your baby’s sleep during this sleep regression?
As usual, my answer is very practical. I do not agree with doing nothing nor being hard-core. My philosophy is that you don’t want to make or continue long-term habits for a short-term phase. There is a middle ground. If your baby is waking 3-10 times per night, for example, that is still usually excessive even during a sleep regression. That is not good for you and, most importantly, not good for your baby. When your baby can’t sleep for two hours at 1 a.m. due to uncontrollable standing in the crib, do you let her scream for two hours every night? No, that is not my philosophy, either.
Here are some tips to help you and your baby get through this sleep regression:
- Don’t assume everything is due to the sleep regression – If your baby had sleep problems at 5 months, 6 months, or 7 months, then it’s unlikely that it’s this sleep regression at the root of your sleep problems, now. You likely have a lingering problem that needs to be addressed.
- Don’t assume everything is teething – See above.
- If sleep problems are new to you, be careful about making a new long-term habit such as co-sleeping, if that’s not what you want. As I mentioned above, this could be as short as a 3-week phase, but new habits or routines can last for months or even years. Consistency is still important.
- Be patient – Your baby will only go through this particular developmental leap once (thankfully), so try to help her through it as best you can. Keep in mind that we can’t always remove our baby’s discomfort, but we can be there for support.
I hope this article gives you a glimpse of what your 8, 9, or 10 month old is going through. I still believe that a baby can learn how to sleep better during this time, but keep in mind it might not be perfect, and that is okay. You can still start to lay the foundation, create new routines, and build confidence in her abilities. Getting more sleep will help her cope with the changes and likely help with any additional fussiness, too. If she can’t nap well, but she’s sleeping well at night, that will help bridge the gap. The vice versa is also true if she’s having trouble sleeping at night, but napping better. Adding more sleep deprivation will usually only make this phase more difficult for all of you, so I don’t always recommend waiting it out, if it’s been months of sleep deprivation leading up to this point and can possibly be 6 more weeks and beyond (there is always something). I get e-mails every day from parents of babies of all ages and some parents of toddlers are still “waiting it out.” Just like it’s never a perfect time, usually, to have a baby, it’s sometimes never a perfect time to make a change in sleep habits.
For more details on handling the 8-10 month sleep regression, check out our special members-only resources in our Member’s Area:
- The 8-10 Month Sleep Regression Survival Guide [EXPANDED MEMBERS-ONLY EDITION]
- 8 Month Sleep Regression Case Study (With Breastfeeding Associations, Napping Problems, and Medical Concerns)
- Sleep Regressions Tele-seminar
- The 3-Step System to Help Your Baby Sleep e-book
Did you notice an 8, 9, or 10 month sleep regression? Tell us about it!
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Nuala Murray says
Hi,
My almost 11 month old slept perfectly up until last month (from 7pm until 8-9am). Now when I bring him to his cot at 7pm, despite being tired he becomes very active – crawling and pulling himself up in cot, which lasts up to an hour before he starts to relax but even then he fights sleeping and keeps rolling over and trying to get up. He’s also not napping great anymore (naps at 10.30 and 3pm). Is this just a regression ? I’ve started leaving him up until 9pm and then rocking him in my arms until he’s just asleep but even then once I place him in the cot he wakes and starts trying to stand etc. Once he’s asleep he doesn’t normally wake – maybe once a night but goes back pretty quickly. I’m out of ideas!
Danielle says
Hi Nuala,
Thank you for visiting The Baby Sleep Site! I’m sorry to hear your son is struggling with bedtime lately. Based on your description, you may be bumping into the 11 month sleep regression. We have an article on that here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-naps-2/12-month-olds-one-nap-transition/
This regression is usually pretty short, but it can be frustrating, so hang in there! If you’ve been dealing with bedtime trouble for more than a few weeks, you may instead be dealing with some trouble with your schedule. Babies who are overtired, or not tired enough will both have a lot of trouble falling asleep. We have a sample 11 month-old schedule here to help you troubleshoot: https://www.babysleepsite.com/schedules/11-month-old-schedule/
I hope this helps, but please feel free to email us at [email protected] if you have any other questions. Good luck!
Keely OKeefe says
My boy stopped sleeping through the night around 5 1/2 months. He would wake up around twice a night, I would give him his paci, and he would go back to sleep. He is now almost 10 months old and has started waking up 5-7 times a night, crying and refusing his paci. My husband has to go to work, and due to VERY limited space I can’t put him in another part of the house to cry it out, so I’m very hesitant to try it, especially since I’m concerned it may be separation anxiety in which case it seems kind of cruel. So, I end up nursing him and laying him back down (hopefully) before he falls asleep all the way. He always initially goes to sleep by himself both for naps (which, he is doing well thank God) and bedtime. I really fell like I need help. It is so hard to find a good yes or no on the internet. He is nursing more at night than during the day!!!!
Danielle says
Hi Keely,
Thank you for visiting us on the Baby Sleep Site today! I’m so sorry to hear that you’re dealing with so many night wake-ups! I’ve definitely been there, and I understand how hard it can be to sleep train when everyone’s sleeping in the same room. Based on your situation, it sounds like a no-cry or limited-cry sleep training method would be the best fit for you and your son, to help him fall back to sleep in the middle of the night when he wakes up, without your help. We have a sleep training article series with information about some methods you can try here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-training-from-no-cry-to-cry-series-part-1/
If you need more support, your case actually sounds like a great fit for one of our sleep consultations. A sleep consultant can work with you directly to create a personalized plan to help you night wean gently, reduce the night wakings, and which can help you be sensitive to separation anxiety and other milestones while still making progress on sleep. You can read more about our consultation options here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-toddler-sleep-consulting-services/, or feel free to email us at [email protected] if you have any questions at all!
jayne cartwright says
my son is one and still won’t sleep through the night he goes to bed at 8pm then awake by 12am then settle him back down and by 4.50am he is wide awake he only has two sleeps in the day and eats plenty off food don’t know what else to do help him sleep through the night
Danielle says
Hi Jayne,
Thank you for your comment! I’m sorry to hear that you’re having trouble with your toddler’s sleep – I know this age can be hard! Based on your description, it sounds like you may be dealing with a sleep association and/or a scheduling issue that is making it hard for your baby to sleep through the night on his own. We have information on sleep associations here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-association/
And we have a sample 1 year-old schedule here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/schedules/toddler-schedule/
The two-nap version is the right one for your son’s age, and just check to make sure the spacing between wake time, naps, and bedtime if roughly similar to our schedule, since sometimes letting a nap run too long, or too close to bedtime, can cause night-waking. I hope this helps, and please feel free to contact us with any questions!
Sophia says
My little boy is 8 1/2 months. Unfortunately he’s never slept more the 2 hours at a time. The usual routine is bath & bed at 7.30pm the he wakes 5-6 times before his first feed at 11.30pm then he’ll wake at 1.30 (sometimes stays awake in his cot for 2 hours) I give him his bottle and he sleeps till 6am then I bring him in with us and he snoozes till 7am. I get about 3 hours total a night as most my time is taken up with sitting next to the cot in the dark with my hand on him saying shhhhhhh shhhhhh. If I leave he stands nod screams.
He was diagnosed with CMPA at 3 months and has a dairy free diet. He also has silent reflux however we stopped meds at 6 months as the side effects made him even worse.
I’m completely exhausted after 8 1/2 months of no sleep and I also have a 4 year old to look after. I’m seeing my pead next week but I feel at a total loss and cry most days. I’m too tired to do anything especially for myself. Need help desperately.
Also he naps 2 a day 10.30-11.15 and then 3-4ish
Sophia
Katherine Benskey says
@Sophia I bet you are tired-I personally know how exhausting sleep troubles can be, especially when you have another child to care for! Many times when a little one is waking that often at night, it is due to a sleep association. This is where your son is relying on your support to fall back to sleep when he wakes. You might find it helpful to read more about sleep associations here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-association/
The goal is to help him learn how to fall back to sleep on his own. Some sleep training can help him learn how to do this. There are methods that range from no-cry to cry-it-out. You can read about the basics of sleep training and different methods here:
https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-training-from-no-cry-to-cry-series-part-1/
You may also want to check out this article on gentle sleep training tips: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/gentle-sleep-training/
We do have sleep consulting packages where you work one on one with a sleep consultant who will create a day by day plan based on your family’s unique history. We have worked with many little ones who have allergies and reflux. You can read more about and purchase any of our consultation packages here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-toddler-sleep-consulting-services/
Please do reach out and speak with someone if you are overwhelmed and upset; your medical provider can be a great resource. I know it can very difficult, but taking time for yourself when you can help as well.
Please feel free to email us at [email protected] if you have any other questions!
Sara says
Is it possible that a sleep regression started around 6.5-7 months? My son is 7.5 months now and has been struggling for a few weeks with napping and sleeping through the night more than usual. He’s inconsistent though. Between months 3-6 he did NEVER woke up more than once in a 12 hour night. It seems like ever since we started food it’s increased to at least once, and in the last few weeks usually twice, and last night three times. He’s never napped well at daycare (full time) but now that’s transitioning to home as well. He went through what i think was a growth spurt about 3-4 weeks ago where he was sleeping like a champ – 11-13 hours a night and 5-7 hours of naps a day. He then started crawling, standing, feeding himself with his bottles, cut four top teeth at once, and a few other small milestones. (He’s breastfed when not at daycare.) But since then it’s gone downhill. At about 6 months we cut him down one ounce of milk at all four bottle feedings, but are giving two feedings of pureed food every day. Could he be hungry? Any thoughts welcomed. Thanks!!!
Katherine Benskey says
@Sara This sleep regression is developmental, and some babies do reach this “milestones” earlier than other babies. However, you do mention that his sleep concerns seemed to coincide with starting solids. If your son is hungry, he could be waking at night to try to make up the calories. We generally recommend that babies still have 25-35 oz of breastmilk or 20-30 oz. formula (or combination), 2-3 oz. of water, along with 2-3 feedings of solids a day. We have launched our own site dedicated to baby food and when and how to start baby on solids. Here is the link: https://www.babysleepsite.com/
You might see if it answers all of your questions regarding feeding your son. You can always talk to your pediatrician, to ensure that your little one is eating enough throughout the day, as well.
Good luck and hope this helps!
Sophie says
My 9 month old was sleeping fine – 7:00pm-7:00am. He took three naps a day, one hour a piece. Then, I switched him to a food he did not like at all and he started waking up at random early morning hours. 2:00am then 5:30am… I bring him a bottle (formula fed now since I’m pregnant and not producing). But lately I think it’s not so much that he’s hungry from not eating as many solid foods temporarily, but he’s maybe developmentally just “crazy wide awake.” It’s been hard to say. We switched him back to his normal food that he enjoys, but he’s so tired still and naps during the day are TERRIBLE. I’m doubting everything. He will be yawning, rubbing his eyes and then I lay him down with our routine and he babbles, chirps, whines, and talks for an hour straight. I get him up and see if we can try again, but he’s even more awake than before. I try putting him down a little earlier the next time, then later. Sleep at night AND sleep during the day are not going well. Any ideas? Does this sound like lack of food/catching up on eating or does it sound like a regression?
Katherine Benskey says
@Sophie I am sorry to hear that your son’s sleep has been rough lately. Sometimes, starting solids can affect sleep, especially if it upset your little one’s tummy. However, early waking is often schedule related, and usually due to over tiredness. Our first recommendation would be to make sure that your son is on a good daytime schedule with a good bedtime as an overtired child has a more difficult time falling and staying asleep, which sounds like might be happening. An earlier bedtime, versus a later bedtime, can help solve the early waking. Here is a link to a sample schedule to use as a reference: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-sleep-feeding-schedules/
You can also create a custom schedule here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-toddler-schedule-maker/
This article discusses early rising, and you may also find it helpful: https://www.babysleepsite.com/how-we-sleep/baby-waking-too-early/
As you mentioned, there is also a sleep regression that occurs around this age that impact sleep as well. In this regression, a baby wants to practice their new skills. So, what better time than at night! One of the best ways to handle this regression is to allow a lot of play time during the day. Also, try not to create new sleep habits that will be troublesome in the future. You can read about it here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-sleep-patterns/8-9-10-month-old-baby-sleep-regression/
I’d like to also recommend our Members Area, which gives you access to all of our e-Books as well as tele-seminar recordings, case studies, and do-it-yourself tutorials, including many resources on early rising and sleep regressions! My favorite feature is the access to a “members only” expert chat sessions, where one of our sleep consultants will answer your specific questions live via chatroom! The Members Area subscription is very affordable, and available in a three month, six month, or twelve month membership. Members also receive 20% off of ALL personalized sleep consultation services, should you find that you would like more personalized assistance.
You can read more about the Members area here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/diy/
Hang in there!
Alicia Stifter says
Since our new baby was born in February, my husband has had to work out of town and only home once a month for 3 days. DUE to my missing him, I started a very bad habit of having baby co sleep. At about 6 months, I tried putting him in his crib. IT works for a bit, but he eventually wakes and comes back into the bed. Now that he is almost 9 months, my husband has moved us to Nevada and he is home every night, and little guy will only sleep for a couple of hrs before he wakes and refuses to sleep alone. I am researchig your site for help. I know I have caused this problem, but our first born is 11 yr old. We were hit with quite a surprise last year bc we were told we couldn’t have anymore children. I am blessed I know, but if I could just have a house with all of us having a restful night, I know it would help us all.
Katherine Benskey says
@Alicia It can be tough when you are home alone with a little one by yourself! It sounds like your son has created a habit of coming into your bed, in order for him to be able to sleep better, you will want to start as he is falling asleep and teach him to fall asleep without sleep associations (such as holding, rocking, or feeding him to sleep), if you are assisting him to fall asleep. If not, you would just start when he wakes up at night. You can begin to try and give a little less and less support to get him to sleep or back to sleep on his own, and gradually just your presence in the room, vocalizing a few key “sleep words” of your choice to cue him to go back to sleep. Keep in mind that in order to teach him that he can go to sleep and back to sleep on his own, you will need to be consistent and stick to the plan that you make. The goal is to have him fall asleep on his own, and be able to fall back to sleep on his own when he wakes, but this is a process that may take some time. Here is a link to an article about sleep associations that may help you understand his dependence on you:
https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-association/
And you can read this series of articles:
https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-training-from-no-cry-to-cry-series-part-1/
This series of articles gives an overview of sleep training techniques, and some helpful tips, so you can learn more about sleep training, and see what type of sleep training (if any) you would like to try.
Another recommendation would be to make sure that your son is on a good daytime schedule with a good bedtime as an overtired baby has a more difficult time falling and staying asleep. Here is a link to a sample schedule to use as a reference: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-sleep-feeding-schedules/
You can also create a custom schedule here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-toddler-schedule-maker/
If you would like additional help with this issue, I do believe you could benefit from one of our Personalized Sleep Consultation packages, where we will work with you on a detailed plan you can commit to and feel good about. All of our email consultation packages for new clients include a Personalized Sleep Plan, which is a small book written just for your family given your specific history, which you will share with your sleep consultant. You can read about all of our sleep consultation packages and purchase directly online here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-toddler-sleep-consulting-services/
Thank you for commenting and good luck!
Laura says
I’m having the same issue with my 9m old babygirl. I have a bedtime set and routline. At first she doing great and now is an of and on going thing. Her bedtime is at 9 or 930 the majority of the time some other day but rarely well be at 830. Every 2 or 3 hours she wakes up being fussy but once I feed bottle her she sleeps right away with the bottle and she does it again 2 or 3 hours later. My husband and I are exhausted. I don’t know what else to do. She baths before.
Danielle says
Hi Laura,
I’m sorry to hear you’re struggling with your little girl’s night sleep! Based on your comment, it sounds like you might be dealing with a sleep association. Most babies at this age don’t need to feed so often at night, but will wake up due to a sleep association with the breast or bottle. We have an article on sleep associations here to help: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-association/
Often sleep training to remove the sleep associations can be really successful. We have an article series outlining different methods, from no-cry on, here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-training-from-no-cry-to-cry-series-part-1/
I hope these links will help, but if you continue to have trouble and want to work on reducing night waking, an Express Sleep Plan might be a good fit for your family. You can read more about that here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/express-sleep-plan/
Or email us at [email protected], and we’d be happy to talk in more detail about your situation! Good luck with everything, and thanks for your comment!
Anneliese says
Yep going through this right now! She’s dropped her afternoon catnap and is all over the place. I am struggling with knowing what to do with her. She seems overtired at 6 which was always her bedtime. She then wakes at 11.30 for a feed and again around 3am, although sometimes she will make it through til 5 or 5.30. Regardless, she wakes at that time which is so early! I’m ALWAYS tired. I’m determined to stop the night breast feeding, it’s just easier than listening to her scream. She’s having 2 day sleeps of about an hour. She will always wake by 2pm though and 2-6 pm seems like such a long time which is why I think she screams every night when I try to put her to bed at 6. Often she won’t settle til 7. Not sure whether I’m doing things right but it feels like she’s not getting enough sleep at night?
Danielle says
Hi Anneliese,
I’m sorry to hear that you’re dealing with the regression! This is a really tough one. We do have a few resources that might help, including this survival guide on how to get through it here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-regression-2/the-8-10-month-sleep-regression-survival-guide/
I don’t think you mentioned your little one’s age, but if she’s around 9 months, she may be going through the transition to 2 naps as well. Many babies switch right around 9 months. If so, she will be a little tired for a few weeks as she transitions, but this is normal, and getting her on a 2 nap schedule might help. We have a sample 9 month-old schedule here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/schedules/9-month-old-baby-schedule/
And an article on nap transitions here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-naps-2/how-to-manage-baby-toddler-nap-transitions/
I hope these links will help you, but our sleep consultants are here if you need more personalized help: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-toddler-sleep-consulting-services/
Good luck with everything!
Sara says
My baby is 11 month old but still getting up at night after every hour or two. During her morning naps too..check every time if some with her or not then goes to sleep again..sometimes cry n when I breastfeed her sleeps again
Jessica Diller says
@Sara I’m sorry that your little one is still having trouble with sleep. It’s possible that she may have developed a sleep association during her regression that is keeping her from putting herself to sleep, or soothing herself back to sleep when she wakes. You might find this article about sleep associations helpful: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-association/
And if you haven’t already, I recommend signing up for our free guide “5 Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night.” It will give you great advice about why your baby may be waking at night, and how to help your child. It also addresses naps, bedtimes, and bedtime routines, which are all factors in helping your baby fall asleep and stay asleep. Here is a link to the free guide: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-through-night-free-ebook/
I hope that this information helps. Best of luck!