how to manage 18 month sleep regression
You always hear comments about TERRIBLE TWOS, but for ME, I always struggled with age one… specifically 18 months! But there is a reason to why this age can be so difficult and that is because your little one is having many cognitive developments. Your little one’s language is growing, they may be running & jumping and they also may be experiencing separation anxiety.
Now add the fact that they’re not sleeping and it will seem very difficult to manage (for you and them).
what causes 18 month sleep regression
18 month sleep regression signs
can 18 month sleep regression start early
is 18 month sleep regression real
18 month sleep regression separation anxiety
18 month sleep regression early waking
how long can 18 month sleep regression last
18 month sleep regression controlled crying
how to survive 18 month sleep regression
What causes 18 month sleep regression?
So why does the 18 month sleep regression happen? We know what sleep regressions are: a period of time when your baby’s sleep patterns change. It is a temporary set back from your normal sleep habits. It is a time when your baby would typically be sleeping but they are awake more during the night and are having a hard time going BACK to sleep! Sleep regressions also present itself in naps!
Usually regressions are tied to physical or cognitive developments, a brief period of time where development rules over sleep and you’re just in a funky phase. But you come out of the other side with a child who can do more fun things and/or understand more things! So it’s not a total loss. 😅
At 18 months, there may be a huge language burst happening. They could happily refuse sleep in favor of singing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” (ask me how I know!)
Usually the increase in language and some separation anxiety are the main causes of the 18 month regression.
18 month sleep regression signs
Unfortunately, the 18 month regression can manifest in a lot of different ways; it may include:
nap refusals (they may have learned they have control over whether they sleep or not)
night wakings (could be from overtiredness from not napping, refusing to go to sleep at bedtime, teething, etc)
taking a long time to go to sleep (some separation anxiety, overtiredness, etc)
Can 18 month sleep regression start early?
It absolutely could if your child is learning those skills earlier! Usually we see it happen 1-2 months on either side of the 18 month regression. So it could happen as early as 16 months or maybe even as late as 20 months. Since regressions aren’t evidence based, it’s hard to assign a timeline to them.
Is 18 month sleep regression real?
It is real, even thought it isn’t exactly evidence based; research does show us that a child’s brain will prioritize development over sleep BUT that doesn’t mean every child will be affected by every regression.
For instance, we barely noticed regressions mostly related to physical developments but REALLY noticed the ones related to cognitive developments. It will absolutely vary child to child.
18 month sleep regression separation anxiety
Separation anxiety can peak in toddlerhood. They realize they have more autonomy (can make choices that affect the outcome) and that can be a lot for a little one to comprehend or get a grasp on!
Check out this blog for more separation anxiety tips.
18 month sleep regression early waking
Sometimes early wakings happen during a regression because overtiredness has built up; meaning if they’ve skipped a lot of naps but haven’t gone to bed early, then it could result in them waking earlier in the morning (because overtiredness is one of the biggest causes of early wakings).
It can also be because they wake up and want to practice their new language skills!
If you’re really struggling, check out this blog about early wakings in babies.
How long can 18 month sleep regression last?
As long as you’re not introducing new habits through this regression that you don’t want to sustain, it really shouldn’t last more than a few weeks. Giving lots of practice during the day for them to utilize their new skills will help you get to the other side!
18 month sleep regression controlled crying
Can you use controlled crying (Ferber, timed checks, etc) during the 18 month regression? You could! But, new research found that the chair method is more effective during phases of separation anxiety than controlled crying.
This study included 91 infants from 9 to 18 months with reported sleep problems. Researchers randomly assigned parents to use a sleep training approach referred to as “Checking In” or an approach referred to as “Camping Out”.
Infants with low levels of separation anxiety seemed to benefit from both interventions, showing longer sleep periods following both the “Camping Out” and “Checking In” methods. However, for infants with higher levels of separation anxiety, only the “Camping Out” method seemed to improve their sleep.
In other words, for children with higher levels of separation anxiety, only the “Camping Out” was associated with longer stretches of sleep. Following both interventions, infants showed fewer nighttime awakenings and a shorter sleep onset latency (that is, they fell asleep more quickly) according to parent report as well as a longer first stretch of sleep according to both parent report and actigraphic measures. These gains were still present 6 months after the interventions.
how to survive 18 month sleep regression?
The million dollar questions! With any regression, we recommend choosing a consistent response to sleep shenanigans. Consistency = calm to your child. Responding in a bunch of different ways is going to be more confusing, creating more chaos and sleep disruption for your little one.
You can also:
take shifts with a partner if they’re available
have mantras ready when the funky sleep is triggering you (also check out the sleep perfectionism blog)
take deep breaths and remind yourself that it’s a phase
create a plan of action for how you’ll respond to them
early bedtime for skipped naps
If you’re really struggling and it seems like it’s going on forever, set up a basic chat with Jenna to get support!
