11 Month Nap Regression

Finally, it seemed like your baby was settling into a good routine and then BOOM, the eleven calendar month nap regression strikes.

As babies grow and begin to sleep more consistently, many parents feel that they are "out of the forest" in terms of dealing with slumber issues. And so you can imagine how frustrated they feel when their niggling sleeper begins to "backslide" and starts skipping their nap or having night wakings.

Overall, I recall the term "sleep regression" is widely overused, but I do find there are a few sure key places where it'south appropriate and around xi months is ane of those times.

But first; let's define what we're specifically talking most when we employ the term sleep regression.

What is a Sleep Regression?

I discussed sleep regression in my mail service 4 Calendar month Sleep Regression: What It Is and How To Ready It, but here'southward a quick refresher:

In order for a kid to truly exist going through a sleep regression, in my opinion equally a sleep consultant, they would have to have been a solid sleeper for at least two months prior.

Anything less than at to the lowest degree two months of a solid slumber routine; long, restorative naps and sleeping eleven-12 hours through the dark with perhaps a night feed, is not equally likely to be a regression.

But allow'south say your baby has been a stone-star sleeper from months 8 through 10. Then as she approaches 11 months, you lot outset to notice that she's fighting naps. IF zippo else has inverse-no alterations in her routine, no disease or vacations in the by few weeks, then this could be the xi month nap regression.

What Causes the 11 Month Nap Regression?

Slumber issues offset to creep up around this time due to the fact that your babe is growing stronger, developing and becoming mobile. Many physical milestones occur effectually 11 months and they tin wreak havoc on your infant'due south sleep, specifically their naps.

Whereas earlier your babe used to just prevarication around looking at the ceiling, she is now crawling, cruising, pulling up, continuing or walking independently.

And every bit she practices these new skills, they are going to tire her out, similar to united states of america adults when we offset a new exercise routine. Using new muscle groups intently and oft now is tough work!

The tricky role is, that considering of her age, she volition withal appear awake and social. 11 month quondam babies can tolerate longer wake periods than a younger baby can and they tin appoint with their environment for longer as well. But now nosotros likewise factor in a baby who has discovered that she do all these heady feats, which makes information technology harder to detect that she'south tired.

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Unfortunately for us parents, if we miss a baby's just-ready-for-sleep window (which tin can be hard to find) and they enter into an overtired country, they tin get even more than active due to a surge of fatigue-fighting hormones. . Add in all the entertaining and exciting new skills she tin can do, and she will likely keep herself awake besides long if we don't step in

When nosotros exercise go to put them down for a nap, they are too wound up to slumber and continue to practice their new skills in the crib.

Talk nearly beingness misleading!

What we see on the surface isn't a reflection of what is going on below.

Many parents mistake this behaviour as an indication that their child needs fewer or shorter nap times, but reducing rest periods, when the children is wearied, is a one-way ticket to disasterville.

When children don't stick to a consistent napping schedule they rapidly begin accumulating a sleep debt; waking upwards at nighttime and early in the morn. Now nosotros accept morphed from a developmental bleep to a sleep-debt bomb.

Solving the xi Calendar month Nap Regression

Ok, and so here's how you get back on track. Allow's diffuse this flop.

Step One: Start the morning nap earlier

Y'all may be in the mindset that your child is moving towards needing after or even fewer naps, but that's going to outcome in more than bug. What we can do instead, specially if your child is starting to wake up before than 6AM, is to begin the morning nap a piddling before.

For example, if the child woke upwards at 6AM, and their morning nap is ordinarily effectually 9AM, and then putting them downward for a nap around viii:30AM can assist with them settling down quickly and easily.

Step Two: Cap the morning nap

Keep this nap to about an hr in length. Keeping your child's forenoon nap shorter, "protects" the afternoon nap past ensuring that your child is set to slumber for a second nap. It also helps the second nap to not starting time as well late, which if it does, can interfere with their night time sleep.

Step Three: Give your child time to settle down

How exciting information technology must be to realize you can move yourself, without needing to rely on someone else. From your baby'due south perspective, it is much more than interesting than napping. This explains why many children volition skip their nap and instead practice their new skills during nap time.
If this happens, don't panic and don't end nap time prematurely. If they are happy and safe, sit down and enjoy a cup of (decaf) tea. There isn't annihilation you can do at this signal, so it's better to give both of you lot some downtime and information technology allows them the opportunity to autumn asleep.

I know it may not seem like it after a few days of skipped naps, merely they volition become back on rails.

How long? Wellllll, the 11 month nap regression can last several weeks, but if you follow these tips, you may reduce it downward to only a few days.

Step 4: Take an age appropriate bedtime

At this age, nosotros're looking at a wake period of almost iii.75-4 hours subsequently a solid 2nd nap. Information technology is also platonic to have it earlier seven:30pm. If you feel your piddling one is extremely tired, so you may even put them downward closer to 3.five-3.75 hours for a few days and then move it out to four hours. If in that location wasn't a second nap to base off of, then y'all're looking at a stupidly  super early bedtime.

Since this regression can last a few weeks, stick with the above communication during this period to help keep on track of any sleep debt bug that may emerge.

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