Your 12 Month Sleep Regression Survival Guide!

30 Comments

  1. Nourhan

    thank you for sharing this beautiful article my baby is almost 12 month he used to sleep on his crib when he was 4 montgs and in a separate room but I am struggling with him now for about 3 days ge fall asleep with breastfeeding and whenever I try to put him down he wakes up and begin to scream badly I dont know what to do I strict to our routine as much as I can , he never felt comfortable falling asleep beside me so we were separated from day 1 , but my biggest problem that he is attached to breastfeeding and refused solids most of the time

    Reply
    • Ingrid

      Hi Nourhan! Thank you for your message, and we are so glad that you found this article helpful. It sounds like your son may be going through the 12-month regression. Don’t worry, usually, it passes in a matter of weeks. If you are still struggling at that time, please reach out to us at Support@BabySleepMadeSimple.com, and we would be happy to assist you in finding a program that would best fit your son’s sleep struggles. In addition, I recommend speaking to your pediatrician about your son not eating solids, they will be able to help you when it comes to this area of his health and wellbeing. Hang in there, I hope that the regression passes quickly and he gets back on track. Kind regards, Ingrid, BSMS Support Team

      Reply
  2. Katie

    So grateful for this article, it definitely put my mind at ease! We are struggling with our new 1 year old – her sleep habits got so bad FAST. She will nap just fine during the day, will put herself to sleep, and take a great 1-1.5 hour nap and need to be woken up. She is fighting her nighttime sleep so much though – and she is the type of baby that will cry so hags that she makes herself throw up. We have been sticking to her normal nighttime routine, and trying to do extra wind-down time, but as soon as she goes in her crib she just sobs, and we end up having to rock her to sleep. She doesn’t calm down if we sit in front of her crib no matter how long we wait, and again, she gets to the point where she is almost throwing up. Any tips?

    Reply
    • Ingrid

      Hi Kate,

      I’m so sorry to hear your daughter is struggling with her sleep; that can be so hard! There is a regression that happens at around 12 months, so I’m wondering if that’s part of your daughter’s issue. I’m not sure which method you used to coach her for nights, but if you continue to have an issue, I would suggest checking out our 21-Day program. Some methods work really well for LOs that tend to get so upset that they vomit (which can be so tough for LOs and parents!), and they can be found in the program. Here is the link: https://www.babysleepmadesimple.com/baby-sleep-consultant

      We’re here if you need us!
      Ingrid, BSMS Support Team

      Reply
  3. Mrs F

    I’m currently going through this with my 11 month old who will be 1 in just under 2 weeks.
    I’m currently sat in bed whilst he is fighting his sleep, so I quickly googled this to help before I tear my hair out!
    I found your article reassuring, however, I’m resentful of the part that says “avoid bringing your baby into bed with you as it will be a guarantee for long term bed sharing”.
    As it happens, I do co sleep with my little one and have done since he was less than a month old because that is what works for us.
    With the platform you have, i think it is dangerous to judge or dictate to other parents on this subject.
    I bed share safely and if you cared to do a little more research, you will find that there are many psychological benefits as well as physical benefits for both mother and child and I would say to anybody reading this article who does bed share – do not let negative insinuations in articles like these, to not feel judged and to keep doing what you think is best for you

    Reply
    • Alyssa Taft

      Hello Jessica,

      Thank you so much for reaching out to us. I know you are going through the 11 month old regression and this can be a tough couple weeks with night wakings! We are always here to help if you have any questions about how to improve your LO’s sleep.

      According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “We know that many parents choose to share a bed with a child, for instance, perhaps to help with breastfeeding or because of a cultural preference or a belief that it is safe. The evidence is clear that this significantly raises the risk of a baby’s injury or death, however, and for that reason AAP cannot support bed-sharing under any circumstances.”

      As a Registered Nurse, my top priority and professional obligation is to give safe sleep advice. I have a duty to do so. I always aim to avoid judgement and instead present parents with safe, proven sleep advice. Of course, parents can choose the sleeping arrangement that suits them best.

      Sincerely,
      Jilly

      Reply
  4. Jessie

    Hi, same issues as above. As I write this my just turned one year old is screaming in his cot. I’ve put him down for morning nap 45 minutes ago and I’ve been in to him twice to give comfort but each time he just screams for me to take him out of the room. He is exhausted though and I know he needs sleep. Plus I don’t want to bring him out of the room for him to be tired and grumpy and for him to think crying will achieve this each time. I do feed him to sleep but as soon as I put him down he is standing up and crying before I can leave the room. He is also waking in the night doing the same. Do I just leave him to cry? I can’t stand listening to him being upset and he takes such a long time to settle himself.

    Reply
    • Artemis

      Hi Jessie,

      There ARE ways of getting your little one sleeping amazingly without having to endure this much crying. We have several sleep training methods for you to choose from in our sleep program, so I highly recommend you join it:
      https://www.babysleepmadesimple.com/baby-sleep-consultant/

      The program will get your little one sleeping peacefully all night, and set them up for great naps. I hope to see you in there.
      Artemis, BSMS Support Team

      Reply
  5. Olivia

    Hi! I am honestly losing the will to live at the moment. I’m pregnant with my second and my 11.5 month old won’t nap she just cries ever though she is fed bathed cuddles sometimes I even try and rock her. She is refusing to sleep at night now too, I’m exhausted, she’s exhausted but I have honestly ran out of things to do! Please help’

    Reply
    • Artemis

      Hi Olivia,

      I’m so, so sorry to hear this. We’re not mental health professionals, so I highly recommend you to reach out to your loved ones, your community, and to a mental health professional regarding your well-being.

      We do specialise in baby sleep, and we’d love to help you. Email us at support@babysleepmadesimple.com so we can find a solution that works for you.

      We’re here for you,
      Artemis, BSMS Support Team

      Reply
  6. Justine Knecht Fullenwider

    Hello, my LO is starting daycare and they only do one nap a day for her age. She has not been in daycare before this and has been home with me with me, my husband, or my mom. Also, as a side note, I work long hours so earlier bedtime is not always an option, 7:30-8 is earliest I can hope to get her to bed on days I work and she is at daycare. I figured since babies thrive on consistency, I would transition her to one nap a day before she starts daycare. It honestly has been going fine until this last week. She wakes up between 7-8, takes a 2-3 hour nap starting at 11:30-12, and goes to bed usually by 8. She goes down for her nap easily and independently. Sometimes she will stand but eventually lays down and sleeps. Bedtime has been a struggle though. I try to put her down and she becomes hysterical. I’ll lay on the floor next to her, I’ll rub her head, I shhh her, but the only thing that works is if I pick her up and rock her. I’ll try again to put her down drowsy but awake and she becomes very awake and hysterical again. Usually, I can leave her for a minute and she’ll calm down and go to sleep but not lately. I’ve had to rock her to a hard sleep to get her to stay down. Now, after she goes to sleep, she’s out for 12 hours. It’s just the going to sleep that has suddenly become an issue. She’s been on one nap a day for 3 weeks now so I’m afraid to go back to 2 based
    On the article and make this situation worse. I can ride it out if it’s temporary but I’m just afraid I’m doing the wrong thing.

    Reply
    • Artemis

      Hi Justine,

      You’ve been doing great so far. Good work.

      Bedtime is probably a struggle because she’s overtired, that’s quite a long awake time she has! I recommend you get a private consultation with us so we can help you figure out how to balance this new schedule, and how it fits into your life:
      https://programs.babysleepmadesimple.com/30-minutes-private-consultation-checkout/

      Good luck,
      Artemis, BSMS Support Team

      Reply
  7. Elaine

    Hi, my little one turned 1 a week ago. For about 3 weeks now she’s been fighting her naps. Morning nap is usually okay (she only fights it maybe 2-3 times per week), but she will just play through her afternoon nap in her crib. Her wake windows had been 3/4/3.75, but now that she fights her afternoon nap, some days she’s only taking one nap and then going to bed early. She will take the afternoon nap if I snuggle or rock her, but I don’t want to make this a habit. She won’t sleep in the stroller or car.

    For about a week, we tried transitioning to one nap (because with fighting this second nap, she was really only taking one nap. So we tried pushing the one nap later in the day), but I don’t think she was ready—she seemed really overtired and her nights got worse. So we went back to two naps, with me snuggling her for the second nap for a few days now. But how in the world can I get her to take her second nap on her own? She gets tons of attention, is really active during the day, eats a lot (with a snack 30 minutes before her nap), we have tried capping the first nap, adjusting wake windows, but absolutely nothing seems to be working. The only options I can think of are 1) transition to one nap or 2) keep snuggling her for the second nap. Any advice please? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Artemis

      Happy birthday to your little one, Elaine!

      That’s good that you went back to 2 naps. Definitely don’t drop a nap until your little one is at least 14 months old!

      Sleep training is definitely the answer here. We start sleep training at night time first, and then move to naps. So the first step would be joining our night time sleep program here:
      https://www.babysleepmadesimple.com/baby-sleep-consultant

      This will then pave the way for great naps!

      We have a new years sale now where you get 15% off when you use the coupon code ‘2022’ at checkout, so try to be fast!

      Artemis, BSMS Support Team

      Reply
  8. Yessica Novoa

    Hi my baby feeds to sleep I know horrible! I didn’t know this would affect her now that she’s 1 it’s so hard because she sleeps around 9-10 wakes up at midnight either 12-1 and won’t sleep till 4-5 am she also takes two naps during the day but what concerns me is that she drinks more than 2 bottles during her waking up till 4-5 she eats 3 meals two snacks 3 8 ounces bottles during day including bedtime bottle this is hard because it’s impossible for me to wake up early and continue our usual routine when she wakes up and sleeps until 5 I’m mentally exhausted 🤭

    Reply
    • Alyssa Taft

      Hello Yessica,

      Please know that it is completely natural to feed your children to sleep! I nursed both of my girls to sleep until they were sleep trained. However, your LO is now developmentally ready to learn how to self-soothe and fall asleep independently! I am attaching our 12 month old sleep guide for helpful tips!

      We can definitely help you get your LO’s sleep on track and get your entire family sleeping better! We can provide the best support to your family in our 21 Days to Peace & Quiet program.

      In this program we offer 4 step-by-step sleep training methods. You choose the one that feels best for your LO. We have super gentle & gradual all the way to quick & efficient. Each step of the way you get advice based on your baby’s developmental stage, energy levels, and temperament.

      Two of our package options include personalized support and I find this to be so beneficial during the sleep training journey! Jilly and members of our support team answer questions 7 days a week in our private FB group and we host 3 Zoom calls per week! You will always feel like you have the support you need every step of the way.
      You can find out more info on the program here: https://www.babysleepmadesimple.com/21-days-to-peace-quiet-program
      When you are 100% consistent in following the steps of the program, your baby will be sleeping amazingly within 1-3 weeks. It depends on the method you choose as well as your baby’s adaptability, but we cover all of this in the program!

      Happy to answer any questions you have. We hope we get the chance to help you and your LO on this sleep journey!
      Have a great day!
      Alyssa, BSMS Support Team

      Reply
  9. Catherine Webber

    Hi there,
    Your ideas and suggestions are fantastic. We are struggling with our 12 month old waking at earliest 4.30am and latest 5.15am. It’s been a few weeks now.
    He has a short morning nap of 30mins at 9am (if we can make it till that time) and an afternoon nap of 1 1/2-2 hours around 1pm. Bedtime is 7pm.
    He always goes down to sleep fine, doesn’t fight anything and he self settles throughout
    the night. It’s just the early wake time as it means he spends a large portion of the day irritable because he started so early. Any suggestions.
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Alyssa Taft

      Hello Catherine,

      Those early mornings can be tough! I would move your bedtime earlier. For a 12 month old, we don’t want the awake time to be longer than 3.5 hours before bedtime (and that means asleep by that time). An earlier bedtime can often mean that your LO will sleep in longer!

      Best,
      Alyssa, BSMS Support Team

      Reply
  10. Nancy

    Hi Andrea, my daughter is 13 months and about 2 weeks ago she’s started to wake at night around 2-4am and unable to fall back to sleep on her own. Previously has always been able to self settle in the night without any feeds. We dropped her morning nap and she’s now on one 2 hour nap a day but still wakes at night. I assume this is a regression. I will usually leave her to try to self settle for 15 mins and she’d fall back to sleep but in the last 2 weeks she hasn’t been able to do that so I’ve had to give her a milk bottle and put her in her crib awake and she’d fall back to sleep. I don’t know if I’m creating a habit here? She eats well during the day 3 meals and 2 snacks, we’d feed her until she’s full and she’s quite good at showing signs when she is.
    I’m just wondering if this is the 12-15 month regression and whether me giving her a bottle at night has now created a habit of waking, despite me putting her down awake. Are there any tips you can give? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Alyssa Taft

      Hello! It could definitely be the 12 month sleep regression. The best thing you can do is allow your LO the space to fall asleep independently at the beginning of the night and resettle independently when she wakes in the night. Regressions will normally pass in 2 weeks. Also, was your LO showing all the signs of being ready for 1 nap? We often see babies transition closer to 15 months. If your LO is overtired and still needs a second nap to make it to bedtime, this can cause night wakings. Check out this guide too for helpful tips! Alyssa, BSMS Support Team

      https://www.babysleepmadesimple.com/transition-to-one-nap-when-how
      https://youtu.be/bcX1EzhTltw

      Reply
  11. Rebecca

    Hello, another tired Mumma looking for advice. My little girl turned one one 11 Feb, has always been a solid 11-12 hours a night kinda gal other than the odd few nights here and there when teething. However, about 2 weeks ago she just decided that sleep is for losers. She does exactly what Padma describes above. When I put her down she rolls over and stands up crying as soon as I leave her room. If I leave her she falls asleep in the frog position which doesn’t last long. We have 1-3 hour battles to get to sleep and/or awake for 1-4 hours in the night wanting to play or waking every 1-2 hours. We previously sleep trained but this time round I have caved and brought her into our bed a couple of times as it’s the only thing that stops her crying. Weirdly, it’s not every night that she does this maybe only 3/4 out of 7 the rest of the nights she still has a solid 10-11 hours. Because she’s been such a good sleeper and it isn’t every night I don’t know whether it’s a sleep regression or not? Any advice/help/reassurance would be appreciated!!

    Reply
    • Micaela

      Hello Rebecca, there is often a regression around the first birthday but we only typically allow up to 2 weeks to any regression and then consider it a habit. If you previously sleep trained you can do a few nights of tune-up to get back into your normal routine. If you need more support you can opt to join our clients by purchasing our sleep training program 21 Days to Peace and Quiet. If you opt for the Essential or Premium package we can also give you our daily support. https://www.babysleepmadesimple.com/21-days-to-peace-quiet-program/

      Hope this helps you!
      Micaela BSMS Support Team

      Reply
  12. Andrea

    Hi! My son turned 1 on 2/7 and had been a great sleeper. 4 nights ago it all has gone out the window, waking crying several times a night. Luckily naps are still great. He is chewing/biting a lot. Also has never been through what I’d call a regression. He has had the occasional bad night but never more than 1-2 nights. I’m at a loss as to what to do. I don’t want to start a bad habit but because he rarely wakes crying, it’s hard to let him be upset. Any thoughts/suggestions? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Micaela

      Hi Andrea, ohhh it’s so hard when they go through a regression. Each baby handles every regression in a different way. My boy, for example, got the 4mo sleep regression sooo badly but since we sleep trained we only noticed the 18mo sleep regression and nothing more.

      If you have sleep-trained him before, I would strongly encourage you to be super consistent and to do your best not to start any bad habits. Also, keep in mind any regression can last up to 2 weeks so if this has been going on more than that you can consider it a habit. If he is waking, fussing, and crying on and off it’s ok to give him some space. If you want to comfort him a little bit try to be as hands off as possible so it’ll be easier to remove it once the regression is over 🙂
      Micaela BSMS Support Team

      Reply
  13. Padma

    Hi there,
    My 12 month old (1 next week) has been a great sleeper. 2 naps a day, independent crib sleep and 11-12 hours at night. All of a sudden last week, the minute we put him down for naps/night sleep on his back he immediately rolls over and stands up and cries. We assume it is the 12 month regression? We are staying consistent with our routine and schedule. His naps are now a mess. He ends up falling asleep in frog position and wakes withing 40 mins. Previously he would stay on his back and sleep for 1hr – 90 minutes. Staying aware of wake windows… exhausted mama here. Any suggestions?

    Reply
    • Alyssa Taft

      Hello!

      Thank you so much for your message. It sounds like your LO was doing great and definitely hit the 12 month regression. You are doing everything right! Continue to follow your routine and schedule and wake windows. Try to get outside for fresh air and make sure your son is very physically active. Regressions normally pass in just a couple weeks so hang in there!

      Best,
      Alyssa, BSMS Support Team

      Reply
  14. Amy

    Hello, my baby may be teething (ear rubbing and can feel molars) but has been categorically refusing to nap in her crib for nearly two weeks, but will fall asleep in the pram or car almost instantly. My question is – do I just keep trying to put her down in the crib and leave her there until she falls asleep, as my HV says not to pick her up if I decide to do crib nap, as she’ll cry longer and harder next time expecting to be ‘rescued’. Or do I just only do pram sleeps?!

    Reply
    • Alyssa Taft

      Hello Amy,

      If your LO is going through the regression, then it should be just a couple weeks of interrupted sleep. I would try to comfort your LO with some cold teething rings before nap for teething, but continue to put your LO in the crib for naps since regressions will pass in 2 weeks and you don’t want to introduce any habits. Hang in there!

      Alyssa, BSMS Support Team

      Reply
  15. Jo Boakes

    Hi my daughter has been a wonderful sleeper from 8weeks sleeping right through the night on the odd occassion she would wake once but back to sleep quickly but since turning 1 she wakes on average 5 times a night. She naps well during the day. Only got her 1st teeth thru on her birthday and they seem to keep coming nonstop so dong know if its teething or sleep regession or everything all at once. She is a very happy girl and also just started trying to walk i think its the whole trifecca any idea? Many thanks

    Reply

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