You and your infant may feel worn out and upset during this difficult stage, known as the 7-month sleep regression.
Your 7-month-old’s bedtime routine may have unexpectedly altered when you became a new parent.
You’re not alone; plenty of parents deal with this typical problem.
To better assist you we will go into great detail in this blog article on its origins, symptoms, and treatments.
You can accompany your kid through this change in ways that will help them establish sound sleeping patterns and habits.
What Is 7-Month Sleep Regression?
The term “sleep regression” refers to a period when your baby’s sleep pattern changes.
This is due to them resisting sleep, waking up more frequently, and having difficulty falling back to sleep.
Between the ages of 6 and 8 months, they could also act more clinging than usual
These sleep disruptions may be brought on by a variety of things, including teething, developmental milestones, and changes in sleep patterns.
Although parents may find this time particularly difficult, knowing that this is a regular occurrence might be comforting.
Causes Of 7-Month Sleep Regression
The seven-month regression has a variety of factors.
These are the most frequent causes you should be aware of, however, it is frequently a mix of them:
1. Developmental Milestones:
- By the time they are seven months old, newborns have accomplished many important milestones.
- They are starting to crawl, sit alone, and get a better sense of the permanency of objects.
- As a result of having to get up early to practice.
- Or maybe because their mind is preoccupied with learning new abilities, individuals may have sleep disturbances.
2. Your Child Is Going Through A Growth Spurt.
- A regular sleep schedule can be easily disturbed by all the additional energy needed to grow.
3. Separation Phobia In 7-Month Sleep Regression
- Babies begin to comprehend that they and their primary carers are two different people at the seven-month mark.
- As they awaken and realize their carer isn’t there, this may cause them to become more clingy and cause sleep disturbances.
4. Sleep Cycle Changes
- Around this age, a baby’s sleep cycle matures, changing from simpler infant sleep cycles to stages more like adult sleep.
- This can result in more frequent awakenings.
5. Unwellness Or Pain
- Sleep disturbances may result from a baby being unwell, maybe from a cold or an ear infection.
6. Teething In 7-Month Sleep Regression
- Around this age, many newborns begin to suffer teething, which can be uncomfortable and interfere with sleep.
7. Hunger
- Baby’s dietary requirements rise as they become older.
- If they don’t receive enough calories throughout the day, they may start to wake up more frequently from hunger.
8. Change In Daily Routine
- An established sleep pattern may be disrupted by any significant changes in routine.
- Examples such as starting a nursery, parents returning to work, or a change in the child’s primary carer.
- This may disrupt the baby’s circadian cycle as well.
How Long Does A Sleep Regression Last?
Typically, the 7-month sleep regression lasts 2 to 6 weeks.
The length of time may alter, though, based on your child’s unique growth and outside variables like adjustments to their habit or surroundings.
The flexibility of your kid, the constancy of routine, and how soon you address any underlying difficulties can all affect how long sleep regression lasts.
To reduce their negative effects on your child’s general health, development, and well-being, sleep problems must be addressed as soon as feasible.
To assist your child adjust more easily at this time, it’s essential to practice patience and uphold a regular sleep schedule.
Establish regular bedtimes and wake-up hours, and offer a calming bedtime ritual.
It also makes sure their sleeping environment is cozy and restful to promote good sleep patterns.
You may assist your kid in overcoming this brief stage and resuming a more regular sleep pattern.
This can be done by addressing the underlying reasons for sleep regression and putting in place consistent habits.
Tips To Manage 7-Month Sleep Regression
It’s not simple to navigate a sleep regression, but thankfully, there are several tried-and-true strategies to make the 7-month sleep regression as swift and painless as possible:
1. Create A Wholesome Nighttime ritual
- A regular bedtime routine will assist your baby fall asleep during the 7-month sleep regression.
- Ensure that he or she receives consistent cues to prepare for sleep.
2. Keep An Eye Out For Hunger As A Cause Of Midnight Awakenings
- The temptation to feed your infant to put them back to sleep is strong. But this is not a behavior you want to keep up.
- As a result, if your kid is growing rapidly, he or she may naturally become more hungry.
- To reduce overnight awakenings, try adding a dream feed before bed.
- You may also extend breastfeeds by a few minutes or bottle feeds by a half-ounce.
- Make sure they consume enough solid food throughout the day to accommodate any development spurts.
3. Maintain Low-Key Nocturnal Encounters During 7-Month Sleep Regression
- It’s crucial to keep your interactions quiet if your child gets up at night.
- Don’t talk to them and keep the lights dim.
- For these nocturnal contacts, a night light is a terrific purchase because it eliminates the need to switch on a light when you visit them.
4. Recognise Your Baby’s Sleep Signals And Respond To Them.
- Keep a close watch on your baby’s sleep cues and respond to them during a sleep regression.
- They could require extra daytime sleep to make up for interrupted nights.
- Your child may feel fatigued for a period due to increased physical activity and capacity.
- You will need to pay special attention to sleep cues as they become used to their new talents to prevent them from being too weary.
5. Make The Baby’s Sleeping Area More Relaxing
- Your infant will be more readily startled by the noise and sleep disturbances now that they are older.
- Your child needs to sleep in a peaceful, dimly lit environment during a seven-month sleep regression.
- Use blackout shades to completely darken the room and a nightlight.
- You can stop background noise from affecting your baby’s sleep by using a white noise machine.
- They will contribute to making sure that your sleeping infant won’t be disturbed by rapid variations in noise.
6. Avoid Picking Up Your Infant Every Time They Wake Up
- During the 7-month sleep regression, it is very easy to develop negative habits.
- So if your baby is waking more frequently at night, consider letting them wail for a brief period when they wake.
- This may help them go back to sleep without needing your help. However, you should go to them if they start to appear upset.
7. Take Several Naps During The Day To Make Up For A Bad Night’s Sleep
- To prevent overtiredness, let your baby nap whenever they need to during the day.
- Your 7-month-old requires 2-3 naps and 2-3 hours of sleep per 24 hours.
- Never attempt to keep your child up all day in the hopes of getting them to sleep better at night.
8. Promote Self Satisfaction For 7-Month Sleep Regression
- By putting your baby down for a nap or at night when they are tired but not asleep, you may now train them to self-settle.
- Instead of picking up, rocking, or feeding your baby to calm them down, try soothing them with a touch or your voice.
9. Put Your Infant In Appropriate Sleepwear During 7-Month Sleep Regression
- Make sure that your child is clothed correctly for the season.
- For this age range, we believe sleeping bags are the greatest option.
10. Remain Composed And Trust That This Will Pass.
- Although the 7-month sleep regression can be quite upsetting and draining, keep in mind that it is just temporary and will pass.
- The idea is to adjust to your baby’s brief sleep disruption and maintain as much of your schedule as you can.
- Additionally, don’t be scared to seek assistance and divide the burden of coping with a cranky infant during the daytime and broken nights.
Signs For 7 Month Sleep Regression
A 7-month sleep regression is clear for some kids, but for others, there are some subtle signals that your child is starting to go through one.
1. When Your Baby Wakes Up, They Scream More And Act More Agitatedly.
- Your child can wake up cranky, irritable, and uneasy due to a sleep regression’s reduced amount of deep, rejuvenating sleep.
2. Your Infant Is Developing New Abilities
- If your infant is starting to roll over in both directions, sit up, crawl, or even pull itself to a standing position.
- They will be so mentally and physically active that it will be difficult for them to relax before bed and during naps.
- You could even observe them turning over in their sleep, which awakens them.
3. Baby Struggles To Go To Sleep In 7-Month Sleep Regression
- It is quite possible that your kid has had a sleep regression.
- If they were previously settling down easily and then start to revert to refusing sleep and having trouble settling.
4. They Wake Up More Frequently At Night And Have Trouble Falling Back Asleep
- Your baby will likely wake up more frequently at night during the 7-month sleep regression.
- This owes to the shift in their sleep pattern, just like they will have a harder time falling asleep.
- The number of hours your infant sleeps throughout the day may also be impacted by this.
5. Despite Being Exhausted, Your Infant Won’t Go To Sleep
- Your child may feel overtired easily during a sleep regression, which may cause them to resist falling asleep.
- Additionally, the additional stimulation that comes with acquiring new abilities might make it harder for children to unwind and quiet down before bed.
6. They Are More Attached
- Your kid will be more aware of their environment and more bonded to people who care for them by the time they are 7 months old.
- They may become more needy as a result and dislike being left alone, especially when it’s time for bed.
Final Verdict!
Keep in mind that everything is normal, and when your kid has gone through the 7-month sleep regression stage, he or she will finally be able to sleep comfortably.
It only lasts for around two to three weeks. But you must contribute in some way.
Request the help of dependable family members to watch for your kid when you’re not around.
Instead of contacting sleep specialists and paying for sessions to have your child trained to fall asleep, try maintaining the baby’s sleep habits yourself.
It won’t cause you or the child any worry. You may choose whichever method of establishing his sleep routine works best for you, though.
Also Read: 12-Month Sleep Regression: Sleep Training Techniques
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