Is the 18-month sleep regression real? Ours was sleeping through until last week

Question

He's slept through since about 8 months and this week it's completely fallen apart. Screaming at bedtime, waking twice a night. Just turned 18 months. Is this an actual thing or do I need to worry something's up?

Gemma Coe · Accepted Answer

Hi Hana, Yes, 18 months can be an age where families notice sleep becoming more unsettled, but I would think of a “regression” as shorthand for a period where something is affecting sleep rather than a fixed event that happens to every child. Around this age there can be a lot going on. Language and physical skills are developing quickly, separation anxiety can increase, and most children are settling into a one-nap schedule. First molars, illness or other changes can also overlap with this and make sleep feel suddenly much harder. Because he was previously sleeping through, I would avoid changing too much. Keep bedtime and your responses overnight as familiar and predictable as you can, while offering a little more reassurance if he needs it. It is also worth checking whether anything else has changed alongside the sleep disruption. Is he teething or uncomfortable? Has his nap timing or length shifted? Is he showing signs that his current daytime sleep pattern is no longer working quite as well? Some children seem almost unaffected by these developmental periods, while others have a much more noticeable setback. I would not worry simply because he has suddenly started waking, but if he seems unwell, unusually distressed or in pain, is snoring in his sleep, his feeding changes, or you have concerns about his breathing or general health, it is worth speaking to your health visitor or GP rather than assuming it is just a regression. I hope that helps!

Beth · Answer

Oh it's a thing, we got it almost bang on 18 months. For us it came with a big jump in talking and the separation anxiety going through the roof. We kept bedtime dead boring and exactly the same each night and didn't start anything, rocking, extra milk, that we'd regret later. Passed in two or three weeks. He had molars coming too so a bit of Calpol on the really rough nights.

Laura · Answer

Snap, 18 months was easily our worst stretch. What saved us was not panicking and inventing new habits that then hang around for months after. Just hold your nerve, keep it predictable, and have a feel along his gums for teeth.

Fran · Answer

Ours dragged on nearer 5 weeks so don't panic if it goes past the tidy two weeks everyone quotes. We had teeth, a big developmental leap and a holiday all land at once, poor thing didn't know what day it was. It did pass in the end.