Tips on Handling the 10 Month Sleep Regression
Thankfully, you don’t just have to wait idly by for the 10 month old sleep regression to pass - there are lots of tips that you can try out to mitigate it, and to get your baby to fall asleep and stay asleep through the night again.
Consistent Bedtime Routine
Consistency is the most valuable tool you have in your box when it comes to sleep regression. Though it might feel like a chaotic time, keeping your baby's sleep schedule and bedtime routine as regular as you can will help to create positive sleep associations. Learn more in our guide to setting a consistent newborn bedtime routine.
Let them practice new skills during awake time
As we said before, the 10 month sleep regression often comes about because your baby has learned a new skill that they want to try out. By ensuring they have plenty of opportunities during the day to roll, crawl, and talk to you, your baby will be less inclined to do it at bedtime.
Try our Zen Sleepwear
For baby separation anxiety, or who just need a little comfort through their regression, our sleepwear like our Zen Sack is the perfect weighted sleep sack.
Gently weighted to mimic your calming touch, this wearable blanket makes your little one feel secure and snug as they drift off to sleep, and promotes self-soothing after wakeups.
We also have bamboo sleep sacks, winter sleep sacks, and other weighted sleepwear like our weighted swaddle, zipper swaddle, bamboo swaddle, or our transitional swaddle (the best transition swaddle).
You can learn more about the different types of swaddles, sleep sack vs swaddle, why swaddle baby, should I swaddle my newborn at night, and more in our blog.
Use a sleep training method
If you haven't started to sleep train your baby already, now would be a great time to start. Just make sure that whichever method you choose - whether it's fading sleep training, Ferber sleep training, Cry It Out, or anything else - you stay consistent with it. Learn more about when to start sleep training in our blog.
Create a calm sleep space
Understandably, your baby might find it more difficult to get to sleep if light is coming into the room or if they can hear street noise outside. To combat this, you can try blackout blinds and a (baby safe) white noise machine to create a quiet and peaceful atmosphere for sleep in your baby's room.
Reduce your number of naps
If your baby is still having 3 naps per day, it might be time to reduce that down to 2. While consistency is important, your baby may be struggling to fall asleep at night because they're sleeping too much in the day. Learn about newborn nap schedule considerations in our blog.
Don't be afraid to ask for help
Sleep regressions can take a toll on your physical and mental health, and it's important that you have friends and family who can help to share the burden. Whether that means asking your partner to take more night shifts or having a friend come over and watch your baby while you have a quick nap, make sure that you're taking care of yourself too.
More 10 Month Sleep regression survival tips
Still looking for a few 10 month sleep regression survival tips? Here are some tricks to help you and your little one weather the sleepless storm.
- If your baby is being kept up by pain and discomfort caused by teething, try putting a teething ring in the fridge (not the freezer) so they have something cool and soothing to suck on before sleep. We have a guide on home remedies for teething baby at night to help.
- Put your baby into their crib when they're drowsy rather than waiting until they've fallen asleep by reading sleep cues like yawning or blinking more frequently, as this gives them an opportunity to learn how to self soothe baby.
- Create a soothing bedtime routine for your little one with a bath, storytime, and some cuddles to help them wind down
Invest in Premium Weighted Sleepwear to Make the 10 Month Old Sleep Regression Easy and Stress Free!
'Parents of babies and toddlers will do almost anything to get their kids to sleep. Stand on my head while singing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" backwards? You got it. For my daughter Ellie, one thing that always seems to do the trick is gently patting her back.
I have no problem rubbing and patting her back to comfort her, but it becomes a problem when her eyes would pop wide open the second I take my hand away. Before I had the Nested Bean Zen Sleep Sack, I would keep my hand on her back until I was sure she was asleep, then I would very, very slowly lift my hand off her back so she wouldn't notice the difference. It was a time consuming and exhausting process.
When I decided to try the Nested Bean Zen Sleep Sack, it made putting Ellie to bed so much easier. The Zen Sack has a very light weight made out of non-toxic poly-beads that actually mimics the feeling of my hand on her back. Gone are the days of hovering and patting until I'm sure she's completely asleep.'
- Alicia Betz, Insider