8-10 month old

What to expect at 8-10 months

• Sleep patterns:
  Nighttime sleeping and naps become more established, though there might be occasional disruptions due to developmental milestones or teething.
  Most babies can sleep 10-12 hours overnight without feeding at eight months old. But it’s always best to discuss night feedings with your paediatrician. Every baby is unique, and there’s no specific age when babies magically start sleeping through the night.

• Resisting naps:
  Understanding why your baby refuses to nap involves looking at their developmental stage and daily routines. Whether it's learning a new skill, needing fewer naps, experiencing separation anxiety, or standing in the crib.
  If your baby is still taking 3 naps and struggling to fall asleep, they might be under-tired, and it may be time to transition to 2 naps. 
  Transitioning from 3 to 2 naps can cause overtiredness, impacting nighttime sleep as well. If you are still struggling with the transition, here is a guide to help you transition from 3 to 2 naps.
• Resisting Sleep:
  Often, at this age, babies resist sleep due to being either overtired or under-tired. Monitor their wake windows to ensure they have enough active awake time, but without exceeding their age-appropriate awake window to avoid overtiredness.
• Overstimulation:
  An overly stimulating environment or too much activity before bedtime can hinder a baby's ability to wind down.
• Sleep regression due to development:
  Your baby’s brain is going through huge developmental changes, and sleep can be impacted. With this guide you can understand the signs of sleep regressions at this age and how to help your baby.
  
  Around this age, babies experience significant growth in their physical abilities, mobility, and emotional and cognitive development, often leading to changes or disruptions in sleep patterns. Achievements like crawling and standing excite babies, making them want to practice these new skills instead of sleeping. If your baby is standing in their crib, consider using a sleep sack and make sure the crib is in the lowest position for their safety. Ensure to help them practice the new skills during the day so they can sleep better at night. Here are some daytime activities ideas.
• Reverse cycling:
  Growth spurts often increase hunger and might wake babies during the night. It can lead to reverse cycling, where the baby starts eating less during the day, and needing more feeding through the night. Ensuring they are getting enough calories during the day will help with night wakes.
• Environmental disturbances:
  A consistent sleep routine, a conducive sleep environment that’s cool and very dark, and using a white noise machine can help mitigate sleep disturbances. White noise acts as a consistent audio blanket, masking sudden noises; it also helps babies achieve deeper sleep, reduces night awakenings, and helps them fall asleep faster.
• Separation Anxiety:
  Around 8-10 months, babies may experience heightened separation anxiety, leading to difficulty falling asleep or night wakings when they realize the parent isn’t nearby. Here is a guide to help navigate separation anxiety.
• Teething:
  The discomfort of teething can cause restlessness and disrupted sleep. Check our guide on teething signs and how to help your baby.
• Illness or Discomfort:
  Illnesses common in infancy, such as ear infections or colds, can cause discomfort, leading to disrupted sleep.
• Sleep Associations:
  Sleep associations become strong at this age. If babies are accustomed to being rocked or fed to sleep, they may wake and need the same conditions to fall back asleep. Gradually and gently teaching your baby to fall asleep independently is crucial to decrease night wakes.

Guidelines for better sleep

• Wake-up time: between 6:00-7:00 a.m, typical circadian rhythm
  
• Average Number of Naps: 2
• Ideal single nap length: 45 mins to max 2 hrs
• Wake Windows: 2.5-3.5 hours
• Last nap to end: 4:30-5:00 p.m
• Goal Daytime Sleep: 2.5-3.5 hours
• Bedtime: 7-8 pm, the sweet spot
• Total night sleep: 10-12 hours at night
• Daytime Feedings: Offer feedings every 2.5 -3.5 hours based on hunger cues.

Daily routines:

For 2 naps

• Nap 1: About 2.5–3 hours after Wake Time
• Nap 2: About 3 hours after the end of Nap 1
• Bedtime: About 3-3.5 hours after the end of Nap 2
  
  

• difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep at nap time (when this wasn't a problem previously)
• 3rd nap is getting so late it's interfering with bedtime
• early morning wakings begin to manifest (because the baby is getting too much daytime sleep)
• baby just doesn't seem tired at nap time- difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
  
  👉🏻 Here is a guide to help transition from 3 to 2 naps.

• For most babies, falling asleep for naps and nights can take between 5-20 minutes. If it takes less than 5 minutes, they might be overtired. If it takes more than 20 minutes, they might be undertired. Adjust your wake windows as needed based on this, and you will learn your baby's rhythm over time.
• Limit daytime naps to 2 hours in order to prevent disruptions to daytime feeding, total time awake, and to nighttime sleep. It's ok to wake baby up when you need to, to ensure they get enough calories and awake time.
• Establishing a bedtime routine and naptime routine can pave the way for better sleep. 
• Consider starting your day at a consistent time every morning (say 8:00 am, no more than around 12 hours after bedtime). This sets a consistent time to help regulate their rhythm, improves their chance of exposure to daylight, and encourages daytime activity & longer night sleep stretches. 
• Every baby is unique. Learn about your baby's temperament to help them with sleep struggles.
  
  

Why is my baby waking up at night?

If your baby is suddenly waking up during the night, it's essential to first rule out any physical issues such as illness or teething.

Once you've ensured that these aren’t the causes, you can explore other common reasons why your baby might be struggling to sleep through the night:

• Ready for Increased Wake Windows: As babies grow, they often need longer periods of wakefulness between naps.
• Adjusting Nap Schedules: Your baby might be ready to drop a nap or might be getting too much daytime sleep.
• Developmental Milestones: Reaching new developmental stages can disrupt sleep patterns.
• Independent Sleep Skills: Your baby may be waking because they haven’t yet developed the skills to soothe themselves back to sleep.
• Increased Distraction During Feedings: As your baby becomes more curious about their surroundings, they might get distracted during feedings. Minimizing stimulation can help ensure they consume enough calories during the day, which is crucial for better sleep at night.
• Object Permanence and Separation Anxiety: Your baby is starting to understand object permanence, which can lead to increased separation anxiety. This new awareness can affect their sleep as they may become more anxious when you are not around.

• Temperament: Babies with a tendency towards highly-sensitive or slow-to-warm traits might struggle more with shorter sleep duration, sensitivity to their environment, and night wake ups. Implementing regular and consistent routines, safe and familiar sleep environment, consistency in your responses to their needs, and gently teaching baby to fall asleep independently can help.
  In addition, persistent(unfazed by challenges such as grabbing a toy from out of their reach), and non-distractable (continues feeding or playing even with distractions) children need very consistent routines and responses. 

Does My Baby Need to Eat During the Night?

Every baby is unique, and there's no specific age when they magically start sleeping through the night. By eight months old, most babies can sleep 10-12 hours overnight without needing a feeding. However, it’s always best to discuss your baby’s night feeding needs with your pediatrician.

Is your baby pulling up in the crib?

If your baby is standing in their crib, consider using a sleep sack and ensure the crib mattress is in the lowest position for safety. Additionally, provide ample opportunities during awake time for your baby to practice pulling up and sitting down.

Can I Sleep Train my 8-10-month-old?

Some babies might be ready as early as four months. However, most will be ready only when closer to 6 months. It’s important to follow your baby’s development and growth to determine when the time is right. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to when to sleep train for naps and nights. Check out our guide to assess when to sleep train. 

Why does my baby wake up crying?

Some babies are naturally fussy wakers. If your baby calms down within a few minutes and remains content during their wake window, this “fussy waking” may simply be part of their personality.

However, if the crying persists for more than 10-15 minutes, it could indicate that your baby is overtired. This might be due to not sleeping through the night, early morning awakenings, or short naps. If you need a plan for more restful sleep, we are here to help. Please contact us at hello@mellow.kids.

Developmental Milestones

👉🏻 Remember, these milestones are general guidelines, and every child develops at their own pace.

Physical Development:

Mobility: Many start crawling, and some begin to pull up to stand.

Teething: More teeth can appear, sometimes causing fussiness.

Motor Skills:

Pincer Grasp: They can pick up small items with improved hand-eye coordination.

Standing: They often stand using furniture for support.

Sensory Development:

Vision: Their color vision is nearly adult-like.

Sound: Babies now locate and distinguish sounds better.

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Social & Emotional Development:

Separation Anxiety: Distress may occur when separated from caregivers.

Imitation: They mimic facial expressions and gestures.

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Cognitive Development:

Object Permanence: Babies start realizing objects exist even when unseen.

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Communication:

• Sounds become more varied, resembling speech. Vowels and consonants together, and inflexion.

• Some understand actions like waving.

• Some start to understand basic words (e.g. no, hi, bye)

Check out our post about Playtime: Activities for Your 8-10-Month-Old.

Recommended readings

Short Naps: Gentle Strategies For Lengthening Naps
Early Morning Wakings
How to Improve Frequent Night Wakes
Playtime: Activities for Your 8-10-Month-Old
8-10 month old sleep regression.
Signs of Separation Anxiety
Teaching your baby to fall asleep independently

👉🏻 If you need personalized advice, please email us at hello@mellow.kis. We are always happy to offer further guidance.