Going Out to Dinner with Kids While on a Sleep Schedule
The Ultimate 8-Month-Old Sleep Schedule: A Step-By-Step Guide to Restful Nights
At 8 months old your baby is no longer the newborn you brought home from the hospital! I remember my daughter at this age starting to crawl, learning to clap and beginning to babble. It was an exciting time watching her grow, yet we also found ourselves navigating new challenges to her sleep due to teething and new milestones.
At this age, your child’s routine may look a little more predictable. Though you are most likely settled into a two-nap schedule, you may also be experiencing some difficulties with the timing of naps, overnight wakings or waking too early in the morning. It is important at this age to establish a consistent routine for your 8-month-old as they continue to develop and grow.
Understanding 8-Month-Old Sleep Patterns
Based on our experience, most 8-month-old sleep schedules consist of 12-15 hours of overall sleep in a 24-hour period. For many babies, this looks like two naps a day totaling about three hours of daytime sleep. 8 months is a time where you may start to see overnight wakings or early morning wakings sneaking in. These can be caused by various reasons such as illness, teething, big milestones your little one is meeting, or a need for increased wake time.
Your little one may be learning new skills such as getting on their hands and knees, crawling and even pulling up. These milestones may temporarily affect sleep, yes, but don’t worry! The good news is a child with independent sleep skills should be back on track within a week or two. More on this later!
Creating a Sleep Schedule
After months of daily nap math, you may be ready for a set schedule at this point, and the two-nap schedule definitely allows for some more predictability. At 8 months, we typically see wake times between 2.5 and 3.5 hours during the day. You might notice your child sleeps well with two set nap times every day, but other babies do better with following wake times. Over the next couple of months, you may start to see signs from your baby when they are ready to increase this wake time. These signs may include a longer time to fall asleep, shorter naps, overnight/early morning wakings, or a lot of crying at sleep onset. We recommend that you start by increasing those wake times by 15 minutes at a time and evaluate after 3-5 days if it has made a difference!
An 8-month-old sleep schedule
7:00am Wake
7:10am Feed
8:30am Breakfast
9:30-11:00am Morning nap
11:10am Feed
12:00pm Lunch
1:15 Top off feed
2:00-3:30 Afternoon nap
3:40 Small feed
5:00 Dinner
6:30 Feed, bath, PJs, Read book
7:00pm Bedtime
Liquid feeds for your little one are still the primary source of calories at this age, so offer those first before meals. At the same time, it is important to continue to offer solids for three meals a day as a lack of solids can start to impact sleep.
It’s also beneficial to have a regular bedtime routine each night after dinner. This shouldn’t be longer than 20-30 minutes and doesn’t have to be complex. We want to start with the feed to ensure no drowsiness is sneaking in before laying down. Then give a bath followed by lotion and pjs. A fantastic way to end the bedtime routine is with a book or two. Even at such a young age, reading together provides a special connection before saying good night and leaving the room.
If your little one has independent sleep skills and is starting to wake more frequently during the night, continue to follow your plan. Once you have checked for a full diaper, illness, etc and everything seems ok, you may need to give your baby some time to fall back asleep.
If your child does not yet have these independent skills, it may be time to sleep train and remove those sleep props such as rocking or nursing to sleep. By changing the way your baby falls asleep at night, you can change the course of those frequent overnight wakings.
Troubleshooting Sleep Problems at This Age
In my experience night wakings can occur for an 8-month-old for a variety of reasons including illness, teething, and developmental milestones.
Illness
At some point, it’s inevitable that your little one will have a cough or fever or stomach bug that will impact sleep. Sometimes it can be hard for us to know what to do to help our little ones when they feel sick, but the best thing you can do is stay consistent with the bedtime routine. If you do need to give medicine prior to bed, we recommend doing it with the last feed and then go straight into bath time. A bath can often help soothe your little one when they aren’t feeling their best! Then lay your baby down to fall asleep independently just like any other night.
You might encounter extra night wakings and if so, respond to your child and their needs. Check for symptoms and give medicine or comfort if needed. Your child may want to sleep more than they usually do, and that’s ok! Remember, sleep is one of the key components for helping your child’s body heal and feel better soon.
Teething
Like illness, you may see a tooth or two starting to break through the gums and worry about sleep being interrupted! Again, with independent sleep skills, this may affect your little one’s sleep temporarily but shouldn’t last more than a couple of days. You can offer pain relief if your child wakes up during the night and then try giving your little one the opportunity to fall back asleep on their own.
Developmental Milestones
Developmental milestones may also be the cause of interruptions to your child’s sleep. Your child may be learning to crawl or pulling up to stand and may choose to practice when put in the crib for nap or bedtime. The best thing you can do to prevent this from happening is practice, practice, practice during awake time. This active time allows your baby to build sleep pressure and be tired for bed, while at the same time working to master the skill. The quicker your little one can become proficient in this new ability, the less likely it will interrupt sleep!
Benefits of Consistency
Creating a regular sleep schedule for your 8-month-old can have a significant impact on your child’s sleep quality, cognitive development and mood regulation. Getting consolidated sleep overnight is going to help your child grow mentally, physically, and emotionally. Healthy sleep boosts brain development, learning, and physical growth. We often hear from our clients that they see a vast improvement in their child’s mood as they start to make up for a previous lack of sleep! A consistent schedule helps your little one know what to expect and experience all the amazing benefits of uninterrupted sleep.
While your 8-month-old is likely to stay on this sleep schedule until about their first birthday, they are growing and learning more every day! There may be some temporary disruptions to sleep, but your child with independent sleep skills will quickly adjust after achieving new milestones or recovering from sickness. The most important thing to remember is to stay consistent! With a regular bedtime routine and sleep schedule throughout the day, your little one will reap the benefits as they learn, grow, and play.
If you are ready to experience these results of independent sleep skills and you aren’t sure where to start- we would love to talk! Our sleep consultants are ready to walk with you every step of the way towards restorative sleep for your little one.