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Your sweet toddler, who’s been sleeping peacefully at night for months, is suddenly waking up a lot at night and crying. Your toddler, who’s been taking long naps each day for ages, suddenly begins resisting nap time, refusing to lie down and go to sleep. Sound familiar? You may be experiencing the 18 month sleep regression.
If you’re the parent of a toddler, then a sleep regression is something you’re probably familiar with. After all, you’ve no doubt experienced the following sleep regressions:
And if that’s not all, there’s a 2-year sleep regression, too!
So what’s a tired parent to do? This article will outline what the 18-month regression looks like, why it happens, why it can be one of the hardest, and steps you can take to survive it.
You May Also Be Interested In:
Toddler Sleep Secrets, a FREE e-Book by The Baby Sleep Site®
18 Month Sleep Regression Background:
What is a “Sleep Regression” Anyway?
Most people use sleep regression to mean that a baby or toddler, who’s been sleeping well, suddenly (often without any warning) begins waking frequently at night and/or refusing to nap during the day. These regressions usually last for a period of time (anywhere from 2 – 6 weeks), and then the baby’s sleep returns to its normal patterns. Toddler sleep regressions tend to be more challenging since toddlers are louder and more persistent.
18 Month Sleep Regression: Causes and Why 18 Months?
Every sleep regression can be connected to a baby’s mental and physical development at that particular age. The same is true of the 18-month regression. 18-month olds experience some developmental milestones that can, unfortunately, negatively impact their sleep. Of course, as with all sleep regressions, this one can start early at 17 months old or as late as 19 or 20 months old. All children develop on their own unique timeline.
- Teething could be to blame. Around 18 months, children are cutting the 4 canine teeth as well as their first molars. This can cause discomfort that leads to disrupted sleep.
- Separation anxiety is still an issue for toddlers at 18 months. Most babies begin experiencing separation anxiety around 7 or 8 months, and for most babies, the anxiety is strongest from 10-18 months. This can lead to disrupted sleep as well — your toddler might resist naps because he doesn’t want to be away from you, or he may wake at night and become upset that you’re not in the room with him.
- 18 month olds are gaining lots of independence and are able to do more for themselves. Children at this age are learning to feed themselves with a spoon, drink from a cup, build with blocks, and even take off some articles of clothing. This growing independence can lead to a stronger will, which means a baby may start exerting herself when she doesn’t want to go to sleep or stay in bed.
- In my 10+ years of experience as a sleep consultant, I find that toddlers start getting hungry at night sometimes, again. You might need to consider whether meals need to be bigger or you need a bedtime snack. Toddlers, this age can be VERY active!
- Schedules sometimes change around this age, too. While most toddlers are still napping 5 hours after waking up, there are some who can now stay awake a bit longer. Be sure to check out a few of our toddler schedules to make sure you are using the right one for your toddler.
18 Month Sleep Regression: Why It’s One Of The Hardest Sleep Regressions Of All
All sleep regressions are difficult and exhausting, but the 18-month sleep regression can be one of the hardest, for one simple reason — there’s a discipline factor involved in this regression that wasn’t present in the earlier ones. The previous regressions didn’t have anything to do with independence-seeking behavior on your baby’s part, but this one does.
Being sleep-deprived always makes parenting harder. Add to this the fact that your 18-month-old is likely starting to throw temper tantrums and exhibit plenty of challenging behavior as he strives for independence, and parenting can seem downright impossible! The stress of dealing with your toddler’s behavior compounds the exhaustion you’re already feeling.
What’s more, these two elements (your toddler’s newfound sleeplessness and your toddler’s more challenging behavior) can end up influencing each other. Your toddler’s willful behavior can lead him to refuse naps or to shriek stubbornly for you each time he wakes at night. And of course, the lack of sleep caused by this regression can make your little one cranky, which leads to more tantrums and more temper.
18 Month Sleep Regression Tips and Hints
While there is no way to “fix” any sleep regression, including the 18-month sleep regression, there are steps you can take to minimize your baby’s sleeplessness (and your own!)
Again, part of the challenge of the 18-month sleep regression likely has to do with the fact that your toddler is heading into the “Terrible Twos” and is starting to show some independence-seeking behavior. This is the time to begin setting limits for your toddler and enforcing discipline. Not only will this help minimize sleeplessness, but it’ll also help you develop a good foundation that will make your baby’s twos and threes a little less “terrible”.
Continue to follow your consistent bedtime routine as much as possible to promote good nights and longer naps. This is also a good time to reinforce a lovey or stuffed animal to ease any separation anxiety.
Should You Keep the Nap?
If your baby’s extremely resistant to naps during the 18-month sleep regression, you may feel tempted to just drop the nap altogether. Again, we recommend that you don’t. Most toddlers don’t drop their naps until between three and four years old, so don’t quit just yet!
Should You Stop Sleep Training?
If you’re in the midst of sleep training when the 18-month sleep regression hits, you may wonder if you should just throw in the towel for a while. We recommend that you don’t. Your toddler should still fall asleep as independently as possible. If your toddler wakes up in the middle of the night, they should fall back to sleep as independently as possible, too.
It’s true that sleep training likely won’t produce fantastic results during this phase, but remember that you don’t want to promote bad sleep habits during a stage that is ultimately temporary. As we tell many families, you don’t want to make or continue long-term habits for a short-term phase.
Fall back on old sleep coaching techniques, if necessary. If you have successfully sleep coached before, try implementing old sleep coaching techniques to get you through this phase. Sleep coaching techniques such as fading, check-and-console, or cry it out can help you survive the 18-month sleep regression without falling back into old patterns.
You May Also Be Interested In…
- Sleep Training Methods Explained
- 11 Cry It Out Dos and Don’ts
- The Ferber Method Explained
- 17 Month-Old Case Study – Transitioning from CoSleeping
- Sleep Regressions Audio Recording with Founder
- The 5-Step System To Better Toddler Sleep e-Book
- Chat live with a sleep consultant
Need a plan? Consider getting a Personalized Sleep Plan® with 10+ years’ experience created for you.
18 Month Sleep Regression Conclusion
Remember that the 18-month sleep regression is a phase that lasts for 3-6 weeks, on average. And, while it can feel like an eternity when you’re enduring it and may have you feeling even less confident as a parent, it won’t last forever. If your baby normally sleeps well and you feel confident that her recent sleeplessness is due to the 18-month regression, then be as patient as you can and wait it out.
For more details on handling the 18-month sleep regression, check out our special members-only resources in our VIP Members Area:
Did your toddler experience the 18 month sleep regression? How did you handle it? Scroll down to share your story and to hear from other parents!
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Marivic says
My 17.5 month old has been struggling with naps for 2 weeks now. He’ll fall asleep on our nanny while out and about for a half hour, but won’t take a second nap. Before this, he’d take a 90 min nap sometime midday, but then he got sick and we went on a trip and it’s been a week and everything’s just chaos. No nap, 10 min naps, 30 min naps, napping at 3:30, 5:00. Once he finally slept in his crib for 90 min and it was a miracle. Bedtime has been challenging. We’re being consistent with offering naps when he normally would (though I feel like there isn’t much of a normal anymore). And his bedtimes are the same. He’s been so cranky and clingy. It’s so difficult. We’ve gone back to sleep training, but he continues to fight sleep and scream in his crib. Any advice?
Debbye @ The Baby Sleep Site says
Hi @Marivic –
Thank you for writing to us! I’m sorry that naps and bedtime are such a challenge right now with your (almost) 18 month old! We know how tough this can be! Don’t give up on those naps, and keep offering them! Perhaps your little guy is ready to transition to one nap?
This article can help with more info on transitioning to one nap, and give you other great tips for toddler’s naps:
https://www.babysleepsite.com/toddlers/the-ultimate-toddler-nap-guide/
For more in-depth help, please consider our VIP Members Area or working one on one with one of our expert sleep consultants! Please contact us at any time for more info! Hang in there Marivic!!
Vannessa Depper says
My daughter is 19 months old and usually sleeps through the night. She had the stage where she wouldn’t nap and passed that but now she cries in her sleep, tosses and turns and moves around alot. Most the time she isn’t all the way awakes so eyes are shut or halfway open. It only been about a week like this. Is this sleep regression or something more serious started out of the blue…
Debbye @ The Baby Sleep Site says
Hi @Vannessa –
Thank you for writing to us! Sorry to hear that your daughter is not sleeping peacefully recently!! This article may help you determine why she may be waking/partially waking in the night:
https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-sleep-patterns/baby-crying-in-sleep/
It can be a sleep regression, or a number of things causing this new sleep disturbance, and one of our sleep consultants would love to take an in-depth look at your toddler’s sleep history and to help you with this at any time! Please contact us for more info, or if you’d like assistance at any time! Hang in there Vannessa!
Gabriella says
Reading through all these comments and it makes me relieved that I am not the only one going through this, but nonetheless still frustrated and confused! My daughter is almost 16 months and the last few weeks have been rough. She goes to bed easily around 7:45pm, and in the early morning hours she becomes an angry banshee. My husband and I have started taking turns as to who will console her each night, and this week she has been waking progressively earlier (5, then 4, then 3, then 2). The only thing that will soothe her is if she comes into bed with us – which I HATE and know is a horrible habit but, otherwise she just screams and is completely inconsolable. I tried to just let her CIO (more like scream it out) last night and after 10 minutes I felt so horrible that I went in and rescued her (this after 20+ minutes or so of rocking, back rubbing, singing, etc). The second she laid in my bed, she was asleep. I do not want her to become used to sleeping in my bed, but at some point we all need to get some rest. She seems to nap well at daycare on a cot, and my husband wants to get her a cot for her room because we think she has an aversion to her crib, but at 16 months I don’t think she is ready for the independence of a cot. Is she old enough to be afraid of the dark, or afraid of something in her room? She starts crying and tensing up immediately after we start bringing her near her crib. I feel so defeated and drained.
Debbye @ The Baby Sleep Site says
Hi @Gabriella –
Thank you for writing to us! I’m sorry to hear that your daughter is struggling with sleeping on her own and that she is turning into a screaming banshee in the wee hours! You’re not alone, and we’d love to help!
It sounds to me like she is loving co-sleeping with you when she wakes and she may be waking so you’ll come and rescue her! If you’d like to stop the middle of the night travels to your bed, it may be time for some sleep coaching so that she can learn how to sleep in her space again. If you’d like our help, your dedicated consultant can help with the aversion to her crib as well!
If you’re still not sure, we do offer free 15 minute telephone evaluations with an expert sleep consultant, which might be the perfect fit! This can really give you good insight regarding when and how to work on sleep, if you need one-on-one help, and which package may be the best fit for you. If interested, please schedule your free 15 minute evaluation here:
https://www.babysleepsite.com/personalized-baby-sleep-evaluation/?utm_source=crs&utm_medium=email
Thank you again for writing to us! Let us know if you have any questions Gabriella, and hang in there!!
Tracey says
My son is just over 19 months old and last week had a stomach bug. Since that started (he’s now back to normal in the stomach department), he is waking up around 12:45 every night (bedtime is 8 p.m.) and a couple of times he will not be put back to sleep. Our bedtime routine consists of pjs/lotion, hugs, reading in his room, and then a little rocking until he is pretty sleepy. He has been sleeping through the night with this routine for probably a year. Now when he wakes at 12:45, he either falls back to sleep immediately when we pick him up (we do wait a few minutes to go in to see if he can resettle himself) and goes back into his crib easily or we spend HOURS trying to get him into his crib. He immediately stands up, no matter how sleepy his is, and cries so hard. He can stand there crying for 20 to 30 minutes at a time and it breaks my heart. Open to all advice!
Debbye @ The Baby Sleep Site says
Hi @Tracey – Thanks for writing to us! I’m sorry that your little guy had a stomach bug, but great to hear that he’s feeling better! It is too bad that he’s now waking every night. That is ROUGH, especially the timing after his illness! I’m sure that you all need more rest! First, I’d suggest trying to figure out just why he’s waking, and then working on a plan to help him wake up less, and to be able to fall back to sleep if he wakes. This article can help:
https://www.babysleepsite.com/toddlers/toddler-night-waking/
Hopefully things smooth out! If you find that you need more help at any time, please contact us for more info! One of our expert sleep consultants would love to help!
Alberta Blaj says
I would be really grateful for some advice on this topic. My 18 mo old has always been a pretty good sleeper. He still goes down for naps and bedtime independently like a champ, sleeps “through the night”, but wakes up anytime between 5 and 5:45 am. (Bedtime between 7 and 8pm) It’s the first time we deal with early morning wakings, really, I have no idea how to deal with it and it’s been going on for about two weeks already now.
Debbye @ The Baby Sleep Site says
Hi @Alberta– Thank you for writing to us about your 18 month old’s sleep! So sorry to hear that he’s waking SO early! We know how tough this can be and early wakings can be tricky to figure out!
Based on what you’ve shared, and since early wakings can be so tricky, I’d like to recommend our VIP Members Area, which gives you access to all of our e-Books as well as audio tele-seminar recordings, case studies, and do-it-yourself tutorials, including a workbook designed to help you create your own sleep plan. My favorite feature is the access to our weekly “members only” expert chat sessions, where one of our sleep consultants will answer your specific questions live via chatroom! I think that this would be especially helpful, so that you can share more about your son and one of our sleep consultants can advise!! You can also write a message on any of the pages within the VIP Area, and a Sleep Consultant will reply there too!
You can read more about our VIP Members Area here:
https://www.babysleepsite.com/diy
Thanks again for writing Alberta! Please contact us if you have any questions about this or if you need any assistance at any time!
Rebecca says
This site has helped us so much with our daughter! With every sleep regression she’s had, we’ve used your site to help us. Thank you!!
Our daughter is currently 19 months old and we think she’s in the middle of the 18 month regression. The past couple weeks have been so hard! She sleeps GREAT at night and averages 13 hours at night without waking up at all. We usually put her down to bed at 7:00 p.m. and she wakes up on her own about 8:00 a.m. She has been refusing to take either day time nap for the past two weeks however. Prior to her refusing to nap at all, she would sleep 12 hours at night and take two naps, about 1-2 hours each (we were lucky!). I thought she was transitioning to one nap a day but then she started fighting that nap too.
My question is this-is she sleeping too much at night now? She sleeps a solid 13 hours at night and is refusing day time naps now. I know during a sleep regression their sleep is a little different. Do I just keep doing her regular sleep at night and keep attempting day time naps until the regression ends in another couple weeks? Or should I limit her nighttime sleep more to help her nap during the day? She does get very cranky and clumsy in the evenings and hasn’t eaten as well the past couple weeks because she is so tired so I feel like she still needs the day time sleep. Thank you!
Danielle says
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks for visiting us – and thank you for letting us know how much the articles have helped you! That’s really wonderful 🙂 I’m so sorry to hear you’re struggling with this sleep regression. As you said, it *is* tough! I see your situation is unique in several ways – most 18 month-olds are on one nap a day, and as you mentioned, the longer nights you’re seeing are rarer too. Because of these points, I’d really recommend talking directly with a sleep consultant, so I can be sure I’m not steering you wrong! The Members Chat might be a good option, since sleep has been good for you before the regression and you just need a small amount of help. I’m sorry there’s not a clear-cut answer to this one, but please hang in there!
katherine wilcox says
My sons been sleeping through the night and taking naps since did cry it out at 6 months old. Now hes screaming and resisting so badly even though hes exhausted. Is it ok to go back to trying cry it out?
Debbye @ The Baby Sleep Site says
Hi @Katherine – Thank you for writing to us! Sorry to hear that your toddler is resisting sleep so badly right now! The toddler months and years can be tough for sleep, and SO many families experience sone sleep “speedbumps” at this time! Many families have to re-visit (or re-do) sleep coaching/sleep training a few times, so you’re not alone in this! If you’d like help with a plan to conquer your son’s sleep struggles, please just let us know. We’re here to help!
Rae says
My son is 19 months old. He has sheen sleeping 12 hours for a long time not but the last month he has been waking up 1 maybe 2 times a night. We let him squirm and cry and then let him know we are there. Then if it keeps going on we give in and give whim milk. And he falls back to sleep. But we literally can’t keep doing this every night. What do we do?
Debbye @ The Baby Sleep Site says
Hi @Rae – Thanks for writing to us! I’m sorry to hear that you’re struggling with your toddler’s night waking! I certainly know how tired you must be for these wakings and new night feeds! The 18 month mark can be a very tough one for many families so hang in there!!! For help with this, I would recommend that you consider our e-Book, The 5 Step System to Better Toddler Sleep. It is written specifically to help parents of toddlers with sleep issues just like this! You can find out more, and order the e-Book directly online here:
https://www.babysleepsite.com/5-step-system-toddler
When you visit that page, you will see that there are two options. One option is our “Silver Package” which includes the instant 5 Step System to Better Toddler Sleep e-Book download, an in depth case study, and two informative audio tele-seminars. Our other option is a “Gold Package” which includes everything in the “Silver Package” plus two additional audio tele-seminars, and an Express Sleep Plan, which is an instant customized plan specific to your family’s history, your family’s philosophies, and your specific goals.
Hang in there Rae! Please let us know if you have additional questions at any time! We’d love to help you get better sleep right away!
Renee Helene Koutsis says
Good Morning,
My son is 13 months old DOB: 21.8.2018 and I have noticed he won’t fall asleep in the car like he usually does and he will cry until we get home. The night time is a struggle. He’s really hard to get to sleep. It’s like he’s really restless. He’s been waking 1.5 – 2 hrs. It’s a bit tough at the moment.
Danielle says
Hi Renee,
Thank you for writing! I’m sorry to hear you’re struggling with sleep so much with your son! We’d need more information on his schedule and your current routine to give you any helpful advice 🙁 Can you write to us at contact(at)babysleepsite.com? In the meantime you might find our sample toddler schedule helpful (2 naps): https://www.babysleepsite.com/schedules/toddler-schedule/
We hope to hear from you soon!
Josie says
I would love some tips and any help. My 16.5 month old is refusing to take her naps. We decided to transition her to 1 nap and now she won’t take the 1 nap. She is also waking up in the middle of the night shrieking. She will barely let me leave her room when I get her settled. She immediately starts crying again. She’s so overtired (and so are we!). It’s been going on for weeks. She had been sleeping through the night for 11 hours since she was 4-5 months old. We also have the same bedtime routine and nap routine since she was around 3 months old. What can we do?
Debbye @ The Baby Sleep Site says
Hi @Josie – Yikes! Sorry that things have gotten so rough with your toddler’s sleep! This is a tough age for sleep, so hang in there!! Don’t give up on the naps yet – Keep offering, and perhaps try going back to two naps to get her caught up on sleep! Keep being consistent, and hopefully the tips on this page will help too! Here is a link to our sample toddler schedule, to use as reference to be sure she is being offered sleep at generally good times. A toddler that sleeps at the right times will tend to sleep better, even during this tough sleep regression: https://www.babysleepsite.com/schedules/toddler-schedule/
We know how overwhelming this can be, and can definitely help more with this issue! If you would like additional help with this, please consider one of our Personalized Sleep Consultation packages, where we will work with you on a detailed plan – one that you can commit to and feel good about.
You can read about all of our sleep consultation packages and purchase directly online here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/services/
Thanks again for writing Josie and hang in there!