The 8-Month Sleep Regression (UK): Why Your Baby Is Waking Every 2 Hours

Somewhere around seven or eight months, a lot of babies who were sleeping reasonably well start waking every hour or two. Search for it and you'll find it called the 8-month sleep regression. Look on a parenting forum and you'll find thread after thread: "8 month old waking every 2 hours", "9 month old not sleeping", "six month old suddenly waking hourly and only settling with cuddles". If that's your house right now, here's what's usually going on, and what helps.

The short answer: "sleep regression" isn't a medical term, but a rough patch somewhere between 7 and 10 months is very common. It usually comes from several things landing at once: new skills like crawling and pulling up, separation anxiety (which the NHS says is common from 6 months), the move from three naps to two, and sometimes teething, hunger or a cold. Keep the bedtime routine steady, give new skills plenty of practice in the daytime, check the naps suit your baby's age, and talk to your health visitor if it's lasted more than a few weeks or you're struggling.

Is the 8-month sleep regression real?

The NHS doesn't use the phrase. What its baby sleep advice does say is that all babies change their sleep patterns, and that growth spurts, teething and illness can all affect how a baby sleeps. Between 6 months and a year, it says, teething discomfort or hunger may wake some babies in the night. So the honest version is this: nothing switches on at exactly eight months, but this age has more reasons to wake than most, and they tend to arrive together.

Why babies wake more at 7 to 10 months

New skills: sitting, crawling and pulling up

Most babies crawl somewhere between 7 and 10 months (some skip it and go straight to cruising), and many are pulling themselves up to stand by around 9 months. Our milestones guide has the ranges. A baby who has just learned to pull up will often practise in the cot at 2am, then can't work out how to get back down, and calls for you.

Separation anxiety

The NHS says separation anxiety is common in young children between 6 months and 3 years, and that it's a normal stage of development: a sign your baby now realises they're a separate person from you. They rely on a small group of carers, and feel less safe without them. Being put down alone in a dark room is exactly that kind of separation, which is why it often shows up at bedtime and in the night.

The move from three naps to two

Between about 6 and 9 months, most babies drop the late-afternoon catnap and settle into two naps (see our nap schedule by age). Wake windows stretch to around 2.5 to 3 hours at 7 to 9 months, and 3 to 4 hours from about 10 months. During the switch it's easy to end up with too little daytime sleep, or a last nap that runs too close to bedtime, and both can show up as a worse night.

Teething, hunger and colds

Solids are usually under way by now, but milk is still the main source of nutrition until around 12 months, so some night wakings are genuinely about hunger. Teething can wake babies too; our teething guide covers the signs. And autumn and winter colds disturb everyone's sleep, babies included.

What helps

• Keep the bedtime routine the same every night. The NHS suggests a simple, soothing routine: a bath, a bedtime story, dimming the lights, a goodnight kiss and cuddle. The predictability matters more than the details.
• Practise new skills in the daytime. Plenty of floor time helps a baby get used to crawling and pulling up while they're awake. If they've just learned to stand, practise sitting back down from standing in the day, so it's less of a puzzle at night.
• Practise short separations. The NHS suggests games like peek-a-boo to show that you always come back, and short spells with someone your baby knows well. Keep goodbyes calm and positive, because babies pick up on your tension.
• Check the naps. Compare your day with the wake windows by age. If the bad nights started when the third nap went, an earlier bedtime for a week or two often helps while your baby adjusts.
• Keep the night calm and dull. The NHS suggests keeping the lights down low and not changing your baby unless they need it. Whichever way you settle them, doing it the same way each time makes nights more predictable for both of you.
• Make the cot safe for a climber. Once your baby can sit up or pull to stand, move the mattress base to its lowest setting, and keep the cot clear. The NHS says not to use pillows, duvets, cot bumpers, loose blankets or soft toys.

Night feeds at this age

The NHS says that for some babies aged 6 months to a year, night feeds may no longer be necessary, and some babies sleep around 15 hours in total by then, most of it at night. Plenty of others still need a feed or two, and both are normal. If your baby used to go longer and now wakes to feed every two hours, it's worth looking at the pattern before changing anything: is it one proper feed and several short comfort feeds, or a full feed every time? Our guide to dropping night feeds covers how to cut back gently, if and when you want to.

How long does the 8-month sleep regression last?

There's no reliable figure, because it depends on what's behind it. A nap transition settles as the new two-nap day beds in. Separation anxiety comes and goes, and the NHS says it can come back at other times of stress, such as a big change like starting nursery. A tooth or a cold passes. The NHS suggests talking to your health visitor if separation anxiety is causing your baby a lot of distress or lasts more than a few weeks, and that's a sensible marker for the sleep side of it too.

When to get help

• Health visitor: if it's gone on for more than a few weeks, if your baby is very distressed at being apart from you, or if you just need someone to look at the whole picture with you.
• GP or NHS 111: if your baby seems unwell, has a high temperature or isn't feeding.
• For you: months of broken nights are hard. If you're running on empty, tell your health visitor or GP. Our guide to looking after yourself has more on getting support.

Seeing the pattern when every night blurs together

At this age, the cause is often visible in the log before it's obvious in your head: the wakings started the week the third nap went, or they bunch up before midnight, or last night really was better than the night before. A week of logged naps and night wakings makes that easy to see. CubTrack logs each nap and night waking on the free tier and shows the wake window since the last sleep, and your partner sees the same timeline for free, so whoever did the 2am shift doesn't have to remember it.

Related reading

• The 4-month sleep regression
• Toddler sleep regressions (18 months and 2 years)
• Baby nap schedule by age
• Wake windows by age chart
• Dropping night feeds

Frequently asked questions

Why is my 8 month old suddenly waking every 2 hours?

Usually several things at once: new skills like crawling and pulling up, separation anxiety, the change from three naps to two, and sometimes teething, hunger or a cold. Look at what changed in the week it started, especially naps.

Is the 8-month sleep regression real?

It isn't a medical term, and the NHS doesn't use it. But the NHS does say babies' sleep patterns change, and that teething, illness and growth all affect sleep, so a rough patch at this age is common and normal.

How long does the 8-month sleep regression last?

There's no fixed length, because it depends on the cause. If it's lasted more than a few weeks, or your baby seems very distressed or unwell, talk to your health visitor or GP.

Is it teething or a sleep regression?

It can be both. Teething tends to show in the day too, with signs like a flushed cheek, more dribbling, and gnawing or chewing on things. If your baby is unsettled at night but happy, hungry and well in the day, a nap change or separation anxiety is more likely.

Should I still feed my 8 month old at night?

If they're hungry, yes. The NHS says some babies no longer need night feeds between 6 months and a year, but many still do. If you want to cut back, do it gradually, and check with your health visitor first if weight gain has ever been a concern.

My 9 month old will only sleep next to me. Is that normal?

Very. Separation anxiety is common from 6 months, and wanting to be close at night is part of it. Short separations in the daytime and a steady bedtime routine help. If your baby ends up in your bed, follow the NHS advice on co-sleeping more safely.

My baby stands up in the cot and can't get back down. What do I do?

Help them down calmly with as little fuss as you can, and practise sitting down from standing during the day. Lower the cot base to its lowest setting once they can pull up.

Sleep, night feed and separation anxiety information checked against the NHS in October 2026. Nap, wake window and milestone ranges match our own guides. This is general information, not medical advice; speak to your health visitor or GP about your baby. CubTrack is made by OakFox Limited.