Separation anxiety in babies can start as early as 4-5 months, is most common between 10-18 months, and usually eases up by age 3.

Your toddler won’t sleep seemingly out of the blue. Let’s take a look at why that happens and how to get everyone’s sleep back on track.

“Cry It Out” (CIO) is one method within sleep training, but it is not the definition of sleep training. The best approach for your baby is one that minimizes but doesn’t fear crying, and thoughtfully and consistently addresses the root cause of disruptive sleep patterns.

Sample sleep schedule for a six-month old. If you want a practical example of how to approach sleep with a six-month old, here are two sleep schedules:

Although nightmares and night terrors are often lumped together, they’re caused by different sleep states and call for different responses. Understanding that difference can take a lot of the fear and guesswork out of those long nights.

Most babies need 10.5 to 12 hours of sleep overnight, so if your baby is hitting that number, you’re probably not dealing with an early waking.

How can I fix a split night? If your baby is experiencing a split night, it’s important to remember that the night needs to shrink before it can extend again.

How to make the transition: The goal is not to stop nursing entirely, but to separate feeding from sleep.

If you don’t want to sleep train right now, the good news is that sleep training is not the only path to better sleep. Better sleep doesn’t have to mean sleeping through the night, falling asleep independently, or removing all support. It can mean fewer night wakings, shorter wake-ups, smoother bedtimes, and sleep that feels more manageable for everyone involved.