Growth Spurts, Sleep Changes and Building Independent Sleep in the First Year
The first year of your baby’s life is filled with incredible changes. They grow rapidly, learn new skills, and amaze you with milestones like rolling over, sitting up, and babbling. Alongside all this growth comes another reality: sleep can feel unpredictable.
Many parents are surprised when a baby who was sleeping well suddenly starts waking more at night or taking short naps. These changes often line up with growth spurts or developmental leaps.
The good news? Sleep disruptions during growth spurts are normal and you can support your baby in getting back on track while encouraging independent sleep skills.
What Happens During Growth Spurts
Growth spurts are short bursts of development when your baby’s body is working overtime. In the first year, common times for growth spurts are:
2–3 weeks
6 weeks
3 months
6 months
9 months
During a growth spurt, your baby may:
Feed more frequently (day and night)
Wake more often at night
Take shorter or more restless naps
Seek more comfort or closeness
These phases usually last 3-5 days, and sleep often improves once the growth spurt passes.
Supporting Sleep During Growth Spurts
Even though sleep may temporarily change, this is a great time to reinforce healthy sleep habits so your baby can return to more restful nights. Here’s how:
Stick to a Wake–Eat–Play–Sleep rhythm
This routine encourages babies to feed when they wake, enjoy some playtime, and then go down for a nap without relying on a feed to fall asleep.
It gently separates feeding from sleeping, which supports independent sleep.
Create consistent sleep routines
A predictable bedtime and nap routine signals to your baby that sleep is coming.
Keep routines simple: a feed, diaper change, a short wind-down like a song or cuddle, and into the crib awake.
Allow opportunities for self-settling
When your baby stirs, give yourself a pause before stepping in.
Often, they can resettle on their own when given the chance. If they need help, provide reassurance in a calm, consistent way that still promotes independence (ex. patting, shushing, back/chest rubbing, etc).
Offer comfort without creating new habits
During growth spurts, your baby may need an extra feed or some brief comfort. Respond to their needs but try to avoid introducing habits like rocking or feeding to sleep if you want to maintain independent sleep skills.
Why Independent Sleep Skills Matter
When babies learn to fall asleep on their own, they can also resettle between sleep cycles, which leads to longer naps and longer stretches of night sleep.
Even during growth spurts or regressions, babies with strong sleep foundations usually return to good sleep more quickly. Your consistency now pays off long term.
Overall, growth spurts and developmental changes are temporary, but the sleep skills you teach your baby will last well beyond the first year.
If you want support to teach your baby to fall asleep on their own using proven, supportive strategies, I can help guide you step by step. Together, we’ll create a plan that works for your family and helps everyone sleep better.
💤 Book a call with me at MetaSleep Consulting, and let’s build the sleep foundation your baby’s needs and get the rest you deserve.
