How much sleep does an 8-month-old need?

Between 12 and 15 hours in 24 hours. Most 8-month-olds sleep 10–12 hours at night and take two naps totalling 2.5–3.5 hours during the day. The 8-month regression often compresses night sleep temporarily — a baby sleeping 10 hours broken at 8 months may have been sleeping 11 hours solid at 7 months.

Is there an 8-month sleep regression?

Yes — it is often grouped as the 8–10 month regression and is one of the most significant in the first year. It is driven by gross motor development (crawling, pulling to stand) and the first peak of separation anxiety. A baby who was sleeping well at 6–7 months and is suddenly waking multiple times at 8 months is almost certainly in this regression. It typically lasts 4–8 weeks.

My 8-month-old screams when I put them down at bedtime. What do I do?

This is peak separation anxiety. The baby understands you are leaving and has the vocal and motor capacity to protest. A predictable goodbye phrase used identically every time gives the baby a reliable signal. One brief return if calling escalates significantly, then no more. Extending settling (lying down, repeated returns) teaches the baby that escalation produces more contact — which intensifies the pattern rather than resolving it.

What wake windows should an 8-month-old have?

Between 2.5 and 3.25 hours. A baby waking at 6:30am should have their first nap around 9:00–9:15am. The afternoon wake window is typically the longest — 3–3.5 hours from end of nap 2 to bedtime is common. If bedtime resistance is high, check the afternoon wake window is not too long or too short.

My 8-month-old was sleeping through and is now waking every hour. Is this the regression?

Almost certainly yes. The 8-month regression produces frequent brief wakings as the brain consolidates gross motor skills during sleep phases. The baby surfaces, cannot resettle, and calls out. The most effective response is a brief, consistent return (the goodbye phrase once) without feeding or extended settling unless feeding is genuinely still necessary. Changing settling habits during the regression typically extends its duration.

How many naps should an 8-month-old have?

Two. The 3-to-2 nap transition is complete for most 8-month-olds. Wake windows of 2.5–3.25 hours make a 3-nap schedule impractical. If the baby is still on 3 naps at 8 months, the first nap is almost certainly shortening — this is the signal to consolidate to 2.

Should I stop night feeds at 8 months?

Formula-fed babies typically do not need night feeds by 8 months. Breastfed babies may still have one genuine feed, usually between 3 and 5am. If a baby is waking more than twice and feeding briefly each time during the regression, the feeds are habitual rather than nutritional — a brief, non-feeding response extinguishes them within 3–5 nights. A genuine hunger feed will persist through this approach.

My 8-month-old keeps crawling/standing in the cot at night. What do I do?

Practise the transitional movement during the day until it is automatic — specifically, lowering from standing to sitting to lying. Once the baby can do this smoothly during the day, the overnight version typically resolves within a week. At night: go in briefly, lower the baby to lying without picking them up, say the goodbye phrase once, and leave.

7.5–9 months

8 months

How much sleep, how many naps, what bedtime — and what's normal at this stage.

Total sleep

12–15 hrs

Night sleep

10–12 hrs

Naps

2 naps · 2.5–3.5 hrs

Bedtime

18:00–19:30

Sample 8 months schedule

Time	Activity
06:30	Wake + feed
09:00	Nap 1 (1–1.5 hrs)
10:30	Wake + feed
13:30	Nap 2 (1–1.5 hrs)
15:00	Wake + feed
18:15	Bedtime routine
18:45	Asleep

All times are approximate. Adjust by 30–60 minutes to suit your child.

What's normal at 8 months

•Two naps daily with wake windows of 2.5–3.25 hours
•The 8–10 month regression beginning — increased night waking, separation distress
•Crawling beginning or imminent — motor practice during sleep causing arousal
•Peak stranger awareness — unfamiliar faces or environments affect settling
•Pulling to stand approaching for some babies
•Increased babbling and proto-words — significant language processing overnight
•Separation anxiety often at its most acute around 8–9 months

What changed since 6.5–7 months

•Wake windows have lengthened to 2.5–3.25 hours as the baby approaches the 3-hour threshold
•Crawling is beginning — the brain consolidates this motor skill during sleep, causing more frequent arousal between cycles
•Separation anxiety has reached or is approaching its first peak — the baby now has a clear preference for primary caregivers and can become distressed by their absence
•Stranger awareness peaks — a new face at bedtime or an unfamiliar sleep environment can significantly disrupt settling
•The baby is more physically capable — sitting independently, attempting to pull up — which changes the challenge of overnight waking

What's coming next

The 8–10 month regression is the most significant disruption between the 4-month change and the 18-month regression for many families. It typically lasts 4–8 weeks. The next milestone is pulling to stand (if not yet), followed by the beginning of first steps, each of which produces a brief motor-disruption pattern. The 2-to-1 nap transition begins between 13 and 18 months.

8–10 month sleep regression

Typically 7.5–10 months

The 8–10 month regression is driven by a convergence of factors: gross motor development (the brain consolidates crawling, pulling to stand, and cruising during sleep phases, causing frequent arousal), the peak of object permanence and stranger awareness, and the first major peak of separation anxiety. The baby who is now fully aware that you exist when out of sight is also fully capable of protesting your absence — and has developed the motor and vocal skills to do so effectively.

Full guide: 8–10 month sleep regression →Full reset guide →

Common challenges at 8 months

Sudden night waking after weeks of good sleep

A baby who had been sleeping well at 6–7 months and suddenly begins waking multiple times at 8 months is almost certainly in the 8–10 month regression. The waking is driven by motor development (the brain practises crawling and pulling to stand during sleep phases) and separation anxiety (the baby surfaces, realises you are not there, and cannot resettle independently). The pattern resolves as motor skills consolidate — typically within 4–6 weeks — but only if settling habits are not changed in response.

Extreme separation distress at bedtime

Eight months marks a peak of separation anxiety for many babies. The baby now has a strong attachment to primary caregivers and fully understands that the cot means you are leaving. A predictable goodbye phrase used identically at every settling gives the baby a reliable endpoint. Extending the settling — staying until asleep, multiple returns — teaches the baby that escalation produces more parental contact, which intensifies rather than resolves the pattern.

Crawling or pulling to stand in the cot

At 8 months the baby may crawl or pull to stand in the cot and become unable to settle back to lying. During the day: practise lowering from standing and transitioning from hands-and-knees to sitting until automatic. At night: a brief return to lower the baby to lying, the goodbye phrase once, then leave. Within 1–2 weeks of the motor skill being consolidated during the day, the overnight version typically resolves.

Nap refusal despite appropriate wake windows

During the 8-month regression, nap refusal that does not reflect schedule problems is common — the baby is overtired from poor night sleep, which paradoxically makes daytime settling harder. Maintaining consistent nap times even through refusal (offering the nap in the cot for 20–30 minutes even if the baby does not sleep) helps preserve schedule regularity through the regression.

Build your 8 months routine

A strong routine is the most effective buffer against the 8-month regression. If sleep was solid before and something specific disrupted it, a targeted reset helps. If the routine was never established, building one now gives you the structure to navigate the regression and the 12-month nap transition ahead.

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Related guides

Questions about 8 months sleep

Methodology grounded in paediatric sleep research and evidence-based clinical practice. Schedule data, wake window recommendations, and regression timelines are derived from published guidelines including those of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), the National Sleep Foundation, and paediatric sleep research published in peer-reviewed journals.

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