u/Far_Dependent_6000

My daughter is 8 months old and was previously an amazing sleeper. She went down easily, linked sleep cycles, and slept straight through the night (6:30pm–7am) with no issues. We had a consistent schedule that worked really well.

Lately, everything has completely fallen apart and I don’t know if I’m causing it or if this is just the 8-month regression.

Current schedule:

- Wake: ~6:45–7:00am

- Bottles: 7am, 11am, 3pm, 7pm (I try to keep these consistent)

- Recently dropped the catnap

Typical day now:

- Nap 1: ~9:15 → only 30–45 min (used to be 9–11am)

- Nap 2: ~1:00 → ~2:30 (usually solid)

- Refuses catnap around 4:30pm

- Very fussy by 5–6pm

Night issues:

- Falls asleep easily at bedtime

- Wakes 1–2 hours later SCREAMING

- Won’t self-soothe like she used to

- Escalates if I leave her

- Calms immediately when I pick her up

This is completely different from before — she used to put herself back to sleep with no problem.

For context:

- We dropped night feeds around 3 months

- Sleep trained at 4 months using Taking Cara Babies (worked in 2 nights)

- She’s been sleeping through the night ever since… until now

What I’m struggling with:

- Should I respond immediately at night right now, or stick to sleep training?

- Do I need to re-sleep train?

- Is this a schedule issue (short first nap, dropping the catnap)?

- Or is this just the 8-month regression / separation anxiety?

- Is she overtired by bedtime?

I feel like I’m constantly second-guessing everything.

Would love to hear from anyone who went through something similar — especially if your baby was a great sleeper and then suddenly started waking shortly after bedtime like this.

Thank you 🙏

Hi everyone — I could really use some advice from people who’ve been through this.

My daughter is 8 months old and was previously a great sleeper. She would go down easily, link sleep cycles, and sleep through the night with minimal issues. We were on a really consistent schedule that worked well for her.

Lately, everything has completely fallen apart and I’m not sure if I’m handling this correctly or making it worse.

Current situation:

Wake time: ~6:45–7:00am

Bottles: 7am, 11am, 3pm, 7pm (I try really hard to keep these consistent)

Previously did 3 naps, but she has basically dropped the catnap

Typical day now (example from today):

Nap 1: ~9:15 → lately will only nap for ~30–45 minutes (previously she was sleeping 9-11am) 

Nap 2: ~1:00 → ~2:30 (this one is usually solid)

Refuses catnap around 4:30pm

Gets fussy by ~5–6pm

Night issues:

Falls asleep easily at bedtime

Then wakes up 1–2 hours later SCREAMING

Will not self-soothe like she used to

Escalates if I leave her

Immediately settles when I pick her up

This is very different from before — she used to be able to put herself back to sleep/link sleep cycles. She would sleep 6:30 pm - 7am with no wake ups or issues. 

We dropped her night feed around 3 months old. At 4 months, we sleep trained her using the takingcarababies method and it worked perfectly within 2 nights - she’s been sleeping through the night ever since. Should I be responding immediately at night right now, or trying to stick to sleep training principles? Do I need to re- sleep train her? Or should I let her sleep with me now until this regression passes?

I feel like I’m constantly second-guessing whether this is:

A schedule problem

The 8-month regression

Separation anxiety

Overtiredness from the catnap transition

Would love to hear what worked for you — especially if your baby was previously a good sleeper and then suddenly started waking shortly after bedtime like this.

Thank you 🙏