How To Tell The Difference Between Sleep Regression And Teething

My boys are all past the stage of night wakings, but I can remember the days with all three when I was convinced I would never sleep through another night for the rest of my life. With each, I obsessively analyzed the potential causes: The temperature of the room, uncomfortable diapers, needing to be close to me, sleep regression, teething pain — it was often a guessing game but usually came down to the last two. So what’s the difference between teething and a sleep regression? And are sleep regressions even real? Does teething cause enough discomfort to cause night wakings?

Teething vs. sleep regression: Why is my baby waking up in the night?

“Sleep regression describes a period of time (usually a couple of weeks) when a baby or toddler who has been sleeping well suddenly starts waking at night, and/or not napping well for what appears to be no apparent reason,” says pediatric sleep specialist Tracie Kesatie. “But there actually is a reason,” she says. “Sleep regressions usually accompany a developmental leap.”

Meanwhile, Kesatie says, teething often carries with it a wide variety of tell tale symptoms, so if your child is having increased night wakings that are accompanied by teething symptoms, you can probably assume that teething is to blame for the bumpy sleep.

Classic teething symptoms include:

• Increased drooling
• Mouthing everything
• Swollen gums
• Crankiness

If you’re not seeing any of these other teething symptoms and it seems like Baby might be working on a new skill, you may be dealing with a sleep regression instead. Classic sleep regression signs may include:

• Increased night waking
• Earlier morning wake up
• Difficulty falling asleep at bedtime

The best way to try to tell the difference between teething and a sleep regression

The best way to try to tell the difference between teething and a sleep regression, Kesatie explains, is to observe your baby during the day rather than obsessing over symptoms at night or during nap time. How is he behaving during playtime? Do you notice any of the symptoms of teething? Is she on the verge of crawling or walking?

How to survive a bad night of sleep

Trust that this will pass, says Dr. Craig Canapari, pediatrician and director of the Yale Pediatric Sleep Center. “Sometimes these things just have an element of randomness to them, which is really not how we want it to be. We want to impose order on a chaotic world,” Canapari says. “Try not to be too angry with yourself, or your spouse, or your child. It should pass pretty quickly. The practices that got you here are gonna carry you. If your child slept through the night before, they will sleep through the night again, and probably sooner than you think.” And if you haven’t tried sleep training yet, but have hit a wall with exhaustion, perhaps now is the time to teach your baby to sleep through the night so you can all get the rest you need.

Experts:

Tracie Kesatie, a pediatric sleep consultant

Dr. Craig Canapari, pediatrician and director of the Yale Pediatric Sleep Center