Crawling, walking and baby sleep: why nights got worse

What researchers have found

In a 2005 study of 107 healthy babies roughly 5 to 8 months old, those already crawling had more trouble at bedtime and woke more at night than those who weren’t crawling yet. For 7- and 8-month-olds, crawling accounted for part of the gap in night waking even once age was factored in.

A follow-up study tracked 20 babies from 7 to about 12 months using home sleep recordings. For babies who pulled to stand early — by 8 months — that milestone coincided with a stretch of disrupted sleep.

Both studies are small, and neither shows that the skill causes the waking. Still, they line up with what plenty of parents observe: a baby crawling around the crib, sitting up while half asleep, or standing at 2 a.m. with no idea how to get back down.

How new skills interfere with sleep

• Rehearsal. Babies run through new movements over and over — bedtime and the gaps between sleep cycles included.
• Getting stuck. Lots of babies figure out how to sit, crawl or stand well before they figure out how to get back out of it.
• Thrill and energy. A new way of moving is exciting, and a baby who has been on the go all day may also be more overtired come bedtime.

Skills arrive and settle. But if every one of them leaves weeks of broken nights in its wake, that pattern can be fixed — and it is exactly what Actually Sleeping works on.

Why the waking sticks around after the skill

The milestone passes. The workarounds parents lean on to survive it often don’t. When a baby is rocked, fed or held back to sleep after each crawl or stand, that becomes how they fall back asleep, and the waking keeps going long after the skill is solid. It explains why some families see nights collapse with every new skill while others hardly notice: what usually separates them is whether the baby can fall asleep independently.

That’s the piece Actually Sleeping fixes. Dr. Sam writes a plan for your baby that accounts for new skills, schedule shifts and feeds, backed by bootcamp-style coaching before the first night and daily 1:1 check-ins that adapt the plan as milestones show up. There’s no need to delay fixing sleep because of a milestone. You can hear how it went for other families in reviews from families of 10 to 12 month olds.

Setting up the crib for a baby on the move

• According to MedlinePlus, lower the mattress before your baby can sit up unassisted, and drop it to its lowest setting before they can stand.
• Take down mobiles and hanging toys as soon as your baby gets up on hands and knees.
• Keep the crib empty apart from a fitted sheet — nothing they could climb on.
• Make sure nothing within reach, such as cords or curtains, can be pulled into the crib.
• Lay your baby down on their back as you normally would. If they roll or move into another position by themselves and can move back out of it, there’s no need to reposition them.

When walking arrives

First steps generally follow pulling to stand and cruising along furniture, both of which the CDC includes among milestones by 1 year. Lots of babies around this age are also heading toward one nap, which can shake up nights for separate reasons. See nap transitions.

When the milestone isn’t the real cause

If the waking began along with the new skill but is still happening a month on, the cause lies somewhere else. Most often, your baby relies on help to fall asleep at bedtime and then needs that same help each time they wake. See the 8 to 10 month regression and why a 12 month old starts waking. If your baby seems sick, in pain, or isn’t meeting milestones, speak with your pediatrician.

If each new skill brings weeks of broken nights, book a free consultation with Actually Sleeping.