Sleep Guide for 7–9 Month Olds: What’s Normal (and What’s Not)

Written by: Jenn Schoen, Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant

By 7–9 months, your baby’s sleep begins to feel more predictable and more like the rhythm you’ve been waiting for since those early newborn nights. Wake windows lengthen, sleep consolidates into two solid naps, and many babies are capable of sleeping through the night without a feeding.

But this stage also brings big developmental leaps: crawling, pulling up, standing, babbling, and a huge leap in emotional awareness. These milestones are exciting… and sometimes disruptive. Sleep may improve one week and unravel the next, leaving you wondering what happened.

This guide walks through everything you need to know about sleep at 7–9 months—what’s typical, what can shake things up, and how to support smoother nights and naps through it all.

7–9 Month Sleep Overview

By this stage, your baby’s sleep is driven by a more mature circadian rhythm, longer wake windows, and consolidating naps. Many families find this age easier than the newborn phase, especially once daytime naps stabilize.

Typical Sleep Patterns (7–9 Months)

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The 7–9 month window is when sleep starts to feel…dare we say, human. You’re no longer doing algebra trying to remember when that last nap started and where the latest wake window should end. It’s a good moment—right up until your baby learns to stand. Then it gets real again (but more on that later).

Safe Sleep Guidelines for 7–9 Month Olds

As your baby becomes more mobile—rolling confidently, sitting up, crawling, and even pulling to stand—you may notice big changes in how they move around the crib. While their growing independence is exciting, it’s also a stage when parents often wonder whether safe sleep rules change. The good news: the core guidelines remain the same. Following these practices keeps your baby safe as their sleep environment becomes more active.

Even as your baby becomes more mobile, safe sleep basics stay the same:

• Always place your baby on their back to sleep.
• Use a firm, flat sleep surface in a crib or play yard.
• Keep soft items out of the crib—no pillows, blankets, bumpers, or toys.
• Once your baby can roll both ways, they may choose their own sleep position—but should still be placed down on their back to sleep.
• Lower the crib mattress to the lowest setting as soon as your baby can pull to stand.

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These practices will keep your baby safe at night and let them (and you) sleep peacefully.

Why Sleep Can Get Bumpy: The 8-Month Regression

Just when your baby’s sleep schedule starts to feel predictable, a wave of developmental leaps can shake things up, causing what’s known as the 8-month sleep regression. 

Here’s why the 8 month sleep regression happens:

• Major motor milestones: Crawling, pulling up, and cruising dramatically increase brain activity. Many babies practice these new skills in the crib, leading to bedtime battles and frequent night wakings.
• Separation anxiety peaks: Between 7–9 months, babies develop object permanence and recognize when you leave the room, which can heighten separation anxiety at bedtime and lead to more emotional night wakings.
• Cognitive leaps: Babies this age are processing more language, understanding cause-and-effect, and developing social awareness—all of which can temporarily make it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep.

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Together, these developmental leaps create a temporary but very normal disruption in sleep—and with consistent support, most babies move through this regression within a few weeks.

Signs You’re in the Regression

These are the most common 8 month sleep regression signs:

• More frequent night wakings
• Shorter naps or difficulty falling asleep for naps
• Protesting bedtime
• Crawling or standing in the crib
• Early morning wakings
• Increased fussiness or clinginess
  
  

How to Manage the Regression

The 8 month sleep regression can feel like a curveball, especially if your baby was finally settling into a predictable rhythm. 

Here’s what makes the biggest difference during this leap.

• Stick to a consistent bedtime routine: Predictable bedtime routines anchor your baby’s sleep pattern even when milestones make sleep feel messy.
• Practice new skills during the day: Give your baby plenty of floor time to crawl, cruise, and pull up so they’re less tempted to rehearse these skills at bedtime.
• Focus on solid wake windows: Following age-appropriate wake windows for 7–9 month olds helps prevent overtiredness, which magnifies regression symptoms.
• Offer extra comfort, but avoid new sleep props: Reassurance is helpful—but avoid introducing new sleep props like rocking or feeding to sleep, which can interfere with your baby’s ability to return to independent sleep after the regression.

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The key with any regression is to be patient and consistent. With support, sleep regressions typically resolve in 2–6 weeks.

The 7-9 Month Separation Anxiety Peak & Sleep

Around 7–9 months, many babies reach their first big peak of separation anxiety—a developmentally common stage of emotional development that often shows up most strongly around bedtime. As your baby becomes more aware of the world and more attached to you, they also become more sensitive to moments of separation, even very brief ones. This newfound awareness is rooted in major cognitive growth (especially object permanence), but it can temporarily make sleep feel harder for both you and your baby.

During this stage, you may notice new sleep challenges such as:

• Bedtime resistance
• Shorter naps
• More emotional night wakings
• Difficulty settling independently
  
  

These disruptions can feel sudden and confusing, which is why many parents ask, “Why is my 8 month old suddenly waking at night?” or “How do I handle separation anxiety at bedtime?” The answers often come back to one core developmental shift.

Why Separation Anxiety in Babies Happens: Object Permanence

As your baby’s brain matures, they begin to understand something new and incredibly important: when you leave the room, you still exist. This milestone, called object permanence, is exciting from a developmental perspective, but it also makes separations feel more significant. Suddenly, your baby recognizes when you’re gone and may vocalize a strong preference for keeping you close, especially during sleep transitions.

How Separation Anxiety in Babies Affects Sleep

Because your baby is now more aware of your presence (and absence), bedtime and nighttime can take on new emotional layers. Sleep requires separation, and separation now feels harder. This can lead to changes in your baby’s sleep patterns such as:

• Longer or more emotional bedtimes
• Shorter or refused naps
• Increased nighttime wake-ups
• Overall clinginess during pre-sleep routines

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These shifts are a sign of your baby’s growing awareness—not a sign that anything is wrong.

How to Support Your Baby Through Separation Anxiety at Bedtime

Supporting your baby through separation anxiety involves a balance of reassurance and consistency. Your goal is to help your baby feel safe while still encouraging the independent sleep skills they’re capable of at this age. 

Strategies that help include:

• Keep bedtime routines consistent. Predictability creates security and helps your baby understand what to expect.
• Offer brief, calm check-ins. Reassuring phrases (“It’s sleepy time, I’m right here”) soothe without creating new sleep associations.
• Practice separation during the day. Peekaboo, short departures, and predictable returns teach your baby that separations are temporary.
  
  

Remember: This stage is temporary (typically lasting a few weeks) and improves once your baby fully adjusts to this new understanding of the world.

Transitioning from 3 Naps to 2

As your baby’s wake windows lengthen and their sleep rhythms mature, many families start to wonder, “When should my baby drop to 2 naps?” Most babies make this shift sometime between 6–9 months, and it’s one of the biggest daytime sleep milestones of the first year. While it can feel intimidating at first, the transition often leads to more predictable days and better-quality sleep overall.

Signs Your Baby Is Ready for the 2-Nap Schedule

Before beginning the transition, it’s important to look for consistent readiness cues. These signs indicate your baby can comfortably handle longer stretches of awake time and benefit from more consolidated daytime sleep:

• The third nap shortens to 20–25 minutes
• Your baby starts tolerating longer wake windows
• Nap refusals become more frequent
• Bedtime gets pushed too late
• Early morning wakings begin
  
  

If two or more of these signs appear regularly for at least a week, your baby is likely ready for a two-nap routine.

Dropping a nap can feel like a big shift, but most babies actually sleep better on a two-nap schedule. Daytime sleep becomes deeper and easier to predict, and nighttime sleep often becomes more consolidated. In other words: things usually get smoother, not harder.

How to Transition Your Baby From 3 to 2 Naps

Once your baby shows signs of readiness, a gradual, gentle transition works best. Here’s how to help your baby adjust without becoming overtired:

• Push the first two naps later by 15-30 minutes every few days. This gradual shift helps your baby settle into a two-nap rhythm without overwhelming their system.
• Cap each nap at 2 hours. Long naps are great—just not so long that bedtime becomes too late or they get too much daytime sleep and struggle to sleep through the night.
• Replace nap 3 with quiet rest time. Dimmed lights, white noise, or calm play help regulate your baby’s sensory system while giving their body a break.
• Move bedtime earlier temporarily. A slightly earlier bedtime helps protect against overtiredness while your baby adjusts to the new schedule.
• Expect the process to take 1–2 weeks. As naps lengthen and your baby adapts, sleep usually becomes more stable.
  
  

The two-nap schedule is a beautiful place—like the minivan of sleep routines. Practical. Spacious. Dependable. And suddenly, your afternoons make sense again.

Crawling, Standing & Practicing Skills in the Crib

Around 7–9 months, babies experience a burst of motor development—crawling, pulling to stand, cruising, even attempting to balance on their own. These exciting new skills often show up right at bedtime, when your baby suddenly decides that sleep can wait because practice makes perfect. It’s common to see a baby standing in the crib at bedtime, crawling laps instead of settling, or popping up every time you lay them down.

This behavior is a common part of development, but it can make falling asleep (and staying asleep) more challenging. Here’s how to support your baby through this phase without creating new sleep habits you’ll have to undo later.

How to Handle Crawling and Standing in the Crib

Try these strategies when your baby decides that bedtime is the perfect time to practice crawling and standing.

• Let them practice. If your baby is safe and content, give them a minute or two to explore. A little practice can actually help them get the urge out and settle more easily afterward.
• Calmly help them down (if needed). If your baby gets “stuck” in a standing position, gently guide them back down without turning it into a playful or interactive moment. Keeping your response neutral prevents the behavior from becoming a game.
• Practice skills during the day. Plenty of floor time for crawling, pulling up, and sitting back down helps reduce nighttime “rehearsals.” The more confident your baby becomes with these new abilities, the less likely they are to “work on them” in the crib.
• Stay consistent. Stick to your usual bedtime routine and response style. Avoid adding new sleep props (like rocking or feeding to sleep) just because your baby is excited about standing or crawling. Consistency is what helps them settle back into healthy sleep patterns.
  
  

This phase is temporary and typically resolves once your baby masters both getting up and getting back down. Sleep usually improves shortly after.

FAQ: Sleep at 7–9 Months

As your baby becomes more mobile, more aware, and more emotionally connected to you, it’s completely normal for sleep to come with new questions. This stage brings predictable patterns—but also developmental leaps, nap transitions, and the occasional curveball. Below are the questions parents ask most often during the 7–9 month window, along with clear, evidence-based answers to help you navigate whatever your baby’s sleep throws your way.

Why is My 8-Month-Old Suddenly Waking Up Again?

If your baby was previously sleeping through the night and is now suddenly experiencing frequent night wakings, you’re likely seeing the 8-month sleep regression. This temporary sleep disruption is driven by new mobility skills and separation anxiety. Stay consistent with your routines, add 1-2 extra calming steps before bed, and offer plenty of time to practice new skills during. This regression typically resolves in 2-6 weeks.

How Long Should Wake Windows Be at 8 Months?

Most 8-month old babies do well with wake windows of 2.5–3.0 hours. Remember: wake windows are guides. Keep an eye out for sleep cues (yawning, rubbing eyes, fussiness, zoning out) to know exactly when it’s time to go down.

When Should My Baby Switch to 2 Naps?

The transition to two naps per day typically happens between 6-9 months. If two or more of these signs appear regularly for at least a week, your baby is likely ready for a two-nap routine:

• The third nap shortens to 20–25 minutes
• Your baby starts tolerating longer wake windows
• Nap refusals become more frequent
• Bedtime gets pushed too late
• Early morning wakings begin

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What Do I Do If My Baby Stands Up in the Crib?

Allow them to explore for a minute or two, then gently and calmly guide them back down with a phrase like, “time for sleep now.” Avoid big reactions, which can make it appear like it’s a game.

Is Separation Anxiety Normal at 9 months?

Yes—it is common for separation anxiety to peak between 7-9 months. This is a major developmental milestone at this age and often affects sleep.

Want Personalized Sleep Support? Poppins Can Help.

If you want expert guidance for building independent sleep skills or preparing for sleep training, Poppins offers:

• Customized bedtime routines
• Age-appropriate sleep schedules and wake windows
• Support for regressions, naps, and night wakings
• Evidence-based sleep training plans

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Better sleep starts with the right foundation. We’ll help you build it. Schedule your free sleep consultation with one of our certified pediatric sleep consultants here.