Getting your baby back to sleep: Handling post-illness sleep regressions

If your baby has recently been sick, you might find yourself dealing with more than just their recovery—you’re also facing disrupted sleep patterns that feel like a full-blown regression. It’s common for babies and toddlers to struggle with sleep after illness, as their routines and comfort levels have been temporarily upended. Whether it’s waking more often at night, refusing naps, or needing extra comfort to settle, these regressions can leave parents feeling frustrated and exhausted.

The good news is that you don’t have to stay stuck here forever. You can help your baby return to healthy sleep habits- you just need to know how! In this blog, we’ll discuss why sleep regressions happen after illness and share practical tips to help your little one get back on track.

Why sleep regressions happen after illness

Temporary habits during illness
During sickness, many parents (understandably) offer extra comfort and attention, such as rocking their baby back to sleep, offering additional night feeds, or allowing them to sleep in their bed. While these measures are often necessary to help your baby feel better, they can sometimes create new sleep associations that persist even after your baby has recovered.

Disrupted routines
Illness often brings irregularities to a baby’s schedule as well. Missed naps, irregular bedtime routines, and overnight wakings can throw off their body clock. Of course, this looks different for every child. For example, some children may sleep in really late when sick while others may wake earlier than usual because they are uncomfortable. These disruptions can make it harder for your baby to settle back into their regular sleep pattern, even after they’re feeling better.

Lingering discomfort
Even after the worst of the illness has passed, some babies may still experience mild discomfort, such as congestion, lingering coughs, or a sore throat. These symptoms can disrupt their ability to sleep soundly.

Understanding why sleep regressions occur after illness is the first step toward addressing them. Now, let’s explore how to guide your baby back to better sleep.

Step 1: Address lingering discomfort

Even minor symptoms, like nasal congestion or a lingering cough, can interfere with your baby’s ability to sleep well. Addressing these issues can make a big difference in helping them sleep more soundly (and give you peace of mind too!)

Use a humidifier: A cool-mist humidifier can help alleviate congestion and create a more comfortable sleep environment. You may have used one while your child was sick but feel free to keep using it even as they are starting to feel better. 

Offer extra fluids: Ensure your baby is staying hydrated during the day, as this can help alleviate lingering symptoms and keep them comfortable. Just beware of using night feeds to keep them hydrated once they are starting to feel better. Instead you’ll want to gradually phase out those extra feeds you added while sick so they can adjust to drinking more during the day again.

Consult your pediatrician: If discomfort persists, don’t hesitate to reach out to your doctor for guidance on managing symptoms safely.

Step 2: Re-establish the routine

Once you’ve dealt with lingering discomfort and your baby is feeling back to themselves again, that means it’s time to get back on track! Babies thrive on predictability, and reintroducing a consistent daily routine is key to resetting their sleep patterns. A familiar schedule provides a sense of security and helps their internal body clock recalibrate. If you’ve gotten off track with your child’s schedule or their bedtime routines, now’s the time to get back into a groove.

Start with bedtime: Make bedtime your anchor point, even if naps are still a bit erratic. Begin the bedtime routine after your baby’s ideal amount of awake time so that they are primed for sleep and not overtired or undertired.

Stick to familiar steps: Reintroduce the steps of your usual bedtime routine. It doesn’t need to be fancy or complicated but it should be something you can recreate each night. Familiar rituals will reassure your baby and help them feel ready for sleep.

Create a sleep-friendly environment: Make sure their room is quiet, dark, and cool, with white noise to block out background disturbances. Recreating the environment they’re used to can help them settle more easily. If your child has gotten used to sleeping in your bed or in your room while sick, it’s time to move them back into their room for all sleep.

Step 3: Gradually reduce nighttime comfort

During illness, many babies rely on extra comfort—such as rocking, feeding, or co-sleeping—to help them through the night. While these measures can be necessary during recovery, they can lead to strong sleep associations that persist once your baby is well. Unless you are ready to continue these new habits indefinitely, it’s time to start phasing them out now that your baby is feeling better again.

Take gradual steps: While you can choose to stop comfort measures abruptly, it’s okay if you want to take a more gradual approach instead. For example, if you’ve been rocking your baby to sleep, start by simply holding baby, without the constant rocking, until they are asleep. Then move onto placing baby in the crib awake but offering constant comfort and soothing. Then shift to more time in between soothing and only offering when your child is upset.

Pause before intervening: When your baby wakes at night, wait a moment before responding to see if they can settle on their own. Sometimes, they may surprise you by drifting back to sleep without assistance. And other times, they aren’t even fully awake and aware but rather just making noise during a lighter stage of sleep. As the nights go on, you can also increase the amount of time that you pause before intervening to give your baby plenty of space to remember that they can fall asleep on their own.

Offer reassurance without creating dependency: If your baby is struggling, provide brief comfort, such as a gentle pat or soothing words, but our goal is to work towards leaving the room while they are still awake. Avoid creating new sleep associations by staying consistent in how you respond. 

Step 4: Focus on naps

A well-rested baby sleeps better at night, and naps are a crucial part of their overall sleep schedule. After illness, naps might be shorter, skipped, or harder to initiate, which can contribute to overtiredness. While it’s always a good idea to start getting back on track with bedtime and nights first, eventually you’ll want to address naps too.

Know their ideal wake windows: Be aware of their age appropriate wake windows so that you can put them down at the ideal time for their naps. We don’t want them to be overtired or undertired as that can make it harder for them to fall asleep. If you’re unsure about age-appropriate wake windows, download my Free Wake Window Chart.

Create a nap-friendly environment: Just like bedtime, naps should take place in a quiet, very dark room with white noise and a consistent routine leading up to them.

Cap daytime sleep if needed: If your baby is napping excessively during the day and struggling to sleep well at night, consider gently capping naps to ensure they build enough sleep pressure for bedtime. For babies on 2 naps or more, each nap should be capped by the 2 hour mark. If your child is on only 1 nap, they can nap up to 3 hours before you need to wake them.

Step 5: Be consistent

After illness, it’s tempting to continue providing extra comfort or flexibility, but this can make it harder for your baby to return to their regular sleep habits. Consistency helps your baby relearn the cues and expectations for sleep. I always tell parents, being clear and consistent is kind to your child. Mixed messages lead to more frustration, which leads to more tears, and that just makes change harder on them.

Stick to the plan: Once you’ve decided on a strategy for responding to nighttime wakings or nap disruptions, stick with it for at least 1-2 weeks. Babies need time to adjust to new patterns.

Avoid creating new sleep crutches: Be mindful of offering help that you don’t intend to continue long-term. But if you stop before you get all the way back to where you were, you’ll still be providing them with some kind of sleep crutch that they cannot control themselves. For example, maybe you were co-sleeping while your baby was sick but you’ve been gradually working away from that. Now you’re only rocking to sleep- which is definitely an improvement- but you know they are capable of much more. Keep pushing forward even though it won’t be the quick fix in the middle of the night. Avoid getting stuck with those habits if your goal is for your baby to sleep independently. 

Remain calm and patient: Sleep regressions and getting back on track after illness can be frustrating, but staying calm and consistent will help your baby feel secure and confident as they adjust.

Final thoughts

Handling a sleep regression after illness can feel overwhelming, but with a thoughtful approach and plenty of patience, you can help your baby return to healthy sleep habits. By re-establishing routines, addressing lingering discomfort, and staying consistent in your approach, you’re giving your baby the support they need to thrive.

Remember, sleep regressions are temporary, and your baby’s sleep will improve with time and guidance. If you need additional support, don’t hesitate to reach out to me for personalized advice. Together, you can navigate this challenging phase and help your baby—and yourself—get back to peaceful nights.