How much should an 8-month-old sleep?

Twelve to 15 hours a day, with 10 to 12 of those at night and 2 naps making up the rest. Those numbers hold during a regression — the amount of sleep your baby needs doesn't change, only how smoothly they get it. If your baby is consistently well under the range and seems worn out during the day, it is worth a conversation with your pediatrician.

What is the 8-month sleep regression?

A stretch of disrupted sleep that tends to arrive between 8 and 10 months, driven by development rather than by anything going wrong. Crawling, pulling up and separation anxiety all cluster here. Babies wake between sleep cycles, practice their new skills, and then need help to settle. It typically lasts a few weeks and eases as the skills become routine and less exciting.

Why does my baby stand up in the crib and cry?

Because pulling to stand is new and thrilling, and getting back down is the harder half of the skill. Your baby stands, gets stuck, and calls for help. Practice sitting down from standing on the floor several times a day, lower the mattress so standing is safe, and when it happens at night, lay them down quietly without turning the lights on or starting a conversation.

How do I handle separation anxiety at bedtime?

Keep the routine predictable and the goodbye brief. A long, emotional exit tends to raise the stakes rather than reassure. During the day, play games where you disappear and come back, and narrate short departures so your baby learns that leaving is followed by returning. If distress at bedtime is extreme or your baby cannot be settled at all, talk to your pediatrician.

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Baby sleep schedule at 8 months: the 8-month regression, naps and nights

At 8 months your baby needs 12 to 15 hours of sleep a day: 10 to 12 hours at night and 2 naps covering the rest. The nap count is settled now, and wake windows have widened to 2.5 to 3.5 hours — long enough that a badly timed nap can throw the whole afternoon.

On paper the structure has never been simpler. In practice, 8 months is when many families hit the 8 to 10 month regression: more night waking, shorter naps, and a baby who stands up in the crib at midnight looking pleased with themselves. The cause isn't the schedule — it's everything your baby has just learned to do.

12–15 h

Total sleep / 24 h

10–12 h

Night sleep

Naps per day

2½ h–3½ h

Wake window

Crawling, pulling to stand and cruising along furniture all tend to land in this window, and new motor skills get rehearsed during sleep. Your baby wakes between cycles, finds themselves able to sit or stand, and does it. Practicing the skill during the day — especially getting back down from standing — is what shortens the phase. Keep night responses brief, dim and boring so there's nothing worth staying awake for.

Separation anxiety usually starts around now too, as your baby works out that you continue to exist when you leave the room. Bedtime can suddenly become a protest even in a baby who was fine last month. Peekaboo and short, cheerful departures during the day help, and so does a goodnight that is warm, unhurried and always the same. This is developmental progress, not a step backward, and it eases with time.

A sample day

Below is a settled 2-nap day at 8 months, with wake windows of 2.5 to 3.5 hours. It is a picture of one possible day, not a prescription — during a regression week the times will wander, and the fix is usually an earlier bedtime rather than a rebuilt schedule.

Time	What happens
7:00	Wake-up and first feed
9:30	Nap 1 · approx. 75 min
14:00	Nap 2 · approx. 90 min
19:00	Bedtime routine and lights out

A sample day to give you a rough idea — every baby is different. Adjust the times to your child's sleep cues, and talk to your pediatrician about anything that worries you.

Does this 8 months schedule match your day?

Lulla times the naps and tells you when the wake window is closing, so you do not have to keep count in your head.

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Tips for this age

Make sure the crib mattress is on its lowest setting now that your baby can pull to stand, keep putting your baby down on their back, and keep the crib empty until 12 months.
Practice lowering down from standing on the floor during the day; babies who can only get up are the ones who cry at 1 am.
Lulla's history makes it easy to see whether the extra night wakings line up with short naps or with an afternoon window that ran too long.
Keep goodbyes at bedtime short, warm and identical every night, because long drawn-out exits feed separation anxiety rather than easing it.
A regression should not come with fever, ear pulling or a baby who cannot be comforted; if it does, call your pediatrician.

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Common questions

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Sources

The figures on this page follow the guidance of these organizations. This information is educational and does not replace advice from your pediatrician.