How to Get a 6 Month Old to Sleep Through the Night (Without Cry-It-Out)

First, what “sleeping through the night” can realistically mean at 6 months

I used to think “through the night” meant 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. with zero interruptions. For a lot of babies, that’s not the starting point. If your baby is waking and going right back down with a quick feed or a little help, you might be closer than you think. The goal is to help them connect sleep cycles more smoothly, without leaving them to cry alone.

• Many 6 month olds still wake at least once, especially if they’re still taking night feeds
• A “good night” might be a longer stretch (like 6 to 8 hours) plus one quick wake-up
• Progress usually looks like fewer wake-ups, faster resettling, and less drama at bedtime
• If things suddenly got worse, it might be the 6 month old sleep regression or a schedule tweak that’s needed

Check the daytime basics: a simple 6 month old sleep schedule that supports better nights

On nights when my baby woke every hour, it was usually tied to the day being a little off. Like a too-long afternoon nap, or we pushed bedtime because dinner ran late and then everyone was overtired. If naps are all over the place, start with one anchor: pick a morning wake time and a bedtime range, then let naps fall into place. It’s not about being strict, it’s about giving their body a pattern to follow.

• Aim for a consistent morning wake time (even if the night was rough)
• Most 6 month olds do well with 2 to 3 naps
• Watch wake windows more than the clock (many babies need about 2 to 3 hours awake between sleeps)
• Keep the last nap from running too late, so bedtime isn’t a battle

Make bedtime predictable (not complicated): a wind-down routine you can actually stick to

A routine is basically a cue: “sleep is next.” It does not need to be Pinterest-worthy. Some nights my “routine” was a diaper change on the living room floor while my toddler narrated everything. The part that mattered was the order stayed the same. If your baby falls asleep while eating every night, don’t panic. Just start nudging it. Feed, then do pajamas. Or feed, then read one short board book. Tiny shifts can reduce those middle-of-the-night “I need the exact same thing to fall back asleep” wake-ups.

• Keep it short (10 to 20 minutes) and do the same steps in the same order
• Dim lights and lower the energy in the house if you can
• Feed, diaper, pajamas, sleep sack, quick book or song, then into the crib
• Try to separate feeding from falling asleep just a little (even 5 minutes helps)

When baby wakes: a no-cry-it-out way to help them learn to resettle

This is the part that feels hardest at 3 a.m. because you just want everyone asleep. But if you always go straight to the biggest help (full rocking, full feed, long cuddle), baby learns that’s the only way back to sleep. I’m not saying never rock your baby. I rocked mine plenty. I’m saying try a tiny “step down” first. For example: you hear the wake-up, you wait 30 seconds, then you pat and shush. If that doesn’t work, you pick up. Over time, you might notice you’re picking up less often. That’s a win.

• Pause for a moment before rushing in (sometimes they fuss, then settle)
• Start with the least help first: a hand on the chest, gentle shush, or pacifier if you use one
• If you pick up, try to put back down once calm (not fully asleep) when you can
• Keep lights off and your voice boring, even if you’re dying inside

If you suspect the 6 month old sleep regression, focus on skills and comfort (not starting over)

The 6 month old sleep regression can feel like someone swapped your baby overnight. The good news is it’s often temporary. What helped us was treating nights like a boring repeat: same response, same routine, same vibe. Also, more practice during the day made nights better. If your baby is learning to roll, give them tons of supervised rolling time so they’re not doing all their “training” at midnight.

• New skills can cause extra wake-ups (rolling, sitting, babbling, practicing in the crib)
• Give lots of floor time during the day to practice new moves
• If baby gets stuck (like rolled and angry), help them reset calmly and consistently
• Keep your routine steady for a couple of weeks before deciding “nothing works”

Troubleshooting the usual night-wake culprits (the stuff no one tells you until you’re in it)

Sometimes it’s not a “sleep training” issue at all. It’s just life. Like the week my baby had a stuffy nose and I was basically doing tiny midnight check-ins because she couldn’t settle. Or the night we had a late family thing and bedtime got shoved back, and then she woke up furious at 11 p.m. The best approach is to change one thing at a time. If you adjust bedtime and also change naps and also change how you respond overnight, you won’t know what helped.

• Too-late bedtime can backfire and cause more wake-ups from overtiredness
• Too-early bedtime can also cause a “false start” wake-up after 30 to 60 minutes
• Hunger can be real at this age, especially during growth spurts
• Teething and congestion can temporarily wreck sleep, so be gentle with your expectations

Your Gentle Sleep Recovery Plan

If you’re in the thick of it, pick just two things to try for the next 7 nights: (1) lock in a consistent morning wake time, and (2) keep bedtime routine steps the same every night. Then decide what to tweak next. You don’t need a whole new system. You need a plan you can repeat when you’re running on fumes.

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