Teething and Sleep: What to Expect
If your baby is suddenly waking more overnight, fighting naps, or settling feels harder than it did a week ago, teething is often the first thing parents blame, and sometimes they are right. Teething can absolutely affect sleep, but it is not always the only factor, and it often overlaps with developmental changes, routines, and sleep pressure shifts.
This guide explains what teething can look like, how it commonly affects sleep, what is normal, and how to support your child through teething without sleep becoming permanently unsettled.
When does teething usually start?
Teething timelines vary widely. Some babies start cutting their first tooth around 4 to 7 months, while others are much later. Many toddlers also have major teething phases as molars come through.
Because timing is so variable, teething can overlap with stages like the 4 month sleep regression, the 8–10 month sleep regression, and the 12 month sleep regression, which is why it can be hard to know what is really driving the sleep disruption.
Common teething signs
Not every baby shows obvious signs, but common ones include:
Increased drooling
Chewing on hands or toys
Red or swollen gums
Fussiness, especially in the afternoon or evening
Pulling at ears or rubbing cheeks, which can also happen with tiredness
Waking more frequently than usual
A mild temperature can occur, but a high fever or significant illness symptoms are not typical teething signs. If your child seems unwell, it is worth exploring Illness and Sleep: What’s Normal and When to Worry once that blog is live, as illness impacts sleep very differently to teething.
How teething affects sleep
Teething can affect sleep in a few ways.
Discomfort when lying down
Gum pressure can feel worse when your baby is lying flat, which can increase night waking and make resettling harder.
More frequent waking and lighter sleep
If discomfort is present, babies may wake more at lighter points of sleep and struggle to drift back off.
This can look similar to Why Is My Baby Waking So Frequently at Night?, which is why it helps to zoom out and look at the whole pattern.
Short naps or catnapping
Some babies nap lightly when teething, which can lead to catnapping, especially if they are already in a stage where awake windows are stretching.
How long does teething disrupt sleep?
Teething discomfort tends to be most intense in short bursts rather than lasting for weeks on end. Many babies have a few unsettled nights, then sleep improves, then it flares again as the tooth moves closer to the surface.
If sleep disruption lasts longer than 7 to 10 days with no improvement, it is often a sign that teething is not the only factor.
In those cases, it is worth considering:
whether sleep pressure has shifted
whether naps need adjusting
whether your child is under or overtired
whether separation anxiety is peaking
You can explore Undertired vs Overtired: How to Tell the Difference, When to Increase Awake Windows (And When Not To), and When to Decrease Awake Windows for guidance on the sleep pressure side.
Teething vs regression, how to tell the difference
Teething tends to look like discomfort focused around sleep and feeding, with more unsettled nights but generally stable mood once pain relief strategies are supporting it.
Regressions tend to look more like:
changes in settling behaviour
increased separation distress
false starts
increased awareness and protest
If your baby is in the 8 to 10 month stage and is suddenly panicking when you leave the room, that points more toward development and separation anxiety than teething alone.
How to support sleep during teething
Keep routines consistent
Teething can make sleep feel messy. The most helpful thing you can do is keep bedtime cues predictable.
A consistent bedtime wind down supports regulation, see Creating a Night Routine That Supports Sleep.
Offer extra comfort without changing everything
It is okay to offer a little more support while your baby is uncomfortable. The key is staying steady so you are not changing approaches every night.
Protect daytime sleep where possible
If naps shorten due to teething, your baby can become overtired quickly, which then worsens nights.
If naps are short, support recovery by protecting bedtime and using your age appropriate routine.
If this becomes a pattern, check catnapping for strategies that support nap consolidation.
Watch bedtime timing
On teething days, many babies need an earlier bedtime because they are more tired and more dysregulated.
If bedtime becomes a battle, it can help to review bedtime battles once live, because overtiredness and discomfort often stack together.
What about pain relief?
Families approach pain relief differently, and it is always best to follow your GP or pharmacist’s advice for what is appropriate for your child.
From a sleep perspective, if discomfort is clearly impacting sleep, supporting pain appropriately can help your baby rest and recover. Poor sleep often increases inflammation sensitivity and dysregulation, so rest matters.
If your child has ongoing pain, high fever, dehydration signs, or symptoms that feel outside typical teething, seek medical advice.
What if teething leads to new sleep patterns?
Sometimes during teething, families introduce extra support such as feeding more overnight or doing more resettling. That is not wrong, it is often needed in the moment.
However, if sleep remains disrupted once the tooth has passed, you may simply need a gentle reset back to your usual routine and settling approach.
If frequent waking continues, start with Why Is My Baby Waking So Frequently at Night?, then check your age specific routine blog.
Looking ahead
Teething is one of those stages that can feel intense in the moment, but it usually comes in waves and settles again. Most babies return to their usual sleep once discomfort passes, especially when routines stay consistent and sleep pressure remains balanced.
The 5–24 Month Infant Course supports you through teething and every other common sleep disruption, with age specific routines, settling guidance, and troubleshooting from infancy through toddlerhood.
For toddlers, molars, big feelings, bedtime resistance, fears, and overnight waking, the Infant and Toddler Bundle provides long term support with practical strategies that grow with your child.
Eva Beke
Certified Paediatric Sleep Consultant
Founder The Sleepy Little Bubs
I’m a certified paediatric sleep consultant and the founder of The Sleepy Little Bubs. I support families through baby and toddler sleep with practical, evidence-based guidance that considers the whole picture - sleep, development, routines, feeding, and family dynamics.
My approach is realistic, supportive, and designed to evolve as your child grows, so you’re not just getting help for today, but confidence moving forward.
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