Illness, teething and temporary sleep disruption

This guide is general information only and isn't a substitute for medical advice. If you're concerned about your child's health, or they're unwell, please see a doctor.

Just when sleep is finally going well, a cold or a new tooth arrives and it all unravels. This kind of disruption is temporary and expected. The goal isn't to hold the routine rigidly through it; it's to comfort your child while they're unwell, then get back on track quickly once they're better.

Teething: real, but often over-blamed

Teething can cause a few unsettled days around a tooth cutting through: drooling, gum discomfort, and grizzly, broken sleep. But it's easy to blame teething for weeks of poor sleep when something else (a regression, a habit, timing) is really at play. As a rule, teething disruption lasts a few days per tooth, not weeks. A mild raised temperature can occur, but a genuine fever or being clearly unwell is not just teething and should be checked with your GP.

Illness: comfort first

When your child is sick, sleep needs go up and settling goes out the window, and that's fine. Offer extra comfort, more fluids, and more flexibility. Follow your GP or pharmacist's advice for any symptom relief, and keep sleep safe. Back to sleep stays the rule for the whole first year, even when your baby is unwell. Red Nose's further recommendation, to sleep your baby in their own safe sleep space in the same room as a parent or caregiver, applies for at least the first six months, not the full twelve.

On fever, Raising Children advises seeing a doctor immediately, or going to your nearest hospital emergency department, if your baby is younger than three months and has a fever, a temperature of 38°C or higher, even if they have no other symptoms. Beyond that, seek medical advice promptly for a high fever, breathing difficulty or poor feeding at any age.

The bit that trips families up

The disruption itself is rarely the lasting problem; the new habits are. A week of rocking, extra night feeds, or bringing your child into your bed to get through illness can easily outlast the illness that caused it. That doesn't mean don't comfort your child; it means know that you'll likely need to gently return to your normal routine once they're well.

A useful mindset is to comfort generously in the moment and reset promptly afterwards, rather than either toughing it out while your child is genuinely miserable or letting the sick-week routine quietly become the new normal. Both extremes cause more trouble than a few nights of extra care followed by a calm, confident return to the way things were.

Getting back on track

• Wait until your child is clearly recovered, not on day one of feeling better.
• Return to your usual routine and settling approach within a few days.
• Expect a night or two of protest as you unwind the temporary helpers.
• If sleep doesn't bounce back within a week or two, it may be a habit now, not the illness.

Sources

• Raising Children Network, Baby sleep 2 to 12 months
• Raising Children Network, Fever
• Red Nose Australia, Six safe sleep recommendations

Last updated: July 2026. Sources include Red Nose Australia and Raising Children Network where cited above. This guide is general information only. For individual concerns, see your GP or child health nurse.