Conquering The Four Month Sleep Regression
The post was created in partnership with The Baby Sleep Site. Thank you for supporting the collaborations that keep Momma Society going!
If there’s one thing I’ve underestimated, it’s how quickly time will fly by with a new baby in the house. Those first few days and weeks all blur together and you’re busy trying to soak every moment up while simultaneously fighting for your sleep and what’s left of your sanity. But before you know it, your newborn isn’t a newborn anymore. They’ve had so many wonderful firsts - their first smile, their first long sleep stretch, maybe even their first roll over. Those memories keep me going when the not so great firsts hit, like their first major sleep regression around four months.
Like clockwork as Luca started approaching four months his sleep schedule wet totally haywire. Since he’s our third kiddo, I was able to recognize that a sleep regression was the problem, but if you’re a first-time mom or it’s been a while since you had a new baby in the house, you might not think to consider sleep regressions when figuring out what’s going on.
So, what is a sleep regression?
A sleep regression is when your baby begins to wake up frequently at night or only takes short naps during the day when they had previously been sleeping for longer stretches. Sleep regressions happen every so often from four months into toddlerhood but the four month regression is a big one because your baby’s brain begins to change and their sleep patterns adjust accordingly. In fact, as noted by sleep experts at The Baby Sleep Site, this regression is part of an important development milestone where your baby starts experiencing sleep cycles - as opposed to constant deep sleep - something that will continue happening for the rest of their lives.
Now that you know what a sleep regression is, we can talk about how to best manage it so you and your baby can finally start getting the sleep that everyone needs.
Conquering the four month regression
If you have questions about how to survive the four month sleep regression, the folks over at The Baby Sleep Site are a fantastic resource. I’ve visited and revisited their post several times over the last few weeks and of their suggestions, this is what has worked best for Luca:
Luca sleeps on his own // JD and I were sleeping in the guest bed in his room and when we finally moved out it made a huge difference! I think we were all waking each other up throughout the night and everyone has been sleeping better since we moved back to our room.
We follow the same night time routine as before // Instead of throwing Luca off by trying new things to induce sleep, we decided to follow the same strict routine of zipping him up in his ergopouch, giving him his pacifier, and then setting him down for sleep.
Consider dream feeding (if you don’t already!) // Dream feeding is where you essentially feed the baby while they’re sleeping. Babies sleep pretty hard so you can usually do this without waking them, but if they do wake up, they tend to fall back to sleep easily with either a bottle or breast in the mouth. I started doing this with Luca right before I would go to bed, and it helped keep him from waking up sooner since he was already full!
Use a white noise machine // The white noise machine has been a savior for us since day one with Luca and now is no expectation. When he would wake up in the middle of the night, I would also turn on a second white noise app on my phone and that would sometimes be enough to get him back to sleep on his own.
The toughest part of the sleep regression is waiting for it to end. Some kiddos go back to a normal sleep schedule within a couple of weeks while others might need a month or two to settle into a routine. And honestly some kids just have a more difficult time with sleep than others. If you feel like you might need more than some online resources to battle the four month sleep regression, I highly suggest giving the team over at The Baby Sleep Site a call! They can do consultations and evaluations over the phone or in-person and also offer some DIY Sleep Plans that can get you back on your way to a solid night of sleep. Their website has a lot of great information, including support for toddler sleep regressions, which I was absolutely unprepared for the first time around.
So when your sweet baby is on their third nap in two hours and you’re about to cry into your lukewarm coffee that you STILL haven’t been able to finish, know that I’m right there with you, cheering you on. The days are long but the years are short - you got this, momma!
What tips + tricks are you using to battle sleep regressions at home? Comment below or tag me @MommaSociety on social media so I can see your posts!
