The Dreaded 4 Month Sleep Regression: Overcome This Tricky Stage

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There’s a collective sigh from Moms everywhere when you hear the words, “4 Month Sleep Regression.” It’s the first massive sleep regression stage most babies will go through and parents who have just gotten their baby on a solid sleep schedule, experience the dreaded sleepless nights right along with them. Learn how long the 4 month sleep regression lasts and how you help your baby through this phase with these 4 month sleep regression tips. Plus, give her the tools to be a good sleeper through early childhood when you set the proper groundwork for good sleep habits at this 4 month sleep mark.

What is the 4 Month Sleep Regression?

The 4 month sleep regression is a stage when babies struggle to get themselves back to sleep on their own when they come out of a deep sleep cycle. Once your baby wakes from the first cycle of deep sleep, the struggle of falling into the next sleep cycle causes them to stir, cry out for help, and your baby monitor will wake you many times throughout the night, and nap times too.

During the 4 month sleep regression, your baby will take longer to get to sleep and when they do fall asleep, it’ll be a light sleep until they slip into deep sleep about 30-minutes later. Your baby who used to sleep deeply and didn’t wake at the sound of noise, is now bothered and easily startled by sounds.

Once your baby is startled out of light sleep before they hit deep sleep, or after they come out of a deep sleep and before they get back into their next cycle, this becomes harder for them to learn how to get themselves back to bed.

How Long Does the 4 Month Sleep Regression Last?

The 4 month sleep regression can last a single week, or it can go on for up to 4-6 weeks. However, if there are poor sleep habits causing this first major sleep regression stage, this sleep regression can last longer. When sleep aids are a crutch for your baby falling asleep, these poor sleep habits can affect sleep long past 4 months and well into the toddler and preschool years.

Sleep Rules for Conquering the 4 Month Sleep Regression

Make sure the baby’s room environment is primed for optimal sleep conditions
Establish and stick to a peaceful sleep routine
Teach your baby to fall asleep on their own
Don’t lean on sleep associations
Give Them a Minute to Fuss
Put your baby to sleep at the right time

Be sure to check out the Surviving Your Child’s Sleep Regressions Ebook for an explanation of sleep at every age and 18 survival tips to help you through the 18 month sleep regression and 2 year old sleep regression.

The Keys to Navigating the Tricky 4 Month Sleep Regression…

Prime Your Baby’s Room for Optimal Sleep Conditions

Your baby spent 10 months in the womb, a dark and noisy place. With their room, you want to recreate this environment for comfort, a sense of security and familiarity.

Darken the room with blackout curtains and use a white noise machine or light fan to create the ideal environment. If the crib is near a hallway or noisy space, consider moving it to another place in the room.

It’s been shown that too warm of temperatures create more night waking. If you can, keep a cool temperature in the house but dress your baby accordingly.

Here are important tips to help your light sleeper, sleep better.

Establish & Stick to a Bedtime Routine

Babies and young children crave the familiarity and security of routine. A peaceful bedtime routine may start with a warm bath, lotion, diaper, pajamas, feeding in the room with the lights low or off and the noise machine on, putting him into a sleep sack and then gently rocking him for a few minutes before you place him on his back in the bed drowsy, but awake.

The key to a great bedtime routine that works is very minimal stimulation and little engagement with Mom or Dad.

Here is a suggested bedtime routine which worked well for all three of my children when they were that little.

Download Your Routine Tracker – The Starting Place for Creating a Better Routine and Great Sleep Habits

Teach Your Baby to Fall Asleep on Their Own

By putting your baby into their crib drowsy, but not sound asleep, they learn to fall asleep on their own. Once your baby learns how to do it for bedtime, they’ll do it for naptime and every time without your help.

Don’t Let Sleep Associations Turn into Poor Sleep Cruxes

Sleep associations can be anything that help your baby fall asleep and be put to bed sound asleep, instead of drowsy. This can be anything from the bottle, nursing, pacifier, rocking to sleep, or swaddle.

You don’t want to feed or nurse your baby to sleep because drowsy is the key, and you anything that hinders them from asleep on their own can turn into a poor habit.

You don’t want their sleep cycles dependent on the crux of a bottle, breast or anything else that comforts him can turn into a long-term habit you’ll have a hard time breaking down the road.

Let Your Baby Fuss for a Minute

It’s a parent’s instinct to run to their baby at the first sound of noise, however, if your baby comes to expect you to comfort them they won’t learn to put themselves back to sleep. It’s OK to let your baby fuss for a minute or two to help them learn to put themselves back to sleep and self soothe.

Wait a few minutes to see if he calms down, and if not, go in to make sure all the basics are taken care of – wet diaper, hungry, cold, etc.

Put Your Baby to Sleep at the Right Time

You want to make sure your baby is getting the recommended number of hours of daily sleep. Set the bedtime where your baby is not overtired and has gone too long between the last nap and bedtime. An overtired baby is going to fight bedtime and sleep restlessly.

Refer to this chart for recommended sleep and awake times.

What to Do During Night Feedings or Waking

At 4-months of age, night time feedings and waking are unavoidable but when they happen, there are a few guidelines to help your baby go back to sleep quickly.

Don’t turn on the lights. Avoid bright lights and keep things as dim as possible.
Avoid direct eye contact
Don’t speak or communicate with your baby unless shushing or softly humming
Unless diapers are dirty, don’t change them & avoid waking up the baby further (go up a diaper size for nighttime to help)
Feed your baby, and put them back to bed drowsy, but not sound asleep

This sleep regression stage is difficult for your baby and will leave you exhausted from waking up often in the middle of the night. Have patience, but be comforted by the fact that your baby will eventually learn how to sleep on their own with your help creating good sleep habits. Keeping consistent sleep habits will be the biggest factor in helping your baby get a good night’s sleep.

Awesome Parenting Tools for Sleep & Routines:

For a more thorough explanation and resource of keeping a routine, Check out the Mastering Sleep & Schedules Ebook which is 100-pages of jam-packed information and 40+ sample routines. All the tools, sample schedules, sleep tracker and strategies for every age and stage of development for 2 weeks to 5-years-old.

Learn how to start creating a routine, establishing wake up and bedtimes, strategies for working through nap transitions, prepping for daylight savings time to keep your routine on track and logging your baby’s sleep patterns… all helping you rock a routine and simplify life when your days flow.

Surviving Your Child’s Sleep Regressions Ebook not only gives you an detailed reasoning behind sleep at every age, but also strategies to help you through the 18 month sleep regression and 2 year old sleep regressionYou’ll know how to spot a sleep regression coming on, and be equipped with strategies to help you understand the root cause and developmental leaps behind your baby’s sleep struggle.

Download Your Routine Tracker – The Starting Place for Creating a Better Routine and Great Sleep Habits

Additional Reading on This Topic

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Overcome the Dreaded 4 Month Sleep Regression: Navigate This Tricky Stage

What is the 4 Month Sleep Regression?

How Long Does the 4 Month Sleep Regression Last?

Sleep Rules for Conquering the 4 Month Sleep Regression

The Keys to Navigating the Tricky 4 Month Sleep Regression…