4 month sleep regression- oh.my.god.

[hazel88]

So my DD has just hit the 4 month sleep regression hard. It sucks. It really sucks. for a short while she had been doing 6 hour chunks for the first part of the night followed by 1 or 2 wakings after. On the rare occasion she would just wake up once for a feed then that was it. BLISS. She's now waking up more times than I can count and I'm wondering if she'll ever sleep better again. I know about the 4 month sleep regression inside-out but would really appreciate experiences from others who have either gone through it or are going through it. I need some sanity restored...please?!

[FrinkadelicA12]

Mine went into the four month regression and hasn't come out yet. She is nearly 8 months now. We are all very tired. On the plus side, her four year old sister exited the four month sleep regression at the age of two and three quarters. Sigh.

[mariloulou]

Hello Hazel, you have my absolute sympathy on this one. Ive made 2 moaning threads on the 4 month regression! Its hard isnt it?.. and your right, it feels like there is no end in sight. Im currently on the end of week 5 now.
I have debated sleeping training, tried shush pat, tried removing dummy, tried co sleeping, tried getting more milk down her... no avail... my DD still wakes 4-5-6 times a night... sometimes it seems like its just for the hell of waking! sometimes its for 1-2hours. She will start smiling at me at 2.45am!
I think the only way to get through this "regression" is to literally just ride it through.
Ive tried putting DD down drowsy but awake but shes been having none of it, so Im just feeding to sleep and feeding twice a night. Then part co sleeping when she really just wont settle in the cot. I feel like I should be doing more to get her settled on her own, but honestly im just too tired!
What have you tried so far? Whats your routine like day/night, is your DD a good napper?
Sorry not much help, but wanted you to know that your absolutely not alone!!! x

[Sycamore76]

Can this regression start early ? My dd had been sleeping ok and then got to 13 weeks and it has all gone horribly wrong! Up every 1-2 hours for the past two weeks . It's exhausting as I have a 3 year old too ! So tired I can't see

[hazel88]

mariloulou you sound so similar to me!! 6 wakings a night SUCKS, has it been like that every night for 5 weeks? I totally understand the feeling that you shouldn't be encouraging bad habits...I've tried putting DD down asleep as she won't go down awake or drowsy. I've tried lots of rocking, lots of co-sleeping out of desperation, loud white noise, introducing a comfort blanket, altering bed time..the list goes on and nothing has helped...but I think too many changes won't help matters and as you said I think the answer is just to ride it out and she'll sleep better when she's ready and her brain isn't so busy and wired from such leaps in her development. I'm guessing you've heard of the wonder weeks?! totally sums up DD right now who is at the peak of leap 4.

Last night was the worst nights sleep she's had ever I think. Put her down and she seemed fast asleep, went to dish up my dinner and she woke up, then again at my second attempt to eat dinner. third time worked but she only slept for 2 hours then woke half hourly/hourly for the rest of the night and was ready to get up at 5. I think I might have had 3 hours sleep max.

Oh and did I mention she was teething yesterday?!

Naps have turned in to 30 minute crappy naps where she furiously wrestles me until she falls asleep. I've tried earlier and later wake times which makes no difference.

Poor DD had colic and has reflux, she was just getting a bit more settled before this 4 month sleep regression stomped it's way in to our lives 3 week ago! Because of this, our routine has been changed around a bit, but DD often wakes around 5.30-6am then has a nap roughly every hour and a half and feed every 4 hours, then bath, bottle and bed at around 6:30/7.

What's your routine like?

[hazel88]

sycamore it started at 13.5 weeks for us and that was 3 weeks ago.

[Sycamore76]

It's so hard isn't it ? I try and get her to nap frequently throughout the day ( by rocking )so I don't think it's over tiredness . Starting to dread the nights !

[hazel88]

Absolutely. I thought the nights were bad but last night was something else! I hope it won't stay like this.k DP was out at a party last night leaving me to it, I felt like my back was going to break from all of the rocking, I ended up stooped over while rocking to try and ease it. Keep trying to tell myself 'it will get better', that and counting to 10 helps!

[andadietcoke]

This too shall pass. Promise.

[Sycamore76]

Poor you Hazel. I hope it passes for all of us soon. I co slept with my son until 5.5 months and I don't remember him going through this. Mind you , he would never sleep on his own from day one ! Just getting silent reflux under control and now this .....

[trilbydoll]

DD woke every 45mins for about a month or so, it was a bad time. One night last week (aged 2yo) she slept 8pm - 10am, does that give you hope?!

Rocking - try lying in bed with them and rocking your whole body, feels a bit ridiculous but saves your back (and it's always a bonus to be horizontal) or sit in a chair jiggling. We ended up rocking a heavy 10mo every night, it was awful and I have no idea how we didn't ruin our backs permanently!

[hazel88]

Thanks for the tip trilby! DD has now been awake nearly 2 and a half hours since her last nap and is currently screaming the place down in protest for a nap. She's tired but refusing to nap Huffff!!

[Sycamore76]

Have you tried a sling hazel ?

[hazel88]

to carry her around in during the day? I haven't tried it recently but she's such a busy girl she used to be too fidgety and nosey to be hanging on to me haha

[Sycamore76]

Yes , I sometimes put my dd in the baby bjorn and do housework and she will usually drop off. The only down side is I can't sit down as she wakes up ( joy) so now I have started rocking her in the car seat when she is due a nap but I have to keep rocking until she is in a deep sleep. I am wondering why I can t produce children that like to sleep !

[hazel88]

We always used the car seat for naps where she would sleep for sometimes 3 hours at a time until I was scorned by the health visitor for it being terrible for her spine. I felt like saying 'I know it's not F'ing ideal but you try getting her to nap!!'

[Sycamore76]

I think I will prob start sleep training at six months for naps and night time. I can't cope with this for months ! We all need to sleep.

[hazel88]

I think 6 months is a good time to start if that's what you'd like to do. I can't remember having just 4 hours sleep in a row! Hoping were all in for better nights real soon!

[hazel88]

if you want some reassurance like I do then try reading several posts down on this thread with the links labelled 'here' by angeldog.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/sleep/966721-4-month-sleep-regression-help-please

[Sycamore76]

Thanks Hazel. I think once they know how to self soothe they will sleep better . Surely a regression shouldn't last for months and months .

[hazel88]

I wouldn't have thought so...bloody hope not anyway!!!

[Sycamore76]

People are saying they can

[fatpony]

We entered the four month sleep regression in the last week of Jan. Like you it was a bit of a shock as he'd been sleeping quite well up till then e.g.over Xmas waking only once or twice after his 7pm bedtime and then waking around 6.30am the next day. It was hell and lasted for almost exactly five weeks and then in early March I was nearly at the end of my tether convinced he couldn't need so much milk. One morning I cried loads and told my DH that night we were moving onto bottles so he could share the load and/or do controlled crying and that night he bloody well slept through the cheeky little so and so! He must have heard me. After that he went about one wakeup which was manageable and at 5.5 months started doing 11 hrs. So they do get there!

[hazel88]

Music to my ears! Just tried putting DD down to bed where she was very nearly fast asleep, only for her to wake up gabbing away. It's so adorable...not so adorable in a few hours time when I'm desperate for some kip though

[Sycamore76]

Fatpony ! Thank you , this has given me some hope !
I have been trying to get my dd down since 630pm, one failed attempt so far! I have to make sure she is in a deep sleep ....

[hazel88]

sycamore I'll be thinking of you every time I'm up tonight! We CAN do this!!!