My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler.

Sleep

4 month sleep regression

13 replies

Lindah1 · 22/11/2017 10:42

Hi, my LO is going through the 4 month sleep regression. To cut a long story short, the only way for anyone to get any sleep is to start co sleeping which im not that keen on. Have been doing it almost a week now. She feeds to sleep then i roll her into her back.
My question is are we just making more problems for the future, will it be impossible to get her back into her cot when this passes. I've tried teaching her to fall asleep herself but not got anywhere.

OP posts:
crazycatlady5 · 22/11/2017 19:11

Babies don’t know how to fall asleep themselves at 4 months. Do you have the cot side carred next to your bed? Can you feed her lying down and move her over?

Lindah1 · 22/11/2017 19:29

Hi cat lady, are you saying that there's no point trying to teach her at this age to drop off herself?
The cot is at the bottom of the bed, when she falls asleep on the bed you can pick her up carefully and place her in the cot, but she wakes within seconds. We've even tried warming the cot up with a water bottle (taking it away again obviously) but didn't work at all.

OP posts:
CarefulBunny · 22/11/2017 19:32

The 4 month sleep regression is hellish. Personally I'd just do whatever works.

She's still tiny, you can try and encourage good habits but at this age it probably won't do much good.

It's a phase. I know it doesn't feel like it at the time now!

crazycatlady5 · 22/11/2017 22:02

Learning to fall asleep on their own is developmental and usually happens a lot later than 4 months

Gannetseatfish · 24/11/2017 14:01

We are also going through the four month regression so you have my sympathy. I think you just have to do what you need to to get through it. 4/5 is way to young to “teach” a baby anything or for them to learn bad habits imho. Just go with what works, go easy on yourself and chill out whenever possible!

Gannetseatfish · 24/11/2017 14:02

months (I’m tired!)

RoryItsSnowing · 24/11/2017 14:12

Also dealing with this right now, and I also won't risk cosleeping. We make sure to rouse LO after a feed before putting them down so they are sleepy but awake. They then fall asleep on their own after fidgeting for a few minutes.
It's the only way at the moment we get more than 2 hours in a row from them. It doesn't always work and some nights are still awful but we're slowly getting more nights where they'll sleep for 6 hours, feed, then another 2.5, feed, then another 2. Not ideal but at least tolerable!

newmum7369 · 25/11/2017 07:29

Hi @Lindah1 and everyone else going through the 4 month sleep regression. DS (17 weeks) sleeps for 3 hours from 7 or 8 and is then awake at least every hour, if not more frequently, until he wakes for the day at about 6:30am. This has been going on for about 6 weeks now. He's in his own cot but like you @Lindah1 will sleep a bit longer if he's in with us. I don't really want to cosleep either but sometimes it's the only way to get some sleep.

It's absolute misery isn't it.

newmum7369 · 25/11/2017 07:29

Sorry about the old type, too tired for this!

IrregularCommentary · 25/11/2017 07:36

Dd is 14mo now so it's a little hazy, I think we pretty much co slept through it though. It's rough, and anyone going through it has my sympathies.

Agree with pp though. Do what works, 4 months is too young to habit form in the way you're concerned about. It's a phase, it will pass, and finding a way to get through it with some sleep won't ruin anything.

WhyTheHeckMe · 25/11/2017 15:05

4 month regression latest till ds was 7 months for me :-( it was horrendous.
We coslept and literally did whatever to get some sleep.
Honestly don't worry, I stressed so much over bad habits but really, I found anything before 10 months dead easy to change. We did do controlled crying at 11 months which was fine and took 2 nights and he wasn't distressed. Since then he's slept through 12-14 hours every single night, including on holidays and through illness / even chickenpox. So please trust me when I say it does get better I promise he is now nearly 2.
Pregnant again now and wondering why I'm putting myself through the sleep dep again! !

Lindah1 · 10/01/2018 17:54

Update: for those who are interested, LO is now 6 months old with not a lot of improvement. We just do whatever it takes to get through it, which usually involves co sleeping. Occasionally we'll have an ok night, like last night which was sleeping in the cot and waking every 3 hours ( id take that every night) other nights she won't sleep at all even with co sleeping. Here's hoping for a better night for you all soon

OP posts:
Mumagain2017 · 13/01/2018 09:16

Hi @lindah1 of got a similar issue.
Baby is 5 months and been waking 2 or 3 or 4 times a night.
Two wakings she has a bottle ( used to bf now on bottles) before Christmas she was only waking at 4 or 5am for bottle then back to sleep.

She goes down at 7.30 and then wakes at 11.30 or 12.30. Just horrible!!

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.