If your newborn slept well/through early....

[FizzingWhizzbee123]

...... what happened at the 4 month sleep regression?

I see people who say “my newborn slept through from 8 weeks”. I’m just curious whether that just continued with minimum disruption, whether it all went to pot when sleep cycles matured around 4 months or whether it had some regression bumps but they passed easily.

DS1 was a horrific sleeper from birth, although did mostly sleep through from 8 months, with the exception of weeks of disruption when every sleep regression hit hard.

DS2 is 6 weeks and his first sleep of the night has quickly lengthened from 3 hours to up to 5 hours on a good night. At the moment, on a good night, he goes to bed with me around 11pm, wakes around 4pm for a feed and then sleeps through until around 7-8am. I’m scared to enjoy it too much as I’m dreading it all going to pot in a few weeks when the 4 month sleep regression hits (DS1 started his at 12 weeks).

I’m just curious whether anyone had a newborn that slept fairly well and continued to do so, within reason, after the 4 month sleep regression.

Also interested to know if those babies were breast or bottle fed. DS2 is EBF so far.

[SendHelp30]

I have 3 children and never about a sleep regression until I joined mumsnet.
DD, my eldest, slept 8 hours a night from 6 weeks old. Nothing happened at 4 months old. The boys didn’t sleep through until after 4 months but again, no noteworthy changes to sleep patterns.

[SendHelp30]

All mine were EBF

[fastandthecurious]

DS slept right through with 1 feed in between from the night he was born. Then slept through no night feeds from about 7 weeks I think. The four month sleep regression killed us, he would wake every hour and he did that till about 6 months and now he's two he still wakes once or twice in the night!! I was so smug about the newborn thing too, serves me right ha!!

[RosesAndHellebores]

Crikey. DS slept from about 11pm to 5am from about 5 weeks. That however was his pattern from then onwards pretty much. Our huge problems aros when we tried to put him down earlier and 5 or 6 hours were all he needed. He's almost 26 now and I never had to wake him up for school - ever.

DD would go down at 7 or 8ish and sleep until 11 for a feed but would then wake another 2 or 3 times. She didn't sleep through until she was about 4! Generally needed more sleep than DS - ooh at least 7 or 8 hours!

Neither of mine ever needed 7pm to 6am or variants. They are all just different.

[sausagerole]

DS slept 11-12 hours straight at night from about 8 weeks. Lasted with occasional exceptions until about 5.5 months when he started waking 1-2 times a night. He still wakes now at 8m, twice is a bad night and once a good one!

[FizzingWhizzbee123]

Thank you for the responses so far, interesting to see the variation. Anyone else?

[MrsBungle]

Both of mine slept well and there was never any “regression”. There’d be occasional blips for a few days when they weren’t well or teething etc.

[thenextadventure]

DD is now 6 months, and was a great sleeper until the 4 month sleep regression hit! From about 8 weeks old she went down at 7pm and woke up once for a feed at about 2/3am but very quickly went back to sleep. Before that it was 9pm down for her longest stretch and two feeds overnight, but again straight back to sleep. From 4 months there were good and bad nights, and feeds never increased but wake ups did! She wouldn’t really cry but would be wide awake for ages at random points, and when she woke for a feed you knew it was potentially two hours before she’d be back down again. Think we’re just coming out the other side... until the next regression hits

[BigusBumus]

I actually think the whole "sleep regression" thing is a made up thing because many people cant bear to actually hear their babies cry for more than 10 seconds. Its about their feelings and not about what's best for the baby in the end. Sleep Training totally works in 3 days flat. None of my babies ever had any kid of regression apart from growth spurts or teething if that's what you're on about.

[Ohalrightthen]

@BigusBumus

I actually think the whole "sleep regression" thing is a made up thing because many people cant bear to actually hear their babies cry for more than 10 seconds. Its about their feelings and not about what's best for the baby in the end. Sleep Training totally works in 3 days flat. None of my babies ever had any kid of regression apart from growth spurts or teething if that's what you're on about.

So much science to disprove literally everything you've said - those are quite old fashioned views that aren't born out by research.

[Sohardtochooseausername]

Mine was a great sleeper overnight but did not sleep during the day unless she was in the pram or being held. She had wobbles at the different developmental stages but was fairly consistent once she was actually asleep... which has always been well after 7.30 pm.

Some of my friends kids napped like clockwork but woke continuously through the night.

All kids are different, you can’t compare yours to anyone else’s. You’re probably doing the right thing. You’ll be much happier if you stop trying.

[Quornflakegirl]

I didnt know their sleep regressed and didn't experience it with my twins.
They were born at 34 weeks and twin 2 slept 11-7:30 at 11 weeks (5 weeks corrected)
Twin 2 at 14 weeks (8 corrected)

Their sleep improved not regressed and by 6 months they both slept 6:30-7:30.

[Thesearmsofmine]

My first slept through from 6 weeks, he never really woke for teething and didn’t have any of the regressions, he still sleeps like a log now.

Ds2 was just a rubbish sleeper from the start until 3, I wouldn’t say he has regressions more that he just was never a great sleeper.

Ds3 was more average, I never tracked the regressions and when to expect them though, I just think they give you something to dread and worry about. I just dealt with periods of bad sleep as they arose.

[BeTheHokeyMan]

Mine had a bottle at 12pm and slept through till 7am from day one.Big babies 9lb+ and bottle fed. No regression and still sleep like logs years later

[grassisjeweled]

DS was an awesome sleeper. Formula fed.

DD took 14 months to sleep through. Ffed also

[PriceEmUp]

My DD slept through from about 6 weeks, was in her own room at 3 months as we just disturbed her when coming up to bed.

Never really had any sleep regression. The only time it changed was when the clocks changed and when she’s been really poorly.

[kwaziseyepatch]

DD and DD both slept 8-5/6 from 6 weeks and then up 2/3x from 4 months but straight down after a feed. This gradually decreased over time. Both breastfed

[Mylittleturkeysandwich]

DS "slept through" by 7 weeks. However at that point my definition of sleeping through was 7/8 hours. That has gotten longer and longer and he now does 9pm - 7am. His bedtime could do with being earlier but at the moment it's working for us all.

[LemonadeSunshine]

Hi, my DD was sleeping through the night from 10 weeks, she was bottle fed exclusively.
Before she was born I'd by chance read a non-parenting book by Pamela Druckerman, where she talked about sleep cycles, or 'the pause' in France. I found my DDs sleep cycles were 30 minutes, so when she woke in her moses basket during the day and at night at spot on the 30 minute mark, I was silent (like musical statues sometimes!) until she went back to sleep. She needed milk every 2 hours for a couple of weeks before naturally extending the periods between feeds. By not stimulating her between sleep cycles she's always been able to go back to sleep herself.

[WhyDoesItAlways]

DS slept 10 till 6 from 6 weeks and then 7 till 7/8 from 12 weeks with no regressions. He's only woken at night when one of his second molars came through and when he had a virus. He was bf until 8 weeks and then formula.

I wish I could say there's some secret to having a sleeping baby but really it's just a lottery and there is no way of predicting what you're going to get!

[TrinityWaves]

DC1 - a naturally good sleeper, 4 hourly feeds from birth, 8 hours by 6 weeks. DC could self settle from birth so had no issues linking sleep cycles at 4 months. Just a naturally contented child (still is now) that I can't take credit for.

DC2 used to scream constantly (and I mean constantly!!) from the evening into the night, the worst time it lasted 9 hours, it hugely affected the whole family. I did sleep training and I managed to get DC2 having a 6hr stretch at 2.5m but only because DC responded to it. DC2 didn't have a 4m regression.

[FizzingWhizzbee123]

Thanks all, interesting stuff. DS1 was a screamer and used to scream for hours in the evening then wake up all night long. I didn’t notice the 4 month sleep regression at night with him, as he was already such a rubbish sleeper but I do remember it hitting his naps hard and he went through a couple of months of cat napping. DS2 is definitely more relaxed generally and showing some signs of being a better sleeper but I know it might not last.

Good to know that not every baby is hit hard by the regression. DS2 is still managing an 11pm bedtime followed by a 4/5am feed then a 7.30am-ish wake which is very manageable at the moment. Bit worried it’ll all go south either when he starts having an earlier bedtime and/or hits 4 months. Only time will tell! 😬