4 month sleep regression

[Daisysandviolets]

So we've hit the 4 months sleep regression at 5 months! Is there actually anything I can to help her or is it just a case of being a zombie for a couple weeks and waiting it out? I see all these sleep experts on social media but not sure how much of it I buy!

[Daisysandviolets]

Anyone one 🥺

[cantkeepgoing]

I'm not sure if there is such a thing.....it's like "leaps"?!

[Mizydoscape]

Hi OP we are way out the other side of the 4 month regression so not sure how much help I can be but I do remember it well. It is a real thing @cantkeepgoing for some babies and it is where the babies sleep pattern starts to mature. It is temporary.

What problems are you seeing OP, then maybe it will be easier to advise.

[sleepslikeababy]

Ride it out! It will end. It’s hellish but it will end! We’re just out the outside of the 8 month regression 🤞🏼

Honestly, I found nothing worked but time. Mine was up every 45 minutes for 6-8 weeks. I wish I was one of those mums who didn’t know what a sleep regression was 🙈😂

[Jk987]

I also wish I’d never heard of it too as there’s so much scaremongering and I think some of it’s designed to sell products and sleep training services! Ask anyone with older children and they’ve never heard of of it and just thought it was a phase of bad nights.
Having said that our little girl suddenly had a few terrible nights where she’d hardly sleep and couldn’t be settled. These were interspersed with okIsh nights. The worst was definitely over after 2 weeks so it doesn’t always last 6+ weeks.
What helped us was to try and maximise daytime naps. We took her for extra pram walks and tried to make them over 40 minutes long so if she woke after a sleep cycle she quickly went back off again. After one bad night she slept for 4 hours straight the following morning.
It’s so difficult for us parents so if you can get any extra help from family, please try - you need and deserve it. Also know that this could be very short term for you, I hope so.

[Mustardbay]

Our 4 month regression lasted 7 months, just had to ride it out unfortunately.

[Jk987]

Ooh I forgot to add, we started swaddling again and this definitely helped. We were using a sleeping bag before that and I think she much prefers the secure warm feeling of a swaddle and the fact she can’t wake herself up by flapping about.

[FTEngineerM]

@cantkeepgoing

I'm not sure if there is such a thing.....it's like "leaps"?!

Oh to be you @cantkeepgoing
Ours lasted from 4m - 8m roughly.

He sleeps all night mostly not though.
No advice, it’s hell, just do what ever you can to get through. Fuck the house just zombie your way through.

[FTEngineerM]

Mostly now though *

[FolkSongSweet]

Another one here where it lasted from 4-8 months. It is definitely a thing- it’s when babies’ sleep cycles change from newborn to mature. During the regression they will wake at the end of a sleep cycle (45 mins or so) until they learn to link their sleep cycles.

OP for us the key thing was realising that DS would expect the same conditions as he had at the start of the night on every waking. So if he fed to sleep he’d want to feed every time. Same with dummy etc etc. We couldn’t get him to sleep properly until he learned to fall asleep by himself without my nipple in his mouth.

[MummieNiamh]

@sleepslikeababy

Ride it out! It will end. It’s hellish but it will end! We’re just out the outside of the 8 month regression 🤞🏼

Honestly, I found nothing worked but time. Mine was up every 45 minutes for 6-8 weeks. I wish I was one of those mums who didn’t know what a sleep regression was 🙈😂

I agree.. xx hopefully you will have a full nights sleep soon

[cantkeepgoing]

@FTEngineerM the reason I don't think leaps necessarily exist is because my baby now toddler never sleeps/slept! I've spent years of his life googling/using sleep training methods/consultants etc ......when in actual fact I should've just been resigned to the fact that there might not be a "leap" and they just grow out of it when they mature.
It's hideous. Total mindfuck. Would NEVER do it again. Hence my username

[Jk987]

It’s so very depressing for someone at the start of it to read it could last many months. It might be very short term and some babies don’t go through it at all. Op - have hope that it may not be that bad and please get help if you need it. We shouldn’t have to suffer relentlessly as parents, there are always things to try which might make a difference.

[cantkeepgoing]

I agree @Jk987 but the op and other posters must also be aware that some things just don't work and through know fault of theirs it just improves over time. It can be soul destroying when you're trying things that simply don't make any difference!

[FolkSongSweet]

@cantkeepgoing leaps aren’t the same thing as sleep regressions though.

[FTEngineerM]

Totally agree @cantkeepgoing there’s no point only saying some babies don’t experience it then people start wondering what they’re doing wrong when it’s obviously a difficult time.

Sorry you had bad sleep for years, that sounds tough

[cantkeepgoing]

@FolkSongSweet apologies. regressions, leaps or whatever you want to call them don't apply when you have a child that fundamentally doesn't sleep

[Jk987]

I understand that but it’s upsetting to read stories of people who had months of pure hell saying you just have to suffer. It fills you with a deep sense of dread and worry which may be for no reason.

[cantkeepgoing]

You're right, I shouldn't have posted @Jk987 .......

[EssentialHummus]

Yeah, DD had every - every - nap from 3.5m to 5.5m in a sling while walking around the neighbourhood. December through Feb. If I went back inside she’d wake up. The neighbours would come out with tea and biscuits for me. She also once literally screamed through Belgium.

Sympathies op, just do what you need to do to get through it. Brilliantly at 3.5 DD is now about the only one of her peers who still naps

[olderthanyouthink]

DD finally starting sleeping through the night (6 hours) at 4.5 months, then the regression hits and she's only just started doing it again at 27 months. Admittedly there seem to be some other factors with her breathing but the 8-10 ish month regression was truly hellish. Some parents are lucky enough to be completely unaware that they're a thing and some of us get them all. And it did nothing to sell me on products or consultants.

[sleepslikeababy]

@Jk987 you’re right it might be upsetting to some, and perhaps unnecessary if their babies bounce back super quickly. But for me, it was such a relief to hear (and slowly realise) that nothing really works except time. Before I came to accept that I just had to ride it out, I thought I was failing. It seemed like if I did all the things the other mums said would work, and my baby still didn’t sleep, that I must doing something wrong.

Now, as we hit each regression, I accept it’s hellish, but know it’s going to end. We’ve just gone through another 6 weeks of waking every hour, and now back to 6 hour stretches. I was so much less stressed knowing that in time we’d get back on track.

On the other hand, my LOs cousin has slept through the night from 2 months old. They don’t know or care what a sleep regression is in that household, and why should they!