To ask about the 4 month sleep regression?

[MyNameIsRachel]

So my baby is 4 months on Saturday and he last 2 nights has been waking me up in the hour.

Now I’ve read about the 4 month sleep regression, he started to sleep 10-5am, about 4 weeks ago and before that would sleep just not restfully.

He never woke up and cried for night feeds, I managed to get him feeding before that but knew it was coming.

So these night wakings consist of him stirring and it wakes me up, but he doesn’t really wake up he just stirs and I settle him back to sleep.

He hasn’t wanted a feed.

Is this what it will be like, or will the wake ups properly turn into wake ups and feeds?

Sorry I know everyone must be different but if this dreaded sleep regression is just what I am experiencing it’s not actually all that bad, for me !

My 2 girls never went through a sleep regression but my ds did. He didn't have a bottle in the night but would wake constantly, take hours to go asleep, eventually bed time just got later and later. It was hell for quite a whilw

I could have wrote this myself OP!y son is exactly the same. I have no answers unfortunately, so watching for any advice

In my limited experience, they will go back to a similar sleep pattern that they had before. Just ride it out - this too shall pass

It didn't exist when I had children!!

My mum said it didn’t exist either.

I guess this must be it as he’s 4 months and waking me up but had mainly because I’ve got a cot with one side off attaches to the bed and he’s kicking me

Mine didn't have this. He went a bit bonkers at 8 months instead. Teething can disturb them and that often starts around 4 months, so read up on that.

I did wonder about teething, he’s dribbling and chewing his hands but then again I know he’s recently found them and they are a novelty

Buy anbesol liquid; the lidocaine gels last about 15-20 min in my experience so they're fine for daytime niggly pain when the baby gets distracted, but don't last long enough at night. The liquid lasts 3-4 hours, you use such a tiny bit that a bottle lasts for ages.

When it's really bad, serious screaming pain preventing sleep, we use a single dose of ibuprofen liquid (calprofen or nurofen) at bedtime or during the night. Don't use if there is any chickenpox risk, but it works amazingly well, much better than paracetamols like Calpol.

Also buy thick rubber chew toys; matchstick monkey is much gnawed here, a friend's daughter prefers the Sophie giraffe.

It didn't exist when my kids were babies either. At 4 months they were likely teething, or needing solids during the day.

Didn't exist for either of my babies. They just gradually slept longer and longer stretches from birth until they were sleeping through at around 5-6mo.

I suspect it depends partly on the baby--they are all different.

Also, I started food at 4mo, which might possibly reduce the odds of having a very bad sleeper.

At 4-6 months they go through a huge developmental grow spurt. If breastfeeding, they need to spend time with their mother so that the mother produces the milk becessary for the growth spurt. They settle back down and for my boys another one at around 8 months.

My DS had awful regression between 4-6 months. I thought I would go mad with the sleep deprivation at the height of it.
About 6 months he started to settle again and for past two months goes 6.30/7 - 6/6.30, he’s an early waker but as long as the clock says 6 and not 5 I can live with it.

The things which helped during were consistency with day time naps which means being strict with timings and lengths, a night time routine including bath and chill time, as dark room as possible, white noise and introducing solids to lose the night feeds.
teething makes all of this a lot harder of course so Ambesol or teething gel and calpol about half an hour before bed.
It will pass, it’s been a lonnnnnnng 4 months but we’ve been getting decent sleep for a few weeks now and I’m like a new woman!