45 minute sleep cycle

[NellyOC]

Hello - I wondered if anyone had any advice/tips. My DS is 19 weeks and touchwood is an ok sleeper. We had lots of issues just before 4 months for about 4 weeks, I'm guessing the 4 month sleep regression. Anyway since then he is sleeping better but now wakes up around 45 mins after he goes down for the night. Nothing has changed in his bedtime routine and I'm wondering if that's the problem. Routine is bath at 6.30, then mobile on over his changing mat while I get him ready for bed with a little massage, then he has a BF, followed by being swaddled and down to sleep in his crib at about 7.30. Before the 4 month regression he would then sleep until he woke around 3am for a feed. Now he is consitently waking up after being down for 45mins. This isn't a big issue, as it only takes 5 mins to get him back to sleep (although I do have to feed him back to sleep). Any ideas of how I can help him not to wake after this first sleep cycle or how to help him get himself back to sleep. I was wondering if he would be able to self soothe easier without the swaddle - however, he does love to be swaddled.

Once he's back down to sleep he tends to stay asleep then until he wakes for a feed any time between 1-3am.

He's quite young, he will grow out of it on his own in the next few months I would think. My DD who is 9 months did this for a while and I think she stopped around 7 months. It might just be that he wants a bit more milk if you're breastfeeding. It's up to you of course but I wouldn't worry too much about trying to train him out of it.

DS was exactly the same, you could time your watch by him (and just not quite enough time to be able to cook and eat dinner). He just grew out of it over time as his sleep cycles got longer. I'd just go with the flow.

Do you wind him before swaddling? If he's got some air trapped he might be feeling uncomfortable enough to wake next time he's in a light sleep phase.

DD is 21 weeks tomorrow and is EXACTLY the same except her sleep cycle is 30 minutes, we can also set our watch by her!!

She goes upstairs at around 7, has a feed, falls asleep then exactly 30 mins later wakes up!! DP starts tea when i take her up so we can eat together in that 30 mins. Like your DS she only takes 5 mins to go back to sleep, usually after quite a bit of burping and parping.

Theyre so funny

Somebody warned me about this, but I don't know where she got the link from. But at 19 weeks, their sleep changes from newborn-style awake or deep sleep to more adult cycles of deeper and lighter sleep - guess how long between light sleeps?

He will learn how to settle back from a lighter sleep eventually, but try a couple of times just stroking his back, or shh-ing nearby to help him. If he gets upset, obviously comfort him, don't even think about leaving him to cry through it. We found that some of the time DD wasn't actually waking, just rousing slightly, and if we caught her in time she'd just drift back off without us getting her out of the cot.

Thank you so much for the replies. He didn't do it Tuesday night but then did last night. I do wind him, but he has been much harder to get wind up recently.

Is he still fully swaddled? Maybe you could try leaving his hands out?

My DD did this and I would go up to her at 40 mins, wait for her to start to stir then gently rock the moses basket to lull her back to sleep without her ever waking properly. Took a few goes (days? weeks? - can't remember) but it did seem to work.