4 Month Sleep Regression - Tips please!

[Dontbsicily]

Hello!

My LO is 14.5 weeks and she has started to really fight her sleep. She has always been a good sleeper on a night generally and initially would sleep 10/11pm - 7am with only one wake up but for a week or so we managed to drop the 4am feed and things were going swimmingly. Then suddenly she started to wake numerous times through the night and now generally wakes up at 1 and 4am wanting a change and a feed (she will wake other times in between also but will settle as soon as I put her dummy in) I don’t mind too much as I am still getting enough sleep but the day times have become a real struggle. She absolutely refuses to nap and gets so overtired and grumpy. Last night she screamed for DP for half an hour solid whilst I took a bath until I settled her down and she eventually completely zonked out, bless her.

I can’t get a thing done with her refusing to nap but, I’m more bothered that she’s getting so upset!

I can get her to sleep on me for a bit sometimes but, she only goes into a very light sleep and wakes if I move or put her down then refuses to go back to sleep so, I would really appreciate any tips or tricks to get her to start napping.

She does sleep in the car if we go out but then wakes as soon as we take her out and I can’t afford to drive around for 45-60 minutes at a time!

Thank you!! :)

I'm really afraid to say I don't have any advice as we just had to ride it out :/ it lasted maybe 3/4 weeks for us and then things got gradually better (before getting worse multiple times later on 😄)

Does she sleep in a sling or pram if you're moving? In which case, walk while she naps (good exercise). It's annoying, but it'll get her back into the habit of napping. Or can you drive until she drops off and then park and either nap yourself or read, etc? Another option is one of those baby swing things, which worked quite well for DC2. In any case, I think you just need to do what you need to do to get her to nap so that's not overtired because then it just becomes a vicious cycle.

Sounds like she's not doing too badly at night. DC1 had an awful 4-month sleep regression and I eventually gave up and starting co-sleeping as that way we all got more sleep. It didn't last too long!

Thanks for your replies!

Usually, the pram doesn’t work but this afternoon, just as I gave up hope and walked back to the house, she started to nod off and so I did a few laps of our estate (it’s fairly big... and hilly - phew!) and then when we got back I left her in the pram for a while (maybe only managed an extra 10 mins when we got home but all together about 40 mins nap which is a huge success compared to her usual 5 minute snoozes! Decided to try this every day. Been unsuccessful in the past so, hoping today wasn’t a fluke!

New problem arose this evening. Well - started yesterday evening and realised it wasn’t a one off when it happened again tonight. LO will no longer settle for DP. Last night I went for a bath and she screamed for 30 minutes solid until I got out and he gave her to me and she stopped immediately and went to sleep. Tonight, she woke up and DP went up to put her dummy back in and shush her (usually she goes straight back off) and she went mad again. I was busy so DP tried for about 10 minutes to settle her and she just got more and more wound up. He passed her to me and again, immediately silent and straight to sleep!

Don’t get me wrong it’s lovely to be wanted but, I can tell it’s getting DP down and also, I have to leave them all day next Saturday and I am now dreading it and considering rearranging! Anyone else had this?

He spends plenty of time with her as, he does her morning change and plays with her for a bit before work and then, when he gets home he plays with her and feeds her etc whilst I make the tea so, I wouldn’t have thought she had any reason to take preference. We combo feed her so, I’m not her primary source of food. She’s just recovered from hand foot and mouth (poor baby) and DM says ‘when you’re poorly you just want your mum’ but, seems odd to me that this would start after she has recovered?

Any tips?