Let baby sleep in or wake him?

[Squish3]

Baby is 4 months old and we have been working on a more set nap, bedtime routine and wake up routine since just before 3 months.
The last couple of weeks he’s hit the 4 month regression with full force! He’s been awake loads during the night last night, and even when he has been sleeping he’s been really restless. He’s now sound asleep but usually gets up at 7am every morning.

Would you leave him to sleep until he naturally wakes up? Or wake and do normal morning routine then just aim for an earlier and longer morning nap? I don’t want to throw away the routine that was working well for him but feel like it might be better just to go with what he needs during the sleep regression?

I would leave him be, he is just a baby and wouldn't worry too much about routines tbh

Let him sleep or he'll be grumpy. I don't think it's worth pushing for a routine until nearer 6 months

@Landlubber2019 @Findahouse21 Thanks guys 😊 I had a feeling that was best during the sleep regression. I actually hadn’t planned at all on trying to introduce a routine until about 6 months but he started naturally falling into one so we have just been loosely working on that 🤷🏻‍♀️ Definitely not rigid on it though as he is still really young 😊 he’s usually up at 7am, has 3 naps in the day, and then bath, feed, story and bed for 7.30/8pm. Still feeds on the night at 10/11pm then 2/3am.

Sleep consultant said incredibly important to get the circadian rhythm in check by having a set wake up time every day.

I don’t know what age that should start but with DC2 that’s on the way I’ll prob start at the 4m regression since that’s where our problems started last time.

We wake our LO on the rare occasion she is still asleep! 7 is wake up time every day 👍

@FTEngineerM @FudgeSundae thanks 😊 he woke himself at 7.30 so didn’t have too much of a long lie. Still wanted down for his morning nap at the same time so hopefully he’s still on track for the day 🤞🏼

My DS (4mo) once slept through til 10am at 3mo (was usually waking at 8am). We made the most of the extra sleep! For us, I’ve found daytime routine is changing rapidly so have focused more on bedtime routine rather than nap schedule. Also in the 4 month sleep regression, hope you are doing ok. It’s pretty exhausting! Xx

@JJxo 10am just seems crazy to me 🙈🤣 I’m an early riser myself so I did t know what to do with myself when he didn’t wake at 7am 🤣🙈 The sleep regression is definitely tough 😓 my DH works offshore - 3 weeks on, 3 weeks off and he’s been away since before it started so he’s coming home tomorrow for a major shock to the system 🙈🤣

@Squish3 I know, we couldn't believe it - like a little teenager already! Hasn't ever happened again! Wow that must be tough when he is away, but I imagine it's lovely to get 3 week blocks together as a family!

Sleep breeds sleep, especially at that age! Waking too soon could make naps and bedtime even harder with little one being over tired, don’t worry about a routine yet, plenty of time for that Let’s them catch the zzzzz’s they need and follow their lead for now!

@JJxo I doubt it will ever happen again!! At least you took advantage of it when you had the chance lol. It’s really tough when he’s away, especially during lockdown as we have no other support nearby so it’s literally just me and DS during lockdown 😓 I feel like a kids party entertainer with the toughest audience in the world some days lol. But we’re very lucky to have lots of quality family time when he’s home so just need to battle through these weeks alone 😅 x

@DinosaurPantz oh gosh, on the odd occasion he’s refused to go for his nap he’s been an absolute nightmare at night 🙈 so we try and avoid messing with his sleep too much if we can!