4 month old - Sleeping Advice

[redcat453]

My DS is 4 months old and is sleeping through the night - he's in his own room now.

We have the baby monitor on all night and he keeps waking up, not for a feed but he'll murmur until we go in. We put the dummy in and he'll settle straight away but he could wake 10 mins later, 30 mins later or 1 hour later. We're constantly having to get up to him and I'm wondering if I should try the 'controlled crying' on him? He can sleep without the dummy (he tends to spit it out after a bit) and I don't want him to be too dependent on it.... what do you suggest?

If anyone has any advice that would be great!

Thank you

I think he's doing really well and that cc is for older babies)6 motnhs+) and toddlers who can't settle themselves not really for the circumstances you describe. He's still very little and will need your physical reassurance for a while to come.

Definitely CC is for older babies. If your baby is already sleeping through the night you're very lucky actually & I'm .

Can I ask though- how often does this waking due to the dummy happen? how long does it go on for? Is it just around bedtime or through the night that he wakes because of the dummy? I ask because we ended up having a huge problem due to dummy use & were forced to do sleep training (taking away the dummy) when our DS was almost 9 months. If you feel the dummy is creating problems & this is getting worse with time, just keep an eye on it & try to restrict its use as much as you can (not easy with a 4 month old, tbh, since he's really little & at that age they do have strong sucking needs).

Thanks for the replies...

It's usually from around 2am that he starts waking up (we put him down around 7-7.30pm) so it's quite a while after. I'm worried that he is going to get TOO used to the dummy! I may try just going in and stroking his face or something? to try and reassure him that we are still there for him...

We try and only use the dummy when he needs settling (which is generally to get him to sleep)

Hi redcat453,

This sounds soo much like my ds he is 5 and half months old and he has been sleeping great for past 5-6 weeks (touch wood).
He settles down at around 7.30-8pm sometimes he will stirr a little after but then settles for the night sleeping untill 5.30-6.00am but he 2 wakens a few times throughout the night wanting his dummy he also spits the dummy out once he is in a deep sleep. I keep thinking to myself he is going to get 2 used to the dummy, he is still in our room at the minute and soo every mumer he makes im straight up to put his dummy in again. I know he isnt wakening for a feed as he settles straight back down again.

PrincessToadstool - I'm so glad you took the time and effort to post that!!!!!!!!

Hi shellmc, I'm glad someone else is in the same boat!!! For the past 2 nights we have just let him murmur for a while and then he has settled himself.... I said to myself that if he started to cry I would go in but he has managed to send himself off! Result! It's worth a shot anyway.... and I'm now pleased that he can get back off to sleep without the aid of his dummy!

Now I have said this he'll probably be a nightmare tonight! haha

Good luck anyway x

This is why we took away the dummy. In two days it was as if he never had the dummy. He is now a much happier child and doesn't seem to be missing the dummy at all. Heartily recommended.

Hiya redcat453- ohh great well done you, i think because ds is still in our room every little murmer im right there and putting his dummy b4 he wakes himsel up 2 much.
Did you try getting him to sleep without the dummy then i just dont think ds would go over without it altho as i said in my last post he spits it out once in a deep sleep.
Ill have to give it a try x

Hi shellmc, We used to do exactly the same! I was worried that he would wake himself up if I didn't get the dummy in asap, but we just decided to listen to him on the baby monitor and see what happens and he would make a few noises for about 2-3 mins and then send himself back off! Maybe it helped that he is in his own room and he can't see/hear us?

I used to always settle him in my arms until he was asleep and then put him down but the last few nights he's been waking up as I'm taking him up the stairs! It's like he can sense it's bedtime and he doesn't want to go!! I put him in his cot and he starts gurgling and laughing which is soooo cute but I'm like "now come on, it's sleeping time now...." hehe when I just want to pick him back up and give him a squeeze!! But it got to the point where he wasn't settling with me hanging over him so I leave the room and he just babbles away to himself for about 10 mins and then he's off to sleep! I guess it's all about trial and error!

Let me know how you get on anyway! x