4 month old sleep...please help

[LylaLils]

My 4 month old's sleeping is sporadic and unpredictable. During his 3rd month he was really doing well and he slept most nights for 7 hours. For the past 2 or so weeks he's been up every 2, 3 or (if I'm lucky 4) hours. Sometimes he feeds like he's starving, other times its as if he just wants to be picked up.

I've heard people say I shouldn't pick him up every time he cries, but I can't just leave him there crying, in case he's hungry. Also I thought it might be growth spurt but as I said its been 2 weeks now.

Last night my mum took him so I could get a solid night's sleep. He slept in her room in the Moses basket (he's almost too big for it) rather than in his cot, and he slept 6 hours!! I thought maybe he'd settled back into his routine but tonight he's been up every 2 hours again. He's awake now...he didn't want a feed so I've put him in his cot where he's wide awake cooing and smiling away. We sleep in the same room so its impossible for me to sleep when he makes all these noises.

I know he's only little and things are going to be this way. I know this won't last forever. I'm just on here to have a dead-of-night, exhausted moan...and you never know, I might just get some practical advice from one of you!

He's now asleep...but for how long? Still, its nice to know he can self sooth I suppose...

Any thoughts, encouragement, ideas, advice would be appreciated...

My 17 week old is also going through this but co-sleeping is the answer for us. I make sure he goes down in his cot initially, but when he starts waking a lot I just put him next to me in his grobag on top of the duvet. When he wakes I just roll out a boob, it would be harder on formula I guess but he often goes back to sleep after a few minutes without feeding. Hopefully when his sleep settles down again I can just leave him in his cot. You can get bed rails if you want to put baby on the edge away from dh, I'm lucky enough to have a spare room. Anyway, I feel ok despite baby waking about 7 times in the night, give it a try.

I hardly dare write this but things seem to have settled again here. She goes to bed at 10, wakes at 10.45 for last feed, then for the last 5 nights has settled again. She stirs on and off but goes back to sleep, until about 6am when she has a feed, then goes back to sleep till about 9.30-10.

We have started giving her a bedtime story and letting her cuddle her 'Rabbit' whilst hearing story / feeding / lying in cot. She goes to sleep in cot fine and when she is a bit more awake after 6am feed she burbles happily at rabbit for a few minutes then goes back to sleep.

We also made a CD of white noise which is bliss after listening to bloody static on the radio for weeks. The white noise CD is lovely - it makes me think of sleeping behind a waterfall :)

Naps are still an issue - not when she's at home or in buggy but if out and about elsewhere... If she hasn't napped enough in day she gets quite screamy in the evening.