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Original poster

4 month sleep regression. Help!

13 replies

HHH3 · 04/04/2013 06:35

DS is 17 weeks and I think we've hit the 4 month sleep regression. For the last 3 nights he's been waking more or less hourly. It's like having a newborn again. As he's always only ever gone 2 hourly (with the exception of the odd night) I was hoping that he wouldn't be able to regress any more!!!

How long can I expect this to last? And does anyone have any tips to get through it? I'm a lone parent so no-one to help out and have an 8 year old as well. I'm pretty much in my knees after 3 nights of this and not sure I can handle weeks and weeks of itSad

OP posts:
SunshineandShandy · 04/04/2013 09:10

No advice as I came on here to ask for help with this also. DD2 is 16 weeks and things are not going well for the past few nights. She sleeps from 7pm to about 1am (with a dream feed) and then wakes hourly. It's a killer.... DD1 has had a tummy bug and been up in the night as well, so I am strung out.

HandMini · 04/04/2013 14:39

I recall this lasting a good few weeks with DD1 but the answer is not to panic and just ride it out....you don't need to do anything differently or try to "cure" it, it just ends. Good luck though, I remember it well and not looking forward to it with DD2.

Offcolour · 05/04/2013 10:09

I'm going through this as well with 16 week ds. He's up every 3 hours when before he was doing 5-8 hours. Am knackered, have 2.5 yo dd. anyone fancy a 4 month sleep regression support thread? We went through the same with dd and it was hell (she was worse actually, was up every hour and a half and wouldn't settle easily).

cervantes55 · 05/04/2013 10:20

Another sufferer here! For last two weeks DS has been waking at 10, 12, 2 then at 5 he's up for the day and won't nap til after 9am. He was doing 7-2 then 3-6.30 before. Would love to know if there's light at the end of the tunnel of sleepless misery! If they call it a 4 month regression, does that mean it will end when he hits 5 months? I hope so.

okthen · 05/04/2013 13:45

My ds has just hit 5 months and (touch wood) his sleep seems to be improving after around 6-7 weeks of absolute horrorshow nights.

He was waking all evening and all night pretty much hourly, and would only properly settle when in bed with me, snacking all night. Groan.

But last night I got 3+ hours sleep IN A ROW! I say this not to be smug but to give hope.

The improvement coincided with us putting him in his big cot in his own room- but this might be just that, a coincidence.

Obv the advice is to have them in your room til 6 months and I certainly didn't feel comfortable to move him out when he was 16 weeks. It was still a dilemma to move him out at 5 months... But tbh I felt the extreme fatigue combined with co sleeping in our high bed was posing more of a risk to him.

okthen · 05/04/2013 14:12

Oh also, we started using the Pick Up, Put Down method for all wakings that occur less than three hours from the last feed. Again it might be coincidence, but the last few nights he has settled quickly with one quick cuddle at most wakings, and last night he went nearly four hours between feeds at night. This may not sound great to some people, but by recent form it was amazing!

Offcolour · 05/04/2013 14:26

That's interesting okthen. Ds has been self settling for all sleeps except night wakings, but he's always fed first. I did gradual withdrawal on dd but she was older and always fed to sleep - ds can self settle. I've been wondering how to deal with night wakenings without lots of crying, I have an

Offcolour · 05/04/2013 14:28

Oops posted too soon... I have an older dd that I don't want to wake up. If he isn't improved once this wonder week phase is finished, I'll try pick up put down.

Totally know what you mean about 4 hours - I think that you can manage fine if they're up every 4 hours, anything less is a struggle.

okthen · 05/04/2013 18:01

We have a 3yo dd- I think she's the reason I always fed ds as soon as he woke, so he wouldn't disturb her. But we explained to her that she needs to show ds how big children sleep, and if she gets woken, to turn over and go back to sleep. Seems to have worked so far...

GenericDietCola · 05/04/2013 19:19

Oh I wonder if this is what's happening to DS at 14 wk. He previously did 5 or 6h stretches, but now wakes every 2-3 hours. Combined with 3.5 yo DD playing up at night, I am knackered!

opalescent · 05/04/2013 20:37

Controlled crying, 4 month old

opalescent · 05/04/2013 20:37

I didn't mean to write that, I was trying to start a new threadBlush
I'm tiredGrin

SquidgersMummy · 05/04/2013 21:39

Firstly don't panic! It does ride itself out. My dd was up every 90 mins for about 3 wks. I found the only way to go was to go to bed as early as poss - take a flask of tea and a tray of snacks and try and sleep as much as you can. Also don't think early weaning will help - it won't make a jot of difference to sleep whenever you do it. Prior to this regression we were down to one feed a night ^^ now she wakes about 3 times, depends on eczema though. So though it improved we ended up cosleeping fm 5 mths - I felt then she was bigger and we are careful re temp, bedding, positions etc. I find cosleeping helps but not quite sure how we'll ever wean off booby or get her in a cot....Bottom line: sleep OP, any way you can, just sleep! X

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