Ds 5 months still 4 month regression?

[cogitosum]

From about 6 weeks I was really happy with ds sleep pattern. He'd go down about 10-11 (with us) self settling then have a big chunk of sleep then wake every hour. By 8 weeks this would be 10-5 then every hour til 8ish which worked really well. By 12 weeks he'd sometimes go til half 5-6 before waking. His nap pattern is also good.

However about 5 weeks ago it all went out the window. On a good night he may do 10-3 then every hour til 8. On a bad night 10-1 then every hour. It's always been the case that after the long sleep he'd wake every hour but before it didn't bother me whereas now his long sleep has been reduced it's becoming very difficult!

An early bedtime makes things worse. I'm terrified about what will happen when we have to get up early and he'll need to go to bed at 7-8 if he still just does 4 hours then every hour.

He's in a co-sleeper cot. When he wakes up he usually needs to feed (ebf) and he will feed for about 10 mins then go back to sleep. I would be fine with waking up a couple of times in the night if it weren't for the hourly wake ups following the feed.

His naps are still great. We were having problems with daytime feeds but this seems to be resolved and he's still waking in the night to feed. He has reflux and is on gaviscon but this didn't cause any problems before so not sure why it would now.

Does this sound like 4 month sleep regression? When will it end!? It's been 5 weeks and we're really beginning to struggle!

Yes it does. Dd started at 16 weeks. She's 26 weeks and is still terrible.

Gentle sleep training has begun but done nothing. Considering controlled crying!

Oh no don't say that! I was hoping someone would come on and say the 4 month regression will stop at exactly 5 months!

It's almost worse as I was lulled into a false sense of security with 2 months good sleep!

Yup, both mine did that. Afraid to say that the 'regression' lasted until 11 months and nearly two with them.

What gentle sleep training have you tried?

Cupcake, I'm in the same boat as you. Newborn was sleepy as can be (would sleep through from 5 weeks) but 'woke up' about 3.5 months, now 23 weeks. Gentle sleep training (and a bit of crying) has helped a bit and got us down to 4 times a night. The last few nights I have been able to put her down awake without tears - so progress. Not sure where to go next... controlled crying maybe, but shes not a big baby so don't want her going hungry

When you say lasted til 2 do you literally mean every hour?!
I don't mind his sleep getting worse - I'm ok with a couple of night wakings. It's the fact that after a night feed he wakes up every hour that terrifies concerns me.

Cogitosum - maybe yours will suddenly stop.... some babies do. We went on holiday and I fed her to sleep at night which made things 100 times worse... paying for it now.. Santa, please bring me sleep.

He still goes down awake quite happily and self settles.

As a newborn he was awful. He didn't sleep for more than 45 minutes day or night til he was 2 weeks old! At 6 weeks he started doing a 4 hour stretch but he's always woken pretty much every hour following initial feed.

could you try and make the feeds longer. do nappy and feed other side. Not sure it works for me as I'm not sure mine is always hungry, just wants boobie. The No Cry sleep solution is quote good for gentle methods, although not sure they helped us that much

He'll never feed more than 10 minutes day or night. He starts gagging and crying if I try. I try to avoid nappy changes at night as we both stay pretty sleepy during the feed and drop off straight away. When we tried naply change it made everythibg worse as it took ages to get him back to sleep and he still woke up every hour afterwards!

Um, pretty much every two and a half hours until suddenly she started sleeping through. Was only up for five minutes each time though. And every hour is much worse.

I actually found it easier than DD1, who did massive two hour waking stretches in the night for a couple of months. That was a killer.

I agree that long wakings are much harder however infrequent.

Hope you're getting good sleep now!

Generally, until no 3 arrives

Ah congratulations!

Thanks. Maybe this one will be a sleeper!

We had every hour night waking a from 4months til about 2 weeks ago. She's 7 months now, and only just seeing a fee more hours sleep.

TBH there were times I could've happily given her away.

Getting back to normal ish now until the next one. It does pass!

We had this, I feel for you. For us it lasted for months! It got better when he was on three meals a day, that was when his reflux improved which may have been a factor. We just rode it out, cosleeping (not all the time, but if having a bad night) saved me I think. He's now 14 months and sleeps right through :)

We've tried sitting by her cot in the dark for hours. Pick up put down technique which made her very very cross and upset. She's been in our bed for the last 3 nights so we could get some sleep.

Today we've begun controlled crying. We will be doing naps and bedtime sleeping. It took 2 hours at her nap time then 20 minutes at bedtime to get to sleep. Who knows what will happen tonight or tomorrow but we are now committed to seeing it through.

My Sil said it took one night of an hours crying to sort out my nieces bad sleeping habits at 9 months. She wished she'd done it at 6 months.

Cupcake - I did the crying a few weeks ago (just at bed time so far) and mine cried first night 20 mins, second 10, third 5, then maybe 1 minute now or not at all. She cried for much much longer with me there trying to settle her and woke up more frequently. Good luck!

I don't think CIO would help as it's not getting to sleep that's the issue. He self settles quite happily.

Actually I am scared of writing this incase I'm cursing myself but he has had 3 brilliant nights! Last night he went 11-6.30 straight then back to sleep after a 10 minute feed then up at half 8. I am quite happy with this long may it continue!