can the four month sleep regression start early?

[Racheyg]

ds2 is 15 weeks on thursday and is bf except 1x fm of 5oz as last feed at 23.00.

he naturally had last feed at 23.00 then went down till 5am but the past week he has started to wake every 1.5 i bf him sometimes interested sometimes not then he falls asleep on me. but as soon as i put him in the cot he is awake. i have tried a dummy but it doesnt work. the only thing that will settle him is if he sleeps on me or with me. i have also tried a muslin smelling of bm and me.

he isnt a great sleeper in the day and is a very cuddly baby. i just dont want to get into bad habits.

was i spoilt with ds1 good sleeper, in a natural routine and would love his playmat/swing ect.

anyone??

Is he a big baby? I found that the stages were more weight related than age.

My DD started it at 15 weeks. Still going strong, 18 weeks tomorrow and it is just getting worse.

He was a big baby at birth 9lb 14oz but at 14 weeks weighs 12lb 5oz.

Ds1 never had the sleep regression so this is all new to me.

Wow lilac how are you coping?

Could you try a sidecar cot? Just take one side off your full sized cot and wedge it up to your bed, matching mattress heights.

This means that you can cuddle right into the cot from your bed. So that you can cuddle up to baby to get him to sleep, but then extract yourself without moving him once asleep.

Hi fate, that sounds like the route we will be taking.....ds2 very unsettled and woke frequently until he came into our bed. Co sleeping was not something we were keen on doing but it looks like ds2 has other ideas ??

Yes. My DS started the sleep regression at 12 weeks! He wasn't a big baby! It lasted until 6 months! I can recommend a sleepyhead. It was my saviour. He would sleep 4 hours in the sleepyhead vs 30 mins in his crib!

Coping, ok just very tired! Hoping it will finish up soon, as we are flying to the west coast of the U.S. next Tuesday! I can't imagine this and jet lag! Although since DP won't be working he'll be able to help more!

We ditched the crib by 12 weeks. DD hated being swaddled and slept much better [for the first half of the night at least] in her gigantic cot with a comfy mattress. When she waved her hands around in her sleep she didn't smack anything

MIL was not impressed that the "heirloom" wicker crib lasted only minutes DD2 did sterling work next time around.

I noticed that both of mine hit a change in sleeping pattern at 12lbs. It seemed to be a magic weight for some reason. They also started to eat much better. Both terrible feeders until that point.

I'm no expert but if you haven't started then now is a good time to start a "routine". I discovered the much hated Gina Ford around the same time and it was a bit of a lightbulb moment [totally clueless - two early babies so all that prep reading about what to do when they were actually born never got done]. Not about the "crying it out" and all that stuff but it was really useful in suggesting structures to the day and why to do certain things including naps at certain times.

I thought that friends who followed her day to the letter were bonkers - no way was I waking my baby up after 30 mins but my god did their kids then have a long sleep at lunchtime and crash out for 12 hours overnight

I recommend the book as it's worth a scan through to see if there are any useful hints and tips as all kids are different. Some do very well with a highly structured day and all that tummy time etc. to wear them out

Nanny, wow a further 3 months of this?!? How did you manage? I will look into the sleepy head.

Lilac, hope you have a great holiday.

Tread, we have just moved him into his cot from a Moses basket, as he got too long for his basket.

I'm not adverse to a routine ds1 whom has just turned two has been in a great routine since 12 weeks with a few minor adjustments as he gets older. The only down side is he is a little ocd about his routine ??
I will look into Gina ford, maybe I have had my head in the sand but I have t heard much about her.