Four month sleep regression - is there anything I can do?!

[LadyPenelope3]

My daughter is now 15 weeks and her sleep has completely regressed.

Before the regression she was a fantastic sleeper and since she was four weeks she would usually sleep for 8/9 hours, wake for a feed, and then do another 2/3 hours.

Since what I assume is sleep regression (about two weeks ago) she now can only manage 4/5 hours, followed by 2/3, followed by 1/2 and then another 1 if I'm lucky. I have to feed her back to sleep (breastfed) each time.

In the day she only cat naps and I'm lucky to get her to do 30 mins in one go - she's always been like this. She sleeps in the pram if it's moving, sling if I'm walking, car if I'm driving, and bouncer if I'm bouncing!!

Is there anything I can be doing to encourage longer stretches of sleep at night? How long did sleep regression last for others, or are we stuck in this pattern indefinitely?!

Thanks in advance for your help.

My DD is sixteen weeks and slept through the night from six weeks, however about a week/two weeks ago she randomly changed her sleeping pattern and would be waking s few times each night.

Example being, she normally goes to sleep for the night anytime between 7.30pm and 9pm. She is then usually gone for the night until about 7am/8am.

The last week or so, she has been going to sleep roughly at the same times, but is then waking a few times between 1am and 6am, sometimes she wants a feed, other times she wants a cuddle, and other times she will not settle and she ends up in bed with us (where she promptly falls asleep... )

She has had a cold, so I am not sure if this plays any part in her change of sleeping habits, or if it is the "sleep regression".

However last night she did sleep from 8pm to 6.30am, waking up once about 2am not wanting to settle until she got in our bed (I swear she does it on purpose just to get in the bed...)

Oh and have definitely noticed her naps are shorter, usually around half an hour. Although occasionally during the day she will have one nap of 1.5-2 hours.

Best thing to do really is wait it out - the worst of it doesn't last long

Sounds very similar Red!

@crazycatlady5 in your experience how long might this last?!

It lasted around 6 weeks for us. Ds slept through from about 8 weeks until about 15 weeks, then used to wake again a few times a night until about 21/22. Then he slept through again until about 8 months where he's started nightly waking again - I think separation issues, and just wanting comfort, not food! Appreciate the good nights when they're there and see them as a bonus as everything goes up and down all the time!

Is there anything you can do? Yes. Eat cake.

Afraid this is just one of those things you have to ride out. Your not stuck in this pattern indefinitely, although I know it can feel like it at the time. She is at an age when she'll be taking more interest in the world around her and will be trying to move more, may even be rolling over by now. Developmental change often leads to a change in sleep habits.

Eat cake, and remind yourself often - this, too, shall pass.

Thanks First and Doofas!

I was after some reassurance that there's light at the end of the tunnel. A friend had mentioned the changes can be permanent!!

For me each of these phases lasts about 2 weeks. I'm currently just coming out of a leap at 7 months that has been horrendous! So hang in there, they're all different but for us it is only a couple weeks x

A friend had mentioned the changes can be permanent!!

It is a perminant change. Your friend knows his/her stuff.

Being a perminant change does not mean that sleep is rubbish from 4 months onwards. This change lasts as long as it takes you and baby to adapt to these (perminant) changes and find an effective way to get baby to sleep. So.e people have an effective sleep method in place before 4 months and they don't notice any change in sleep at all. Others take a few weeks to adapt. Those who's baby's sleep went pear-shaped at 4 months and is still pear-shaped at 12 months have still not adapted to the change with their baby.

I don't like to use the word "regression" because it suggests if you do nothing then everything will go back to how it was if you just wait. That is not the way it works at 4 months. Baby's sleep has changed perminantly. It is not the passive state as it was when newborn, getting to sleep and staying asleep is now an active endeavour. Sleep will never go back to being passive like it was, this is the new way sleep will be.

You just need to find a way (hopefully a long-term sustainable way) to actively get baby to go to sleep, stay asleeasleep and go back to sleep in the night. However long it takes you to develop that method, that's how long this phase will last.

I'd suggest introducing a dummy if you haven't already.

Thanks Fate. Wise/helpful words!

We haven't had any luck with the dummy - she just pops it back out as soon as we stop holding it in for her. Is there anything else you might suggest?

I’m still struggling with her sleep and she’s now nearly six months.

A normal night is waking every three hours but she can sometimes do a six hour stretch.

The reel problem is if she wakes any time after half four ish - it can be almost impossible to settle her again (despite other days easily sleeping until 7)..

Today I’ve tried settling her in my bed, Ewan the Dream Sheep etc, but she only wants to sleep on me.

Any tips?!

My daughter spent the first 2 months of her life asleep pretty much. Then around 4/5 months she would wake really easily, be up for 5am every morning. It was tough. She’s now a year and is sleeping better. My only advice is to stay strong. I stopped bringing her in with me as it made it worse. I made a bed up on the floor next to her cot and will lie in there if she needs me. I don’t take her out of her cot at night anymore. It’s So hard I know. I would be in tears over it. Just take it easy and each day at a time. Oh and lots of chocolate.

I'm just starting to come out the other side of this...my daughter is nearly 20 weeks and for the last month and a half she's been the worst sleeper. It mostly has affected day time sleep...as in she will not nap no matter what I do and so gets over tired. Night time sleep has got alot worse as she will not go of to sleep in the first place so I spend hours rocking singing patting and shushing then risk putting her down!!!

She is starting to get a bit better in terms of daytime sleep, she still only sleep exactly 30 mins but getting her to sleep doesn't take 2 hours anymore. Bed time she is still waking every 3 hours but she does go straight back to sleep after a feed now.

Just roll with it. I've learnt that her patterns change all the time so nothing is forever.

Are you still feeding her to sleep?

Hi Lapin. Yes I am. I don’t know how else to get her to sleep! If it’s before my husband goes to bed then he cuddles her back to sleep.

Unfortunately she doesn’t take a dummy (have tried many times).

Yeah I wouldn’t be introducing dummies now. I would cut out all night feeds bar a dreamfeed and do pick up put down in the night. It’ll be 3 difficult nights and then she will do much better. Key thing is to put her down awake. If she hates pick up put down then shh pat is still ok at this age.
Routine would be
7am feed
8am breakfast (if you have started weaning? Just some mashed banana or a bit of baby porridge)
9-10 nap
11am feed
11.45 veggie purée
12,30-2.30 nap
3pm feed
5pm mashed avocado
6pm bath
6.45 feed
7pm bed
If solids are not established then you can still do a dreamfeed at 10 or 10.30pm

Keep feeding to sleep as you are if that’s what you want to do and it is working. There is nothing wrong with it and your baby isn’t broken! Download an app called the wonder weeks, it’s really useful and is stop on with ‘fussy’ phases for my little one. The good news is it all passes without having to do anything at all x

Thank you crazycatlady I needed to hear that