Is this the 4 month sleep regression?

[badgermushroom]

DD is nearly 4 months old. From 6-7 weeks onwards she started sleeping more predictably, then suddenly started sleeping through (7-7) at 10 weeks.

We've always done a bit of a bedtime routine which involves bath, food and bed with the same music and white noise. She self settles and has done for months. So i put her down after she's winded and had a cuddle, awake but tired. She then falls asleep.

The past week or so she's started waking up in the night crying. Only she's not awake, she's asleep? I initially thought she had become dependent on her dummy and tried to limit it but it's made no difference. I never like to leave her to cry so out of habit -and almost asleep myself- when she cries at night I soothe her or put her dummy back. It's happening 3-6 times a night. She's also hardly napping in the day despite my best efforts.

Any advice on what we should do? Wait it out and hope she goes back to normal. Or should I not rush to help settle her during the night?

Scared of ruining her seemingly natural good sleep habits by something we do! Does this sound like the 4 month regression? Or could something else be wrong?

Lack of daytime sleep will give restless and broken nights.

It could also be that baby needs more calories as she grows. Try offering feeds closer together in the daytime so that there are more feeds per day. Also do sure baby has plenty enough each feed.

To encourage more daytime naps, try naps in a bouncer (with dummy). I'd suggest about 90m awake and then a nap throughout the whole day. So if awake at 7am, try getting baby to sleep at about 8.15am so that baby is asleep by 8.30am.

Yes it sounds like the 4 month regression and it’s not out of habit to comfort your small baby in the night it’s totally normal and natural and what baby is asking for. Have you tried feeding when she wakes in the night? The 4 month regression coincides with a growth spurt.