4 month old, sleep regression and nightmare napping

[owltrousers]

4 month old DS, currently going through what must be the sleep regression. Before this week he was 3 solid naps a day, 12 hours at night and getting him to sleep was easy - we just rocked him in his bouncer and he was off within 10mins. Had a real nice routine going and everything.

Now he simply won't nap! He's decided he doesn't like the bouncer any more and will cry if he's put in to nap, but he also hates his cot or anywhere else we try to lay him - the only place I've successfully got him to nap this week is the car or out in his pushchair but I am knackered and need to rest when he's asleep so walking for an hour and a half is becoming a rather unattractive idea. If I hold him sometimes he drifts off but then cries when he is put down or he overheats quickly and will wake himself up. The one saving grace is that he's kind of ok at night, wakes up 2-3 times but generally we can get 8 hours sleep a night.

I've just been diagnosed with PND so this couldn't really come at a worse time - every nap is a 45min fight for a tiny 20 min nap and I'm at a loss as what to try next.

help?

I'm afraid I don't really have any advice. Only to say that this is normal and a phase and all you can do is keep doing whatever works. He may have grown out of the bouncer nap thing, I'm not sure since I've never done it.

My dd3 is almost 12 weeks and she's at this too. It's soul destroying but I know it'll pass. Instead of walking for miles can you bring the pram into the house and rock him there, blasted with white noise? Then at least you can sit down with a cup of tea.

Dd is currently asleep under the extraction fan in her pram with a dummy in. I have spent ALL morning trying to get her to sleep and she's totally exhausted and beside herself. Normally she acts like you're trying to kill her if you give her a dummy so it's a measure of how fed up she was that she took it. Does your ds take one at all?

Hang in there, everything you and your ds are doing is normal.

Thank you @HalfStar good to hear from someone, and reassuring to know its normal.

He does have a dummy, mainly just to get him off to sleep but lately has really gone off it and will spit it out a lot - I think that could be teeth related.

With the pram, I have tried using it inside but we have a tiny house and its just not practical, plus I think part of the reason he sleeps so well in it is the fresh air aspect. I'm starting to think he may need to be put in his bedroom for naps, as at the moment he naps in the front room and it may just be all too exciting for him to switch off fully.

White noise is a godsend though! Big fans of that here.

I remember this stage and it was bloody awful - I was walking five hours a day to get 5 30-minute naps out of my DD in a baby carrier, enough to exhaust most people even without the broken nights' sleeps.

It does pass (the worst lasted about 10 days I'd say) and get better, but when you're in the thick of it I know it doesn't feel like it will. I'd have chopped off a limb for a quick fix solution at the time, but I really don't think that exists. The only thing that helped me through it was teamwork with my DH - I'd sleep 9pm-2am, then he'd sleep 2am-7am. That way at least we did both get a chunk of time to rest. We are expats and don't have any family support, but if you do, get on the phone and organise yourself a break ASAP.

Thanks @CluelessMummy My DH is amazing and has been letting me have as many naps and evenings / nights off as I need but I feel terrible because its all taking its toll on him too. We only have his family nearby as mine live on the other side of the country (visiting them soon, though) so only so much we can ask for help really - they also take their other grandson 2 whole days a week. I have been looking into paid help, but wouldn't really want to put DS on anyone at the moment - he's very unpredictable and clingy.

So we're on roughly day 6. I really hope theres some let up soon.

4 month regression truly is hell. For naps I tried everything - walked with the pram a LOT (at least the dog liked it) rocked for what seemed like hours, in the car seat. White noise was a big help I think. It lasted a few weeks and now he naps and sleeps like a dream. There is an end!

Oh and some of my family would just come and take him out in the pram round town or the park for a couple of hours when I knew he was due a nap so I could sleep and not worry. Could someone do that for you?

Today he's napped twice - both 30mins, one in the pram and one in my arms. I'm so frustrated for him, he seems so tired but nothing is working.