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Original poster

Anyone avoid the 4month sleep regression?

33 replies

Fizzl · 12/09/2021 15:52

So my baby is 2months old and sleeping like a dream. Rather than enjoying this period of amazing sleep I'm already worrying about the 4 month regression 😬

I know I shouldn't worry as it might not happen and even if it does there's nothing I can do to prevent it so I'm not sure why I'm asking! Just looking for positive stories from people who have come out unscathed to help ease my anxiety!

If it makes any difference we currently have a very laid back approach and are mostly led by baby. She comes to bed with me and is asleep by 11ish most nights. She's not fed to sleep anymore, she lays on the bed next to me until I see her looking drowsy and then she's popped in her cot and settles herself off quickly. She wakes twice for feeds (goes straight back down) and then normally wakes between 9-9:30 - which I thank my lucky stars for every single day!

OP posts:
Muststopeating · 12/09/2021 16:02

Watching with interest.

My first slept like a dream (one wake up a night) until 4 months and then it was hell. But she was fed to sleep.

Second was always a bit of a rubbish sleeper but could self settle from very early on.

Now 2 months in with my 3rd who sleeps from 9/10 - 6/7 most nights without a feed in between. Its amazing!!! She also sleeps a LOT during the day. She's a dream. But she is always fed to sleep and I'm dreading the 4 month regression. I had planned to start a routine by now but she's so easy I've no need, even with running around after a 2 yr old and a 4 yr old and DH working away.

Marguerite2000 · 12/09/2021 16:06

Yes, in fact I never even heard of it before I came on here. It wasn't a thing when my three kids were babies. They woke up with teething pains ocassionally or if they were poorly, but that was it really.

Original poster
Fizzl · 12/09/2021 17:11

@Muststopeating I've decided not to get myself in knots over a strict routine because we just go with the flow and it works for us right now. Don't fix what ain't broken! Although I do worry it might bite me at some point 😂 but not sure a routine would make much difference to preventing a sleep regression. Interesting to hear about your 3. Every baby really is different! I already worry ours is lulling us into a false sense of security 😬. I used to feed to sleep but our cycle kind of changed to her always wanting to feed when she woke up so now we feed, play, sleep - wasn't a deliberate change though just kind of happened!

@Marguerite2000 also interesting point! My mum and in-law also swear it was never a thing and they don't recall any major issues with sleep with any of us so keeping my fingers crossed 🤞

OP posts:
soughsigh · 12/09/2021 17:16

Mine never had the 4 month regression. He had 8, 10, 18 and 2 year ones.

He still doesn't sleep through at nearly 3 though 🤷‍♀️.

Original poster
Fizzl · 12/09/2021 17:46

@soughsigh sounds rough 😬 did each regression last long?

OP posts:
Fedupcyclist · 12/09/2021 17:49

Yes avoided it here - we had one awful night of sleep on DC’s 4 month “birthday” (probably because we were away from home). I was convinced it was the start of the regression Grin
DC was sleeping through (7-6) by then

soughsigh · 12/09/2021 18:01

@Fizzl the 8 and 10 month ones seemed to merge into one another with only a short respite between them. I think they were all only a couple of weeks each though.

It'll be what it'll be, people say they will never seem to stop sleeping when they're a teenager but I was never a fan of a lie in even as a teen so we'll see.

Stri · 12/09/2021 18:06

DS’ sleep was shit from birth through until 3.5, so he never regressed as there was nothing to regress from. His naps were 10 minutes long, he was up for the day at 4am and, woke constantly through the night - almost killed us.

DD slept loads better - not brilliant, but probably an ‘average’ sleeper. I was so grateful that I didn’t have another sleep avoider that I can’t remember any regressions

Covetthee · 12/09/2021 18:08

We also didn’t have a 4 month one but had every other one, I think with each major development stage (sitting, crawling,walking,talking) we went through regressions, the 8/9 and 12 month one was the hardest, as our day would start at 3:30/4am, she would never go back down 😩

Enjoy the sleep while you can and don’t worry about regressions, if it happens, you will get through it somehow

Smartiepants79 · 12/09/2021 18:10

Can’t say I ever really noticed this phenomena with either of mine but then I didn’t know such a thing existed.

Vbree · 12/09/2021 18:10

We never had the 4 month regression, I didn't really think it was a thing. But I think we've just been lucky with a good sleeper. Routine very early helped too.

Cdl84 · 12/09/2021 19:21

We had it, but baby was never a great sleeper and fed to sleep. Got better after a few months. Never had any more regressions until 2 years (which is now). Like someone else said, I would just try to enjoy it whilst it's good, and not worry about what's to come as you simply don't know.

polkadotpixie · 12/09/2021 19:22

We didn't have one. DS slept like a dream from 8 weeks...until he turned 2, then he became a total nightmare and I can count on one hand the number of nights he's slept through since and he's just turned 3 😩

Bitofachinwag · 12/09/2021 19:26

@Marguerite2000

Yes, in fact I never even heard of it before I came on here. It wasn't a thing when my three kids were babies. They woke up with teething pains ocassionally or if they were poorly, but that was it really.
Exactly. There weren't any "sleep regressions " at particular times when mine were babies, so don't worry about it! Babies aren't all the same.
MurphyBhoy · 12/09/2021 19:32

Neither DC had any. I'd never heard of them with DC1 and then discovered MN and panicked with DC2 but didn't notice any change to their sleep (they were a consistently rubbish napper but slept through from 10ish weeks).

ISaidDontLickTheBin · 12/09/2021 19:37

Neither of my DC had it. DC1 was a uniformly quite good sleeper (1-2 wake-ups a night) from about 12 weeks. DC2 was uniformly horrific at night until 15 months! I think it's like the wonder weeks - developmental leaps that only happen if you've read about them...

onedaysoonish · 12/09/2021 20:11

We don't have a routine either and I worried about it especially in the context of the 4 month sleep regression but it didn't really happen. DS first slept through the night (I mean solid sleep no feeds) when he was about ten weeks old and it's carried on - he's now 7 months. We had a bit of "regression" a month ago when he would want a feed in the middle of the night sometimes but that was a few nights a week for a couple of weeks and then he settled. I asked on here if people thought I should have a routine and everyone said if it isn't broken... good luck!

troppibambini6 · 12/09/2021 20:16

Never had it with any of my 4.

3 out of 4 were sleeping 7-7 with a dream feed by then so don't know if that made a difference.
Although it didn't get any worse with the non sleeper either.

FTMworrier · 12/09/2021 20:18

I was obsessed with trying to avoid the 4month regression, but unfortunately we still didn’t, despite my little one being able to self settle from about 8 weeks. His day time sleep was mainly affected, 30 mins on the dot for 2 months 🤯
Then gradually night time became worse as well. We found moving into own room helped because he wasn’t waking crying, just waking up and finding his feet, slamming them down, scratching the side of the next to me crib etc 🙈 then would eventually go back off x

RidingMyBike · 12/09/2021 20:20

We had 3 weeks of grim nights for the 4 month regression - DD had been sleeping thru from 6 weeks and was doing 7.30pm - 6.30am with a 10.30 dream feed until 4 months.

Whilst it was awful we dialled back on what we were doing, stuck to same routine (getting up and going to bed at same time, same nap routine, same differentiation between night and day) and after 3 weeks she went back to normal. At five months we dropped the dream feed so she was then going thru 11 hours at night.

I think what helped was that we didn't create any new sleep associations - she could already self soothe, and we always responded with feed, check nappy, reassure etc, then it was straight back into crib next to our bed.

Original poster
Fizzl · 12/09/2021 20:21

Really interesting to hear the mixed responses! Sometimes I think it's just pot luck and you either get a good sleeper or a bad sleeper but then when I hear people who didn't know anything about regressions say theirs never went through it I'm not sure?

For those who didn't experience a regression - what was your approach to sleep?! Did you have a routine or just go with the flow? Everyone I know who said they didn't experience any regressions had a very relaxed approach and just went with baby but wondering if this is just anecdotal? (And me clutching at straws as this is our current approach). For example, my mum said 30 years ago they just got on with things - there wasn't as much advice around sleeps, naps, routines etc and everything just fell into place quite easily (from her perspective anyway)

Also a good point about wonder weeks - I just discovered that today and found myself thinking back to previous weeks analysing if we had a 'rough' patch around then. But I quickly saw sense, reminded myself that my baby has so far just consistently got easier each week so I'm not reading anymore into it otherwise I'll probably make her a self fulfilling prophecy. Think I need to get the same mindset about these sleep regressions!

OP posts:
purplesequins · 12/09/2021 20:23

my youngest is a pre-teen.
we still are in the 4month sleep regression

RidingMyBike · 12/09/2021 20:32

We did have a routine which seemed to help but not like as outlined in some baby books. Ours was two fixed points - getting up and going to bed at same time every day, no matter how night had gone. Feeds and naps were when DD wanted them - we'd always leave the house for 10am (I went to a 10am baby/toddler group every weekday, and also went out same time at weekends) and I'd feed her whilst out and she'd nap in the sling or pushchair, so it was vaguely predictable but not 'at xx time baby has a nap' if that makes sense?!

At 6 months we added in 3 more fixed points of breakfast, lunch and tea at same times every day and so had a routine!

TH22 · 12/09/2021 21:05

No regression here...and no strict routine either. I always make sure she woke up for her feeds (approx 7-10-1-4-7-10 at that age) to ensure she had enough food in her during the day to help last as long as poss through the night. This also ensured she didn't spend all day sleeping (and all day partying!). As for bed time, we were always quite lucky in that she was never fed to sleep. Quite early on I started to put her down awake (but when she was tired) so she was able to drift herself off. I think this helped skip over any regression as she was able to link her sleep cycles herself.
Day time naps are a different story though - nowadays they're pretty much 30 mins and only when she's sleeping on someone!

Dragonpox · 12/09/2021 21:08

No regression. Here because DD was already a shit sleeper. She woke every hour from birth to 18 months and didn't sleep through once until she was 3 and a half.

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