Teething affecting sleep 'training'

[Nix99]

So havent actually really sleep trained as dd is only 4.5 months but have managed to get her to put herself to sleep after a few minutes fussing and ti sleep for slightly longer than 30 minute naps at times. However along came teething. She now cant seem to settle herself at all and will only contact nap. She will sleep in the crib at night but we're having to resort to putting her down asleep rather than awake like we were and she seems to be waking from naps and night time sleep very soon after going down. Is this normal for when they are teething? And does this mean we are going to have go start from scratch with teaching her to sleep independently again 😑

She also seems to get sleepier quicker too. Even if we get a nice long nap she seems to only be able to tolerate a 45 minute wake window whereas before she could go an hour and a half. Is this also normal for teething?

All these things are normal for the change a in sleep physiology which happens at around 4 months old.

I would not assume teething.

Today my 4 month old had 5 times 30 min naps
She was awake 5.30-8
Sleep 8-8.30
Sleep 10-10.30
Sleep 12-12.35
Sleep 2.30-2.55
Sleep 3.45-4.15

Her naps are mostly very short now for the last two weeks or so. She does the odd longer one .
I just try to make them frequent but it doesn't always work out and that's ok.
I use a dummy
She slept 7pm-5.30am solid last night but she went to sleep layed down in her Moses basket with me putting the dummy in until she went to sleep
I think all babies need comfort to sleep.
I wouldn't know how to approach independent sleep without a dummy.
Also I find a early bedtime actually suits my little one better and she sleeps better the earlier she goes down

She's down now .
I always think tonight is the night the regression will start at night 🤣

It sounds like the classic 4 month regression. Just hang in there. It will get better in a couple of months

@jupitermars1345

She's down now . I always think tonight is the night the regression will start at night 🤣

I think you might find the regression already hit. Some babies maintain their night sleep but naps go to shit. That's my experience anyway!

DS4mo and regression is in full flow. He's still sleeping well at night but is waking a bit earlier than before (6 instead of 7am) and sometimes I hear him chat in the middle of the night for a few mins so must be waking fully at points but then chatting himself back to sleep. However, naps have gone from bad (we're always 45min tops) to worse as he will only manage 30 min naps now! I'm combating it by letting him do 3 out of 4 naps in his cot/pram for his 30min and then letting him do one nap on me as I find he will nap for much longer if cuddled by me. This means I know he can get a good chunk of day sleep at least once and we will do this until he manages to ride it out the other side of the regression and can begin to developmentally link his day sleep cycles himself. Not ideal for either of us but can't think of a better way to approach it!

I would pick a sleep routine appropriate for his age and persevere with it. When it doesn't work due to sickness or some such, no matter. My baby has had lots of colds and tummy bugs due to also having a toddler. But we've pushed on through with the routine as best we can and it's paid off. Just go through the motions assuming it'll work and give in when you need to. It's tough but worth it for a good sleeper. Try to resettle without picking up. And sounds like you need to concentrate on trying to stitch two sleep cycles together for naps. Assuming his 30mins nap is one sleep cycle. Luckily my daughter loves her dummy so we cracked that problem by rushing in as soon as she stirred and popping the dummy in! This helped her learn to nap for long periods on her own. I know this isn't advise that really solves the problems. But thought I'd share my experience. Oh, I would warn against putting down asleep unless poorly. That seems like a hiding to nothing or whatever the phrase is.