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Original poster

Tell me about your 4 month old's routine

12 replies

FebMama · 07/06/2023 07:18

DS2 is now 4 months old. Naps have been rubbish over the past few days which I feel is contributing to rubbish night sleep too. 4 month regression im guessing.

Wondered what everyone's typical routine for their 4 month old currently looks like as wasn't sure if there's any changes I could be making to help.

He's also dependent on a dummy for sleep - which is a godsend and a hinderence at the same time!!

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mokebox · 07/06/2023 07:31

Our routine has changed recently as has started waking much earlier for the day (regression). It through us off for a bit but we've now settled in to this rough routine...

  • 05:30 - wake
  • 06:00 - feed (formula)
  • 08:00 - nap (in pram or sling)
  • 10:00 - wake & feed
  • 12:30 - nap (in pram or sling)
  • 14:30 - wake & feed
  • 17:00 - nap
  • 17:45 - wake & feed
  • 19:30 - bedtime routine

Bedtime routine is bath, pjs, and sleeping bag then feed - usually asleep by 20:30 and thats her for the night. I still let her fall asleep in my arms after whilst sitting downstairs so not to disturb my toddler who is already in bed. I know people will say not to do this, but I'll keep doing it until it stops working for us as I tried to force so much sleep advice on my oldest and it only ever worked for a few months (drowsy but awake etc). We have a 3yr old who still wakes in the night and won't sleep alone so I'm going with flow this time.

Naps I rock her very gently in pram but don't really need to if I time it properly. I find for naps that wake windows are the most important thing to pay attention to. My little one can stay awake 2.5 to 3 hours absolute max before getting grouchy.

mokebox · 07/06/2023 07:33

On the dummy. I wouldnt worry too much unless it's bothering you to help him find it during night etc. Could you gently remove it once he's fallen asleep? I think mine likes her for falling asleep but doesn't necessarily need it all night.

H44123 · 07/06/2023 10:56

I don’t have much of a routine as yet. My boy is 4 months and slept great but now I think also going through the regression. He is now waking up earlier around 5/6am boy 7am.

He has never liked naps, always fights them no matter what. During the day we have to walk/rock him and that’s usually after he has cried a lot. We watch for sleepy cues/wakes windows etc but nothing works. We then contact nap and these are always 45 mins top so throughout the day it’s normally 1.30-2 hours wake windows then nap.

nightime we go to bed together around 8ish knowing it will take a while to get him to sleep and now he sleeps 9-1am, feed, 1.45-5am feed then in a light sleep often waking up.

we do use dummy but when he’s in a deep sleep it falls out. I’m hoping to get into a routine at 6 months where I can start leaving him in his room to nap and also putting him
to bed earlier and us coming back downstairs. I would be happy to do it now but my partner wants to follows guidelines and keep him in the same room as us at all times which I think is actually not helping him sleep well.

H44123 · 07/06/2023 10:58

Actually reading above… do you think he is fighting naps so much because the wake windows are too short? He shows sleepy signs rubbing face yawning etc

Original poster
FebMama · 07/06/2023 14:12

Thanks for this @mokebox. Does your little one nap pretty well?
My son is going through a phase of 30-40 minute naps when he's put down at the moment, so I've resorted back to sling naps from today as he'll sleep much better and it'll relieve some of the overtiredness!
With the dummy, he tends to spit it out when he's in a deep sleep anyway but will then stir after a few hours needing it again.

@H44123 similar situation in that my LO is doing short naps at the moment but is clearly still tired and really hard to resettle. I've noticed when he has had a decent nap, his wake window can be around 2 hours (ish). When his nap is shorter, I then shorten the wake window slightly as he clearly then can't cope with the usual 2 hour window.

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Pramhelp · 08/06/2023 16:27

Following! My dd was sleeping through the night and is now waking at 3/4am and fighting naps allll day, will have a max of 30 mins and it's draining! Will only sleep in the pram, used to also sleep in the carrier but no longer will and won't contact nap either anymore.

I try and do max wake windows of 2.5 hours but in reality it's much longer when she finally gives in!

Original poster
FebMama · 08/06/2023 20:54

@Pramhelp my little one has had only 3 30 minute naps today then finally around 1 hour in the sling from 4.30-5.30pm! He had a 7oz bottle of milk at 5.30pm then I kept him up until 8pm and he's been down since 8.10pm.

Doing things a little different tonight. Usually I let him sleep on me from 8-9.30pm (ish) then give him another bottle and take him up with me for 10.30pm. So trialling an earlier bedtime then will follow up with a dream feed when I go up to bed. Let's see how it goes! He's still asleep so keeping my fingers crossed.

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Pramhelp · 08/06/2023 21:01

@FebMama yep we have had the same! Had to battle to even get the 30 min naps today!

We're also trialling an earlier bedtime tonight, she went down at 8.30 when usually we let her nap on us in the evening. Tbh I was so knackered I thought right I'm putting you to bed so I can have an early night 😂

Good luck!!

Original poster
FebMama · 08/06/2023 21:24

@Pramhelp how are you getting on so far? We've had one wake up just now when he was frantically looking for his dummy 😂 dummy is back in and he's asleep again. Sometimes I love the dummy but other times it's a pain in the backside!!!

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H44123 · 09/06/2023 02:30

Luckily myself and my partner go to bed early ourselves anyway normally about 8pm.

baby had his 14 week jabs at 4pm yesterday and of course screamed. He then kept waking from his nap after about 10 mins. We went to bed at 8pm and had an hour screaming. Like hysterical can’t catch his breath and nothing worked. Poor kid then passed out asleep I think from exhaustion and did 9pm til now. It’s the sleep now til the morning which will be broken a lot I’m dreading

honestly can’t wait for 6 months to get him in a proper nap routine and early bedtime in his own room so he gets better sleep. I would love naps not the be a battle every time!!

Supermathsdoc · 09/06/2023 08:36

17 weeks here and also going through the regression (EBF) so not sure this even counts as a routine!

0730 wake up for the day
0900 nap 30-45 mins
then wake windows 1 hr 45 mins followed by 30-45 min naps in cot. I try to do one contact nap per day which will then be 1hr 45 min
1900 Bath, nappy change, PJs, feed, twinkle twinkle and cuddles, rock/pat to sleep
2000 sleep in cot after a LOT of effort

She wakes up an hour after going down without fail. Then wakes up at midnight/1 for a feed. Then at 2 (rock back to sleep in cot) then 4 (feed) then sleeps 5-7.30 in bed with me.

The idea that she would sleep independently just seems so far away and currently just doing what I can to survive!

Pramhelp · 09/06/2023 09:09

@FebMama hope he was ok once he got his dummy back! She was actually really good, didn't wake up once in the night (or I was too tired to hear her wake?!) and only started stirring at 7.30! Probably a one off but I'll take it 😆

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