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Original poster

How long did the four month sleep regression last for you?

31 replies

Springbaby2023 · 26/08/2023 20:10

We are knee deep in the four month sleep regression and I’m wondering how long it lasted for you?

With DS1, once he stopped sleeping at four months he woke every two hours every single night until he turned one. Surely, SURELY we can’t be in for a repeat of that. I barely coped last time, definitely can’t with a toddler in tow.

Also any hints / tips / tricks? I’ve probably read them all already but you never know.

OP posts:
idontknow54789 · 26/08/2023 20:18

Yeah nothing helped for my two really until they were old enough for a bit of sleep training - sorry, probably not what you wanted to hear!

Original poster
Springbaby2023 · 26/08/2023 20:20

@idontknow54789 Not really haha but thanks! We didn’t sleep train my eldest, he just started sleeping through as soon as I stopped breastfeeding. I have loosely started to follow a sleep consultancy guide with this one though to see if it helps.

OP posts:
Notooserious · 26/08/2023 20:45

Its been about 3 and a half years now, sorry…

UnaVaca · 26/08/2023 20:46

are you breastfeeding?

Original poster
Springbaby2023 · 26/08/2023 20:56

@UnaVaca yep, ebf

OP posts:
Tiredbehyondbelief · 26/08/2023 20:58

Both my children started sleeping better once on 3 solid meals a day. I have breastfeed both 13 months, no formula at all. I remember telling my GP the toddler went to bed at 9 pm. GP looked very surprised and asked why. I said this way my toddler sleeps in the afternoon and I get a lunch break. UK seems to be the only country I know where people are fixated on getting children to bed at 7 pm. I don't know why. It's tough when they so young. It will get better. I hope it helps

Original poster
Springbaby2023 · 26/08/2023 21:21

@Tiredbehyondbelief your username is very apt! I can’t wait for six months in the hope that solids might help. Our three year old has recently dropped his nap which is bad timing.

OP posts:
2weeksleft · 26/08/2023 21:25

My DS is 6 months now (also ebf) and I naively didn’t believe in the 4 month sleep regression and then the hourly wake ups hit 🤦🏼‍♀️. It only lasted a few weeks, I found Lucy wolfes sleep book really useful and I put him in his own room at 6 months and that made a world of difference being in a bigger cot and his own space, I think he would have slept better in there if I did it earlier tbh.

SpringTime2023 · 26/08/2023 21:29

Springbaby2023 · 26/08/2023 20:10

We are knee deep in the four month sleep regression and I’m wondering how long it lasted for you?

With DS1, once he stopped sleeping at four months he woke every two hours every single night until he turned one. Surely, SURELY we can’t be in for a repeat of that. I barely coped last time, definitely can’t with a toddler in tow.

Also any hints / tips / tricks? I’ve probably read them all already but you never know.

I'm laughing so much because I came on this forum to write the exact same thread, and thought I'd gone mad and already written one because our names are similar.

Nollie12 · 26/08/2023 21:31

Until I snapped, lost the plot following months of 45 minute wake ups and sleep trained at 7/8 months I’m afraid. Continued breastfeeding til around 14 months so worked alongside that.

VivaVivaa · 26/08/2023 21:40

Not until we night weaned from breastfeeding at about 10 months. Went from hourly wake ups, only resettled by boob to sleeping through in the space of a week until the 12 month regression hit for another month.

UnaVaca · 26/08/2023 21:42

Formula before bed?

Original poster
Springbaby2023 · 26/08/2023 21:54

@VivaVivaa That’s what I’m afraid of, basically what worked for my first!

@SpringTime2023 How weird! At least we know we’re not alone… some consolation… sort of

@UnaVaca Tried that, doesn’t make a bit of difference unfortunately

@2weeksleft This one will be sharing a room with my eldest when he moves out of ours, so reluctant to move him until he’s sleeping a lot better. With DS1 in hindsight I actually think moving him made him worse, but can imagine it works for some

OP posts:
Original poster
Springbaby2023 · 26/08/2023 21:55

Just going to keep refreshing the thread in the hope of loads of people rushing to comment that it will be over and done with by five months 😁

OP posts:
rhino12345 · 26/08/2023 22:02

Tiredbehyondbelief · 26/08/2023 20:58

Both my children started sleeping better once on 3 solid meals a day. I have breastfeed both 13 months, no formula at all. I remember telling my GP the toddler went to bed at 9 pm. GP looked very surprised and asked why. I said this way my toddler sleeps in the afternoon and I get a lunch break. UK seems to be the only country I know where people are fixated on getting children to bed at 7 pm. I don't know why. It's tough when they so young. It will get better. I hope it helps

Exactly the same here! My eldest slept through from about 8 weeks until bang on 4 months (almost to the day!) and then didn't sleep through again until we sleep trained at about 14 months. 😬 We also did this routine though - so afternoon nap where I could get things done, and then asleep "for the night" at 9.

InTheFutilityRoomEatingBiscuits · 26/08/2023 22:22

Two years
One year

Then the youngest, seven years

The older they were the worse it got as they were harder to settle. As a baby each wake up might be 20-30 mins, as toddlers each wake up might be an hour, when we got beyond that each wake up could take 2-3 hours to sort out.

katniss salute

rhino12345 · 26/08/2023 22:26

Also fwiw formula made no difference before bed

MoltenLasagne · 26/08/2023 22:31

Currently in the midst with DC2. With DC1 it lasted around a month, we were strict with settling without a feed unless it had been at least 4 hrs and I think it stopped the worst of it.

Doing the same with DC2 even though we're also ebf and honestly I just want to stick her on the boob, but after a week of taking 30 mins to settle every 90 mins, she's now settling a lot faster and starting to go longer stretches. We got one 4 hour stretch last night so hoping for a repeat tonight...

Original poster
Springbaby2023 · 26/08/2023 23:00

@MoltenLasagne I definitely need to be stricter on this but it’s hard when you’re so exhausted, a vicious cycle. I hope it passes quickly again for you this time.

OP posts:
Babyenroute · 26/08/2023 23:16

My 10 month old is every two hours (sometimes every one!) but slept 8 hours at a time when he was three months.. so sorry to say!

MoltenLasagne · 27/08/2023 06:30

@Springbaby2023 Oh it's so hideous isn't it? I think the only reason I've managed to be firm on it is because both my babies have had reflux so I know even if I settle them faster by feeding them, I still then have to keep them upright for 30 minutes!

Last night we had proper wakings at 10, 2 and 6 with a bit of stirring at 12 that just needed back pats this time so I consider that a success right now. Hope you had an easier night.

JadeTC · 27/08/2023 07:50

DC were both ebf and co sleeping - DC1 up every 1-2 hours until around 8 months. DC2 up every 2 hours for 2 nights (still can't believe it!).
Hope you're able to get a bit more sleep soon 🤞🏻

squirrelnutkins1 · 27/08/2023 09:20

I had this with my first and it stopped when I did sleep training at 6 months and stopped feeding over night. Hope you get thru it soon! Xx

GinnyBee · 27/08/2023 13:08

9 months or so. Or more like all the regressions merged into one. When I night weaned right after his first birthday things got a lot better and he slept through a week later. Naps became good when he dropped from 2 to 1 at 8-10 months, but each nap transition was an improvement. He dropped to 2 naps at 6 months and then started transitioning to 1 already at 8 months, but it took 2 months to be consistent. Night sleep was various shades of pretty bad until 12 months. We're approaching 16 months and he's still consistently sleeping through unless there's a problem like teething or he has a cold.

Petrie99 · 27/08/2023 21:13

4 month regression started at 14 weeks for us. We had on and off hourly wakes from then until a few weeks ago, little one is now 8months. We had the odd week of better sleep but 6m was a tricky time. He now has 2 wakes a night for a feed, straight back down. Putting in own room at 6m and dropping naps made a big difference as did starting solids. Imagine we have a few more tricky phases to navigate and teething etc.