If your 4 month old is not sleeping, these tips will help you overcome this road block!!
Medically Reviewed by: Dr. Kedar Patnekar (MBBS, D.N.B, D.C.H, Specialist Pediatrician) Dubai, UAE.
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Author:
Amar Kirale
- >> Post Created: January 31, 2021
- >> Last Updated: May 2, 2024
4 Month Sleep Regression - Table of Contents
Once upon a time there was a little angel that slept soundly through the night. But soon the angel became 4 months old and was no longer sleeping blissfully like before. No matter what the fairy did, the angel would not sleep. The restlessness, fussiness, and crankiness kept increasing (the amount of tears the angel shed could make the wicked witch of the west go “I am melting!!”). After much hardship, the fairy was able to help the angel sleep again and they all slept happily ever after (until the next sleep regression, off course).
You have reached the 4 month baby milestones and if your 4 month old is not sleeping, the above story may be a reality for you. Babies commonly go through a sleep regression when they are around 4 months old; therefore, it is called the 4 month sleep regression.
You might be wondering: what is a sleep regression? Sleep regression is nothing but a change in the sleep cycles that causes your baby to wake up during the night. The baby can have a tough time sleeping back independently, which means you will be awake too.
There is nothing to worry about, as this is completely normal and part of the baby’s development. Our article will help you understand your baby’s situation better and our ‘18 tips to manage the 4 month sleep regression’ will help your baby successfully cross the 4 month sleep regression barrier and sleep soundly through the night again.
4 month sleep regression—Understanding the science behind it
There are multiple sleep regressions that your baby will go through, like when they are 4 months old, 8 months old, 11 months old, 18 months old, and 2 years old. Because the 4 month sleep regression is the first one, the parents’ inexperience make it harder for them to navigate their munchkin back to sleep.
Understanding the 4 month sleep regression and finding the answer to ‘why your 4 month old is not sleeping’ can help you tackle the problem head-on.
When your baby is around 4 months old, their sleeping pattern changes. Until now, your baby was sleeping as per their womb sleeping schedule. This means that infants could go into deep non-REM (rapid eye movement) sleep immediately. Because the baby is in deep sleep, they don’t wake up easily. No wonder your baby could sleep anywhere, like the car, the park, or even a football stadium, without waking up.
When babies are about four months old, they can no longer enter the deep sleep stage immediately. Like most adults, they can easily wake up during the first 30 minutes of falling asleep.
You may be thinking: why this change happens?? We go through different sleep stages that occur in cycles throughout the night. Each sleep cycle can last for about 60–120 minutes. At the end of each cycle, we wake up very briefly. Yes, we do wake up around 5–8 times every night. We are so used to these mini wake ups that we just go back to sleep without even realizing we were awake.
So when a baby is around four months old, they transition to the adult sleep cycle pattern. Even they start having the brief wake ups after each cycle. But unlike adults, they still don’t know how to go back to sleep on their own, and so they start alerting you by crying to assist them in sleeping back again.
Once you help them sleep again, your baby will enter the next sleep cycle. But after an hour or two, they wake up again as the cycle ends and need your help again. This will go on till it is time to fully wake up.
This is the beginning of many more sleepless nights that we call the four month sleep regression.
Don’t get stressed just yet. We know it will be hard, but our 18 tips to manage the four month sleep regression will surely help you train your baby to sleep back on their own without your assistance. The faster they can learn how to sleep back independently, the faster you can sleep like a baby.
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4 month sleep regression—Other causes of sleep regression
Your 4 month old is not sleeping like they used to and you want to know why. These are some of the other causes of the 4 month sleep regression:
- Your baby is learning to master the newfound skills of rolling over or flipping over. They are extremely eager to see that when they keep trying, their efforts are rewarded with steady progress. Even in the middle of the night, they want to keep practicing. In their eagerness to learn these skills, it becomes hard for parents to put them down to sleep.
- Your 4 month old baby is becoming more aware about the surroundings, as their eyesight is steadily improving. The world looks different every day to them, and it is extremely interesting. There are so many things to see and play with. The world becomes too fascinating for them to just ignore it and sleep. It is difficult for adults to stop binge watching their favorite series and just sleep, so how can your little one be any different. The world is their favorite series and you are their favorite character, then how can they stop binge watching and just sleep.
- Your baby could be ill or just teething. Illness and teething can cause a lot of discomfort to the child, which affects their sleep.
- Your baby is going through a growth spurt. The growing pains can cause your baby to wake up often. The rapid growth will also require added nutrition to support it. So the baby wakes up for more nightly feedings.
4 month sleep regression—When does it start??
The 4 month sleep regression, as the name suggests, occurs commonly in babies who are 3 ½ to 4 months old. Some babies can showcase the sleep regression as early as when they are 8 weeks old to as late as when they are 5 months old. Although the 4 month sleep regression is quiet common, it may not be evidently displayed in many children.
As you are reading this post, you are not one of the lucky few whose 4 month old is sleeping soundly through the night. Read on to know the 20 tips to manage the 4 month sleep regression.
4 month sleep regression—When does it end??
The changes in your baby’s sleeping pattern, i.e. progressing to a more adult sleep pattern of intermittent light and deep sleep cycles, will not ‘end’ (in the literal sense), because this a sleep pattern that they will have for the rest of their life.
Don’t worry!! This does not mean that you will be sleep deprived forever and ever. Your baby will adjust to this change soon and will again start sleeping soundly in 2–3 weeks.
4 month sleep regression—Signs
If your baby was sleeping peacefully through the night without a problem and has suddenly started frequently waking up at odd hours, then your baby is probably going through the 4 month sleep regression. If your 4 month old is not sleeping, look for the following signs to know whether they are going through the 4 month sleep regression:
- Your baby is fussier and crankier than usual.
- Your baby frequently wakes up at night, something they did not do previously.
- Your baby’s frequency of napping has also reduced.
- Your baby is uninterested in eating. There is a considerable loss of appetite.
If you notice the above signs in your baby, then understand that they have hit a huge developmental milestone with the 4 month sleep regression. Our 20 tips to manage the 4 month sleep regression will surely help you to pass this hurdle effectively.
18 Tips to manage the 4 month sleep regression
Your baby is going through the 4 month sleep regression, and that means a lot of sleep deprivation for you. The good news is that even though your 4 month old is not sleeping now, they soon will as this is a temporary problem. They will soon move past this 4 month sleep regression hiccup and start dozing again like a baby.
To help your baby transition into this new sleep pattern will take some effort from your end as well. You will have to teach your baby how to sleep independently. This is what we call sleep training or coaching.
In sleep training, you slowly start helping your baby learn how to sleep independently with a more holistic approach, because surely, just letting your baby cry it out is not the best way.
The key is to stay consistent with whatever approach you choose, as it will help your baby go through the 4 month sleep regression more successfully and quickly.
The following 20 tips will help you not just manage but also overcome the dreaded 4 month sleep regression:
1. Create a bedtime routine: If you haven’t established a bedtime routine yet, then now is the perfect time. Your 4 month old is not sleeping, so you need to create a routine that they associate with sleep.
Your bedtime routine can be anything (reading books, taking a bath, changing cloths, singing a lullaby, or a combination of everything), as long as you stay consistent with it, there is no problem. Being consistent ensures that your baby will start associating the routine with bedtime and their brain will signal them that it is time to sleep.
Our personal favorite bedtime routine has too been to bathe the baby in warm water, light massage and telling a story or playing some soothing music.
2. Nap schedules: Many parents believe that allowing the baby to sleep during the day will make them resist sleep during the night. But they couldn’t be more wrong. A well-rested baby, who has taken enough naps during the day, will be calmer and will go to sleep easily at night. But an overtired baby, who has not slept adequately during the day, will keep fussing and resist all your attempts to help them sleep.
But that does not mean you let your baby sleep all day. If you let them sleep all day, their perceptions of day and night may shift making their circadian rhythms go for a toss. Short frequent naps are ideal. Let your baby sleep for about 60 minutes and then wake them up. There should be at least a 30 minute interval between each nap.
Create a nap schedule and stick to it as much as possible. This will help them sleep better at night and also help them through the 4 month sleep regression.
3. Put them down to sleep when they are drowsy but still awake: Rubbing their eyes, being disinterested in their surroundings, fussing, yawning, etc. are all signs of a drowsy baby. As soon as you start noticing these signs, understand that your baby is feeling sleepy and you need to start the bedtime routine and place them in their crib/bassinet.
They will sleep faster if they are drowsy already. But you need to act quickly, otherwise your baby might get overtired and resist sleep altogether. So look for the cues and act fast.
4. Keep the room dark: To encourage your baby to sleep, keep the room they are sleeping in dark. Even if your baby wakes up, the darkness will help them go back to sleep. Similarly, make sure that the room is filled with sunlight when it is time to wake up. They will soon start associating darkness with sleep and light with waking up and playing time.
5. Give outdoor time: Taking your little one outside for walks and playtime will further reinforce the idea that daytime is for fun and play and nighttime is for sleep.
6. Keep it quiet: Along with a dark room, removing any noise distractions can be ideal. We know that your baby could sleep through a heavy metal concert in the past, but now that they are going through lighter sleep stages, unwanted sounds can be a distraction and prevent them from sleeping.
7. Use white noise: We did say you need a quiet environment to help the baby fall asleep. But using a white noise machine works wonders on some babies. White noise machine have sounds that are more natural like birds chirping, waves of the ocean, rainfall sounds, etc. that are very relaxing and calming.
Using the white noise machine consistently while sleeping will also create an association in your child’s mind that it is time to sleep. Such a machine can really help your baby through the 4 month sleep regression. If you are not ready to invest in a machine, you can also play the audio on your phone.
8. Use comfortable sleepwear: A comfortable baby is a happy baby. Keep them snug and cozy with a lightly weighted swaddle (if they haven’t started rolling yet) or a sleeping bag. Keeping them snug and comfortable will make them feel safe and calm. Even if they wake up, the comfortable setting will help them go back to sleep.
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9. Use a swing: Many people have expensive jewelry and antiques as family heirlooms, my family has a baby swing. That swing has been passed down from generation to generation to help newborn babies sleep. It works wonders and we swear by it. It does help in soothing the baby to sleep.
10. Give ample of play and tummy time: Your baby is trying to master the skills they are developing. Sleep becomes a hindrance in their practicing time and they may want to keep rolling over even when you put them down to sleep. Ensuring they get ample play and tummy time for honing these newfound skills will keep them satisfied enough to not sacrifice their sleep for practice sessions.
11. Feed the baby fully during the day: Babies can wake up in the middle of the night because they are hungry. They may be going through a growth spurt and may require added nutrition to fulfil their growing needs.
Distractions during the day feedings can also cause them to feed less. Ensuring that you fully feed your baby during the day and right before they are going to snooze will help prevent them from waking up because of hunger.
13. Avoid relying on feedings: Babies tend to feed once or twice in the night. But if your baby tends to wake up more frequently than usual, avoid using the breast or the bottle to soothe them, especially during the times when they typically don’t feed. If you continuously provide feeds every time they wake up, you are setting up the stage for them to keep expecting you to do the same even after they pass the 4 month sleep regression stage.
Try and soothe them in other ways and see if they are pacified. If they calm down and go back to sleep, it just means they were not hungry. But if they continue to cry or remain fussy then offer milk or formula. Hungry babies will not sleep until they are fed.
14. Quick nighttime feeds and changes: When your baby wakes up in the night, wait a few minutes to let them self soothe.
If they continue crying, then approach them and fulfill their feeding and/or changing needs. But ensure you do it quickly without any distractions.
This means no talking, low light, no singing, etc. Just do the work and put them back to sleep. This reinforces that nighttime is for sleep only.
14. Avoid fussing over your baby every time they wake up: Every time your baby wakes up, you just rush over to soothe them by trying a hundred different things that might work to stop them from crying.
If you are trying a lot more than what you usually do when the baby goes to bed, they will start expecting more. You are just helping in the development of bad sleeping habits where your baby will become a lot more dependent on you to fall back to sleep. Stick to a few things that you normally do to soothe them without creating a fuss.
15. Take help: Sleep deprivation can turn anyone into a caffeine-addicted zombie. Your baby’s beauty sleep is important, and so is yours. You also need to catch those ZZZZZs to remain healthy and functioning so that you can take better care of your peanut.
Ask help from your friends and family. Let them take care of your little one so that you can nap for an hour or two (or maybe 4!!).
16. Get the daycare on board: If your baby stays with other caregivers or is placed in the daycare, you might worry whether the nap schedules you have developed are going to work.
Talking to the child care providers and discussing the schedule and plans will help them handle your baby better. You can print the sleeping schedule along with any other requirements that you may have to ensure the care givers don’t miss a thing.
Talk to them about the child’s response to the schedules so that you can monitor the progress and make changes if needed.
17. Re-evaluate your methods: Your baby will keep growing and their needs may change. What works for them today may not do the job tomorrow.
If their sleep starts getting worse again, then re-evaluating your baby’s sleeping schedule and routine and tweaking them from time to time can help them become more independent (it’s only about sleeping without your assistance, they are not moving out of the house just yet!!).
18. Keep calm and carry on: Last, but not the least, remain calm. Babies react to the energy you put across.
If you appear stressed and fussy, your baby will reciprocate with a similar behavior. If you are calm in front of them, they will be calm (mostly). We know it is hard to stay calm, especially if you are sleep deprived, but you have to try and keep your cool.
Just breathe and melt the worry away (at least in front of the baby).
When to call the doctor??
Going through the 4 month sleep regression can be tough for you and your baby. A 4 month old not sleeping is not the reason to go calling the doctor, because going through the 4 month sleep regression is normal and healthy.
But many parents find it a cause of great concern if their 4 month old is not sleeping the way they used to. They start becoming concerned that there is an underlying medical condition affecting the baby’s sleeping pattern other than just the 4 month sleep regression.
According to Stony brook University Hospital, other than the 4 month sleep regression, the following conditions may be the culprit behind your 4 month old not sleeping: colic, some food intolerances or allergies, any air passage conditions and abnormalities, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), enlarged adenoids, etc.
If you are one of these concerned parents, there is no harm in an evaluation. You should visit the doctor if your feel there is a cause for concern. According to the Cleveland Clinic, consult a pediatrician:
- If your baby is not eating well and there is a considerable loss of appetite.
- If your baby has less than four wet diapers a day and less than 3 bowel movements.
- If your baby is not gaining any weight.
- If your baby is crying inconsolably and all your efforts to soothe them are going in vain.
- If your baby shows signs of gasping for air or is not breathing normally when they are sleeping.
- If your baby has become overly lethargic, and it has become difficult to wake them up from their sleep.
Final thoughts
You need to remember that sleep is not that tricky. We all need it, and so does your baby. Being consistent with your schedule, providing a comfortable sleeping environment, and guiding your baby will help them sleep peacefully.
The 4 month sleep regression will not last forever. Even your best efforts can fail in making your baby sleep through the night. Don’t get discouraged and give up. Keep trying, because your baby will try too. Like other difficult baby phases, this too shall pass.
We know that your focus is your baby’s sleep and not yours. But you also need to rest and relax. Pare down on any unnecessary activities and take a nap instead. Even superheroes say ‘they can do this all day long,’ because nights are for sleeping. So remove your capes and snuggle into them and sleep whenever you can.
Amar Kirale
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Author:
Amar Kirale
- >> Post Created: January 31, 2021
- >> Last Updated: May 2, 2024
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