Was your baby sleeping great and now suddenly they are waking up frequently at night and taking shorter naps? This is called the 4 month sleep regression.
At 4 months there is a lot happening developmentally. Babies will develop more defined sleep stages and cycles like adults and have to transition through them. We all go through sleep cycles and wake up many times a night whether we are aware of it or not. Most of the time we do not even notice and go back to sleep. This is new to a baby and they suddenly have to learn to put themselves back to sleep. If a baby has been reliant on you or a sleep prop such a bottle to go to sleep it can be challenging for them to get back to sleep on their own. This is also when sleep hormones start being produced and your baby is starting to establish a circadian rhythm. Prior to this, in the newborn stage, a baby was likely able to sleep just about anywhere.
Rolling
Your baby may be learning how to roll over around this age. This also contributes to the 4 month regression. Make sure you give your baby lots of time during the day to practice rolling over and give them lots of tummy time. If your baby starts rolling onto their belly, you do not need to roll them back. This is a baby's way of figuring out how to sleep comfortably and often leads to better sleep. Always place your baby down on their back to sleep but if they roll over on their own, there is no need to roll them back over. Swaddling should be discontinued once a baby can roll as it becomes unsafe at that point.
What can you do to help?
To prevent the 4 month sleep regression from being too much of an issue, start putting your baby down awake right from the beginning so they do not become reliant on any sleep props. The regression may not even phase them if they have already mastered the skill of independent sleep. If your baby is reliant on some sort of sleep prop you are going to want to start putting them down awake instead of using the prop. If you need help with eliminating a sleep prop and would like a full sleep plan please reach out! Do not assume that because your baby is suddenly waking every few hours at this age that they are going through a growth spurt. If it has only been 1-2 hours your baby is more likely not hungry but is waking up after one sleep cycle. If they have been sleeping for a long stretch and were eating during the night prior to the regression then they are most likely ready for a feeding. Make sure they are getting enough feedings in during the day. Contact your pediatrician for more information on night time feedings. When your baby wakes up during the night give them a few minutes to go back to sleep on their own before you go rushing in. The key to handling the 4 month regression is teaching your baby how to go to sleep independently so they can transition through sleep cycles on their own. It's all new to them and they will get through it!
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Happy Sleeping 🌙