How long does the 4 month sleep regression last?
What is the 4 month sleep regression?
It's not uncommon for parents to feel overwhelmed during their baby's first year. There is so much to learn and remember when it comes to caring for a newborn. As babies grow, they start to experience different milestones that could indicate a need for adjustments in their care. One of the most common milestones parents should be aware of is the 4 month sleep regression. The 4 month sleep regression often looks like your baby struggling with sleep, even after establishing healthy sleep habits and routines. In this blog post, I’ll share what the 4 month sleep regression is, why it happens, and how you can help your baby through it.
What does the 4 month sleep regression look like?
The 4 month sleep regression is a period of time when your baby's sleep patterns change and they start to wake up more during the night. This can be a difficult time for parents, as it can be hard to get your baby back to sleeping through the night. They may go from getting a 4-6 hour stretch after bedtime to waking up every 2 hours, or more, the entire night. They may become a chronic catnapper or develop strong sleep associations, like feeding to sleep or only nap on the go or contact nap. These things work for some families but they may become a problem if it doesn’t fit with the families lifestyle. The lack of or broken sleep at night and the unpredictable naps can cause parents a lot of stress and a feeling of constantly being on edge.
Why does it happen?
Many things are thrown around by parents, midwives and health visitors as to why a baby’s sleep is falling apart. One of those is teething. It is totally possible for a 4 month old to be teething but it's not likely.So let's put that reasoning aside and look at the brain development that happens around 4 months old.
Between 3 and 6 months is when the baby’s circadian rhythm develops. This is a 24-hour period that makes up the body's internal clock. I look at 7am-7pm as day time and 7pm-7am as night. The hormones that support the circadian rhythm are melatonin and cortisol. Melatonin supports sleep and helps us to feel sleepy and cortisol is a stress hormone that increases sugars in the bloodstream. The rise and drop at different times of the day creates this 24-hour period.
The new sleep cycles are 45 minutes which look like this: 1. 0-10 min falling asleep 2. 10-20 min getting into deeper sleep 3. 20-30 min heavily into sleep 4. 30-40 min coming out of heavy sleep 5. 40-45 min light sleep. When babies don’t know how to connect these cycles they wake up during light sleep.
What can you do to help your baby through it?
There are a few things you can do to help your baby through the month sleep regression:
Teach them to self soothe and fall asleep in their own space on their own.
Teach them to connect these sleep cycles, also known as re-settling.
Try to keep a consistent bedtime routine for naps as well as bedtime. This will help signal to your baby that it is time to sleep.
Keep an eye on awake windows. Here you can get my awake windows guide so there is no guessing!
When will it end?
It's hard to say when the regression will end. Every baby is different, and some may start connecting those sleep cycles sooner than others. However, most babies will take around 2 weeks to learn how to self settle and re-settle.
Tips for getting through the 4 month sleep regression
The 4 month sleep regression is a tough time for both babies and parents. Here are some tips for getting through it:
Take a deep breath. Here is your token of confidence I am handing over to you now.
Ensure you have a good sleep environment for your child.
Keep a schedule/routine. A predictable routine will help your baby (and you!) feel more comfortable and less frazzled.
Ask for help! Don’t be afraid to ask a friend or family member to come over for the day to work on their naps while you take a nap or treat yourself to a coffee.
If it's lasting longer than expected or you don't want to face it alone and you’d like some sleep training help, there is good news for you! I help parents every day sleep train their children. Here you can schedule a free 15 minute call to see if we are a good fit.
