The Four Month Sleep Regression
There are five typical sleep regressions that can occur at around 4, 8-10, 12, 18 and 24 months. Out of all five sleep regressions, the four month regression is the one that ALL babies go through and it’s the only sleep regression that marks a permanent change in the way your baby sleeps.
Your baby’s sleep changes from newborn phases of sleep to sleeping more like you and I, adult sleep stages. SO your baby will go from sleeping in only two stages of sleep (active and deep) to sleeping in four stages of sleep which is our sleep cycle. At night our sleep cycles last anywhere between around 60-120 minutes and at the end of each cycle we partially wake. When your baby first starts sleeping in this way you might find that they are waking after each sleep cycle, checking in with their environment to make sure everything is still the same as it was when they first started that sleep. If things are different and your baby has woken in a way that isn’t the same as when they fell asleep they will generally completely wake and cry out for your help, looking for the same level of support they had previously to get to sleep.
For the bubs that have already been falling asleep from in their bassinet/cot with less support, when they hit the 4 month regression, they are more likely to adapt to these changes easier because they are familiar with falling asleep in their cot. When they wake after each sleep cycle their environment is familiar to them so it’s easier for them to return to sleep, beginning another cycle of sleep.
For the bubs who haven’t mastered the skill to fall asleep on their own this is okay, there is nothing wrong with this and it is totally okay if your baby does have an external sleep association. But if your baby is fed to sleep, rocked to sleep, held to sleep or anything else where they need you to do it for them then what happens during the regression is you can find that all of a sudden you are needing to do this every 1-2 hours throughout the night (or frequently after midnight). Remember your baby is waking at the end of each cycle and checking in to make sure everything is as it was when they first fell asleep. If they are no longer in your arms or on a feed then they likely going to need this support to return to sleep again. And this really is what the four month regression can look like, you can start waking all throughout the night to help your baby to get back to sleep and sometimes those night wakes don’t get better until your baby has the skill to self-settle and link their own sleep cycles.
If sleep is not happening for you right now it’s also a really good time to do a hygiene check. Good sleep doesn’t just come from the skill to self-settle, the right foundations are just as important. Some quick things to check:
IS THE ROOM SETUP CONDUCIVE TO SLEEPING?
Dark: We want the room as dark as possible for day sleep and for night sleep, forever. A dark room helps with the release of the sleep hormone melatonin and when it’s dark, your eyes send a signal to your brain to tell you that it’s time to feel tired which triggers your body to sleep. We don’t recommend the use of night lights. No matter the colour, and no matter whether artificial or natural light it inhibits our sleep. For your night feeds you can use a dim light or an external light from the hall but for sleeping no lights. We recommend blacking out the room so that the morning sun doesn’t peak through and your bubs naps won’t be disturbed by the daylight.
Temperature: Getting the temperature of the room right is really important. Knowing the temperature helps to guide you in how to dress your baby particularly when choosing the appropriate tog rating of their sleep sack and their underneath clothing. You want to dress your baby for the coldest part of the night which is around 5am in the morning. A comfortable room temperature is between 19-22 degrees. If you aren’t sure if your baby is hot or cold? Have a feel of either the back of their neck or their chest and this is the best indication. Don’t worry about the hands or feet as it is normal for these to feel on the cooler side.
White noise: We recommend the use of continuous white noise throughout the entire night and for all naps. Babies are used to noise, the womb is as loud as a vacuum cleaner so to a baby the sound of white noise is very soothing. Babies don’t actually like sleeping in complete quietness, they aren’t used to quiet so while adjusting to earth side we want to mimic their life in the womb as much as we can and white noise for sleeping is something that really helps with this. Ocean/rain/white/pink noise type sounds are effective. We don’t love the use of lullabies or music all night long for sleeping because as your baby gets older this can have the opposite effective of being soothing and can become quite stimulating.
Swaddling/sleep bag: For the first few months of your baby’s life, they will have a ‘Startle Reflex’. This can cause a baby to have some jerky movements which can wake them up if they aren’t swaddled snug enough. We recommend swaddling with arms in until the startle reflux is gone. Once your baby is rolling onto their tummy it is no longer safe to swaddle with arms in and you will need to transition them to an arms out sleeping bag. Refer to our blog here on unswaddling.
ARE YOU USING AWAKE WINDOWS?
We want to avoid the under tired or overtired baby – we recommend awake windows over set sleep times. A baby’s age and stage of development helps us to determine the amount of time that they should be awake during the day (in-between sleeps), this is called an awake window. Awake windows include any period of time that a baby is awake between waking from one sleep and going to sleep for the next (including feeding).
• 3 month old awake window – 60 - 90 minutes
• 4 month old awake window – 1 hour 30 mins to max of 1 hour and 45 mins
• 5 month old awake window – 1 hour 30 mins to max of 2 hours and 15 mins
DO YOU HAVE A REGULAR BEDTIME ROUTINE?
This is helpful for you baby to pave the way to night time which helps them to understand what the expectations are, it triggers that it’s time to sleep and it helps with getting your baby to the step after the routine is finished which is your baby sleeping soundly. Create a bedtime routine that works well for you. Something as simple as bath, PJ’s, feed, song/book, bed is perfect.
Ensure your baby has gone through their bedtime routine within their awake window and is fed and all ready for sleep no later than the maximum end of their awake period (earlier depending on tired cues).
SUMMARY
Your baby will go through the 4 month sleep regression (progression). They may or may not struggle with it. If sleep regresses and doesn’t appear to be improving after several weeks it might be time to review sleep and gently work towards having your baby fall asleep on their own. It’s okay to want more sleep for you and your baby.
If you are looking for gentler solutions to guide your baby toward independent sleep you are in the right place. Our 4 - 24 Month Slumber Program is your one stop shop to everything you need to help your baby to become a great sleeper both day and night. Need more support than a program? We’ve got you covered with our 1:1 support options.
See you next time on the blog.
Love Katie & Hayley xx