It’s widely known that when you have a baby you will end up not sleeping at night. One of the main reasons for that is the four-month sleep regression. This is the time when your baby is waking up very often during the night or when he takes short naps. Regression can appear at other ages, such as 8 months, 11, 18 months, and 2 years. The four-month regression is different, and it can make some changes when it comes to how your baby is sleeping.
Start and end times
Most of the time, the four-month sleep regression will start after your baby is 8 weeks old. But it can start when your baby is up to 5 months; it’s nothing truly clear here. As for the four-month sleep regression ending, some babies will sleep well after 2-3 weeks. Others will need you to change their sleep habits and patterns in order to make this work adequately.
Ho can you identify the four-month sleep regression?
Usually, you will notice that your child is waking up often during the night and he has short naps. When the baby sleep changes from deep to light sleep, he/she might wake up quickly. And when that happens, the parents will be required to put him back to sleep.
Is it dangerous for your child?
Normally the baby sleep is very important, and it’s during the first months of his life when your baby creates his own sleep habits. The four-month sleep regression makes this process a lot more difficult, but there are ways to deal with such problems, all you have to do is to get started.
What can you do?
- Swaddling is one of the best methods to enhance baby sleep and put him back to sleep as well.
- A dream feed can also be offered to your baby, depending on the situation. It’s definitely not the ultimate strategy, but it does work quite nicely for some babies at times.
- If you have a swing, we recommend you to use it. For some reasons, swinging enhances the baby to sleep, and it makes it a lot simpler and easier.
- Don’t hesitate to ask for help. Your parents should be able to provide some assistance and support. And while there, make sure that you help your baby fall asleep when he wakes up. Receiving this type of support is pivotal as it helps boost your baby’s sleep habits.
- Create a blacked-out sleep environment. Remove any lights or stuff that might bring in lots of light to your baby. If he sleeps in a blacked-out environment, chances are that the four-month sleep regression will not be as problematic.
- You should try to stick to your routine and give him something to practice. Make him busy during the day as that will make him very sleepy. And with some luck, you won’t have to worry about this problem anymore.
- We noticed that lots of babies have a boost in appetite during a sleep regression. Give them what they want, and you will have great results.
Conclusion
The four-month sleep regression can be a tricky time for both parents and babies. But you have to keep in mind that they need your support. And you have to be there for them, while also adapting your sleep habits to counteract this problem. It’s definitely not going to be a walk in the park, but with the right approach and patience, you will have no problem helping your baby get through this!
