Have you heard about the 4 month sleep regression?
While it can sound a little daunting, don’t panic – below is some information and access to a very resourceful FREE COURSE to help you overcome the regression without so much stress and sleep loss (or to help you get sleep back on track if you’ve been through the regression and not quite recovered).
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.
The regression stage is also a good time to do a sleep hygiene check. Good sleep doesn’t just come from the skill to self-settle, the right foundations are just as important and we will run through these things in the course.
So it’s true, your baby will go through the 4 month sleep regression (progression). If you want to prepare yourself for the regression, get help with getting through it or find some tools to get you back on track? Join our FREE COURSE right away here.
By joining the course you will:
💤Embrace newfound confidence at bedtime – and beyond!
💤Unlock 10 video modules designed to meet baby's individual needs!
💤Discover how to navigate naps, wake windows, self-settling, and MORE!
See you there.
Slumber & Sprout xx