Nooo... Just when you thought that your baby could finally sleep through the night, it happened: the 4-month sleep regression.
Around 4 months, babies experience their first regression as their sleep cycles mature from shorter newborn cycles to longer adult ones. The longer sleep cycles start off at the beginning of the night mostly in deep sleep, but transition to more frequent cycles of light sleep towards the early morning hours. This causes babies to wake and cry more in the early morning hours, because they haven’t had practice falling asleep in this state yet.
What is Sleep Regression?
Sleep regression emerges when an infant, who had been sleeping soundly, begins to frequently wake up and cry during the night. It often proves difficult for both infants and their caregivers. The good news is that these periods of regression are short-lived, generally spanning 2 to 4 weeks, though this can differ based on the individual child and specific developmental stages. Common catalysts for these disruptions include developmental leaps, physical growth spurts, alterations in daily routines, sickness, or adjustments to new surroundings.
Now that I know What it is, What can I do about my Baby's Sleep Regression?
Parents who are unaware of this developmental milestone, inadvertently think their baby who once slept well through the night, has now become hungry and often respond with a feed when it may not be needed. Talk to your doctor at their 4 month check-up to get a sense of if your baby still requires night feeds or not, before you run into this regression. This is also a great time to offer your baby a chance to transition from co-dependent sleep associations (ie. rocking, nursing, patting) to independent sleep associations, where your baby is the one putting themselves to sleep. A child who has these skills before the 4 month sleep regression will be able to manage through it much more easily.
Establish Consistent Bedtime Routine:
Create a soothing bedtime routine with activities like bath time, reading, and cuddling to signal sleep time.
2. More Crib Time:
Offer more crib time, even if your child seems like they aren’t tired and all they want to do is play. Being out of the crib means they won’t have a chance to sleep, so if you end a nap early, you won’t know if your child would have ever fallen back to sleep. Once the regression is over they’ll go back to sleeping normally, so keeping to the regular schedule is important.
3. Provide Connection:
Offer extra connection time during periods of anxiety or separation anxiety to help your baby feel secure. Play games like peekaboo to get them laughing with you and feeling your warm energy, helping them feel like all is well.
4. Minimize Changes:
Avoid introducing new habits during a regression that could become long-term expectations for your baby, especially if these expectations are not sustainable for you. It’s ok to offer a bit more reassurance than usual when needed, as long as you gradually pull back when the skill or milestone has been mastered, or else we risk the regression becoming permanent.
5. Optimize Sleep Environment:
Ensure the sleeping area is conducive to rest—quiet, dark, and cool. Re-evaluate if the room is actually dark enough. Sleep is easiest in a pitch black room where your child can’t see any light and become distracted. Light also decreases the release of melatonin which we want during sleep periods.
About the Author:
Alison Macklin | Mom & Founder CEO - Sleep of Mind: Certified Child Sleep Expert, a Certified Hand in Hand Parenting Instructor, and mother from Toronto, Canada
She came up with the idea for Sleep of Mind's reflective infant sleepwear. The one-of-a-kind patent pending design on their swaddles and sleep sacks lets you see your little one's chest rising and falling, giving you peace of mind with a glance at your night vision baby monitor. No wires, batteries, or electronics are needed, as the swaddle design uses the light being reflected from your baby monitor. They believe in good sleep being accessible to all without the need to buy expensive gadgets that also aren’t recommended by the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics).
Their sleepwear is specially designed to give parents more visual input on their child’s movements via any video monitor with night vision. This makes it easier to see your child's chest rising and falling. And easier for you to breathe a sigh of relief.
Read more about how they have chosen the best fabrics, suppliers, and closures for their sleepwear.
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