The 4 Month Sleep Regression
So your baby is between 3-4 months of age, and is suddenly taking short naps and waking frequently during the night? Say hello to the 4 Month Sleep Regression! Not actually a “regression”, this period of development is a progression in development. The way that you respond to this change can either lead to healthy sleep skills, or to negative sleep associations that you’ll be stuck with for a while.
Continue reading to learn more about:
What is the 4 Month Sleep Regression?
When will my baby go through the 4 Month Sleep Regression?
When does the 4 Month Sleep Regression end?
How can I help my baby sleep during the 4 Month Sleep Regression?
What is the 4 Month Sleep Regression?
I don’t love that this developmental period is referred to as a “regression”, because it is actually a progression in brain development that causes changes in your baby’s sleep architecture. Instead of the sleep cycles your baby experienced as a newborn (20 minutes active sleep/20 minutes quiet sleep), your little one’s sleep cycles are now much more similar to ours. Your baby no longer dives immediately into active REM sleep upon falling asleep, and it takes longer for him to reach a very deep sleep than it used to in the newborn days. Additionally, your little one now experiences more full arousals between sleep cycles. Whether or not we are aware of it, all humans briefly wake between each 90-120 minute sleep cycle—it is a protective mechanism for us to make sure that our surroundings are still the same as when we fell asleep and that we are still in a safe environment. Your baby’s sleep cycles last around 90-120 minutes during the night, and around 40-45 minutes during the daytime. The partial awakenings between sleep cycles that your baby now experiences require independent sleep skills for your baby to connect their sleep cycles during both nighttime and naps.
When will my Baby go through the Four Month Sleep Regression?
You may start to see signs of the Four Month Sleep Regression such as short naps and frequent night wakings (when this previously wasn’t a problem) when your baby is between 12-16 weeks old. I’ve seen babies enter the regression as young as 10 weeks old.
When does the Four Month Sleep Regression End?
The regression “ends” when your baby learns how to fall asleep (and in turn, back to sleep) independently. Since your baby is now partially awakening between each sleep cycle, if the conditions are different than when your baby fell asleep, he will have difficulty going back to sleep on his own. For example, if your baby fell asleep while you were rocking him and then was put in his crib after he was asleep, he will become very upset when he wakes after his first sleep cycle and he is in his crib, not in your arms where he fell asleep. His brain will alert him that something is not right, and then he will cry for you to come and help him go back to sleep since he has learned that your arms is the place where he goes to sleep. So, the very best course of action is to help your baby learn how to fall asleep independently at bedtime and the beginning of naps. If he falls asleep at the start of a sleep period on his own, then when he wakes between sleep cycles he will not be disoriented and will be much more likely to drift back off to sleep without assistance from you.
How Can I Help my Baby Sleep During the Four Month Sleep Regression?
In order to help your baby learn to fall asleep independently, you will need a sleep training method. There are many different ways to do this, but whatever method you choose, you will need to be sure that you can be consistent and confident with implementing it. Please know that 3 and 4 month old babies still NEED at least one night feeding (possibly two), and will continue to need one night feed until the age of 5-6 months of age. Please see my Master Sleep Chart for more information about the number of night feedings required and the cutoff times for night feedings. If your baby wakes and it is not time for a feeding, you will use your chosen sleep training method to encourage your little one to return to sleep in his own sleep space.
Some sleep training methods for teaching independent sleep are:
Check and Console/Ferber—This method implements brief timed checks when your baby cries at bedtime or throughout the night. It is critical to give enough time and space for your little one to practice finding comfort on his own; I usually recommend 10-15 minutes between check-ins, and if your baby’s crying stops or slows at any time during that interval, you reset your timer.
The Fading Method—This method slowly phases out your baby’s negative/unsustainable sleep association. For example, if your baby is rocked to sleep at bedtime, slowly decrease the amount of rocking each night. Or for another example, if your baby is fed to sleep, gradually move the feeding earlier and earlier in the bedtime routine.
The Chair Method—This method involves sitting on a chair next to your baby’s sleep space while he falls asleep there. Over several nights, you slowly move the chair farther and farther away until you are eventually out of the room at bedtime.
Once you have chosen a sleep training method, make a plan for implementing it. Also ensure that you have a solid, soothing bedtime routine in place. After the bedtime routine, lay your baby in their crib or bassinet drowsy but awake. Your baby may be looking calm and very sleepy when you lay him down, but he should still be awake when you put him in his sleep space and walk out of the room.
To allow for your baby to have an easier time falling asleep independently, they must have an age appropriate schedule! 3 month old babies should have 1.25-1.75 hours of awake time between sleep periods, and 4 month old babies should have 1.5-1.75 hour wake windows. You can check out recommended wake windows and sample schedules for 4 month old babies here.
Conclusion
The Four Month Sleep Regression can be challenging for parents, especially for those whose newborns were sleeping solid stretches and are now waking up much more frequently! Teaching your baby to go to sleep independently at bedtime and for naps is the key to getting those restful nights back, or to finally attaining some solid chunks of sleep. Coaching and support for sleep training, as well as individualized sleep plans are available with my Two Week Sleep Consulting Package. Visit SummitSlumber.co to learn more about working with a sleep consultant!
