Sleep and your baby from three to six months – and the dreaded four month sleep regression!
Sleep and your baby from three to six months – and the dreaded four month sleep regression!By our sleep expert, Jo Tantum
So you’ve battled through sleepless nights, dirty nappies every five minutes, projectile vomiting and all the wonders that come from the newborn stage.
As you gaze in wonder through blurry eyes at your bundle of joy, you breathe a sigh of relief. Things can only get better! Right??
If you’ve had a baby that has breezed through the first three months as an angel you are very lucky.
Most parents find the first three months the toughest and if your little ones has had digestive issues, hours of crying and no sleep, you can’t wait for them to get to that magical 12 week mark! You will probably have been told by health professionals, other mums and parenting books that from 12 weeks, things will get easier, babies will find their own routine, their digestive system will settle down, and they will start sleeping better.
Well, the good news is that this is true in some babies. As they are born with an immature digestive system, babies can find it difficult to digest certain things you eat, such as dairy products and strawberries – there goes the strawberry frappé! So when your baby reaches 12 weeks, their digestive system is more mature and so colicky symptoms should subside. If they don’t, your baby may be suffering from Reflux or CMPA (cows’ milk protein allergy) – if you think this may be the case, see your GP and be referred to a Paediatrician.
As for your baby’s sleeping, if your baby is using a sleep prop, for example being rocked or fed to sleep, it’s unlikely that their sleep patterns will get better unless you gently wean them off the prop.
Starting this process as soon as possible is the key. Try and wake after a feed during the day, cut down on the night feeds and try to settle them in the cot rather than in your arms.
The four month sleep regression
One of the biggest developmental changes that your three to six month old baby will go through is the dreaded four month sleep regression! It’s really not a myth.
Your baby is going through lots of changes at this time and it really does affect their sleep negatively.
This is because:
Their eyes become better focused – it’s as if they are seeing in HD! The world becomes so much more interesting, so if you were previously able to get your baby to sleep in the pram or car seat, it’s likely they will stop doing that.
They also start to have super hearing, which can affect the nights, especially if they share the room with you (guidelines according to the Lullaby Trust).
You will start syncing your light sleep phases and disturb each other as you move about and make noises. One way to combat this is to use soothing wave sounds. Having them on all night means they will tune into the calming consistent sounds rather than the other noises. This also works well for twins sharing too. There are some great apps out there to try.
They also start to try to grab everything as their hand/eye coordination becomes more controlled, so I suggest introducing a comforter at this stage. I recommend a small muslin square, as this is the lightest, most breathable material. Knot it in the middle and put it down your top (and dad’s top too) so it smells of both of you. So comforting for a little one, especially if someone else is looking after them.
Try and keep your routine as normal as possible during this time, as lots of parents panic and start introducing new sleep props, then get into a cycle of not being able to get rid of them. When you think about trying to rock a 10 month off to sleep, you’ll realise it’s not that easy.
Once you have got through this stage, the next stage is weaning. Some babies become ready before others. If your baby is having milk feeds yet still seems hungry, or is feeding for longer, more often and starting to wake in the night, this may be a sign they are ready.