The 4-month sleep regression: a topic that never fails to light up the mums’ group chat and worry even the most laid-back of new parents. But what’s really happening? Let’s break it down and understand what is essentially a phase in your baby’s development.

What Is the 4-Month Sleep Regression?

Well, first of all, it doesn’t just happen exactly at 4 months! Occurring between 3-5 months of age, this “regression” rears its head while your baby’s sleep architecture is getting a HUGE upgrade!

As a newborn, your baby’s sleep was pretty straightforward with just active sleep (like REM sleep) and quiet sleep (like NREM sleep). But now, your baby will gain two whole extra stages! They go through NREM1, NREM2, NREM3, and finally REM sleep. Why does this make a difference? The first two stages are light sleep, which means your baby is likely to be more easily disturbed, especially while they are getting used to having all of these new types of sleep. This is why you might see more frequent night waking and shorter naps during this phase – adjusting to this new sleep architecture takes time for your little one!

Why Is This Change Happening?

This shift from a simple sleep pattern to a more complex one is a natural part of your baby’s growth. Your baby’s sleep cycles are maturing, evolving from the basic newborn pattern to something more similar to adult sleep. These changes typically happen between 2-6 months and can cause temporary disruptions in sleep as your baby adjusts.

What Else Might Be Impacting Sleep?

During this period, there’s also a lot happening developmentally. Here’s a closer look at the milestones that can affect sleep:

Decreasing Sleep Needs

Newborns sleep a LOT! But as your baby grows and exits the newborn stage, they begin to need less sleep than they did when they had just been born. This is a normal part of development, and while it’s easy to wish your little one would sleep like they did in those early newborn days, remember this development is actually progress – your little one is maturing and growing!

Learning New Skills

Your baby might be learning to roll, or sit supported, and chances are they are much more active now during the day. Learning new skills requires new connections forming in the brain, and as your baby grows and strengthens these connections (called synapses), it can literally wake them up at night!

Generally, once your baby masters the new skill and adjusts to their newfound mobility, their sleep improves. Providing ample opportunity to practice these skills during the day can result in less of an attraction to wake and practice at night.

More Distracted in General

Your little one is waking up to the world and there’s just so much to see and take in! This can also mean that feeding is more distracted, which can mean that your baby may begin taking more feeds overnight when it is quiet and dark and there aren’t as many distractions. Babies become more alert, aware, and distractible in the daytime. This can result in resisting sleep and shifting their calorie intake more into the night. Keeping this in mind while trying to keep daytime feeds as low-key and boring as possible to reduce distractions can make a big difference!

Tips for Navigating the 4-Month Sleep Regression

Understanding these changes can help you navigate this phase more smoothly. Here are some actionable tips:

Maintain a Consistent Bedtime Routine

Consistency is key. Establish a calming bedtime routine that signals to your baby that it’s time to wind down. This might include a bath, gentle rocking, or reading a story.

Create a Sleep-Friendly Environment

Ensure your baby’s sleep environment is conducive to rest. This means a dark, cool, and quiet room. Consider using white noise to mask household sounds that could disturb your baby’s sleep.

Practice New Skills During the Day

Give your baby plenty of time to practice new motor skills during the day. This can help reduce the urge to practice these skills during the night.

Keep Encouraging Feeds

If your baby is more distractible during daytime feeds, try to create a calm feeding environment to encourage them to keep taking in calories during the daytime.

Stay Responsive

Respond to your baby’s needs at night with reassurance and comfort and help them to resettle. There’s no such thing as bad habits when it comes to settling your baby, but if you’re finding you are doing lots of resettling and it is becoming unsustainable, it might be time to talk about finding you a new settling strategy that suits your baby and your parenting style and allows you both to get some extra rest.

Conclusion

Every baby’s journey through the 4-month sleep regression is unique. Some babies will be quite affected whereas others might experience only minor bumps in the road. But if you’ve been having trouble throughout this period for more than a couple of weeks, please reach out and we can talk about ways to improve sleep for you and your little one. You can also download my free guide Better Sleep 101 which has tons of gentle, easy-to-implement strategies to get you and your little one’s sleep back on track!

If you’re feeling stuck, don’t hesitate to reach out and we can make a plan to get you more sleep!