You have likely heard about this particular sleep regression, or perhaps you’re experiencing it firsthand right now. Perhaps your baby slept like a dream up until they hit the 3 or 4-month mark. Suddenly your peaceful sleep is now fighting sleep at every opportunity, taking short naps and waking much more frequently in the night. This can be a very confusing, frustrating, and tiresome development with your child’s sleep. So just what has happened and what can you do to fix it? Continue reading to find out.
For the first three months of every baby’s life; their sleep is made up of sleep cycles. Each cycle lasts approximately 50 minutes in length and each sleep cycle is made up of 2 stages: Deep Sleep (restorative, builds immune system) and REM Sleep (Rapid Eye Movement. Lots of brain activity, memory, neural connections, stimulates the senses). When a baby turns 3-4 months of age, they now experience 2 more stages of sleep: Both stages being light sleep. Baby will now experience 4 stages of sleep per sleep cycle as oppose to just 2 stages of sleep per sleep cycle. During light sleep, a baby can be easily awakened and have a much harder time getting to sleep. This means that a baby that once went to sleep easily when rocked/pacified/nursed/bounced/etc will now find the process of getting to sleep much more difficult even when being rocked/pacified/nursed/bounced/etc. This is usually the time when parents start to looking for solutions as they are left scratching their head and wondering where they went wrong.
This is where I come in. I’m here to tell you that every baby experiences this monumental change in their sleep and there is a lot that can be done to improve their sleep. Some habits surrounding sleep were created that no longer work (at least not as well as they once did!). It is time to make a change and guide your child as they learn independent sleep skills. Afterall, babies that don’t sleep well within the first 12 months of life continue to not sleep well for years after. So why not make improvements now while they can’t climb out of their crib or talk back? Thats how I look at it anyway. If you feel that your child is going through the four month sleep regression and you aren’t sure how to help them learn independent sleep, then let’s chat! I’d be happy to hear your concerns, answer your questions and discuss which product/sleep package/support would be the best fit for you and solve your problem. Click here to book a chat with me at your most convenient time. Thanks for reading and sleep well!