Sleep regressions are often a term feared by parents. However, knowledge and knowing how to identify sleep regressions can really help parents get through these stages in their little one’s sleep.

The four month sleep regression is really a sleep PROgression. Four months is a key stage in a child's sleep development and there is a reason why many Child Sleep Consultants work with children from four months plus. This is because a child’s sleep develops and matures, and their circadian rhythm has developed by four months, and they can fully identify day from night.

So, how can you identify the four month sleep regression;

1. Your baby may start to have shorter naps than usual

2. Your baby may start to fight sleep more than usual

3. They may have more frequent night waking’s not caused by hunger

4. Overall, their sleep is more unsettled than usual

From four months (adjusted age), if not slightly before, a child will experience the four month sleep regression. For some children, it is not particularly evident in terms of its impact on their sleep, and they will go through this sleep regression quite seamlessly. For others, it will be particularly evident, however their sleep will revert to similar to how it was before especially if they had a consistent nap routine and fell asleep independently, while some children will need help to revert to settled sleep thereafter.

Four months is a great age to start some work on your child’s sleep if you feel this is an area that can be improved. My top tips in this regard are;

1. Set a consistent daily nap routine, in accordance with your child’s sleep needs. At four months, I recommend a three nap schedule. However, some children may need a fourth nap at this stage, depending on the duration of each nap. The timing of these naps is also important.

2. The next key aspect is to look at your child’s sleep environment. It is not unusual that when your child goes through the four month sleep regression that they are more sensitive to their sleep environment. I recommend a quiet dark room for both daytime and nighttime sleep. White noise can be helpful here especially to drown out environmental noises.

3. Incorporate a nap and bedtime routine to help soothe your child and then place them in their cot awake. Practice putting your child down for their naps and bedtime drowsy but awake.  While moving through sleep cycles a baby tends to look for what helped them to put them to sleep originally. For example, if they fell asleep having been rocked or fed, they tend to look for that same thing to help them fall back to sleep every time they wake, this can be particularly evident after the four month sleep regression.

Best of luck. Follow my social media channels for various Child Sleep Tips.

Colette McCann

Child Sleep Consultant