4-month-old baby sleep regression is one of the most curious topics for mothers. Although sleep regression at 4 months, which is one of the change sin the sleep patterns of babies , usually causes great stress, it is possible to cope with it. let’s explain the issue of sleep regression at 4 months, which is also the answer to the question “Why did my baby start waking up more often at night?” …
Sleep regression in the fourth month
From birth, babies’ sleep patterns are a major concern for mothers. answers to questions such as “how many hours a day should a newborn baby sleep” or “why is my baby sleeping less” are sought. Here, if there is no special problem that will prevent the baby from sleeping, getting information about how many hours of sleep the baby should sleep according to his/her month, how often he/she wakes up, why he/she cannot sleep or why he/she wakes up, makes the mother and father feel much better and take the situation under control. Let’s find answers to the followingquestionsabout sleep regression:
What is sleep regression in infants?
Newborn baby sleep patterns are similar for the first three months. However, usually by the fourth month of life, sleep patterns change.If the baby starts sleeping less and shorter,itcan be nightmarish days and nights for the adults taking care of the baby 🙂 Later on, sleep regression occurs in the 8th month, 10th month, 18th month and 24th month. This changing and declining sleep, which is part of the baby’s developmental process, is called infant sleep regression.
What is sleep regression in four-month-old babies?
Even if the baby does not sleep at all during the day, the baby wakes up every three hours at night only to feed, and this cycle changes from the fourth month onwards. This is called the 4th month sleep regression . As mentioned above, sleep regression can also occur at 8 months, 10 months, 18 months and 24 months. However, these usually last for a week and ten days at most. However, sleep regression at 4 months is permanent. So, what could be the causes of sleep regression in 4-month-old babies?
4 Month Old Baby Sleep Regression Causes
First of all, let us underline that this is a natural consequence. It is useful to know that it is not the cause of any problem or wrongdoing. However, it is important to manage this process well so that the baby can sleep longer and with pleasure throughout his/her development. The reasons why sleep regression reaches a level that prevents the baby from resting can be summarized as follows:
- If the daytime sleep is short, if the baby stays up too long, if it does not sleep enough during the day, it cannot sleep at night.
- Fatigue does not cause babies to sleep for long periods of time, but rather to sleep for short periods of time.
- Another reason for the frequency of night wakings is the need for help to fall asleep again during the morning sleep cycle transitions. He will cry and ask you for help because he doesn’t know how to fall asleep. Here you can help him fall asleep with a sleep ritual.
How many hours of uninterrupted sleep does a four-month-old baby get at night?
As mentioned above, the fourth month is the month when the sleeping pattern changes. 4. months 4 and 5 are the months when the baby experiences a change in sleep. While the baby sleeps for the same amount of time in the first three months, the baby changes this from the 4th month onwards. a 4-month-old baby is expected to sleep for an average of 2 hours per nap during the day. The number of times a baby sleeps during the day varies from one baby to another. But they need at least three naps. After 3 hours after the last nap, they can start their night sleep. After the fifth month, the daytime wake time is slightly longer. Night sleep may be interrupted twice. This is because the baby needs to be fed and has difficulty falling back to sleep when it wakes up. In addition, if babies wake up frequently at night, the following issues can be investigated:
- Is his nose stuffy?
- Is the air too dry and he has difficulty breathing?
- Is the room too hot or too cold?
- Is he/she uncomfortable because he/she is sweating?
- Is she very tired during the day?
- Does something hurt?
Can babies sleep through the night without waking up? This question is also a subject that parents are very curious about. Although it is usually very desirable for babies to sleep through the night without waking up until after the age of one, it is not common. However, uninterrupted sleep throughout the night can be possible from the 4th month onwards. Some babies, albeit few in number, can sleep through the night without interruption.
How many times should a four-month-old baby be fed at night?
Herewe need to find an answer to the question “How many times should a 4-month-old baby suckle at night“. First of all, the pediatrician should decide how many times a four-month-old baby should suck or feed at night. However, as a general approach, 1 or 2 feedings or even 3 feedings at night are considered normal in the 4th month. More than this is not recommended. They can sleep for 4-5 hours between these two feedings. In addition to all these, there may be no feeding at all during the night from the fourth month onwards. As we said here, the frequency of feeding should be decided by the physician.
If the baby is bottle-fed, using a non-gassy bottle is important for a comfortable sleep. Both after breastfeeding and after bottle feeding, it is also important to give the baby a light baby massage to relieve gas.
What to do when four-month-old babies wake up at night?
Here, feeding can be done if the doctor recommends it. On the other hand, it is necessary to help the waking baby to fall asleep. Such as gently stroking his/her back, keeping him/her occupied with a sleeping companion or humming a lullaby… If he/she is still not sleeping, you can investigate whether there is something bothering him/her.
How should four-month-old babies sleep?
From the 4th month onwards, babies want to start transitioning to an adult-like sleep cycle. It is normal for them to have some difficulty in this process. Your approach should be to focus on helping them, not getting angry. First, let’s understand a little bit about babies’ sleep patterns.
A baby’s sleep cycle basically consists of two phases:
1. Active Sleep
This active sleep is the sleep during which the baby’s brain develops. The brain grows during this sleep. They have 40 or 45 minutes of active sleep a day. This sleep, which is characterized by mumbling and fidgeting, is very valuable. 4. by the end of the month, active sleep begins to end. Deep sleep increases. This means more deep sleep at night. Unfortunately, it does not always mean that the baby will necessarily sleep longer at night.
2.Calm Sleep
What we call deep sleep in adults is called calm sleep in babies. Calm sleep usually occurs at night, after the distinction between day and night begins to emerge.
Reading our article“How to maintain sleep patterns in babies?” will help solve the problem of your baby who has trouble sleeping.
how long does a 4-month-old baby sleep?
Each baby’s sleep cycle is unique. In addition, factors such as the order established by the family, the baby’s cycle within this order, sudden changes, the baby’s nasal congestion, colic pain or a certain pain, the process of stopping breastfeeding also affect the situation. However, with a very general approach, a summary can be made about the sleep hours of a 4-month-old baby :
- In the fourth month, babies may sleep three-four-five times during the day, lasting 45 minutes to 2 hours.
- At night, they are expected to wake up 2-3 times starting from this month.