Fourth month sleep regression - myth or does it really happen? Pls share your experiences.

Four-month sleep regression really happens and the reason behind it is because your baby’s sleep “matured”. Newly born, the only reasons why your baby needs to be awake is when he/she is hungry, feels uncomfortable (e.g., soiled diaper) or he/she simply doesn’t feel a need to sleep anymore. Within the first three months, as your baby grows, the frequency for night feeds decreases and hence, he/she will sleep for longer periods throughout the night. However, as your baby reaches around three to four months old, their sleep matures. Your baby starts to go through the different sleep stages that form the sleep cycle (approximately 120mins per cycle). Waking after each cycle is a normal way for the baby to check that he/she is still safe. Once your baby starts going through the four-month sleep regression, you can start the process of sleep training to help your baby get used to the sleep cycles. In the meantime, here are some tips to help encourage your baby to sleep more: - help your baby gets back to sleep after waking by doing things that you have been doing (e.g., feeding, rocking, holding) - swaddle or offer a pacifier to help calm and encourage the baby to sleep - offer a dream feed to help your baby sleep a little longer - ask people around you to help put the baby back to sleep while you get some rest yourself Here is an article with a section that offers useful tips to help your baby adjust if your baby is about three-four months but has yet to show signs of sleep regression: https://childsleepscience.wordpress.com/2014/03/12/the-four-month-sleep-regression-what-is-it-and-what-can-be-done-about-it/ And here’s another with some great tips on how to help move past this period: http://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-sleep-patterns/4-month-sleep-regression/ In all, be patient and get help and support if needed! Take care of yourself too!

This is a great article that talks about it: https://childsleepscience.wordpress.com/2014/03/12/the-four-month-sleep-regression-what-is-it-and-what-can-be-done-about-it/ If your baby is under 3-4 months and hasn’t yet had a sleep regression, then the best thing you can do is give your baby practice falling asleep in the place where you would like him to sleep. Start a little nap and bedtime cue (singing a specific song, rocking, bouncing comforting) and when he’s tired, put him in his sleep space awake. He may be confused and frustrated by this and that’s fine, just pick him up and repeat your sleep cue. You can rock/nurse him to sleep or you can try to put him in the crib again, awake. At this point in a baby’s life you shouldn’t try to force the crib if your baby isn’t ready to fall asleep there on his own, but you do want to teach him that the crib is a reasonable place to sleep. If he never even has the chance to fall asleep there, then there’s no reason he should accept the crib, from his perspective your arms is the right place to sleep. In little babies it’s all about offering the chance; you don’t have to do it every day or at every sleep bout, but it is important to think about this and start to make change in anticipation of the 3-4 month regression.

Its really a thing. It's not just a regression phase but a developmental phase as well. Bub slept thru the night in month 3 n suddenly, boom, month 4 he was waking every hour on the hour! Lasted for 3 weeks. Brace yourself and stock up on wine. :P

thanks