4 Month Old Is Changing His Sleep Patterns and None of Us Are Sleeping Well

Good Morning (said with a sympathetic smile!!) All babies seem to go through a major sleep transition around 4 to 4 1/2 months of age. My daughter went from 3 months of colicky, NO sleeping, to finally sleeping (thank heavens!) But most of my friends (who didn't have colic babies) saw the exact opposite -- their babies stopped sleeping in their pattern at 4 months.

I don't know if you are utilizing any particular sleep training method/book, but just hold your course and continue your bedtime routine and methods. Swaddling may not be as necessary after the baby turns 3 months old, so take the cue from him. But besides that, you'll need to train him into the routine you want to use. It's not easy to get through sleepless nights, but if you are consistent in the method you want to use (whatever it might be), he will learn within about 2 weeks. If it continues, beyond 2 weeks, I would definitely consult my Pediatrician.

I'm a person fan of "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby," as it offers two alternatives -- one "cold turkey, let the baby cry it out," and a different approach for Moms who don't want the baby to cry it out.

Hi S.,

I like the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" book that someone else recommended, too. My children's pediatrician suggested it and I really like it. My daughter is a great sleeper after following the tips from this book. Prior to this book, she was a really bad sleeper from 3 weeks to 4 months. Honestly, my first reaction to some of the ideas in the book was "Wow, I would never do that to my baby!" But after talking to many other moms who used the book and hearing about the great success they had I decided to try it. It was hard to hear my daughter scream herself to sleep but it only took one week before I could put her in bed and she'd fall asleep on her own plus each day the crying lessened. The book is written by Dr. Mark Weissbluth.

Another book I like that has great ideas not only for sleep habits but for eating, pacifier use and baby care in general. It's called Secrets of the Baby Whisperer.

S.,

at the risk of sounding un-sympathetic... I think you've had a really good (and lucky) run thus far :) (my son was waking thru the night 2-3 times every night for almost a year, so i am familiar with the zombie walk you're sporting)

It really sounds like you have a lot of encouraging tools and knowledge already about nighttime wakings... not always running in and feeding straight away, using the white noise, etc.

I would suggest a sleep book (since i haven't used one myself, I couldn't truthfully recommend one). the website www.askdrsears.com is a good resource too... i go there frequently for tips, and advice.

teething could be a culprit... could be recent immunizations (??) that will sometimes throw my kids of their 'usual' schedules, he could be having issues with something you have eaten, and is getting painful gas...?

i can tell you this.. when we become mothers, we get real good at troubleshooting through trial and error. So while I cannot necessarily advise you, I can say you're doing a great job so far in my opinion :) If it weren't for those adorable toothless grins, we all would end up tossing them out a window after the 3rd, 4th or 5th night time waking :)

Good luck to you, and count your blessings... at least he's a happy smiley baby... my little guy's smiles were few and far between for the first 9 months or so... ugh - thank goodness we're past that!

I am so passionate about this topic! I have a 3yr-old and an 11-month old and followed sleep training advice from their pediatrician and it worked EXACTLY like he said it would. He is the author of a book that someone recommended to me when I was in your situation---Healthy Sleep, Happy Child by Dr. M Weissbluth---changed our (sleep) life!

Essentially, babies enjoy the attention you give them at night---the feeding, cuddling, just coming to see them. So they wake up to continue getting that. But just like us (well, probably even more so) they need uninterrupted sleep! Just as we wouldn't let our baby have a harmful object just because they cry for it...we don't have to allow their crying to cause us to give in to their demand for breaking up their sleep.

The key? We had to just let her cry. He told us that at her age, our child would cry for a full hour...but to let her. He said this would go on for 2 nights, but that she would sleep through on the 3rd night. It worked---EXACTLY as he said it would. Make sure that your baby is fed, burped, changed, comfortable (and well loaded down with Desitin!) so that you can be at peace. Then fortify yourself to be

I encourage you to get the book for the specifics--eg, the what-to-do-ifs..., the connection between napping and night sleep (poor napping can impact night sleep--I;ve seen that happen too!), etc. But the high level principle here is that you have to break the habit by "teaching" your baby that night-waking does not lead to attention.

Good luck!