4 Month Sleep Regression….?

🥱 4 month sleep regression 🥱

Okay, this is my hot take: people are putting way too much stock in the idea of sleep “regressions”.

At 4 months, babies go through a big leap in development. Their brains and bodies rapidly grow and change. They are more social and alert to their surroundings. They have more awake time than when they were newborns. They move their bodies more: rolling, grabbing things, looking at things.

It’s natural that they would be less interested in sleep as all these things happen!

But here’s the good news: this developmental leap also means they’re ready for a well-defined nap schedule during the day, and some babies at this age can even reduce or eliminate night feeds (always check w doctor first at this age).

It’s our job to give them the right tools and the right environment to continue their healthy sleep habits.

In no way should we just throw up our hands and say “sleep sucks now, it’s because of a sleep regression”.

Keep consistently following these paths for healthy sleep THROUGH developmental leaps:

😴 Wake windows: 1 hr 45 min for a 4 month old! (Can stretch to 2 hrs in evening)
😴 Yes, that’s 4 naps per day plus good nighttime sleep!
😴 Merlin sleep suit is a great transition piece from swaddling at this age
😴 Continue sound machine, paci, completely dark nursery
😴 Don’t let a daytime nap go longer than 2.5hrs
😴 Give baby a chance to resettle before rushing in if they’re just catnapping

✨Their whole first few years of life, your child will experience developmental leaps. Choose to see these as positive things rather than “regressions” and adapt your approach to continue giving your child the right tools and environment for CONSISTENT healthy sleep!

✨Follow The Baby Is Asleep on Instagram for pediatric sleep education!

Not sure what your baby’s daily sleep routine should look like? Click the image below to get my free printable baby sleep schedule by age!