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Hi Sarah,
I am so sorry for my slow reply. The last few days have been quite hectic, as I had to take my youngest to the emergency room last night because she was having trouble breathing.
At this age, it’s common for babies to start exploring their hands and begin mouthing a lot. This might explain why he’s started mouthing during nap times. If this new activity is the cause, it should settle down within a week. However, he might also find comfort in sucking his hand. You could try leaving the hand he prefers to suck out of the swaddle while keeping the other hand swaddled to see if this helps. Initially, this might disrupt his sleep a bit, but if sucking on his hand helps him self-soothe, his sleep should start to improve after a couple of days.
In the meantime, ensure you continue to offer full feeds when he wakes from a nap. Feeding him in a bright and somewhat stimulating environment can help keep him awake during these times.
Additionally, if you haven’t started already, try to wake him up at the same time every morning, within a 30 minute window. This consistency helps develop his circadian rhythm and stabilises the timing of his first nap.
As babies grow, their sleep patterns mature, and they begin to cycle through four distinct stages of sleep. This development usually occurs between 3 to 5 months but can sometimes happen earlier. With matured sleep patterns, you’ll notice his naps become more consistent in length, unlike the more varied nap lengths you might have seen in the newborn stage. For example, let’s say during the newborn stage your baby might have had a 20 minute nap, followed by a 2 hour nap, followed by a 20 minute nap, then a 30 minute nap, but now he consistently naps for 45 minutes every single time.
Regardless of whether your baby’s sleep pattern has fully matured to include all four stages or is still in two stages, the methods you use to help him sleep don’t need to change. The same techniques (outlined in the course) for encouraging good sleep habits remain effective regardless of whether they are experiencing two stages of sleep or four.
I hope this helps, and things settle down soon!
Emma