[Emma H]

Hi Emma,

I hope you’re doing okay. It can be hard when you have such broken sleep.

The 4-month regression is a tough time due to the maturation of your little one’s sleep. He is now progressing through 4 sleep stages and may wake briefly between sleep cycles. If he needs help falling asleep, he may wake up fully and call out to you, leading to multiple overnight wakes.

All the information in the program will be helpful, but two particular parts will be the most helpful. There is a video titled ‘Managing Catnaps,’ which provides specific information regarding strategies to help with catnaps during the day. There is also a pdf titled ‘Managing The 4 Month Regression,’ which provides specific strategies to help with overnight wakes during this stage.

In both of these lessons, I talk about how important it is to teach them to fall asleep independently. The way you can do this is by using the settling pyramid for naps and bedtime. In the video titled ‘The Simple Process to Settle Your Baby to Sleep’ I show you exactly how to use the settling pyramid.

Hopefully you find these strategies helpful and start seeing longer stretches of sleep overnight and more naps soon!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Emily!

I hope you got a few more hours of sleep last night and you’re not too exhausted!

I’ve answered your questions based on what you have said, but I am more than happy for you to provide more details/clarify points if you have any questions based on what I have written.

Regarding your first question, you could try an earlier bedtime and see what happens. The exact timing of this earlier bedtime will depend on your baby’s last nap. If, for example, his last nap of the day finishes at 5 pm, then he might not be ready for bed until 7 or 7.30 pm (as they generally have a wake window of 2-2.5 hours at this point). But if his last nap finishes at 4 pm, he might be ready for bed at 6 or 6.30 pm.

In regards to moving him into his own bedroom, the AAP recommends babies stay in the same room until 6 months of age, due to the SIDS risk, so I wouldn’t recommend moving him to his own room at this point. But in saying that, if you do want (as I know they can be super noisy), I recommend you talk to your baby’s doctor to see if your little one is at low risk, and they would be ok with recommending they sleep in another room.

If you want to keep him in the room with you until he is 6 months old, then a middle ground might be giving him a separate sleep space (eg, crib) to sleep in if you haven’t already. I have also had parents wear an earplug in one ear overnight to reduce the noise level but still ensure they can hear their little one. This might also be an option.

I recommend using the pyramid techniques now for daytime naps and bedtime if you’re happy to. This way, you’re allowing him to practice falling asleep independently. You can apply the pyramid techniques with the pacifier. But if you find yourself replacing the pacifier to help him fall asleep or throughout the night, I recommend you consider removing the pacifier. For some babies, pacifiers can lead to more restlessness and wakes, particularly in the early morning hours when they’re in lighter sleep, as they need the pacifier to fall back to sleep. If this is the case with your little one, removing the pacifier and helping him learn to fall asleep without the pacifier should help reduce his restlessness and wakes during the night.

Also, based on what you said, do you think he is stirring from 12.30/1 until 2.30/3 am and then again from 4.30 – 7 am because he is hungry? Feeding him slightly earlier might reduce the need to constantly pop the pacifier back in, especially from 4.30 – 7 am. If you’re happier to feed him slightly earlier, your night might look like this:

• When he stirs at 12.30/1pm you give him his first feed of the night.
• You give him his second feed when he stirs again at 4.30am.
• Then he sleeps until 7am when he wakes for the day.

You might be a little concerned that you’re increasing his overnight feeds. But working on the pyramid techniques with naps and bedtime, plus all the other strategies mentioned in the course (e.g., keeping the bedroom dark and free from sudden loud noises, keeping stimulation low and the lights dim overnight, keeping a set wake-up time, etc.), will help your little one start to stretch the length of time he sleeps overnight and hopefully give you some more rest too.

Regarding his daytime naps, I wouldn’t necessarily wake him from a long nap if you find that he isn’t having a long wake period in the middle of the night. Instead, aim to have a consistent wake-up time. A consistent wake-up time will help reset your little one’s circadian rhythm (which will also help make bedtimes more consistent and encourage longer stretches of sleep overnight) and lead to a regular time for his first nap of the day. Once this nap time becomes consistent, the second naps will become more consistent, and so on.

I hope that helps!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Sophie,

From what you’ve said, I wouldn’t say you are leaving it too late to put him down. If he is used to falling asleep another way (eg. being rocked in your arms or held etc) then your little one might need a little more help from you as he becomes familiar with being laid down to sleep. Basically, it would feel different for your little one. Just continue using the pyramid to help him fall asleep and he will soon become familiar with this new routine.

Also, it can be helpful to remember that catnaps (so naps for 30 – 45 mins) during the day are normal behaviour at this age. Letting your little one sleep in a dark bedroom free from sudden loud noise and helping him learn how to fall asleep independently will ensure that when he is developmentally able to join sleep cycles, he will be able to.

I hope that helps!

[Emma H]

Since I started this thread, it’s only fair if I go first 🙂.

I’m Emma, a Paediatric Occupational Therapist from Canberra, Australia.

I’m a mum of 3 – 2 girls, one boy, aged between 1 and 7.

The big news in our house at the moment is our 1 year old took her first steps yesterday! By sheer luck we were all sitting together when it happened, so the whole family got to see it and join in the celebrations as well 😂. One of those joyful little events with the family that I absolutely love.

[Emma H]

That’s so good. You’re doing so well. Keep it up and hopefully it’s even more great news in a few weeks!

[Emma H]

Wow Emily it sounds like you have made such great gains already!

Also super excited for you that this mornings nap went so smoothly.

If you’re happy to keep me updated, I would love to know how you go over the next few nights/weeks.