The 4 month sleep regression
Nothing struck fear into my heart like those 5 words. “The 4 month sleep regression” I can remember the mommy group I was in was COVERED in posts about how terrible it was, and how they knew someone whose 2 year old never came out of it!!
WHAT!?!? In my mind, all I could think about was that I had just survived pregnancy and labour to end up with this small baby, and after only 4 months the small routine I’ve created is all going out the window? Wtf.
So I did what all tired moms do… I googled. What does it mean? Why does it happen? How do I survive it? I didn’t get clear answers, but once I learned about sleep training I realized how they’re connected.
The 4 month sleep regression should actually be called the 4 month sleep progression. When babies are born they have infant sleep. They fall asleep easily, and fall straight into a deep sleep and they tend to stay there until woken out of need/habit.
At 4 months their sleep develops into adult sleep with 5 different cycles, and the most crucial part is that adult sleep starts with light sleep. It starts with light sleep, cycles down to deep/REM sleep and then back up to light sleep. Then it repeats, all night long.
What happens when babies don’t have independent sleep skills and there is a sleep prop that helps them get into the light stage of sleep in the beginning of the night? When they come back to that light stage of sleep they have trouble connecting up their sleep cycles needing the initial prop to get them back to sleep again.
So while the 4 month sleep regression is a good thing, and necessary for babies, it can be a pain in the butt for parents. Just don’t let it stretch right through to the 2 year regression!!!
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