SLEEP TRAINING AT 4 MONTHS

by By Dunni Omebere-Iyari, Infant & Toddler Sleep Coach

Only a few weeks into when your newborn baby finally starts sleeping longer at night and less so during the day, they turn three or four months old Suddenly they begin waking every two hours or less throughout the night needing to be fed or held and in under five minutes, they are back asleep only to wake again after another two hours. In the first few weeks of this new sleep pattern, you didn’t mind because your baby went back to sleep immediately after you gave them what they wanted Very quickly you realise how heavily sleep deprived you are and struggle to cope with the day’s obligations So, you realise it may be time to sleep train your baby This article is here to guide you through that journey, but first, I will help you understand the change that has just happened with your baby

According to Grow by WebMD when babies turn 4months-old, most healthy babies go through their first sleep regression, commonly known as the 4-month sleep regression While this means you barely get any sleep, a sleep regression is a good sign as it means your baby has achieved a developmental milestone Age 4-months is the first point at which your baby can learn to sleep through the night It is essential to highlight here that “sleeping through the night (STTN)” means different things depending on your child’s age

For your 4-month-old baby, STTN is the ability to sleep 8 hours straight before needing a feed to continue sleeping

Your 4-month-old baby needs 14-16 hours of sleep, 10–12 of which happen at night and the rest split into three naps

Because childcare is hard work already, parents tend to default to what is easiest to get little ones to sleep

Often, you rock, pat, feed or drive your baby to sleep

However independent sleep is not possible if babies are dependent on these crutches If your baby only falls asleep when any of these things are done, they will always depend on them Babies go through sleep cycles that last 90–120 minutes throughout the night

Without learning how to self-settle they will struggle to continue to link sleep cycles with your repeated help leaving you exhausted

If you are ready to sleep train your 4-month-old baby, follow these eight steps:

1.Have realistic expectations Knowing what your baby is able to do for their age is essential in helping parents manage expectations Your 4-month-old can sleep for 8 hours straight but still require support to help them get there.

2.Know your child’s awake times Awake time is how long a baby can stay awake before they need to sleep (nap or bedtime) Awake times constantly vary as the child grows However Baby Sleep Science states that for a 4-month-old baby their awake time is 1 hour 30 mins to 1 hour 45 minutes For example if your 4-month-old is up at 7 am, they should have a nap at 8 30 am If they wake from that nap at 9 30 am, take them for a second nap at 11 15 am This should be continued until just before bedtime

3.Establish a routine Children cannot tell the time Routine is their clock Having a routine helps bring predictability within the day for both you and your child You can tell when your child needs to eat, when they need to nap and when they need to play Routines also help remove anxiety either of you might feel around nap/bedtimes Awake times will guide you in establishing a routine Write down the wake eat sleep times to know and understand your child’s unique pattern

4.Do not let your baby skip naps Naps are the golden ticket to get your baby to sleep at night Missed naps cause babies to become overtired, increasing the stress hormones in their body Elevated stress disrupts their sleep at night 4-month-old babies need three naps totalling 4 hours every day The first two naps should last for 1 5 hours, and the last nap should last for 45mins- 1 hour

5.Create the perfect sleep environment A nursery full of light and see-through curtains is very appealing for the aesthetics however the light in the room makes it harder for your little one to fall asleep and stay asleep Research published in the journal Paediatric Child Health found that to create the perfect sleep environment for your baby, you need these five things: a pitch-black room, a crib with a firm mattress and fitted sheets with nothing else for safety reasons, a baby sleep sack to regulate your baby s body temperature, a cool room with temperatures between 16-22°C and a fan or white/pink noise machine

6.Feed your baby frequently Although babies can stay full for up to 3 hours before needing a feed, for babies to sleep longer at night, feed your them frequently throughout the day - ideally, every 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours Everyone has daily calorie requirements and when these caloric needs aren’t mostly met during the day your baby will need to meet them at night Tip: to prevent distracted feeding, do not feed them with the TV on, instead maintain eye contact or sing during feeds

7.Establish a bedtime routine. This applies to both naps and night time sleeping Do not let your baby fall asleep in your arms chest car seat buggy or breasts They should always go to sleep in their cot Create a fixed bedtime routine that your baby can rely on and follow in the same order every day This can include a relaxing bath, a storybook, one last kiss and cuddle then finally, put your baby in the crib awake but tired Provide intermittent comfort without picking baby out of the crib so they can learn independent sleep

8.Respond consistently There will be some crying as this is the only means of communication your child has to get your attention Instead of picking them up every time they wake up, repeatedly calm them back to sleep without picking them up or feeding them. The more consistently you do this the better they get at linking their sleep cycles and start to sleep through the night on their own Consistency is key The first three days will be rough and that is why most people give up But you can do this, stay with it and respond all night consistently long, and in no time, your little one will begin sleeping through the night