The 4 month wakeful period is a real thing, people. I’m living it now for the 2nd time in my life. It’s hard. With our first baby Braden? It was harder. What is it, you might be asking….? Oh, I’ll summarize it for you:
- Baby turns 4 months old and is suddenly aware there is a world out there that is exciting and interesting!
- Baby gets very distracted during the day and could care less about wasting his precious wake time eating and even napping
- Baby makes up for lost calories at night time by waking up multiple times throughout the night
That pretty much sums it up. Also known as The 4 Month Sleep Regression. So many babies sleep wonderfully up until they turn 4 months old. Braden went from sleeping 8-10 hour stretches to being up every 1.5-2.5 hours around the clock. I’m not even exaggerating, I wish I was. Ethan has slept up to 10 hours, but it’s a rarity, and he usually sleeps 6-7 hour stretches at max. Now Ethan is in the midst of the 4 month sleep regression and he’s up every 2 hours on the dot. I feel that at least this time, I’m prepared for it. I know what it is, I know that it still sucks, but I’m doing so much better with it.
- This Too Shall Pass – it might be cliche, but it’s true. This phase does not last forever. Try to cling to the fact that baby is growing up so fast and they’re only little for so long. You may be thinking “easier said than done” but this has been my mantra and has really helped give me a reality check to cope, especially with my 2nd baby.
- Strive For Quiet Daytime Feedings – it might not always be possible, especially with multiple children to care for, but feed baby in a quiet, dark room when possible
- Start Teaching Baby to Self-Soothe – I have found in this stage in particular that baby is not always needing to be cuddled or soothed to sleep as much as they want it, and it’s the perfect time to start to encourage them to self-soothe. Wait an extra 5, 10 minutes to see if baby will settle to sleep – you might be surprised!
- Spend Extra Time With Baby During Wake Time – they say during this 4 month wakeful they are so distracted during the day and want to see more of mama at night – get on the floor and love on that baby. Give them extra attention so as to *hopefully* trick them into not needed to see you at night every 2 hours!
- Give Lots of Play Time – this is such a big developmental stage and milestones are happening left & right. Babies are silly and they want to practice their new milestones (rolling tummy to back, back to tummy, grasping toys, chewing on things) all the live long day. Try to give them as much floor time and play time as possible and limit days and days in the car seat/stroller at this age
- Extra Sleep for Mommy – if at all possible, which I know it’s hard to, try to grab a nap during the day or get your husband/partner to get up with baby in the mornings – even just on weekends. An extra hour or two of sleep has truly helped me survive this time around
- Sleep Train – 4 months is a great time to sleep train, as long as your baby is big enough (14 lbs+) and not ill, cutting a tooth, or right in the middle of a new milestone. This option will not work for everyone, a lot of people are against it…but this is what I eventually did at the end of my first baby’s 4 month wakeful. His sleep was improving but he needed help to learn how to sleep better and it’s a decision I’ve never regretted
These are tips from my personal experience on the 4 month wakeful period and I recognize that every baby is different! What tips and tricks would you add to the list?
Note: Since a lot of people have asked, we used The SleepEasy Solution for our sleep training. You can read more about our experiences here.
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[…] through the night, most nights, by 8 weeks old and it was glorious. Then in May, he started his 4 month wakeful period, also known as the 4 month sleep regression. It was painstakingly awful; I felt like I was losing […]
Sarah- Which sleep training method did you use? My baby just turned 4 months and has me up every hour on the dot. Unfortunately, I think the pacifier is part of the problem, but she has acid reflux and, in my opinion, needs it in order to keep down her spit up during the night. Please share your thoughts! 😀
Aha- I just found your method within another post. Thanks!
I also have a note at the end of this very post with a link to the book 🙂
My two boys had milk acid reflux but they outgrew it disturbing their sleep by that age. I let my first keep his pacifier, but never ever keep going back in to put it in her mouth or you'll be doing it forever!
[…] How To Survive the 4 Month Wakeful Period […]
Hi Jenna!
I'm glad you commented! You can find my sleep training posts here: http://www.nurselovesfarmer.com/category/sleep-tr…
The method I used was with the SleepEasy Solution book http://amzn.to/1c4RYfu I HIGHLY recommend it and it's a very easy read. It tackles night weaning and you do NOT do it cold turkey breast or bottle fed which is why I love it SO much! Good luck!
Hello! I found your blog while looking for answers about how to help my suddenly very wakeful 4 month old sleep as well. We have been struggling for a month and feel ready to try some sleep training after the holidays perhaps. I am curious if you are willing to share your sleep training method? Do you night wean, or does simply working on self soothing at the beginning of the night help with the frequent wakings on its own? Thanks for sharing your experiences with good sleepers gone crazy — it is exactly what I have been dealing with… Read more »
I did reply below, Jenna, in case you never got it!
[…] was warm, dry, healthy, and cozy. Braden would wake up every 1-2 hours for weeks on end during his 4 month wakeful period which seeped into his 5 month old stage. He was waking out of habit and not napping well during the […]
[…] getting the right amount of sleep. Sleep for a lot of babies seems to start going downhill at the 4 month wakeful stage. For me it is at this stage where I wait about a month and then sleep train my babies between the […]
Maybe this is the issue we are dealing with now?? I dont know. Either way it sucks. And sleep training is hard when you have a almost 3 year old in the room with your 4 month old. Oy!! 🙁 One day we will sleep again!
My recent post Jumping to the Potty?!?!
It very well could be, Censie! How does Jude sleep if Teagan isn't??? It's great if he does! If you really do want to sleep train, send Jude for a sleepover or two if possible? Yes…one day you will sleep again!