Sleep regression at 4 months - what actually helps?

Nov 301 min read

We were doing great. Then boom - 4 month sleep regression hit like a truck 2 weeks ago. Our daughter went from sleeping 6-hour stretches to waking up every 2 hours. I've read it's developmental and normal but I'm losing it. We tried:

White noise (already had it)
Earlier bedtime (just made bedtime chaos earlier)
More daytime activity (she's 4 months...)

What actually worked for anyone? Or do we just have to wait it out? How long does this thing last?

10 comments465 views

Comments(10)

DDale J.Regular17h ago

The thing about 4mo regression is it's actually developmental leaps happening - she's learning stuff and her brain is wiring differently. Doesn't make the sleep deprivation suck less but at least there's a reason. We found that holding her more during the day helped her feel secure enough to sleep better at night, weird as that sounds.

OOliver Q.Regularjust now

4 month sleep regression is REAL and it sucks. Ours lasted like 6 weeks. Some things that actually helped us: contact naps during the day (I know, not ideal), taking shifts with my wife so at least one of us got one solid 4-5 hour block, and honestly just accepting that this phase sucks and it WILL pass.

RRob K.Regularjust now

This phase genuinely broke me. Especially the feeling of "we were FINALLY getting sleep and now this." Have you considered just lowering your standards for like 4 weeks? Like - who cares if the house is a mess, just survive this stretch. Sounds like you're already doing a lot right.

TTony G.Regularjust now

Did you post get cut off? Curious what you ended up trying that worked. We're in week 3 of this nightmare.

RRaj P.Regularjust now

Sleep training works better AFTER the regression passes, so I'd honestly just white-knuckle through this part. Our daughter's regression lasted exactly 6 weeks and then BAM, back to normal-ish sleep. The waiting is the hardest part.

SSam F.New Dadjust now

The 4 month regression is real and it sucks. We're in it too right now. Honestly? Nothing "fixed" it for us except time. It's developmental - their sleep cycles are changing. We just white-knuckled through about 2 weeks of 2-hour stretches and then it gradually got better. Sleep training won't work during regressions because it's not a habit thing, it's their brain developing.

RRon D.New Dadjust now

Our daughter did this exact thing at 4 months - went from 5-6 hour stretches to absolute chaos every 2 hours. Pediatrician said it was the 4 month sleep regression AND the transition from newborn sleep cycles to adult-like sleep cycles happening at the same time. One thing that helped us a tiny bit was adjusting her wake windows slightly (even though I didn't think it would matter). We moved it from like 60-90 minutes to 75-100 minutes and it seemed to help her sleep deeper during stretches. Not a miracle but we went from every 2 hours to every 3-4 after about a week of that adjustment.

VVic H.Regular7h ago

The post got cut off but I'm guessing you were gonna say bedtime earlier made her MORE wired? That was us. We made bedtime earlier thinking she was overtired and it backfired hard. Moved it back to where it was and things improved slightly.

RRyan M.New Dadjust now

Did you try contact naps? I know that's counterintuitive when you want independent sleep back, but during the regression my daughter needed that reassurance. We did contact naps during the day and it seemed to help her feel secure at night eventually. Took about 3 weeks to really see improvement though.

RRich B.Regularjust now

Okay so everyone says it passes but WHEN though. We've been at this for 2 weeks too and I'm losing my mind. How long did yours actually take to get better?