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Tips For Baby Sleep Regression

no sleep

3 Month Baby Sleep Regression Tips

Sleep regression is a normal but temporary phase in a child’s growth. During this time, the infant’s sleeping patterns shift and they may wake up during the night more often. They also find it difficult to go back to sleep. It can be a very difficult period for parents, especially first time parents. Although it can be stressful for the parents, it marks a development in the baby.

Sleep regressions usually start to occur when the baby is about four months old and last between two to four weeks. They can also recur in the future, at 9 months and 18 months, as the infant continues to grow and develop. Although sleep regression is common, some children never experience it.

The 4 month old sleep regression is usually the hardest for most parents because it is often their first time to experience it. It poses many parenting challenges and can leave both the mother and father exhausted. As a parent, the changing sleep patterns of your child affect your sleeping patterns too. Whenever the infant wakes up at night, you also have to wake up to tend to him/her. This may have a huge impact on your work, as you may wind up getting less sleep and rest than you require. For those new to parenting, it can be a frustrating experience.

At 4 months, an infant starts achieving milestones in their development. Their life becomes busier as they start gaining motor control. Crawling, squirming, and rolling over form part of their daily routine. All this activity affects how they sleep. In the first three months, an infant sleeps for about 16 hours in a day. However, during the 4 month old baby sleep regression  he/she will get about 12 hours of sleep spread throughout the day. Their nap time during daytime reduces to a total of 4 hours spread throughout the day.by sleep regression

Before they turn four months, infants are usually easy to lull to sleep and they can remain asleep for a long time. However, when sleep regression sets in, it upsets the balance for most parents. This can, however, be managed by applying sleep training techniques. This involves controlling the child’s sleep environment as well as their nap time schedule. Some simple tricks can help reduce the impact of a sleep regression.The activities of your child during daytime have a bearing on their sleep pattern. Thus, you need to carry out sleep training with this in mind. Ensuring he/she is fully fed and has enough time to practice their movements during the day would lead to fewer sleep interruptions at night. You also need to train your infant on bedtime routines while ensuring the room is dark and calm as they sleep. Adjusting the sleep routine as well as the environment trains your child to fall asleep under certain conditions. For example, they learn to associate the dark with sleep time. With consistency in routines, parents can enjoy nighttime sleep even during sleep regressions.

Baby Sleep Training

training your baby to sleep

Sleep Regression and Baby Sleep Training

Having your first baby can be exciting. However, most first-time parents learn to value sleep very fast. A good night’s sleep becomes precious to new parents as the baby’s sleep patterns disrupt their sleep. They have to adjust to accommodate the baby. Sleep disruptions at night become a part of parenthood for new parents. During the first months after birth, a baby may enjoy longer periods of sleep. However, from around the third month, their sleep patterns start to change, causing nighttime disruptions.

It can be very frustrating when you have to wake up several times at night to attend to the baby. Babies often go through sleep regression, which can last a few weeks. During this period, the baby’s sleep pattern will change and he/she has trouble settling down. The baby tends to wake up at night with a fuss. Sleep regression can be a result of several factors such as a growth spurt making the baby extra-hungry, disruptions in routines, reaching new milestones in their development, teething pain, as well as an illness. For first time parents, this can be a very frustrating period, as they may have no clue how to handle the baby during this period.

Sleep Train Your Baby

If you are going through frustration due to your baby’s sleep patterns, there is a solution to your problem. All you need to do is to sleep train the baby. Sleep training involves teaching the baby to fall asleep without rocking or nursing them. It helps the infant sleep for longer at night without waking up multiple times. There are different methods of sleep training, which could be as simple as changing the baby’s routines.

Whichever method you choose to use when training your baby, it is important to maintain consistency. The first method to consider is the check and console method. It involves checking on the baby at preset intervals after putting them to bed. Over time, increase the intervals between the checks. The consistent checks by the parent help reassure the baby so that they are able to fall asleep without needing to be rocked.

Parents can opt for the chair method where they put the baby down to sleep but remain seated next to them until they fall asleep. Once they are asleep, you leave the room and come back when they wake up. The parent’s presence reassures the baby and allows them to fall asleep on their own. The parents move the chair away from the baby each passing day until the baby gets used to falling asleep without their presence.

A change in routines could also help train an infant to sleep. A consistent chain of events may help the baby know that after a certain activity they need to sleep. For example, the baby may learn that after feeding, they are cleaned before they go to sleep. Thus, they would fall asleep every time after cleaning.

A consistent approach to training would help overcome the sleep challenge.