If your newborn has been sleeping well for the last 3 months since birth and for no apparent reason, now your baby wakes up at night and won’t go back to sleep?
Have you heard of sleep regression? If you have not, then you are in the right place. In this topic, we will touch more on this matter.
What is sleep regression?
Although the word “regression” sounds like your baby is going into reverse gear rather than moving forward, it is not a bad thing. I’m sure you have heard of the light and deep cycles of sleep in adults. This happens to newborns too.
Sleep regression is not a medical condition
In the first few months of life, your baby is always in the deep cycle of his sleep. Hence regardless of how much noise or distraction that surrounds your newborn, he is still able to sleep through them. The thing is… when your baby reaches 4 months old, your newborn’s brain starts to develop.
That is a good thing, right? Your baby starts to be more aware and sensitive towards his surroundings and responds to it differently.
The downside?
He will have a harder time going back to sleep, especially when they are awake during this period. And with you being tired and all, in the midst of recuperating from all the sleepless nights earlier, it is just going to get harder.
When does sleep regression happen?
The most noticeable period is when your baby hits 4 months old. If you read about it online, everyone talks about 4-month sleep regression. This regression itself can even be considered a milestone for your baby. Here’s a short clip about 4-month old regression by a sleep expert.
YouTube: The 4-Month Sleep Regression
Being able to achieve this milestone is considered a healthy development for your little one.
Consider your "Honeymoon" period over
Here are the “expected” regressions that will happen when your child is older:
- Between 8 to 10 months
- 18 months
- 24 months
The other regressions usually last a couple of weeks. These are not true regressions as compared to the 4-month old sleep regression. Your child’s sleep pattern will return to normal after that.
How long does the 4-month sleep regression last?
Well… permanent, because other regressions which tend to fade off after weeks but this sticks to your baby like super-glue. You will find it happening frequently, especially during the nights. It is noticeable at night partly because your baby sleeps longer at night as compared to daytime.
Sleep regression causes your baby to wake up frequently
Take yourself for example. Even us, adults tend to wake up in the middle of the night while we are asleep and this happens when we are tired and we have a lot of things going through our mind. Nevertheless, it takes us less than a few minutes for us to fall back asleep.
On the other hand, it is completely different for your baby to fall back asleep. This is a skill acquired over time and most babies will not have the ability to self-soothe themselves back to sleep without aid. Apart from that, your baby gets more cranky too since your baby is not getting adequate sleep due to his interrupted sleep patterns.
Who would not be? We ourselves get extremely cranky too when we are tired.
Fret not as your baby will soon learn the skill to sleep again after waking up. Patience is the key here.
What about the other sleep regressions?
We have been touching about the 4-month sleep regression because by far, it is the most noticeable regression as compared to the other ones. Also, 4-month sleep regression is permanent while the rest of the regressions are somewhat temporary, which tends to improve after weeks.
Do you know why regressions happen in older babies and toddlers?
If you look carefully, these regressions tend to happen when your child attains a particular milestone. Be it his first crawl, first few steps or even other prominent milestones.
Sleep regression is likely to happen when your child achieves a new milestone
However, take this with a pinch of salt. It is not proven scientifically but some experts believed that there is a link between your baby developing a new skill and his sleeping pattern. As his brain is loaded with so much of new information, he needs the time to process all of them and that itself disrupts his sleep. Nonetheless, it is just a theory. The only thing you should know is that the other regressions are temporary and your child will eventually return to his normal sleeping habits. Fingers crossed.
What to do when baby wakes up at night?
Getting up in the middle of the night and being all cranky is all part of your baby’s growth. More importantly, by learning this and understanding that your baby has difficulty in self-soothing himself back to sleep, you can do your part by helping him out. However, some of the methods mentioned may have implications later. Although it may solve the current issue, another issue may arise from it. This is how to get your baby back to sleep in the middle of the night:
Keep to what works best
If your baby has a routine before going to bed, stick with it. Even during times of regression, your baby will feel comforted knowing what is to come next. Apart from that, if your baby is used to being cuddled, sang to or even being rocked to sleep, then carry on with what works best for him.
[ Important note ] Rocking or swinging or dancing your baby to sleep sounds like a great idea, but if your baby gets too used to it, he will not be able to fall asleep without having to go through the same sets of motion repetitively in future. If you are comfortable with doing this each time your baby wakes up, then be my guest.
Feed your baby
Who does not feel contented having a full tummy before going to bed? Some babies tend to sleep longer when their tummy is full. You can try feeding your baby prior to sleep. It may prolong his sleep a little longer rather than getting up in the middle of the night feeling both hungry and cranky.
[ Important note ] This method does work to a certain extent but as your baby grows older, he may associate feeding with sleeping. In other words, each time he gets up, he will need his feed before he can fall asleep again. Just be wary when you use this method.
Use a pacifier or a soother
Time, again and again, remind yourself the pacifier is not your enemy. As long as you use it correctly, it helps you and your baby in the long run. Look at it from another perspective. If your baby does need some form of comfort before dozing off to slumberland, either by rocking him or using a pacifier, which would you choose?
The choice is pretty obvious, right?
The pacifier is not your enemy
Sometimes, you just got to pick the right battle. If your baby associates sleeping with rocking in the later stages, you will have a tough time weaning him off from that. Some babies may even learn how to self-soothe by sucking their thumbs too. So, using a pacifier is a more hygienic alternative.
Swaddle your baby
Most babies grow out from being swaddled by the time they reach 3 months. However, there are instances babies are still being swaddled when they are older. If your baby is one of them, you may consider swaddling them if it helps him to sleep better. Just make sure that you swaddle the upper body and allow the lower limbs to be free to avoid causing any harm to the hips.
[ Important note ] If your baby has already learned to roll over, then swaddling your baby may not be a wise choice at this point. You may want to consider using a baby sleeping bag instead.
Get help from another person
Always remind yourself that you are not alone in this. Exhaustion and extreme tiredness may take a toll on you but that does not mean you cannot get help. There are times when you have used all measures to get your baby to sleep but he refuses. Then, get someone to stand in for you and take charge for a while.
Take the time you have to recharge before you try again.
My baby wakes up crying hysterically!
At times, it may not be sleep regression at all. We have been talking about sleep regression from the beginning but common things being common, we should also take other aspects into consideration. If your baby is past 4 months, or say your 2-year-old waking up at night crying, you should look into these other aspects:
Hungry
There is also a period in which your baby goes through when he gets older called the growth spurts.
These are the expected age for growth spurts to happen:
- 1 week after birth
- 2 weeks
- 4 – 6 weeks
- 3 months
- 6 months
- 9 months
During these growth spurts, your baby’s demand for milk will increase and he will consume more milk than he usually goes. So, in the end, could he be just hungry?
Soiled diapers
The quality of diapers has improved tremendously these days. Most diapers tend to stay dry throughout the night. If your baby has a diaper rash, a soiled diaper at night may aggravate the skin further causing distress to your baby.
Unable to self-soothe
Younger babies have difficulty to soothe themselves back to sleep and it can get frustrating even for your little one. As mentioned before, the pacifier is not the enemy. Your baby sucks for comfort, and the pacifier may be the solution.
Overtired
This is quite a common condition. A good number of parents tend to believe in overtiring their babies out in order for them to have a good night sleep. Truth be told, it works the other way round. If your baby has enough naps in the morning and afternoon, he will sleep better at night.
Do you know that a newborn baby sleeps an average of 12 hours every night? And naps about 4 to 5 hours during the day before 3 months of age? You do the math.
If your baby is sleeping way lesser than that, chances are your baby is overtired.
Night terrors
We commonly refer to it as nightmares. Thing is, night terrors do not really occur in a child less than 4 years old. In a baby, even more unlikely. However, it has been reported in toddlers as young as 18 months old.
Nonetheless, these are what you can do to prevent them:
- a relaxing and soothing bedtime routine
- ensure your child gets enough rest in the day
- don’t let your child be overtired
- go to bed early and not staying up too late
Gum aches
A baby starts teething as early as 3 months old. So remember to check on your baby’s gum to see if there is any tooth popping out. Make sure you get those teething gel ready before teething starts. Also, it is always good to have a bottle of syrup paracetamol (Panadol) at home for pain relief. Always remember to consult your doctor for the right dose.
Separation anxiety
Is your 6 month-old waking up screaming? It’s common as separation anxiety starts kicking in. Meaning, once your baby loses sight of you, he will get really worried. This can cause them to wake up multiple times at night calling out for you.
Take home points
- Sleep regression usually happens when your baby reaches 4 months old.
- The 4-month sleep regression is permanent.
- The 4-month sleep regression is related to your baby’s milestone development.
- Other sleep regressions are just a temporary phase.
- Remember to look out for other reasons why your baby is waking up at night.
Image credit:
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- https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-photo/mother-breastfeeding-hugging-baby-young-mom-528384532
- https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/41i32neB01H1SKadrrBZstIfr5lqBZvl6G6YxsnD7nmAuttD6Z4hm34unTbilfSCemWOzA=s128
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- https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KYc1ScEFIUArEeDhuZgFvsKjAamnYBCzEMtMs_HWAVMw3CgpKVZQP0zBfuI8Pp4AFL5se1I=s128
In collaboration with Ethissa
