4 Month Regression- Case Study

Meet Cam

The day sweet Cam turned 3 months, Daphne (mom) was more than ready to jump into the sleep coaching process and desperate for more predictable sleep. Parents were all in and committed to making a change. Why? Because sleep was becoming more and more inconsistent- his overnight wakes were frequent, early morning wakings challenging and very little predictability when it came to his day. 

Changing Sleep Cycles & Learned Behaviors

Mom shared at the beginning, “I feel like his sleep cycles are changing and he is struggling to stay asleep for longer periods.” You often hear of the dreaded 4 month regression. Some characteristics include more bedtime resistance, waking every hour overnight and very short naps. Ways that once worked to help baby to sleep take more time or simply do not work anymore. 

This regression can happen anytime between 3-4 months and is the time when our babies brains are maturing, which correlates directly with changing sleep patterns. They no longer go into a deep sleep like they did as a newborn. This age is the BEST time to teach independent sleep for this reason! Sleep is a learned behavior and how a baby falls asleep is how they look to go back to sleep- sometimes after nearly every sleep cycle. This can lead to pure exhaustion! 

Sleep Routines are Key

“And I can tell he’s getting smarter and catching on to routine. He cries as soon as I put the sleep sack on,” Daphne also shared. Routine becomes key as early as three months as babies can understand sequence and what comes next. While Cam experienced onset protest through more than half of our coaching together, I continued to encourage Daphne to stick with it and he would soon learn to love his sleep routine. The more she pushed through with saying goodnights and I love yous through the protest, the more we saw the duration of crying decrease. With each consistent night of sleep coaching, you can anticipate a decrease in both frequency and duration of protest. 

Feeding and Sleep go Hand in Hand

Cam was also waking twice in the night to feed. Beginning as early as 3 months babies can be ready to wean to 0 or 1 feed per night. This will be dependent on their weight, how much/often they are consuming overnight, and what their daytime feeds are like. Many times the first feed of the day is small and/or baby is grazing during daytime feeds. This information is all helpful when determining an overnight weaning plan that is “just right” for each baby. Cam was ready to wean to 1 feed and he did so with ease. 

Cam’s Progress

Cam is now sleeping 11-12 hours through the night with 1 feed. He falls asleep within 5-15 minutes at bedtime and naps with no parental intervention and his pacifier has been completely removed! I recommend doing this as early as 3 months when no emotional attachment has been established. Cam has also learned to lengthen his naps, which began with initiating independent sleep to support connecting his sleep cycles on a regular basis. He is getting the best sleep there is! 

Daphne shares: 

“Working with Emily was exactly what we needed to find proper structure and support as first-time parents navigating challenges with sleep. We started working with her right after our son turned 12 weeks. She thoroughly explained the individualized sleep plan for our son in ways that eased our concerns and clarified any questions we had. She provided timely feedback, sometimes sending notes and follow ups right in the moment as we updated our shared note. The collaborative and proactive feedback was a game changer! Moreover, she always made us feel supported and fostered a positive approach to sleep training that took our concerns into consideration every step of the way! Now, at about 3.5 months old, our son met his goals of sleeping through the night with just one feed! He is successful at putting himself to sleep independently for bedtime and naps. Would highly recommend working with Emily to anyone looking for support with sleep! “

Do you have a 3-4 month old who is struggling with sleep? I recommend getting started with a 1:1 sleep plan to help them learn independent sleep.  I am here to help and would love to be a part of your baby’s sleep journey!

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