THE 4-MONTH BABY SLEEP REGRESSION
It might feel confusing—how can sleep biology be “helping” sleep while some parents notice changes in their baby’s sleep—waking more often at night, or start struggling to fall asleep.
The truth is, around 4 months, your baby’s sleep becomes lighter and more dynamic. That’s because by now, they’ve recovered a bit from the intensity of their birth and postpartum.
They now have the energy to also express needs that are less critical than hunger or pain for exemple. They couldn't in the past (due to exhaustion) but now they can afford to manifest things like :
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sensory discomfort,
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physical tension discomfort,
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need for reassurance
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and many other subtle discomforts
So that’s what we often call the 4-month sleep regression.
But here’s the beautiful part—It is also at the very same time that sleep biology (circadian rhythm) is starting to take the lead.
Your baby’s sleep no longer depends solely on how you help them drift off—now, they’re also beginning to fall asleep with the support of their own sleep hormones—melatonin, temperature, cortisol.
"But... if this rhythm is built in… why isn’t my baby sleeping?"
What Really Gets in the Way of my Baby Sleep?
If your baby is waking more often, it doesn’t mean you are doing something wrong. And it certainly doesn’t mean what you’ve been doing—nursing to sleep, rocking, holding, cuddling—is suddenly a problem. If it’s still working for you both, emotionally and practically, please… keep it.
What your baby needs at this point isn’t a big shake-up. So instead of changing everything, what I suggest is a much simpler and energy saving approach :
Make sure you made Sleep Biology by your side.
(And yes, we’ll talk more about why I don’t worry about “sleep associations.”)
So now that sleep biology is here to help and to support you, the only thing remaining for you to do is ensure "she" has the right conditions to do her job.
I’m talking about:
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Being mindful of light exposure in the evening, which can block melatonin.
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Keeping an eye on the room temperature at night, because your child is getting more impact by it.
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Making sure your baby gets some daylight exposure, to anchors their circadian clock.
And all the other things we are covering in the Sleep Biology Challenge.
—No need for forcing anything, or “train” sleep, only easy adjustments to support what your baby's body is already ready to do.