4 month old sleep all over the place

[Kfro]

I am in desperate need of some help. My four month old has never been a very good napper but it has recently taken a turn for the worse. I find it extremely difficult to read his sleepy cues as they seem to change on a daily basis. He was on a 1.5 hour activity time but I recently tried to increase this as his nights started going haywire (previously he would sleep from 7 until 4/5 and then until 7 after a feed and had on se nights started sleeping through) and he was waking up multiple times a night. I thought that it could be due to him needing more activity time so I gradually increased it to 1 hour 45. With this new activity te I was able to get him drowsy in my arms and then he would go to sleep in his cot for 30-45 minutes. I would then have to help him through the transition but I was managing to keep him down for an hour and a half most of the time (although I was worrying about becoming a prop). This increase in activity time meant his last nap ended at 430 and so there wasn't time for a catnap without bedtime being too late. Instead I tried to ensure he was in bed by 615. This didn't happen however... Bath time took longer than expected or feed went on for longer .... So he was going to bed overtired and started to get a bit shorty when he was put down ( he has always put himself to sleep pretty quickly at bedtime before. Although this new schedule did improve his nights it has no rant he is waking up between 3 and 4 very alert. He doesn't seem hungry as he doesn't cry but doesn't go back to sleep. This has meant that by 6am he is exhausted and we now seem to be in an ot loop. I have reduced his at today to 1.5 hours again and have ap'd naps in his pram to ensure lengthy ones so I'm hoping this will help. He will also have a catnap today but I just don't know what to do with regards to getting him into a routine with a longer a time and improve his naps so he doesn't get overtired?

[Kellyjs]

Hi hun, 4mo is a rubbish time for sleep as there's a massive sleep regression. Just look at all the previous posts on these boards about 4mo LO's!

1hr45-2hrs A is around average for this age. It may be that a tiny increase in the A time might help him transition a little easier, but unfortunately some lo's will need help during this SR time. What to try a 10mims increase and see if that helps? It might help shorten the last A a little if there's an extra 10mins before each nap? Wdyt?

[Kfro]

Thank you so much for your advice. I have been very worried about making him overtired so have held back and only increased his a time to 1 hour 45 this week. Would you advise increasing all his a times or just the first one? Also what would you advise to do after a bad night where he hasn't really slept since 5? I leave him in the cot until six and he is not crying so it doesn't seem to be hunger. I give him his paci but this normally only keeps him quiet for ten minutes. Would you do a shorter first a time? Count the awake time in his cot?

[Kellyjs]

I'd work on the first one initially as 1hr 45mins after a short nap for the second A night be about right anyway.

I personally counted the time from when I got them out of bed. This isn't really the usual way of doing it though and perhaps might not be best for you until he's a little older and can hope with higher A times. I would possibly split it down the middle so perhaps do 1.5hrs A after getting up in that instance? You can only try and see. Many a time though when they're waking earlier in the morning they're looking for a bump in A time anyway, I'm afraid it's just trial and error to see what works.