Author Topic: 4 month old - crying 5-6am, regression or light sleep?  (Read 1430 times)

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Offline ThomasTheTank

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4 month old - crying 5-6am, regression or light sleep?
« on: January 17, 2016, 14:02:31 pm »
Hi ladies,

My LO is turning 4 months tomorrow. He's a great sleeper, but I've been having some trouble lately with early waking and crying in the 5-6am range when he goes in to light sleep. I think this is just a phase related to the 4 month sleep regression, but I'd like your take. This is our general day:

- Between 5-6am, he cries. I let him cry for about 3 minutes before going to him. Maybe 1 out of 5 days he'll go back to sleep on his own and sleep through until 7. Other days, I go in and give him the dummy and he's immediately back to sleep.
- E: 7am I wake him up and he takes 6-7oz bottle.
- A: 8:45 he starts to get sleepy
- S: 9:00 I put him down. I change his nappy and sing a song. He'll sometimes fuss or do a tired cry for a couple of minutes before nodding off.
- A: 9:45 I wake him from his nap. I only give him 45 minutes at this nap to allow for a longer lunchtime nap to coincide with my toddlers nap
- E: 11:00 bottle 6-7 oz
- S: 12:00 I put him down for a sleep. Same routine as above.
- A: I wake him after 2 hours and 15 minutes
- E: 2:30 bottle 6-7oz
- S: We go out in the pram in the afternoon, so he nods off when tired, usually around 4:15 or 4:30 for half an hour
- A: 5:45 bath
- E: 6:15 bottle 6-7oz
- S: Asleep around 6:45 or 7pm
- E: 10pm dream feed 4-6oz

He is brilliant at falling asleep independently. As I say above, he sometimes cries a bit but never in distress, more just a 'I'm trying to get comfortable' sort of cry. I never hear a peep out of him during the night, other than around 5 or 6am. When he cries at that time, he doesn't start off fussing and then work up, he's immediately at a pretty high pitch and it's a tired cry.

He's super awake and happy in the morning, so I think the A time before his first nap of the day is right. I can't imagine it's a sleep association thing.. I give him the dummy for his pram nap, but no dummy in the cot and he falls asleep without us in the room. The room is also super dark.

I should also add that we've tried feeding him at this time, but he doesn't seem interested. In fact, we've been thinking about reducing his dream feed intake because lots of morning he's not all that interested in his 7am feed.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!!



Offline lauradj

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Re: 4 month old - crying 5-6am, regression or light sleep?
« Reply #1 on: January 17, 2016, 21:59:13 pm »
Honestly, I think it's just a phase and it will pass, especially if he falls asleep so quickly if you help him.  Every thing looks great on your EASY so I wouldn't stress about it  :)


Offline ThomasTheTank

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Re: 4 month old - crying 5-6am, regression or light sleep?
« Reply #2 on: January 18, 2016, 12:17:38 pm »
Brilliant thanks. Last night he woke at 4am -- he had turned around 180 degrees and was at the complete other end of the cot with his hands caught through the bars! So I think you're right that it's a phase related to whatever changes are going on in his tiny brain. Thanks for your help and fingers crossed he's back to sleeping through in a few weeks.

Offline lauradj

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Re: 4 month old - crying 5-6am, regression or light sleep?
« Reply #3 on: January 18, 2016, 21:51:04 pm »
One thing you might find helpful is putting rolled towels beneath the mattress sheet, and along the crib rails. I did that with DS2 because he kept bumping his head on the bars and waking himself.  Fair enough I say!  Once I put the towel rolls there, he would hit those first and it wouldn't hurt.  Plus they were only about an inch high so he didn't risk suffocating himself.  I just took them out two weeks ago and he's 10 months.