4 month old sleeping more during the day?

[Ethan Jacobs Mommy]

Hi there,

This isn't a serious problem, but I wanted to know if I should just leave it alone or try to fix it.  Ethan will be 4 months old next week and has been spending less time awake during the day than he used to.  We were on a 3 hr EASY routine where he would eat, stay awake for about an hour and a half, and then sleep for an hour.  Now it seems he has switched the A and S as he gets grumpy after an hour of being awake (including the time he has spent eating) so he only gets about 45 minutes of A time and sleeps for an hour and a half. 

He's beginning to sleep more at night - he usually bf around 5 or 6, then we do bath and bedtime around 8, DF at 10 or 11.  He used to wake every two hours but now sleeps about 4 hours before waking up hungry again, so I bf again at 2 or 3 and he sleeps til about 6:30 or 7.

My question was: should I try to get him to stay awake for longer periods during the day even though he seems so grumpy, or should I just let him take his naps when he seems to need them?

Thanks!
Faith

[*Kimberly*]

How long has it been going on for?  Is he eating more?  He might be going through a growth spurt.  I know my son goes through periods where he is sleeping more and eating more.  It will last a week or so and then he is back to his old routine or he adjusts himself to a new routine.  I would let him be for a little bit and see if he straightens himself out.  If he does not adjust himself back after a week or so then you can try slowly increasing his A time.  It may be that he needs to be on a 3.5 or 4 hour easy. 

HTH,
Kimberly