4-Month Old Waking up Every 3-4 Hours at Night

It sounds like you are his pacifier. My son did this for a long time. The doctor basically said we needed to let him "cry it out". You know how long this lasted? ONE NIGHT! We were the problem...we kept picking him up and feeding him. If he really isn't hungry, he will fuss and get himself back to sleep.

Go back to swaddling, if it works continue. One day he'll be movable enough where he won't stay swaddled. But there is no rule to stop if it works. Good Luck! J.

Swaddle him back up! I think we swaddled until 6 months or so. And as it gets warmer don't forget to put him in lighterweight pajamas so he doesn't get too hot!

HI,
We swaddled my daughter until she was about 4 1/2- 5 months old and we found it helped when we did the transition slow. I started with naps during the day being in her crib unswaddled. I think it helped but during the first few days of trying the night unswaddled we did have to go in and give her pacifier to her a few times. I don't think he is hungry, he is probably just startling himself awake. Also make sure he is warm enough? Good luck!

Maybe just start swaddling again?

Hi E., Yes I have experienced this with my now 8 month old. We stopped swaddling him at 4 months because he grew out of it. We were used to him sleeping a full 8 or 9 hours and when we left him out of it, same thing.... up every 3 to 4 hours. We bought a bigger one and when he grew out of that we wrapped him in a regular blanket. But it helped so much and we kept him in it til almost 6 months. I have friends that did it for almost a year. Because of baby's short sleep cycles sometimes they have trouble falling back to sleep from one cycle to the next. That explains him falling asleep on you, he's not really hungry just using it to put himself back to sleep. Try going back to the swaddle. He will eventually learn to fall back to sleep on his own (ours did) just takes time. Good luck!

We swaddled our son until he grew big enough to start kicking off the blanket. If it helps the child feel comfortable and warm, I don't see what the problem is of swaddling them. We have a happy well-adjusted 4 year old now.

I agree, sounds like he's not ready to be out of the swaddle. Mine stopped wanting the swaddle at 4 months, but every baby is different (I'm sure you hear that ALL the time). I saw a baby that was 9 months old napping in the swaddle just last week, so you do what works for you!

I would try swaddling him again. We used the "swaddle me" with my son until he was about 6 months. It really helped him sleep soundly and not wake himself up.

I would go back to swaddling pronto!

Hi, E..

I suggest you try swaddling him again. I swaddled my daughter until she was almost six-months-old. It helped her sleep longer. Without the swaddle, she would wake up repeatedly through the night. I say if the swaddle makes your son feel more secure, there's no harm in keeping him that way for as long as he needs it. You'll know when he doesn't need it anymore.

Good luck!

E.

It is perfectly normal for your baby boy to be waking up that often and nursing him back to sleep is the best thing you could do for him. That way everyone gets back to sleep faster! :)

Please do NOT let him CIO. I am still nursing my 14-month old daughter and the idea that our babies "use us as pacifiers" is just ridiculous. Our babies nurse for nutrition for their 1st year. Does it also comfort them? HELL YEAH! That is the best part! You are not only providing your son with the best possible nutrition and antibodies, but you are also comforting him and assuring him that his mommy will always be here for him.

Kudos to you!

ALSO, remember that when our babies go thru growth spurts they tend to nurse MORE (at night especially) to up our milk supply so we have enough to get them thru it! Our babies are pretty smart! heehee ;) You're doing a great job!!!!!

E.,

Try swaddling him again or try a pacifier. Both of my kids have gone through periods of sleeping through the night and not sleeping through the night. About the time I've thought the not sleeping was going to drive me over the edge, they outgrew whatever phase it was.

:-)T.

Hi E.,
I have a 6 mo. old baby girl and at 4 mo. she did the same thing & she was prior sleeping from 8pm to 5am as well. I followed the "Baby Wise" system. It suggest not to jump at every sound the baby makes, to check on the baby (without he/she knowing you're there & then let he/she cry for 10-15 min. to see if the baby will sooth themselves back to sleep. If my daughter didn't go back to sleep I would give her a pacifier & usually she would go back to sleep. Then each time she would wake I'd do that same routine. After a few nights of doing this she got to the point where she wasn't about to wake up just for a pacifier. That is about the same time I stopped swaddling my daughter too. She would just inch out of it or get her arms out & wake herself up so we stopped using the swaddle. Just be patient & he'll get back in the routine again. My daughter now sleeps 11-12 hours. If you haven't already check out "Baby Wise" books. I got mine from half.com.
Good Luck!!

I have a 4 month old boy as well and I am still swaddling. I tried a few nights without the swaddle and he woke up every few hours. So, now I make sure to wrap him like a burrito so everyone (including myself) can get a good nights sleep! I found that since he's stronger he can get loose from just a blanket swaddle. I bought a snug n tug swaddle in a size large and it's great for swaddling bigger/stronger babies.
http://www.snugandtug.com/
Happy Swaddling!

Isn't is so annoying when they slepp through the night and then don't??? What a bummer! It's hard to offer advice because all babies are so different, but when you mentioned the not swaddling, I had to chime in. My daughter is six months old and she was sleeping from 7:30-7:30 every night for months and no longer being swaddled. Then all of a sudden, she started waking in the night. Before, I would give her a pacifier and turn on her cricket-sounds mobile and she would go right back down. Now she's harder to put back down. I try to exhaust all of my tricks before I pick her up, and I was running out of tricks until I tried swaddling again. It really works! She goes right back asleep every time, but I have to wrap her pretty tightly because those little arms have gotten so strong. Remember, all people, even adults, wake in the night, babies just need to be reminded that they want to sleep.

This sleep regression is very common at 4 months old because their little minds are taking in so much information and they have a hard time sleeping because there is so much going on in their little heads. I also think it has to do with a changing schedule as their bodies are adjusting to require less sleep. I just dealt with it and I swear I got less sleep in my babies 4th month then her first!

The good news is she outgrew it at 5 months and started sleeping through the night again. What worked for me was sneaking in a last feeding at 10 pm before I went to bed. She usually would sleep from 7-7. Also, if she did wake up, I would let her toss and turn and wine (not cry) for a few minutes and she many times would go back to sleep. If not, I would go to her room and just stand next to the crib. I wouldn't take her out but I would give her the paci and usually she would fall right back to sleep on her own.

Good luck! It is so frustrating...but they do outgrow it quickly.

Swaddle away!! My twins are almost 2 (it flies!) We kept them swaddled, using the sleep sacks until they were about 6 months. If we forgot, they both let us know! One of us would stare at them in the crib and would wonder why they were crying and then it would dawn on us. Don't be afraid to keep them wrapped tight. My daughter would wiggle one hand out and was happy, my son wanted to be wrapped like a cocoon. Now she loves to be covered in blankeys and he hates to have anything over him. Enjoy you baby boy! :)

p.s. when they go through growth spurts (about every 6-8 weeks) they wake up more during the night, even if they aren't hungry. It usually lasts 4 or 5 days~

I agree with Angela...I stopped swaddling my 4 1/2 month old daughter a few weeks ago. At first she woke up a lot. Then I put her in a sleep sack and she slept much better. Although, we tried a sleep slack without arms and she still woke up. We have one that has sleeves and she sleeps much better with that one. Good luck!

I have a 6 mo. old who is still being swaddled (using the sleep sack). Everytime we have her sleep without it she too wakes up every few hours. I think she just loves being wrapped like a burrito. I have also found that her arms wave constantly and that is what is waking her. We are slowly trying to get her used to the freedom of her arms, but it has been taking some time. We have transitioned from a swaddle to a sleep sack and she definitely has more freedom with that.
I guess if it doesn't bother you to keep swaddling or using a sleep sack until he is ready then that is what I would try to do. Maybe he just loves being wrapped up and doesn't feel secure witout it and therefore he constantly wakes.
Hope that helps.
A.

From my research and understanding, it is completely normal for an infant to wake up this often. They sleep lightly as it is best for their safety. Nursing your baby back to sleep is a perfectly normal, comforting and good way to get your little one back to sleep.

Sounds like you're putting baby to bed too late. I got the 3 Day Sleep Solution and that was our problem among several others. There is a money back guarantee. It was worth every penny. Now, our 8 month old generally sleeps 11-12 hours a night and takes 2 - 3 2 hour naps a day.

hello E., I have a son who is two years old and we had to swaddle him until he was 10 months old. My son just liked the feeling of being swaddled. If swaddling your child is what helps him sleep through the night then I would keep swaddling him. hope this helps! God Bless!

E., I don't have any advise, just a question... you said you stopped swaddling him. Do you have to stop swaddling? Could you try some other night time garment that gives him a sense of being swaddled or tuck him in tightly or something like that?
Good luck!

It could be a growth spurt. I've always increased my calcium (NOT calcium carbonate or oystershell) when I'm BFing and they sleep like champs. I take 1/2 dosage in the am and another 1/2 at night.

Hi there,

Our daughter started waking at night at 4 moths, too. But we had stopped swaddling her a month or two before that. For us the problem was that we rushed to her room and picked her up at the first sound she made. We couldn't stomach the CIO method, but learned that if we let her complain just a bit that she'd fall back to sleep on her own. If we went into her room she'd really start to cry when she saw us. You could give him a chance to self-soothe a bit and see if it works.

Also keep in mind that babies will sleep well, then not sleep so well, and then sleep well again. They are going through so many changes and developing so fast that their sleep changes as well. Our little 8-month-old is generally a great little sleeper (9 hours, up for a snack and then slept for another 3 hours last night!) but sometimes regresses and wakes up every 3 hours.

Good luck and sweet dreams to the three of you!

Hi E.,
Have you tried swaddling again? I still swaddle my 9 month old every night, if hes not swaddled he wakes up hours sooner. Until last month he woke up between 1 and 3am but now usually makes it until 4, I'm curious what time he goes down at night and how long his day naps are? Also when he wakes and wants to nurse he may really need it because hes so young still. I always nurse mine back to sleep and it only takes a few minutes. Good luck.

E., I'm having the same issues with my three month old. She slept through the night for over a month and is now waking up at 3 every morning. Everything I have read states that this is normal and that she will go through phases of sleep and no sleep for the first year. Let's cross our fingers that the sleep phases outnumber the no sleep!