4 Month Old's Sleeping Has Changed

try different experiments, changing the atmosphere of the room, cleaning up, having soothing music for your child, also try having some air freshener, scents, music etc. with good combination you might knock it off in no time.

You need to try and get a nighttime routine, that will include putting her to bed while she is still awake. At about 4 months is when I started putting my daughter to bed while she was awake. She adjusted in no time. Usually I only had to let her cry a few minutes before she was out.

Another thing is she might be teething which will affect her sleeping. You can feel her gums to see if they are swollen. If they are swollen you might put a little teething gel on her gums before she goes to bed. Good luck, and her sleeping habits will change often during the first couple of years.

I had this same problem right about four months with my 1st daughter. Another mom recommended the book, Happy Child, Healthy Sleep Habits by Marck Weissbluth.

Even if you don't believe in the "cry it out method," the book is a fascinating read about the sleep rhythms in children and how critical sleep is for babies. Four months old is right about the time when certain areas in the brain are becoming more developed and you can teach your baby how to become a good sleeper. I learned the signs to look for when my baby was tired and I would instantly put her to bed. I learned it's totally normal for a baby to want to go back to bed for their first nap within an hour of waking up. And that an early bedtime (even around 5:30 p.m.) is healthy and normal. Sleep begets sleep. The more they sleep, the more they'll sleep.

Good luck!

get ready for it to change again when she kits 13-15 months. it will constantly change until she gets to an age where she can burn off more energy during the day. i have a 2 year old and three year old. they still have trouble with a steady time.

Hi there! That is so hard when the little ones change up their sleeping habits on us! Couple of things I would do... I would make sure she is getting plenty of good sleep during the day and is not getting overtired, sleep begets sleep as strange as it sounds the better sleep she gets during the day the better she will sleep at night! Also, I would put her in her bed and allow her to put herself to sleep and not let her fall asleep in your arms. We did this with my son, he puts himself to sleep very easily and it is so good for him to know how to do this and soothe himself!

Hope that helps! Let me know if you want to talk a little about scheduling her day so that she does not get overtired, I would love to help!

K.
Helping YOU work from home!
http://www.stayinghomeandhavingfun.com

Hey A., I have the exact same problem. I have a 4 mth old son that was sleeping thru the night at 2 months old. He would go to sleep at 7 or 7:30pm and wake up around 6:30am. However, in the past 2 weeks, he has started waking up at 5:30am and then 4:00am. Like several of your responses, I think my son might be teething. I am going to try the night time oral gel. Let me know what works for you!

A.,
My sister bought us this musical thing from Target that also has a light display up on the ceiling. The machine is blue and has a big yellow star on it. My daughter will watch the light show on the ceiling and listen to the music and fall asleep to that. It's a can't live without for us. Also, your probably not having this problem now, but, when we started feeding protein for dinner. Our baby started staying awake until midnight. Hope all goes well. V.

I suggest reading Baby Wise. You can probably find it on Amazon. It will open your eyes to the benefits of scheduling, routine,and putting your baby down awake. This is my 3rd baby and Ive seen how much better things are using this plan vs not.

The first year of life is one of many changes in the baby. She is still growing (outside your womb). These changes are quite normal, but you might ask your pediatrician why she is suddenly restless. Are you breastfeeding?

I would hold her and rock her and comfort her as long as it takes until her system reaches its "new" stage. Letting a baby "cry herself to sleep" does no good at this age.

if possible, the best method is putting them to bed awake, or slightly drowsy.....

I had this same issue with my son, and it turned out he was just starting teething. A little nighttime Oral gel, and now we're back to normal.

Teething starts well before any actual teeth emerge. If she's swatting at her mouth or really gumming things, I'd say it's teething.