Why Is My 4 Month Old No Longer Sleeping Through the Night?

Sounds like he is hungry. I'd try out rice cereal. Babies develop on their own schedule. If he can handle swallowing rice cereal, there is no reason to wait. Just make it very soupy and see how he does.

this is VERY common. Many babies at around 4 months suddenly become VERY active, rolling etc. and this interrupts their sleep habits. They also CAN start teething at this age which will also affect their sleep habits. They are also more distracted during feedings as their vision expands around this age and suddenly they are very aware of everything going on around them and don't concentrate on eating as much and thus don't eat as well and maybe not "fill up". It's my experience that just when you get things "down", it all changes and you have to adjust. He's a bit young for crying it out or sleep training so you may just need to offer him the breast MORE before putting him down for the night or at his 11pm feeding, do both sides, maybe even wake him if he falls asleep to make sure he's getting enough. If he's waking due to rolling over, a sleep positioner can help. I would stick to your gut and not give him food until he's 6 months. Its the recommendation and this is likely a phase and with some diligence in his feeding and patience he'll get beyond it.It's really difficult though, so good luck!

Hi R.,

I have a 4.5 month old girl who wakes up as much, if not more than your son. Unfortunately, she has never slept through the night. The longest she's ever given me is 5 hours and she only did that a couple of nights! I've given her cereal in her bottle and by spoon (which she LOVES by the way) and it doesn't seem to stretch out the sleep times. Her pediatrician says that cereal does not help for this anyway, it's mainly just to get them ready for other solids.

My daughter used to be pretty consistent about nursing every 3 hours round the clock, even through the night. This last week has been a tough one for me, where I'm up every half hour to hour with her. I won't nurse her more frequently but I still get up and most times, just giving her the pacifier puts her right back to sleep.

It's tough to not get good sleep, especially since I work full time, but I figure it's temporary and it'll will be done soon. I'll check what other people have written and hopefully I can get some good tips myself!

Mainly, I just wanted to write and let you know that you're not alone! Good luck!

I would think of teething or something else that may be hurting. If he's drooling, has a drippy nose, or loose stools, teething could be the culprit. If it sounds like a painful cry when he wakes up, I'd suspect some kind of pain. If he's had a stuffy nose, I'd get his ears checked. Ear infections can sneak up on you out of nowhere and cause major sleeping problems because the pressure changes when a baby lays down and it hurts their ears. Good luck. :)

Hi R. - he could be going through a growth spurt or something. I know my baby boy went through that around the same time when he was starting to hit certain milestones. I didn't put rice or anything in his bottle, it stopped eventually and now he sleeps better than ever. Good luck - I know how precious good sleep is!

R.,

I have both a 4.5 year old and a 19 month old and I nursed both of them past 1 year. One thing I've learned is that sleep in babies is always sporatic and it changes constantly. Around 4 months old babies go through huge developmental spurts so they are more aware of their surroundings and awake more. They may also be hungry more because they are growing so much. Many babies also start teething around this age and that certainly doesn't help. Do what you can to promote good sleep habits (bedtime routine, boring stuff during night waking - low lights, no talking) and try to nurse your baby as much as possible during the day. At 4 months old they become a lot more distractable and it is difficult to get them to focus long enough for a full feed during the day (a dim room with the tv off is helpful). But if they are getting enough calories during the day they are less likely to wake as much during the day.

Good luck,
T.

He is almost at the age when he needs to start eating "solids" and he sounds big, so maybe he is hungry. Is he going through any developmental milestones? My daughter started waking up when she learned to roll over. I knew in my head that I should just let her work it out (like I did with my first baby) but she was sleeping in our room (due to a small house) and she had this REALLY harsh grating cry that I could not stand it and I would pick her up and nurse her. I was stuck doing that for a long time. First, rule out any medical reasons (is he getting a stuffy nose?, teething?) Give the cereal a try. Start feeding him during the day, his tummy might need to get used to the cereal (boy, are his poops going to smell!!) and then give it to him before bed. Then, see what happens.

There are these wonderful things called sleep regressions. They happen at large milestones in a babies development. check out this woman's blog... it will explain a lot for you! Hang in there, I remember 4 months was a really bad time for us. My child was up every hour... he is now at an 8 month sleep regression (i'm not sleeping at all!!!) they do subside however, we have great periods for a while!

http://moxie.blogs.com/askmoxie/2006/02/qa_what_are_sle.html

Also, check out this site... thereis no evidence that rice cereal helps babies to sleep. Also, it is best for your child to be exclusively breastfed/formula fed for at least 6 months. When my baby started rice cereal it did not help!! Listen to your instincts, you are doing a great job.

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/delay-solids.html

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-sleep.html

It sounds like a growth spurt to me. When this happened to us, we had to feed them at 5 or 6pm and then again right before bed. I also upped my calcium in the am and pm so that they got enough to allow them to sleep. Calcium is a natural nervous system relaxant and if the body isn't getting enough, then sleep is interuppted. He's not sleeping because he has a rice deficiency.

This is the calcium I take, which is complete with 7 different types of calcium with magnesium and I swear by it. My kids have all slept through the night when I took it daily. I take 3 in the am and 5 in the pm and my 8 week old baby wakes once in the middle of the night to nurse.

http://www.worldlifesupplements.com/products_main.html

I think that everyone is so quick to give cereal to sleep. Breastfed babies tend to eat more frequently. I have a 3 1/2 month old who slept 7-8.5 hours straight(he is doing the same thing yours has been the last couple week or so). I also have a 3 1/2 year old. She woke up every couple hours. Once I finally gave her cereal, she still woke up every few hours. It doesn't necessarily change. You have to wait till his system can handle it. I am not sure cause he is a good size. Best thing-talk to your pediatrician.

I totally empathize with you! We just went through this during the entire 4 month period with my daughter. She was the BEST sleeper until the day she turned 4 months. For four straight weeks she tossed and turned, rolled over, cried out and woke us up pretty much all night long. I think learning new tricks (rolling, getting up on all fours, talking a ton kept her brain active at night). Also, she was teething like crazy!

She was taking great naps during the day. One thing I did notice is that her schedule was adjusting at this time to 3 naps a day (she was sleeping a lot more than that before) and she was getting tired earlier and waking earlier. I think they do get things straightened out. My DD will be 5 months next week and things are getting ALOT better. Hang in there!I know you feel like a zombie without any sleep...but he will outgrow this phase.

A few things to try...teething tablets or tylenol at bedtime. Another feeding snuck in there during the night before you go to bed (the dream feed).

If you are not ready for rice cereal, than wait...we did try it and it didn't seem to help much in the sleep department, although my daughter gets really excited for her cereal in the morning making it kind of fun.

Hi R., I think your husband is right about the rice, but give him rice cereal in an infant feeder, or bottle, all 3 of my babies we are rice cereal at 6 weeks all slept through the night at 6 weeks, also babies do go through diferent sleep habits, especially if they are being let up when they wake up. J.

Dear R.,
I agree with some of the other moms; sleep habits are one of those things that constantly change and your son is probably just going through a growth spurt. From what you wrote, it sounds like he's hungry. If he is taking in a full feeding, I think he needs it. Although I understand that waking up so much is very difficult, hopefully he will get back on a good schedule soon enough! Aloha-AM

sounds like a growth spurt..... when my 3 m/o has one it lasts for about 2 weeks..... he started again a few days ago, and hes like 14 lbs.... running riiiiiiiiiiight behind ya :)

I had the same issue. My daughter was sleeping well and then all of a sudden around 4 months she was getting up a lot at night. All the books I have read advise that rice cereal will not make your child sleep longer. I waited until she was 5 1/2 months to try it and it did not make a difference. Many friends also say that this has happened to them around 4 months and that they just stop sleeping through the night. I have read that often it is that they are developmentally growing and want to spend time learning new tricks and also they realize that you are still there even though they can't see and they want to spend time playing and socializing with you. Your son probably doesn't want to eat. My daughter wakes up to be soothed and rocked back to sleep and wants to nurse just for the compfort and to be put back to sleep not for the nutrition. I have fallen into a terrible trap now that she is waking up so much since she knows I will respond. I am thinking I might have to start sleep training and just let her cry it out and learn to fall alseep on her own. Otherwise I think when she is older I will still have sleep problems with her. One tip I wish I had moved her to her crib earlier instead of being next to me in the bassinett! I responded to her every wimper and now she can't sleep without us! Good Luck!

I had the EXACT same problem!!!! My great sleeper was suddenly waking up every 2 hours @ night, and no one in our house was happy. He was exclusively breast fed, and after speaking to the doctor and monitoring his eating habits during the day - we determined that i wasn't producing enough milk and he was so hungry that he couldn't sleep. Per our doctor's advice we now have to supplement formula (NOT very happy about that) and she gave me the green light for rice cereal to help keep his belly full. Now, I'm not saying that you are not producing enough, but you might want to speak with your doctor about starting the rice cereal so he will be full at bedtime.
Since making these changes with my son, he has gone back to his wonderful sleeping habits and all is good in the Reed home.
oh! If you DO decide to start cereal, beware of constipation! My little guy didn't go for a week ... we gave hime a little prune juice in his bottle and he had a blowout! Thankfully, that happened on Daddy's watch! Ha!

Teething Pain! Hyland's homeopathic tablets. Best of Luck. Our son is almost done getting all his baby teeth, but it is quite a ride sometimes!

He could be teething early.

Hi R.,
My baby boy just started going through the exact same thing 2 nights ago. He's only 3 months old, but he was also sleeping about 7 hours a night waking to eat only once a night & then everything just went crazy. He now wakes every 3 hours to eat and can't be coaxed back to sleep as quickly. I received advice from everyone that it's just a phase and that he'll be back to his normal sleep pattern in a week or so. All I can say is that I hope it's sooner than later.

Hi R.!

I believe there are different period where babies have sleep regressions, where their sleep gets all messed up. There is a great site that talks about all of the tough spots in sleeping patterns with our little ones.

http://moxie.blogs.com/askmoxie/2005/12/quick_and_dirty.html

I don't know that cereal would help and if you were trying not to do solids until 6 months, go with your gut.

Hugs!

Hi R.,
Since your son is 4 months old he is probably teething. My girls started getting teeth at 3 and 4 months of age. Is he slobbering a lot? If his gums are hurting you can put baby orajel on his gums and he won't be waking up because they won't be hurting. You might be able to feel little hard spots under the gum.
If he is not teething he may be going through a growth spirt and need the extra rice cereal at night for his last feeding.Also are you drinking enough water everyday and eating healthy so you have enough milk.It is starting to get hotter so you need to be drinking even more water.
Good Luck, D.

This sounds like a normal 4 month old. Around this time sleep patterns change and will change several times during the first year. At this stage he is probably going to have a growth spurt and/or starting to cut his first tooth so he is hungry. Also, it is normal for a baby at this age to wake every couple of hours to feed. It isn't a bad habit and isn't try to manipulate you. He cannot be spoiled and does not understand why you are not feeding him. I have read that the additional rice cereal does not guarantee that he will sleep longer, so please keep nursing him for as long as possible.

Please check out the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby by Weissbluth. This is a great tool and gives some much needed tips. I still refer to it and my daughter is 22 months.

My 8 month old red headed snuggle bug, has had times where he struggles at night also. It could be a growth spurt. Babies tend to just need more food during this time.
It could be his teeth (although it's a little early, but possible). There are several reasons he could be having trouble at night. My best guess would be the later. My son was a GREAT sleeper as well. Going to bed about 8:00 and not waking until 5:30 for a feeding. Then going back to bed till about 7:00-7:30. When he was getting his first tooth and it was on the verge of poking through... we went through a week and a half of about 4 times a night waking. Once it poked through, it got alot better again.

Of course, I'm up now at 4:20am because he had me up again tonight 4 times... not sure what it was tonight... if you know it's not a tooth and it persists, my best suggestion would be to maybe contact your pediatrician. He may not be feeling well. I always er on the side of precaution and would rather be safe than sorry. If you think something may be wrong with your little man, better to take him in and just make sure. Or maybe even just a call to get some insight without taking him in yet.

Hope that helps! Good luck!!!

This doesn't sound unusual to me. Are you sure he's not hungry? Is he rooting around when you pick him up? My son is 6 months and is usually up around 12/3/6. Also, he might might be going through a growth spurt or beginning to teeth. My son is starting to teeth and was up last night at 12/2/4/6. Their little bodies are growing and changing so fast that it can easily impact their sleeping and nursing patterns. One final thing, you mentioned that he sleeps in a cradle in your room...could he be outgrowing his cradle? My son slept in an Arms Reach mini crib next to my bed until he was 4 months old and we were having lots of problems with nighttime sleeping. The doctor suggested that he was getting big and may have outgrown his current crib. We shifted him to his big crib in his nursery and he his sleep patterns at night immediately improved. It was pretty hard on me. I slept in the guest room next to him with the monitor pressed to my ear for the first week, but he was much happier and comfortable sleeping in the bigger crib. Good luck figuring this out. They are precious little puzzles.

Hi R.,
Your son's sleep patterns will constantly change as he grows. Learning new things and teething will also change his sleep behaviour. However, he does sound like he's hungry. I had to start solid food at 4 months old because my son was constantly hungry and drinking more and more formula. I know you wanted to wait longer to start solid foods, however, as new parents we sometimes have ideas about how we want things to be but the baby has his own ideas about how things should be. At 4 months my pediatrician said to start rice cereral right away. See what your doctor says. A full stomach will help him sleep better.

My son is 5 now. Some days he eats as much as an adult. He is the youngest in his class but he is one of the tallest (and he's skinny). It looks like you are also blessed with a good eater! I have friends who have kids who won't eat a thing....

Good luck!

My first son did a similar thing. My Pediatrician suggested he may be teething and recommended giving Tylenol. It worked the first night. Hit and miss after that, but seemed to help. Alternated with Motrin. Hope you get sleep soon!