Should you let the baby cry it out during sleep regression? There's no “right” answer as to whether or not you can use the Cry It Out (CIO) approach during a sleep regression. This will depend on how comfortable you are with your baby's crying. Nobody knows your baby like you do.
If your baby has been sleeping, but suddenly stops with their normal patterns, it can be frustrating. The good news is, sleep regressions usually last anywhere from two to six weeks, and then your baby's sleep patterns return to normal as suddenly as they changed.
It's common for your baby to be much hungrier during a sleep regression. Some parents also report that their babies are more "clingy" than normal, constantly wanting to be snuggled or held. Baby sleep regressions usually coincide with developmental and/or physical milestone(s).
Share Your Room, Not Your Bed
It's safest for your baby to share your room (but not your bed!) for the first six months or year of their life. Instead of letting your baby snooze in bed with you, put their bassinet or cradle in your room so they're close enough for you to check on them and feed them easily.
How Long Does Sleep Regression Last? Sleep regression is usually temporary. It may go away just as fast as it came on, or it may last for a few weeks or months. In some cases, sleep training may help get things back on track sooner.
This too shall pass – your child's sleep regression is temporary. Most children return to good sleep patterns within a few days, weeks, or, at the most, months. Ask for help. If possible, share nighttime (and daytime) baby duty with your partner or another loved one so you can both get at least some sleep.
The most common cause of sleep regression is your child hitting a developmental milestone. Some other common causes of sleep regression include: Illness: When your child is sick they are often uncomfortable and restless. This will affect the quality of their sleep, sometimes causing it to regress.
Simply put, a sleep regression is a phase that occurs when a baby (or toddler) who was sleeping well for a while suddenly shuns rest. They'll typically wake throughout the night or skip naps altogether.
While some sleep experts take note of regressions around four, eight, 12 and 18 months, the most well-understood and biggest regression is the four-month sleep regression. The four-month sleep regression may happen up to a month early, or a month late. And for some babies, it might not happen at all.
Sleep regressions are most commonly seen around 4 months, 8-10 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months. Some parents also notice sleep changes around 6 months or 14-15 months. Since all babies develop at a different pace, it's possible to see a sleep regression at any age.
Sleep regressions are disruptions in sleep for a baby or toddler who was previously sleeping well. It's when your baby starts waking more at night or his naps worsen out of the blue. These disruptions come at predictable times because they are associated with developmental milestones.
THE 4-MONTH SLEEP REGRESSION
Possibly the worst, and most unavoidable. This regression is characterized by your baby waking every 2-3 hours at night, similar to those first few weeks at home as a newborn.
4-month sleep regression
Before your baby slept deeply, but after turning 4 months, they will now cycle between light and deep sleep. And till they get used to switching cycles, they will wake up in the middle of the night, or even naps, crying inconsolably.
If your baby cries for you, experts suggest that you let her cry for a short interval of between two minutes and 10 minutes, before going to comfort her. You can gently pat and reassure her while she's still in her cot or pick her up and put her down again.
How long to let a baby cry it out? For the cry-it-out method, you let your baby cry until they fall asleep, and rest assured they will. Some babies may protest for 25 minutes, others 65 minutes, and some even longer. It's important not to put a time limit on it (that's a different sleep-training method).
From around 18 months of age, some toddlers who usually sleep well suddenly refuse to go to sleep, or they wake up during the night and do not go back to sleep by themselves. This is known as sleep regression.
If the 4-month sleep regression is over, you may notice that your baby sleeps for longer periods during the night, or even all through the night. If your baby wakes up at night, they are often able to self-soothe and fall back to sleep without your help.
Growth spurts can often bring about sleep issues, but sleep regression and growth spurts are not exactly the same thing. While growth spurts are centered around physical growth, sleep regression is about cognitive and mental growth.