Advice for 4 Month Old Waking up at Night

Both of my daughters did that when they were about to hit a growth spurt. They slept through the night prior to that and after the spurt had passed, so I don't think you have too much to worry about. Especially since he's eating and going right back down.

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It's pretty typical for the sleep schedule to change sometimes, especially if he is in a growth spurt, and may need a little more milk. I actually have a three month old (my second) that just went through this last week, and this week he is back on his sleep through the night schedule. I think it was just to increase my supply as he grows, and now that there's more milk, he's happy again :) I don't think you are doing anything wrong-you are meeting the need that the baby has, and that's the best you can do at this tender age.

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Hi E. -

There are a lot of great responses here, but I had to add my thoughts too. :)

At 4 months, my second baby (who had been sleeping all night) started waking at least once or twice during the night. At this age they are becoming more aware and they start to miss you and actively seek to have you near by. This is not manipulation--remember, it's a good thing when baby wants mommy because mommy is good! It is never a bad habit for a baby to want to nurse or be close to you at night--he cannot reason that daytime needs are any different than nighttime needs, so you being there for him is confirmation of that and tells him that he can trust you (babies need physical confirmation of this, otherwise they just feel abandoned). Also, babies do have growth spurts even at this age, so I would encourage you to trust your instincts and feed him. As far as getting enough sleep goes, I have found that cosleeping allows me to sleep through night feedings and get the rest I need and the baby gets the closeness they long for. I didn't start out that way, but after raising 4 babies, I have learned so much, and my husband is just as happy about the arrangment as I am because he too gets to sleep more. There are safe ways to make it work, and I love it because it meets my needs and my baby's! :) Also, I know many working moms enjoy cosleeping because it helps strengthen the bond between mom and baby since they aren't together as much during the daytime.

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Trust your instincts and trust your baby. He's saying he needs you at night. It's warmer now and he may be thirsty or he may be growing and need to eat a little more or he may just need YOU! I'm a lactation consultant in private practice in seattle and this sounds perfectly normal. Meeting his needs will not create a habit. You're simply meeting his needs. Congratulations for taking such good care of your baby!

If you want to talk more about sleep, I also do a lot of sleep consultations with my clients. you can find me at www.second9months.com

R. Beebe, IBCLC

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Just like anyone, he might be thirsty at night. If you're solely breastfeeding, your milk is his food AND drink. LOL, and I was given some great advice from my Doctor who has 4 kids of her own (I was a worrywart!): she said "For the first year or two, nothing is normal; as soon as you think you've got a pattern figured out, or you think you know what they want, bingo, they change. You just have to adapt with them because they are growing and developing really fast!".

I've gotten up to nurse my son at night (even as much as 4 or 5 times when he was going through a growth spurt!), and he is a happy, contented baby. Currently, his body has been satisfied throughout the night with his last nursing and a little cereal, so he's sleeping all the way through, but if he does wake up again in the future, I'll be there to provide his nutrition;)

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How do you put him down for the night? Do you nurse him to sleep? If you do, it is possible that he is waking up and needs you to get back to sleep. And if that's the case then you could be starting a habit, whether or not it's bad depends on how you feel about it. If he knows how to soothe himself and get himself back to sleep than he is probably just teething or going through a growth spurt or something. Even if he does need you to nurse him back to sleep - my oldest son did this as well, and I always just nursed him back to sleep and eventually he went back to sleeping through the night. With my younger sons I couldn't deal with the perpetual sleepless nights so I sleep-trained them. Both ways worked, (sleep-training worked faster, but was harder in the short run) it just depends on what you are comfortable with.

If he is waking up because he is hungry, then you aren't creating a bad habit. All my sons did this. They would sleep through the night, and then go through a spell when they wouldn't, and then go back to sleeping through the night. If you feel like he needs it and is ready you could try some rice cereal. Whatever it is, good luck! Lack of sleep can be so hard...

could be a growth spurt or he could be getting new skills. my son would wake randomly when he was learning to roll over, sit up and crawl. make sure he get lots of practice during the day if he is starting to roll over. if it lasts more then a week you may have re-enforced his wake up by feeding him in which case your husband should stick with it until he goes back to sleep without giving him to mum for a munch.

Hi,

I would let him fuss for a few minutes before going to him (he could be fussing in his sleep and when you go to him you wake him up). Then, check/change his diaper. Also check that he is staying warm enough (if you have air conditioning) or cool enough. He also (even at this young age) could be teething, or has lost his binky if he uses one. Growth spurts can also affect sleep habits. Just make sure that whatever you do during the night, is done without talking, eye contact, or bright light. This will ensure that he understands it is still sleep time.

Hi E.,

Have you tried adding cereal to his dinner feeding? Our son was hungry and at 4 months, we added some cereal (rice or oats) to his dinner, and he started to sleep through the night again with no problem. You may not think he is hungry, but if he is nursing at all, that could be it- he might just need a bit more to get him through the night, especially if you are nursing and not using formula.
Good luck!
C.

that is almost exactly what my son did. he started sleeping through the entire night at about 3 months... then randomly started waking up a few times in the middle of the night. i would get used to the nights where he would sleep through and would frustrate me when he would start these middle of the night wake ups. i did the same as you are, i would give him a bottle and that would calm him down and he would go right back to sleep. my son is now a year old... and he is back to sleeping through the night with occational nights where he will wake up at like 5am... to be honest i dont think you are doing anything wrong. just be patient. he will get back to a regular sleep habbit.

Find yourself very lucky that you had those precious nights of sleep since he was 8 weeks. Now you are experiencing what most of us did. It's so normal for him to be up (sorry to tell you that!)

my son is 7 months and he wakes every nite at 1am and 5 or 6am to eat. It's normal he is just hungery. My husband and I tried to everything to change this, thinking it was a habit. We tried feeding him more during the day ( bad idea;-))) to letting him fuss for awhile. Once in awhile if we have been out all day he will sleep through the nite but then wakes starving. Hope this at least helps the not knowing part-
Lynelle

My guess is that he's going through a growth spurt and really is hungry. Other reasons that babies start waking during the night would be because they're learning a new skill (esp. just before they start crawling or walking) and teething, but he's probably too young to be teething.
My babies never slept that well at 4 months so I'd say you're pretty lucky, but I know it can be hard when you're working.
I would definitely say you're not doing anything wrong, though. Responding to your baby's needs and figuring out what works for your family is all you can do. There is never one right answer with babies.
Good luck!
A.

My almost 5 month old daughter is doing the same thing. I think it's teething, since she wakes up more loudly now and seems in pain. Could be the same for your son. I don't think there's much we can do to help, but ride out the lack of sleep!

Good luck!

He sounds like he's in a growth spurt. They can wake up more and eat or just wake up and need some comforting before they'll go back to sleep. It should stop soon.
Sorry I don't have better words of wisdom, but they normally go thru that every 2 months.

My guess is teething pain starting. It's always worst at night, so try some Tylenol or Ibuprofen, teething tablets or Orajel and see if that helps. Here's to the first of many sleepless nights. My best advice is to change your attitude about sleep. It makes such a difference in your day to wake up with a good attitude rather than a grouchy one because you feel robbed of your sleep. My baby is 14 months old and did not sleep more than 2 hours at a time until he was 11 months, and although I thought I'd never survive it, somehow I did. But choosing to not blame him and be thankful for the sleep I got made a huge difference in my day.

Babies don't settle into a real circadian rhythm (the sleep cycle your adult body settles into) for several years. They are constantly adjusting and readjusting sleep based on whatever their body is doing. Perhaps your baby is teething. I know it sounds early, but mine got 2 teeth at 4 months. This was awful for sleeping, day and night. He never really slowed down until he had his first 16 teeth at less than 1 year. Teething aside, babies just go through several sleep cycle adjustments throughout. Unfortunately, this isn't easy for us to adjust to. But, good luck anyway!

That is VERY normal around 4 months, it's just a growth spurt and it will stop after awhile. Feed him and put him right back down. If ever he starts falling asleep before eating everything, then you can start soothing without feeding.

I'm a mother of a 5yr old boy and we were lucky to have him sleep through the night but at times he was out of the normal routine I came to learn it was teeth...yes I know it sounds like he is young but my son had 4 by 6months old!

What I did was use some oraljel....I heard the pros and cons but I'm a working Mom also and I know sleep is needed.
Best of luck!

My son has done the same thing on and off. I think its when he is going through a growth spurt! He will do this for a week or so then he is back to his normal sleep schedule! I always get right to feeding him so that he doesn't wake all the way up and that helps to not make a habit outta this whole thing. Just my opinion, I hope this helps!

My son is almost 4 months, and while he has never slept through the night, up until now he would only wake once or twice. This week, however, we are in sleep hell. He just learned how to roll over, which I've heard can disrupt a baby's sleep. Last night he was up 4 times! :( I'm just trying to roll with it, co-sleep when necessary and repeat the phrase "This too shall pass" over and over again. Best of luck!

Sounds like a growth spurt probably will last about a week or two and then be back to normal.

First I want to say that every baby is different. My first child woke up every 4 hours day & night for the first 2 months. My second would sleep through the night & I actually had to wake her up in the morning to feed her. My third had no discernable schedule - good nights horrible nights etc.. My fourth baby was up alot at night for a few weeks only & my fifth is still waking up at night at least once and he is 14 months old. Ive been told to not go in and get him right away. to let him cry a bit and see if he will comfort himself back to sleep. however this doesnt work with him - he just goes into histericks. maybe it would work for you. if not just know all kids are different but if you are concerned ask your doctor.