4 month wakeful is overrated.

IrishCoffee7 · February 2011

LOL flame me if you want but I feel like every time a kid goes through a rough patch in the sleep department it's the "four month wakeful." I'm not saying it completely doesn't exist, but it doesn't matter if the kid is 3 months or 5 months or anywhere in between, if they suddenly have one growth spurt that lasts 2 days or a whole month of getting up every hour. It's all the "4 month wakeful." I'm starting the think the real "4 month wakeful" is just the simple fact that almost every kid goes through a bad sleep spell.

WDYT?

neferhathor · February 2011

i agree. it's just a growth spurt which means LO needs more food.

yourmom5309 · February 2011

I never even noticed it with DD1. I am hoping it will be the same for DD2.

RisaRie · February 2011

I tend to agree. I was really hoping that we were going through a '4month wakeful' period in the hopes that it would magically end once he hit 5 months but I was just kidding myself and we've been having crap sleeping issues now for almost two months. I think it has more to do with DS's development (rolling over, and now teething) rather than he hit 4 months and now he won't sleep.

uluvfranke · February 2011

I have just noticed she has been much more awake.She quit taking naps for about two weeks so far and wakes up twice a night.I'm tired,but I figure it's just her body changing.

JBrianne · February 2011

Agreed heckysue. It' driving me a little bsc. It's just a growth spurt, all babies have them and they happen pretty frequently. Get over it.

[Deleted User] · February 2011

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SweetPeanis · February 2011

I disagree. DD#1 went through it and now DD#2 is going through it. If it was just a growth spurt I would imagine it would be like every other growth spurt. But DD#2 is up for hours on end in the middle of the night. It's not just that she wants to eat, she just won't sleep. She has had more than enough growth spurts too but this is a totally different beast.

But the 4 month wakeful is one of those things that either you believe in or you don't. I'm a believer.

ZoeyMarie · February 2011

I think parents in general get a little spoiled when they have a newborn or young baby who sleeps a lot. When that changes, they have to blame something and so, the 4 month wakeful. Not saying there isn't something behind it, but I think it's more that baby is starting to become a little independant and really notice things. For mine personally, I think it's a combination of teething, trying to get him to sleep in his crib, and trying new foods as well as developmental mile stones. The reason they all seem to happen around 4 months? Well, general consensus is that you can start sleep training then, start baby food (at least cereal) and more milestones are met...

SweetPeanis · February 2011

heckysue:
***SweetPea***:

I disagree. DD#1 went through it and now DD#2 is going through it. If it was just a growth spurt I would imagine it would be like every other growth spurt. But DD#2 is up for hours on end in the middle of the night. It's not just that she wants to eat, she just won't sleep. She has had more than enough growth spurts too but this is a totally different beast.

But the 4 month wakeful is one of those things that either you believe in or you don't. I'm a believer.

I guess based on the posts I see here every kid just seems to be different. DS went through that, and seems to just be pulling out of it now...but it happened at 3 months. I see it happen on here at 5 months...I see it be a few days or a few weeks...it just seems like most babies go through a hard spell at some point. Maybe for some babies it's a 4 month thing, but others it's not.
But, I was just curious what people thought so not being argumentative. Just curious.

Yeah I get that. I think it has more to do with the developmental milestones. Right around the time that they start being a little more aware and start rolling and what not, that's when it all goes to hell in a handbasket.

I was never blessed with a great sleeper to begin with. She still nursing anywhere from 3-5 hours at night so this up every 2 hours and up for 2 hours straight stuff is starting to get to me. lol

And I know for certain that kids sleep like crap at all ages. Heck my 2 year old still wakes up anywhere from 0-3 times a night.

sillypit · February 2011

I agree, DD went through HELL sleeping from 3-4 months but the day she hit 4 months she started STTN until she hit a growth spurt and hasn't quite gotten back to STTN. It's just a normal part of the evolution of babies.

HairStylinWifey · February 2011

Obviously, Abigail isnt quite 4 months yet, but I totally agree. There are so many posts complaining about this and it seems like what they are describing is pretty normal and nothing special.

I wouldnt say I've been blessed with an amazing sleeper(just sttn first time last night-yay!) but I havent experienced these horrible "is this the 5 week and 2 day growth spurt?" issues, so I dont expect to deal with the magic 4 month wakeful. (hoping and praying I didnt just jenx myself Wink )

eag0299 · February 2011

Whatever it is, I was NOT expecting it! I thought I had it made with a 2-3 month old that STTN. I was like man, following this Baby Whisperer really paid off. Then BAM....she started waking up all the time. I think that's what made it so traumatizing/stressful, the fact that it was so unexpected. Whatever it is, I'm hoping it goes away soon!!

KelzinBoston · February 2011

My kid has been in the 4 month wakeful for 2.5 months now.

He so wins!

lcmenard · February 2011

Your baby is only 4 months and 1 day old though... I was also hoping it's a myth but for some reason, my LO has been sleeping horribly since Friday. He was never a good sleeper, never sttn, but over the last 3 nights, he's been waking up every hour and just wanting to hang out and look at me. It is torture. So, I hope it's just a random wakeful time that happened at 4 months and won't last more than a few days. And I hope for you that you did not talk too fast

JuliaBug · February 2011

I have also heard that the 4 month wakeful is associated with rolling over. The wakefulness and rolling over happened concurrently with DS. When I go into his room in the middle of the night, he's pulling on his toes and rolling back and forth to his sides. DS went from waking up once a night to every 2 hours this weekend and it sucks.

wife1014 · February 2011

I completely agree. I answered a post with an answer similar to what you are saying the other day.

Ananke · February 2011

The 4 month wakeful is actually a documented response to a major mental leap that occurs around that time. It's just a symptom of a larger issue. All babies go through the leap, but it affects each differently. Laid back babies tend to handle he universe changing leap pretty well and may not wake at all, while sensitive and high needs babies tend to freak out. It's real, it's not a growth spurt (although one can happen at the same), and it's not some myth we use to try to make excuses. There is a book called The Wonder Weeks that describes this and many other leaps babies go through and how to help them through it.

detokiet · March 2011

jjhindermann:
I think parents in general get a little spoiled when they have a newborn or young baby who sleeps a lot. When that changes, they have to blame something and so, the 4 month wakeful. Not saying there isn't something behind it, but I think it's more that baby is starting to become a little independant and really notice things. For mine personally, I think it's a combination of teething, trying to get him to sleep in his crib, and trying new foods as well as developmental mile stones. The reason they all seem to happen around 4 months? Well, general consensus is that you can start sleep training then, start baby food (at least cereal) and more milestones are met...

This. DS has been STTN since roughly 8 weeks. I think I find it harder to get up in the middle of the night with him when he has a rough night and wakes up, than I would if I was USED to getting up with him every night. Luckily he doesn't have too many rough nights, though they've been more frequent lately. A lot of times it's just really early mornings (like 4 instead of the normal 5/5:30). Plus this last week or so has sucked because he's teething / has a cold and both DH and I have been sick. Although I think the cold has finally run its course.

My view: he wakes up because he needs something - whether it's a bottle, to be held, or because he's decided it's playtime (those nights are the worst, I think, because it's harder to get him to go back to sleep).

hoping4sticky · March 2011

I read this post last night and totally agreed with you. Apparently I did not knock on wood. I have been super lucky with an easy baby that sleeps 10-12 hours a night. She is 4 months tomorrow and last night she woke up at 4 and was just awake and talking. She talked for an hour and then got cranky. This has never happened before, and all I could think about was this stupid post:)

abs05 · March 2011

I agree. Like slwhatley said, I haven't seen much on the 4 month wakeful outside of the bump. I may eat my words next month, but I just don't get it. Maddie has slept through the night a handful of times, but she usually still wakes up atleast once. It is just part of the game..no big deal.

hoping4sticky · March 2011

amy052006:

slwhatley:
Outside of the bump, I've never even heard of the 4 month wakeful. It's hard to find any information about it on the internet - I've tried. It's mostly just baby boards repeating the same nonsense.

Spencer slept through the night for a total of 3 weeks and that was at least 2 months ago. I wake up with my child a minimum of 4 times per night, but I try not to complain about it. I knew long before I started trying to conceive that having a baby would mean I would get less sleep. Besides, the reward of being Spencer's mom is so worth it to me.

I get tired, but that's just the name of the game, IMO.

THANK YOU! I mean, google 4 month wakeful. You get a kellymom article and a bunch of Bump posts.

I'm not saying not sleeping doesn't suck, especially after they sleep through the night. But that doesn't mean the Bump gets to just make up a developmental stage.

I'll take this a step further and I say I do not know one person off of the Bump who uses this term.

I will say that I have seen it a couple times referring to REM sleep. Supposedly, around 4 months is when babies transition from all REM sleep to REM sleep cycles more similar to adults. Theory being that the babies are not used to the lighter sleep cycle and wake up, sometimes every cycle.

Ananke · March 2011

slwhatley:
amy052006:

THANK YOU! I mean, google 4 month wakeful. You get a kellymom article and a bunch of Bump posts.
I'm not saying not sleeping doesn't suck, especially after they sleep through the night. But that doesn't mean the Bump gets to just make up a developmental stage.
I'll take this a step further and I say I do not know one person off of the Bump who uses this term.

I've never heard this from any mom outside of the bump. I've also never seen mention of it in the 5 baby books I've read so far.

The 4 month wakeful is really just a nickname, hence the reason googling it really doesn't help. But, if you look up when milestones happen, major ones happen around the time, and one of the side effects of major milestones is wakefulness. https://www.thewonderweeks.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=69&Itemid=167

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