Community› The Bump Message Boards› Babies: 3 - 6 Months
Babies: 3 - 6 Months
New Discussion

4 month old will not stay asleep

ErinJakeErinJake
in Babies: 3 - 6 Months
My daughter will be 4 months on Saturday and she will not stay asleep at night! She takes a couple naps per day, one in the am for about an hour, and a longer one in the afternoon for 1-2 hours. She starts getting sleepy around 6:30 so I have stuck with the routine starting at 6:00 of bathing her, putting lotion on her, putting jammies on, feeding, changing diaper and then putting her down. She falls asleep within a couple minutes and really doesn't fuss much at all which has been amazingly easy. Then, 45-60 minutes later, she's awake. Most of the time she'll just wake up and talk for a few minutes until she starts getting upset. I've tried letting her cry it out (10-15 minutes+) and she will not put herself back to sleep. Last night I went in there 4 times before 9pm and picked her up, calmed her, put her down and again, she'll fall asleep within a couple minutes, but then she's up 20-40 minutes later. I KNOW she's tired! I don't know how to keep her asleep!! By about midnight she's so tired out that she'll sleep until 5 or so.... I didn't have this issue with my first child so I don't know what to do at all. She's not hungry, she's not gassy, not teething... I'm almost positive she's not over-stimulated or over-tired. It's like she just doesn't like to sleep. This has been happening for about 3 or 4 weeks. HELP!
Report Reply to Post

Re: 4 month old will not stay asleep

  • TeacherVickyTeacherVicky member
    Could this be the famous 4 month wakeful I keep hearing about?
    Lilypie First Birthday tickers

    Lilypie Third Birthday tickers

    Report Reply
  • Loading the player...
  • ErinJakeErinJake
    I read something about that too, but it's been happening since right about when she turned 3 months old. I suppose it could still be that, but I dont' know if I should just stop trying to put her down so early and somehow keep her awake for a couple more hours?  I think if I did that, I'd have a harder time getting her to sleep at that time. Also, she's usually due to eat around 6:30, and she almost falls asleep already during that so I feel like I'd have that issue if I tried moving her bedtime back. 
    Report Reply
  • Brady77Brady77 member

    Is she exclusively breast fed?  Have you noticed her kind of looking around and not finishing meals?  My daughter started doing this around 3 months and I finally realized that she was waking because she was not satiated, even if I could rock her put her back to sleep w/o feeding she just wasn't "full" so she couldn't transition to the next sleep cycle which sounds about what yours is doing since it is every 45 minutes or so.

    It went on like this for about 6 weeks until I introduced some cereal in the evening last week.  Now I get a 4 and a 7 hour stretch out of her w/o her waking (other than the one time to eat...but even that has returned to being a dream feed).

    It may be that the milk just isn't holding her even if she isn't showing overt signs of hunger.

    Report Reply
  • Amitchell0626Amitchell0626 member
    I'd just put her down for a nap around that 6/630 time when she's sleepy, then do the bedtime routine and down for the night later in the evening. DD often has a nap in the evening, then we do the bedtime routine anywhere between 730-9pm
    image imageimage Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker BabyFruit Ticker
    Report Reply
  • MrsEllis10MrsEllis10 member

    imageTeacherVicky:
    Could this be the famous 4 month wakeful I keep hearing about?

    THIS! 

    image
    Lilypie First Birthday tickers Lilypie Second Birthday tickers Daisypath Anniversary tickers
    Report Reply
  • ErinJakeErinJake
    She gets about half and half. Her feeding before bed is always formula, so I know she's full!  I read about the sleep cycles too, and that's totally what it is--she's waking up instead of transitioning to the next one.  I don't know how to make that easier for her.
    Report Reply
  • ErinJakeErinJake
    I thought about letting the 6pm time be her naptime, but I just feel like if she's sleeping for 45 minutes to an hour at 6, how can she be ready for bed by 8:30ish? And I read that at this age, bedtime should be early, as in 6 or 7.  Then I fall back into the whole, I know she's tired and I don't want her to be overtired.  I guess it's worth a try though, since the schedule I'm trying to build is obviously not working for her! :)
    Report Reply
  • lanboblanbob member
    Oh wow did you say 3-4 weeks!!! My son has been waking up almost every hour @ night  for the past 4 nights. Every once in a while he will sleep 2 hours but I NEED SLEEP! We have been bed sharing since 2 months ( I have my own bed in his room). I am hoping this is just part of a growth spurt. Sorry i don't have any advise but I hope LO gets back right soon.
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
    Report Reply
  • emily.rejackemily.rejack

    I see this was posted a couple months ago... Have you worked it out yet? And if you did, HOW?

    Ive been experiencing the same problem with my son who is four month old. This has been going on for two days shy of four weeks. FOUR WEEKS. And our doctor wasnt any help. Im exhausted and at my wits end... Please tell me it ends??

    Report Reply
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"