Babies: 3 - 6 Months

Regression still?

My boy, who is 5 months old in a few days, has been having difficult nights since just before turning 4 months old, but not consistently. He started sleeping through the night at 3 months old and then the regression hit and we transferred him to his crib in his own room at the same time, and the first successful night, he didn't even wake up through the night at all. But since then, it's been a cycle of him having a great night, then an okay night, then a bad night and then Iet him sleep in the bassinet in our room so we can both get some sleep, then I move him back and the cycle repeats. All last week I let him sleep in the bassinet following a terrible night, but I had to continue doing it because I was really sick and did not have the ability to get up in the middle of the night to help him go back to sleep. He slept perfectly through the night each night he was in the bassinet. I switched him back to his crib in the nursery on Wednesday night and he repeated the cycle again, but he just has worse sleeps every night and I find myself having to get up more times each night to help him go back to sleep. Could this still be regression related? Or maybe just a crib/different room thing? Sorry for the long description!

Re: Regression still?

  • The “regression” is just babies going through a new stage of development in that their sleep cycles are maturing. Babies will wake after each cycle and if they aren’t comfy/familiar with their environment or have a sleep crutch (sounds like the bassinet and closeness to you) that they rely on to soothe back to sleep. This is why a lot of parents choose to sleep train at this age (myself included) to get baby used to self-soothing in their longer term sleep environment (crib ideally since LO can’t stay in the bassinet forever) to help connect sleep cycles. Other parents choose to continue sleep crutches like rocking, cosleeping, etc. but typically this prolongs the time to true “sleeping through the night.” Please note that babies in both camps may still need or want night feeds as well. 

    All this to say unfortunately the “regression” doesn’t go away. You just unfortunately have to decide how to handle it. Good luck! 
  • Loading the player...
  • I think it’s just preference for bassinet and being close to you! I would practice naps in crib during the day before overnights in the crib to help them get used to crib sleep! 
Sign In or Register to comment.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"