Phoebe’s Sleep Journey: 5-12 Months
Phoebe was sleeping consistently through the night from about 10-12 weeks old. She still didn’t have a day time nap schedule as her night sleep was fine so she didn’t need one. I just let her sleep whenever she wanted to.
4 Month Sleep Regression
At approximately 5.5 months old the 4 month sleep regression hit. I thought we had got away with it! On average it can happen any time between 3-6 months. For Phoebe, this meant she was waking a lot in the night, unable to settle and we were up from around 4am consistently for a couple of weeks.
We tried a couple of things to try and help:
Introduced a dream feed around 10pm. This didn’t really help she was still up at 4am ready to start her day.
Tried rocking her back to sleep when she woke at 4am. This didn’t do anything, she wasn’t used to being rocked to sleep so if anything it made it worse.
It was at this point I reached out to a sleep consultant for advice. She explained the 4 month sleep regression to me, which was really helpful, and advised that a day routine may help to balance out Phoebe’s day and night sleep. One of the reasons she was up and raring to go at 4am was likely because she was sleeping too much in the day. Additionally, waking up around this time and struggling to get back to sleep is really common because sleep hormones (adenosine and melatonin) have worn off and your circadian rhythm and stress hormone (cortisol) is rising and getting ready to wake you up.
So we started with a routine of four 40 minute naps which then quickly became 3 naps once I’d worked out her wake windows.
Her routine was roughly:
7am wake
9am nap for 1 hour
1230 nap for 1 hour 30 minutes.
4pm nap for 20-30 minutes.
Within a few days of getting this routine in place Phoebe was sleeping through the night again. I also found introducing a routine made my day to day life so much easier. I knew when she was going to nap and for how long. This coincided with starting to wean P onto solids so having the routine meant I could fit in meals around naps without worrying when I could fit it all in.
I also decided at this point to try and get one nap a day in the cot. We always had the first nap of the day on the go, I loved going out for a walk every morning with her in the carrier or pram for an hour. So, I decided to try the lunchtime nap in the cot. At this point, I had no consultant training so all I had to go on was controlled crying. I popped Phoebe in the cot at nap time and left the room to see what would happen and she immediately started crying. I think I lasted about 10 seconds before I was in there and had her in my arms.
Cot Practise
I decided to try settling her like I did when she was a newborn. I made it dark, put some gentle music on (Taylor Swift Evermore album was like magic to her - that woman can even make our babies sleep) then I held her until she was calm and then put her in the cot. I stayed with her, shushing and patting her tummy until she settled. It took about 2 weeks of practice before she didn’t need the shushing and patting. I just put the music on and she drifted off whilst I was standing by the cot. She would wake up after one sleep cycle and I would have to resettle her but, again, I did this consistently for a few days before she managed it herself.
The third nap disappeared around 8-9 months. I dropped it gradually by cutting it down. The second nap then moved slightly later and was now 2-2.5 hours.
Moved to her own room
At 8 months we moved Phoebe into her own room. She had outgrown her co-sleeper cot so it was time. She was now napping in her nursery once a day if we were at home so she was comfortable being there. I was really emotional about her moving into her own room but she made no fuss whatsoever, just rolled over and went to sleep. I spent the whole night watching the monitor whilst she snored away.
Recommendations at this age:
5-12 Months Sleep Guide - This can help you with the 4 month sleep regression, other common challenges and building a routine that works for your baby’s individual sleep needs.
Nap Guide - My FREE Nap Guide covers everything you need to know about naps and signs you need to make changes.
Aden & Anais Sleeping Bag - Beautiful soft muslin sleeping bag - amazing for warmer temperatures.
Tommee Tippee Blackout Blind - Helps for light mornings and for a darker environment for nap time. It folds into a bag so perfect for taking with you when travelling.
Snooze Shade - great for pram naps and keeps the sun off your baby.
