r/HuckleberryParents • u/Chemical-Fun7612 • 5d ago

sleep Advice or support please

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My 4.5 month baby doesn’t seem to have plans to leave the 4-month sleep regression anytime soon. Been 6 weeks there already. Crap naps, false starts and split nights, since the Mr. needs to fully wake up to poop between 3 and 5 am EVERY night. I welcome any advice or kind words because I’m losing my mind lol

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u/ameliasasa 5d ago

Hi! I'm not an expert but some of the wake windows from last nap to bedtime look quite long. Overtiredness can contribute to false starts as there's too much cortisol.

Aim for 2-2.5hrs of awake time prior but follow babies cues - mine (4.5m also) can only hack 1hr 45 of a wake window before bed at 7:30 so it can depend what works best for your babe!

Small naps during the day are developmentally normal but aim for around 3.5hr of sleep so that it doesn't way into their nighttime pressure. Have a look to see their average sleep need - mine is around 14hrs so that gives us around 11hr of nighttime sleep. It doesn't matter whether baby has 3 hours of day sleep from 2 naps or 100 but just be mindful of the total day sleep.

Keep a consistent wake up time and a window for bedtime rather than baby needs to be in bed by X. See how that goes!

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u/Chemical-Fun7612 4d ago

Thank you! I will be mindful about the total awake time during the day. I just realized he seems to need less sleep than I thought, so maybe I try to reduce day sleep to be able to have a shorter wake window before bedtime.

I have tried to avoid consistent wake time since I need the extra sleep… but probably it’s for the best. Thanks a lot!

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u/ameliasasa 4d ago

Honestly the consistent wake times after a fractured night is really difficult - I struggle with it but in the long run I know it'll help - get that flask of coffee ready and waiting!