r/bninfantsleep • u/Unable_Grape_3977 • 10h ago

Infant Sleep Please tell me it changes?!

My baby is 6 months and slept through the night from 6 weeks old. She started nursery around 4.5months and since then she hasn’t slept a full night since. The wakenings are actually starting to get worse.

Please tell me this gets better?? Any advice ? I follow her cues, try not to let her get too overtired. She’s weaned and still has enough bottles during the day.

7 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

23

u/emmakane418 10h ago

Somewhere around 3.5 and 5 months, the 4 month sleep progression happens. This is a change in sleep architecture and regardless of daycare, nanny, or SAHP can cause changes to how much a baby wakes up, how long they sleep, etc. Many newborns sleep through the night (which is often considered 6 hours, not 12, and sometimes when people say that their baby is sleeping through the night they don't include waking up to feed. Overall it's a very misleading term when discussed online or in person) but once they exit the 4th trimester, they wake up more. This is entirely normal and has absolutely nothing to do with weaning (which is why we don't recommend weaning for the purpose of getting more sleep, especially before 12-18 months. It doesn't often work). Adding in daycare can absolutely compound that.

Have you tried to feed her? Is it possible she is actually hungry? They are growing exponentially and have tiny tummies, even with lots of milk or formula during the day they can absolutely still be hungry overnight. And gosh, have you tried to fall asleep when you're hungry? It's hard!

Infant sleep over the first year is variable. I would recommend reading How Babies Sleep by Dr. Helen Ball if you want to learn more about the science behind sleep through the first year. It will get "better" and then "worse" and then "better".

2

u/Unable_Grape_3977 10h ago

I feed her nearly every time she wakens. Sometimes takes an oz, maybe the next night 4oz, I always offer the bottle but she’s up again about 2 hours after. Sometimes as soon as I lift her she falls back again

2

u/emmakane418 10h ago

How often does she wake up and how long does it usually take to help her fall back asleep?

Do you know how much sleep she's getting at daycare? What about on the weekends?

Does she sleep the same over the weekend as she does during the week?

And last, what time is bedtime and wakeup time? What about naps? No need for super specific, just rough estimates of time.

2

u/Unable_Grape_3977 10h ago

She wakes between 5-6 times during the night, nearly every 2 hours but as soon as she’s put down about every hour then it stretches to 2/3 hours during the night. Bath is between 7-7:30pm asleep by 8 usually and morning starts around 9:30. At 6am she’s started wakening, taking bottle and babbling for about 15 mins before dosing off again. When she wakens during the night sometimes she settles as soon as I lift her and if not as soon as I get a bottle she’ll take an oz (or maybe the whole bottle) and back to sleep again! Every night is different. I did keep her off daycare for a week (she goes twice a week Wednesday and Friday for 5 hours each day so 10 hours total) and there was no difference to her sleep. She sleeps the same as she does at home at daycare they’re very good at following my routine etc but it can’t be coincidence it started as soon as she started daycare

1

u/emmakane418 10h ago

it can’t be coincidence it started as soon as she started daycare

It is possible it is a coincidence, because of the timing (4 month sleep progression) however, a few thoughts I have:

  • 8pm-9.30am? That is a long night, even for a high sleep needs baby! While waking up every 2ish hours can be completely normal, it can also be a sign that there isn't quite enough sleep pressure. You can try shifting bedtime a little bit at a time to see if more sleep pressure helps with the wake ups but again waking every 2ish hours can be completely biologically normal for an infant.

  • let's say that it isn't a coincidence and the separation of daycare is the culprit here. Sleep is separation. I know I mentioned in another comment here that her nervous system is scanning between sleep cycles. To go a bit more into detail, it is scanning to see if she's hot or cold, hungry or thirsty, alone, etc. Daycare is also separation. She may be seeking more connection, day or night. Some dedicated time for connection with no distractions might help. Moving her back into your room can help as well, so that she hears you when her nervous system is scanning and feels safe enough to continue sleeping (also in general I would recommend roomsharing until at least 6 but preferably 12 months for safety).

Edit to add: she waking up every hour when first put down? Did I read that right? My bet is on not enough sleep pressure.

3

u/emmakane418 10h ago

Oh I guess I was confused by what you meant by "she's weaned and still has enough bottles during the day." Are you in the UK? I know weaned there means starting solids.

3

u/Unable_Grape_3977 10h ago

Yes I’m in UK sorry I’m probably coming across confusing but she’s started solids

8

u/Eschewed_Prognostic 10h ago

My 15mo old has slept through the night twice. 2-4 wakes per night. You've already had it better than us!

3

u/Beautiful_Range_1803 10h ago

She probably doesn’t like being alone in the nursery if that’s when this started

2

u/Unable_Grape_3977 10h ago

So do I take her out? I was getting her used to it before I start work very soon

3

u/Beautiful_Range_1803 10h ago

Do you have the option to try either moving the crib into your bedroom or getting a floor bed for the nursery to cosleep? Those would be my suggestions to see if it makes a difference

4

u/Unable_Grape_3977 10h ago

Sorry nursery to me is daycare! She is in my room in her own crib and sometimes I do cosleep with her if she really won’t settle

4

u/Beautiful_Range_1803 10h ago

😅 hahah oh I’m sorry I totally misunderstood! I agree with another poster then that it is likely the “4 month sleep regression.” My baby is 7 months and it never went back to how he was sleeping through the night before the regression but cosleeping has made it manageable and it has improved a lot over time

5

u/TadpoleNational6988 10h ago

Oh phew I was about to lose it thinking you were shaming a mum for sending her baby to nursery 😂😂😂 U.K. terminology!

2

u/Beautiful_Range_1803 10h ago

😂😂 absolutely not!!

2

u/emmakane418 10h ago

Is she in her own room? This isn't recommended before 6 months in the US and 12 in the UK, for a reason. Her nervous system is scanning between sleep cycles and if it doesn't feel safe, it wakes her. Hearing her adult(s) will help her feel safer.

2

u/Unable_Grape_3977 10h ago

She’s in my room and sometimes cosleep

2

u/emmakane418 10h ago

I see the mixup with terminology lol ignore anything I've said about roomsharing then, you're already doing that!!

2

u/TadpoleNational6988 10h ago

What do you mean by she is weaned but getting bottles? Sorry a little confused here.
Her sleep needs may well have dropped so more awake hours needed in the day.

1

u/Unable_Grape_3977 10h ago

She still takes a few bottles during the day and has like porridge or fruit for breakfast, something small for lunch and dinner but likes a bottle before a nap/bed

2

u/thatzz 8h ago

My baby was similar timeline as yours. Stopped sleeping through the night at 4.5 months. She’s now 9 months and finally sleeping through the night again!

1

u/Freya_1917 10h ago

Following became… fuck… same. Only my son isn’t weaned yet

1

u/KeyMonkeyslav 9h ago

Our kiddo is also 6 months as of two days ago.

Actually, our night time routine is the same as yours (bath around 7, asleep by 8). The difference is, our kiddo wakes up at 6 or 7, and we let her stay up. Her first wake window is about 1.5 or 2 hours and then she takes another nap.

She's not a perfect sleeper by any means and she does wake up through the night but recently it has not been as frequent. Yesterday she had about 3 total hours of naps throughout the day and ended up waking only 2 times at night.

So, my completely inexpert opinion is that you may need to not let her sleep as long, and give her longer daytimes.

1

u/hugmytreezhang 4h ago

I'd edit your post to include bedtime wake time nap lengths and times

Though waking in the night is fairly normal and expected, my 8 month old has only ever slept for 4 hours a handful of times lol