4-Month Sleep Regression – Everything You Need to Know (Baby 3 to 5 Months)

Around four months of age, your little one officially transitions from newborn sleep to a more adult-like sleep pattern. A huge challenge for their tiny brain… And you’ve probably already noticed: This transition is no small feat!

Welcome to the 4-month sleep regression!

Here, I’ll explain what to expect and how to navigate this phase with confidence and care.

The 4-Month Sleep Regression

If you’re like many other parents during this stage, you may suddenly notice that your baby is sleeping worse, waking more frequently, cutting naps short, and generally seeming more clingy and fussy.

From my daily work with parents (and my own personal experience), I can assure you that many families go through unexpected sleep struggles when their baby is between 3 and 5 months old. This shift in sleep patterns often leads to extreme exhaustion for moms (and sometimes dads), making sleep deprivation a major issue both day and night. Additionally, the sleep habits formed now can last for weeks, months, or even years.

But don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be this way! There are solutions and survival strategies to help you through this sleep-deprived tunnel. 😉

Sleep regressions at other ages—such as the often-intense regressions around 8–10 months, 11–12 months, 18 months, and 2 years—are usually temporary. However, the 4-month sleep regression marks a permanent shift in how your baby sleeps from now on.

Baby at 4 Months – Mental and Motor Development

On top of everything, your baby is going through an incredible cognitive and motor development leap. They suddenly recognize small events and new connections. For example, they might start pulling off their socks or dropping objects just to hear the sound (and watch mom or dad pick them up—how fun!).

As if that weren’t enough, your baby is also beginning to see themselves as a separate individual, possibly outgrowing their clothes, and becoming more mobile. Maybe your little one is even learning to roll from back to tummy?

A Whole New World of Sleep

As you can see, there’s a lot going on around the 4-month mark! On top of all these changes, your baby also undergoes a major and permanent shift in sleep patterns around this time. Simply put, up until now, they were experiencing what’s known as “newborn sleep.”

Newborns and young infants (in the first 3–4 months) spend most of their sleep time in deep sleep. That’s why they can be hard to wake and tend to sleep well anywhere. While newborns do have lighter sleep phases, they aren’t as pronounced as those in older children and adults.

Now, as their brain matures, your baby’s sleep patterns start to resemble those of an adult.

And that’s exactly what defines the 4-month sleep regression!

A Milestone

Just like us, your baby is now beginning to cycle between light and deep sleep phases, which together form a complete sleep cycle.

At this age, a full sleep cycle lasts about 45 minutes.

Between these cycles—approximately every 40–45 minutes—your baby (just like children and adults) will now experience “partial awakenings.” During these moments, they briefly stir and subconsciously check if everything is still as it should be.

As adults, we know this too: We might adjust our pillow, reach for the blanket, and instinctively check our surroundings before drifting back to sleep. Your baby will now start doing the same—except the last part, falling back asleep, often becomes a real challenge!

For most families, this sleep regression becomes noticeable around the 4-month mark (anywhere between 3 to 5 months is also common). Unfortunately, this can be an exhausting and intense phase.

However, these changes and any resulting sleep struggles are actually a sign that your baby has achieved a major developmental milestone—similar to learning to crawl, walk, or talk!

So, in a way, this shift in sleep patterns is a positive sign that your baby is developing normally and healthily.

Impact on Behavior and Sleep

If your baby is currently going through the 4-month sleep regression, you probably understand firsthand why this phase is referred to as a „regression.“ In reality, it should be called a “progression” because it signals an important leap forward in your baby’s development. But let’s be honest—it feels more like a huge step backward in their sleep patterns! And that’s why the term „sleep regression“ has stuck for this challenging phase.

Many babies who once slept soundly now turn into little night owls—hopefully just temporarily!

What You Need to Know About the 4-Month Sleep Regression

• It typically starts between 3.5 and 4 months (but can occur anytime between 3 and 5 months).
• From now on, your baby will go through different sleep cycles, alternating between light and deep sleep (similar to adults).
• The change in sleep patterns is permanent.
• The sleep regression usually lasts between 2 and 6 weeks. If it continues beyond this, long-term sleep difficulties may arise. (General rule: By 5.5 to 6 months, sleep should have normalized.)
• Some babies naturally return to good sleep habits after a few weeks of restless nights.
• Others struggle to transition back to longer sleep stretches at night and solid daytime naps. These babies may continue to wake frequently for weeks, months, or even years, eventually resisting naps altogether.

How Does the 4-Month Sleep Regression Affect Sleep?

• Many babies start waking up frequently at night.
• Your baby may skip naps or cut them drastically short.
• Falling asleep and self-soothing suddenly becomes more difficult.
• Changes in feeding habits: Your baby might eat more than usual, needing extra calories to support their growth spurt.
• Increased fussiness and tears: Your little one may be harder to comfort and more irritable—understandable given all the changes and sleep deprivation they’re experiencing.
• Clinginess: Your baby may seek more comfort from mom and dad, wanting extra cuddles and attention.

Baby Sleep at 4 Months

• At the start of the night, your baby falls into deep sleep relatively quickly but may partially wake after 45–50 minutes.
• If they make it through this first sleep cycle, the next few hours are usually spent in deep sleep—often the most peaceful part of the night.
• After that, light and deep sleep phases alternate, leading to frequent awakenings between sleep cycles.
• Between 4:00 and 6:00 AM, sleep is at its lightest, making it especially difficult for many babies to stay asleep during these early hours.
• Just before waking in the morning, your little one may briefly enter deep sleep for another 30 to 60 minutes.

What Else Is Important?

Sleep Needs for a 4- to 5-Month-Old Baby

At 4 months, babies sleep around 14 to 15 hours in total over a 24-hour period. About 10–12 of those hours are spent sleeping at night. During the day, most babies get about 3 to 5 hours of sleep, usually spread across 3–4 naps.

Daily Routine for a 4- to 5-Month-Old Baby

The fourth month is often known as the dreaded “short nap phase,” when babies tend to take only one long nap, while the rest last just 30–45 minutes. This is completely normal! By 6 months, most babies settle into a three-nap schedule, making daily life more predictable.

Once your baby is down to three naps, establishing a gentle but structured daily routine can be very helpful for everyone.

It’s crucial to keep wake windows relatively short—anywhere between 1.5 to 2.5 hours is ideal.

A typical daily schedule for a 4-month-old baby with four naps might look like this:

7:00 AM Wake up, feed, diaper change

9:00 AM Morning nap

12:30 PM Mini nap

3:00 PM Mini nap

5:30 PM Mini nap

8:00 PM Bedtime

Survival Tips for Tired Parents

General Survival Strategies

1. Lots of Cuddles

Accept that your baby needs you more than ever—both day and night. This developmental leap is one of the most intense and complex they will go through! Carry them in a baby wrap, take walks in the stroller, spend plenty of time snuggling. The extra clinginess and fussiness will pass in about 2–6 weeks.

2. Find New Sleep Aids

Experiment to see what helps your little one get as much sleep as possible, preventing overtiredness and overstimulation. Some methods may work one day but not the next.

Here are a few ideas:

• Swaddle your baby before sleep (if they haven’t started rolling yet). If it hasn’t worked before, try it consistently for several days.
• Consider using a pacifier.
• Try adding an extra nap with a relaxing stroller walk.
• Use an electric baby swing. Put your baby in before they become too fussy—sometimes, a short nap in the swing can be a lifesaver. (For safety, always keep an eye on your baby while they sleep in the swing and ensure they’re properly strapped in. Ideally, naps in the swing should be short—but let’s be honest, sometimes you do whatever it takes to survive!)

No matter what you try, stick with it for several days—even if your baby protests at first. Sleep regression can cause temporary resistance to new routines, but consistency is key! 😉

3. Feed, Feed, Feed

Your baby is going through massive developmental milestones and may even be outgrowing their clothes. They need a lot of calories! Make sure they are fed regularly during the day and at night.

You’re doing everything right by simply following your baby’s needs right now. During growth spurts, many babies seem to want to eat constantly, especially in the afternoons and evenings. Lean into it—maybe set up camp on the couch with a good book and a cup of tea? Enjoy these precious moments of closeness with your little one. They grow up so fast, and one day, you might actually miss this time (crazy, but true)… And remember: This phase will pass. 😉

Important: These sleep aids can help you survive the sleep regression, but they shouldn’t become permanent habits or the only way your baby can fall asleep. Otherwise, by 6 months (or later), you may find yourself facing the challenge of undoing these habits—especially if they stop working or sleep remains difficult. If you need support, my free email course can be a great help.

4. Accept Help from Others

Don’t hesitate to ask friends and family for support. Most of them will be happy to help.

Be clear and specific about what you actually need. Do you need someone to do the dishes or vacuum? Or maybe take your little one on a long walk so you can get a much-needed nap? In every culture, it has always been normal to go through the baby stage with the help of a community. Accepting support isn’t a weakness—it’s natural! And remember, people feel loved when they know they are needed.

5. Marvel at Your Baby’s Development

Yes, this time is exhausting, but don’t forget to really watch your baby and celebrate their progress! They are achieving incredible things: Maybe they are rolling over for the first time? Sitting up a little? Looking at you more alertly and making new sounds? Or maybe they’ve just discovered how to pull off their socks? It’s amazing how quickly your little one is growing and changing, isn’t it?

Tired? Exhausted? Feeling lost?

SIGN UP NOW FOR THE FREE BABY SLEEP COURSE.

Feedback from Emily:

You hear and read a lot about sleep training programs and tips for falling and staying asleep. But in this course, you receive a daily email with step-by-step guidance in the right direction. At the same time, everything can be individually adapted to your baby and your family situation. It has helped us so much—our baby now sleeps several hours longer at a stretch. Naps during the day take no more than 5 minutes to settle, and bedtime in the evening takes at most 30 minutes. Thank you so much for this course!

Yes! I want to try this.

Survival Strategies for Your Baby’s Sleep

1. Stick to Proven Sleep Methods

Your baby’s body and brain are working hard. That’s why I always advise, as a gentle sleep consultant: Keep doing what works. If your baby has always fallen asleep while nursing, feeding, being carried, or in the car seat, then continue (or return to) those methods to ensure they get as much sleep as possible.

Yes, these habits may not promote independent sleep in the long run, but for now, your focus should simply be getting through this phase. And who knows? You might be one of the lucky ones whose baby naturally returns to better sleep after a few weeks.

For now, your goal is to prioritize sleep in any way possible. Sleep is healing and essential, providing rest and new energy—exactly what your baby needs right now to handle this huge developmental leap. Once this phase passes, you can start working on better sleep habits.

2. Introduce a “Dream Feed”

This strategy can be a real lifesaver. A “dream feed” means nursing or bottle-feeding your baby while they’re still asleep, right before you go to bed yourself (usually between 10 and 11 PM, about three hours after their bedtime). Ideally, this gives both of you a longer stretch of uninterrupted sleep.

Many babies still need at least one nighttime feeding until about 9 months old (some even up to 12 months). A dream feed can be a great way to reduce the number of wake-ups over time while ensuring your baby still gets enough nutrition. As they grow, you can gradually decrease the remaining night feedings and move toward longer sleep stretches—even if you continue the dream feed for a while.

(In my experience, it often took up to two weeks before my little ones got used to this scheduled nighttime feed and our evenings became more predictable.)

3. Watch for Sleepy Cues

Keep in mind that with all these developmental leaps, growth spurts, and sleep cycle changes, your baby actually needs more sleep than usual. Sleep is healing and restorative!

A 4-month-old baby can usually stay happily awake for only 1.5–2 hours at a time (shorter in the morning, slightly longer in the evening, but never too long). If you exceed this wake window, your baby will likely become overtired—leading to fussiness, crying, or a full meltdown.

That’s why it’s crucial to pay attention to your baby’s sleep cues and respond quickly. Signs of tiredness include rubbing eyes or ears, yawning, increased fussiness, loss of interest, turning their head away, wanting to suck, or sudden crying for no apparent reason. It also helps to keep an eye on the clock to track their wake windows. Once you spot the signs—off to bed they go (wherever that may be for your little one)!

Helping your baby avoid overtiredness is key. An overtired baby has a much harder time falling asleep, may wake up frequently, and if bedtime is too late, they’re likely to wake up even more throughout the night.

4. Maintain or Establish a Daily Routine with an Early Bedtime

If your baby has already settled into a semi-consistent daily rhythm with a predictable number of naps (usually 3–4, though some still take 5), try to stick to this routine as much as possible.

Even if you love flexibility, babies and children thrive on routine and predictable rituals. They love them! Routine provides them with security, stability, and a healthy internal body clock (circadian rhythm). Even if everything feels chaotic right now, one of the most helpful things you can do is establish a consistent wake-up time (allowing for a 15–30 minute variation on rough nights is fine). The next step is to keep the first nap at a consistent time—usually about 1.5–2 hours after waking. Bedtime should also be as consistent as possible.

Tip: An earlier bedtime often helps prevent evening fussiness and overtiredness. A bedtime around 7:00–7:30 PM is completely fine—at the latest, your baby should be asleep by 9:00 PM.

Some babies don’t settle into a predictable daily routine until 5–6 months old (sometimes even later, around 7 months). The best approach is to observe your baby’s natural patterns and gently guide them toward a structured day. You can use this sleep needs chart to create a loose daily schedule and work toward more consistency over time. (For a more detailed chart and additional tips, check out my email course.)

That said, with a 4-month-old—especially during this sleep regression—nothing should be forced. By 5–6 months, it will generally be much easier and less stressful to guide your baby into a more structured daily routine.

Most parents (and babies!) find that after some initial adjustment, a routine is incredibly helpful and liberating. Over time, your baby’s internal clock will mature, and your daily schedule will naturally fall into place. Babies love knowing what comes next—it helps them feel secure. And the benefit? Your baby learns when to be tired, making it easier to fall asleep and sleep more peacefully. Plus, you’ll have a better sense of whether your baby is fussing due to hunger or tiredness.

(One last tip: During the 4-month sleep regression, be sure to offer plenty of feedings and pay close attention to your baby’s hunger signals. Growth spurts and developmental leaps increase their need for extra calories!)

5. Establish a Consistent Bedtime Routine

One of the best ways to help your baby develop healthy sleep habits—and eventually learn to fall asleep and stay asleep—is by creating a consistent bedtime routine.

You can personalize this routine based on your preferences, but the key is to keep it calm and predictable. Here are some ideas:

• Bath, baby massage, bedtime story, or a soft toy “tucking in” the baby
• Putting on pajamas, swaddling, or a sleep sack
• Feeding
• A lullaby while holding your baby
• Then placing them in their bed

Studies have shown that a regular bedtime routine significantly improves sleep quality for babies and even boosts moms‘ emotional well-being. Start early in the evening to avoid overtiredness. You may find that these bedtime rituals become one of the most cherished parts of the day. Dad can also take part in the routine!

If you don’t have a routine yet, now is the perfect time to start. Keep it calm, soothing, and relatively short, with about three to four consistent steps. The most important thing is that it happens in the same order every night and includes relaxing activities.

(For more bedtime routine ideas and detailed guidance, check out my free email course.)

6. Introduce “Drowsy but Awake” at Bedtime

Once your baby has mostly moved past the 4-month sleep regression and is less clingy and fussy (even if nights and naps are still unpredictable), it’s the perfect time to gently practice independent sleep.

The key to this is laying your baby down “drowsy but awake.”

This is also a great time to think about where your baby will sleep long-term and to gradually get them used to that space.

Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t work immediately—this takes patience! But you’ll be laying an important foundation for better sleep. One of the most crucial principles of learning to sleep is: “A baby who can fall asleep independently is more likely to sleep through the night.”

So, stick with it, but don’t force it. Many babies aren’t ready to learn independent sleep until closer to six months. If you feel frustrated or unsure, take a break and try again in a few days or weeks. Even if your baby occasionally manages to fall asleep with little help—in their crib or even lying next to you in a family bed—it’s a step in the right direction.

A Note on Sleep Coaching at This Age

A 4-month-old baby is still too young to consistently fall asleep independently. Research also suggests that some babies aren’t capable of self-soothing and putting themselves back to sleep until around six months. These are complex skills that require brain maturity!

Since there are no known studies on formal sleep coaching for babies under six months, I generally recommend—if anything at all—only very gentle sleep-learning approaches at this stage. It’s best to “practice” rather than “force.”

That said, some baby sleep experts do advocate for sleep coaching with younger infants based on their own experiences and success stories. In some cases, it may be necessary. Every family has different limits, and if a mother is experiencing severe exhaustion or depression, no one benefits from that!

Instead of judging each other, we moms should support and help one another. 😉

There are very gentle methods that I personally find appropriate for younger babies and have used with my own little ones. You can learn more about these approaches in my free email course!

Stay Realistic

While some babies naturally start sleeping through the night, many five-month-olds still need 1–3 night feedings (check with your pediatrician to see what’s appropriate for your baby). Ideally, bedtime should be between 7:00 and 8:30 PM.

A more structured morning nap is beginning to emerge. The first wake window of the day is usually the shortest.

Short naps (30–45 minutes) are completely normal for many babies up to about 6 months. Most four-month-olds (especially in the morning or after short naps) can only stay happily awake for 1.5–2 hours. By five months, they can handle up to 2.5 hours before overtiredness kicks in. And trust me, you’ll want to avoid that. 😉

Don’t Panic!

Yes, this phase is exhausting—for both you and your baby. But don’t forget: This sleep transition is actually a huge developmental milestone in your baby’s life. They’re growing, changing—inside and out—and developing exactly as they should. It’s a beautiful thing!

Your little one isn’t extra fussy and clingy for no reason. Developmental leaps bring big changes, new skills, and a lot to process. Celebrate the progress and the exciting new abilities your baby is mastering.

Remember: Sleep regressions are just phases, and you’ll get through this. Before you know it, your baby will likely be sleeping longer stretches again. It could be just a few days or weeks before things settle back down.

Unlike other sleep regressions that may come later, this shift in your baby’s sleep patterns around the 4-month mark is permanent.

If your baby is still sleeping poorly and seems unusually unsettled after several weeks, consider checking in with your pediatrician to rule out any medical causes. If everything is fine, you might explore gentle ways to improve their sleep habits.

*** For attachment-focused strategies to help your baby (and your whole family!) get more rest and joy, I highly recommend signing up for my free email course. ***

Wishing you a peaceful journey through the 4-month sleep regression tunnel and plenty of joy with your little miracle!

Sweet dreams and all the best,
Sarah