𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟒 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧⠀

Sleep progressions are a period in time during which your child is making leaps in their development. This is progress! That’s why I don’t refer to it as a sleep regression. Sleep is becoming interrupted because the sleep cycles are changing. A baby might be hitting new developmental milestones, such as learning to roll, crawl or walk; they might be having a burst in their language development; or they might be teething. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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The 4 month sleep progression can often be the hardest for parents who may have finally gotten into a groove with their newborn. Interrupted sleep is coming as a result of a change in a baby’s brain chemistry. Their sleep cycles are becoming more like adult sleep, which causes an upheaval in sleep and feeding. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Here are 5 tips to tackle this period:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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✨Get to know your baby’s unique tired cues, so that you can get them to sleep before they become overtired.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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✨Get sleep by any means necessary – support your baby to sleep in whichever ways work best – feed, rock, wear, hold to sleep etc., to ensure daytime sleep needs are being met.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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✨Feed on demand, rather than on a schedule. Offering more feeds throughout the day and night can be helpful in continuing to establish supply for breastfed babies.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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✨Set realistic expectations and know that nothing is going to be perfect in the midst of a sleep progression. Schedules may not be the same every day, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself to keep things consistent.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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✨Focus on self-care. You can’t pour from an empty cup and so, spending some time on yourself can go a long way in helping to support your baby.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Need more help getting through those tough progressions? I’m here to help.⠀⠀⠀