Sleep regression at five months of age
Posted by Kimberly Bepler on Wed, June 10th 2009 in Healthy Sleep
I am trying to not only figure out how to get my 5-month-old sleeping through the night again, but also how to get her off of the swaddling technique that we use. First, she had been sleeping through the night for about two weeks, quite well starting at 2 1/2 months. She was sleeping about 12 hrs. per night going down about 7:30. Last month she had about 3-4 nights all month that she
slept through the night.
Second, we use a sleeping sack with no arms called the woombie. They are very stretchy and work great because they do not come undone. So, there is no way to use it with one arm in and one arm out. I have tried taking her completely out of the woombie and putting her down on her tummy but she wakes even sooner and even more frequently at night. She ends up waking at 10 pm every time she is on her tummy when she goes down between 7:30 and 8. On her back she just wakes constantly because she still hits herself in the face a lot. She doesn’t even nap well if she is not in her woombie. How can I get her to sleep unswaddled and through the night. I know I will have to work on one problem at a time and am prepared for that.
Thanks!
Answer
I am not sure I would try to stop the swaddling at this point. Usually it is a good time when infants start to roll on their own and can get themselves into their own sleep position, but if she is still hitting herself in the face, she might need to stay with the swaddling a bit longer and have her work on her motor developement during the day instead.
There are so many developemental things that happen around this age that it is hard to pin down what is making her wake up at night. Sometimes it is food concerns (so distracted during the day that they need to make up for feedings at night) or sometimes it is distractions and noises from the home that disturb the baby. Using white noise is something I would try to make sure the baby has some muffling of the sounds of the house and also some continuous buffer for his brain to relax.
There is also a common sleep regression around 4 months of age. If your baby was sleeping well, you can expect she might go back to better sleep after she moves through this developmental stage. Also, teething often begins at the this time and can cause more frequent night wakings.
There are many other things I could recommend, but my guess is that many you have tried already and have only had measured success with. Taking this question to an area mom’s group would be a good idea since the moms will have many ideas/solutions to offer. Often we find that as mamas, just when we get comfortable with our babies are doing, they change! This is a wonderful part of the growing process (for us and them) but can also be frustrating at times.
I also think it is worth checking out craniosacral therapy just to see if a gentle body treatment could make a difference for your baby. There are many great practicioners; the two that we trust are Amy Watson and Beth Yohalem-Ilsley.
For more about transitioning out of a swaddle, read this post.
I hope you can find some help and support during this difficult time for you and your little one. Sleep problems are so common at this time that hopefully you have empathy from those around you that also may have struggled with such things.
Kimberly Bepler
http://www.abcdoulaservice.com
