https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:36:20 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2376803 Thu, 03 Dec 2015 12:41:39 +0000 buttermilk 2376803@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ldh112: oh forgot to reply. No I haven't noticed much of a difference in her sleep since we started leaving an arm out. She has been doing this for a few weeks now. It's just worse this week bc I returned to work and so have to wake up at 5am, and we can't just sleep in to make up for it like before. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2376797 Thu, 03 Dec 2015 12:38:13 +0000 buttermilk 2376797@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@gingerbebe: thank you for all this advice. You're right it's super important that we both sleep. I've worked to stop bad sleep habits like nursing/rocking to sleep and nursing in bed (mostly bc I hate co sleeping) but it wasn't too hard to break her of these things so maybe I could rely on them in the interim. </p> <p>@ldh112: Like I said, I suspect my supply is a bit down bc of the lack of sleep snd she also nurses 2-3 times during the night now, so I doubt she is currently getting much from me for her 6am feed. She took 5 oz formula after that feed, then 5 oz and 4 oz total so far today with the babysitter. So they aren't outrageous numbers. I'll see how the rest of her feedings go today. And may also try to extend her schedule this weekend if I can. Thanks!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2376686 Thu, 03 Dec 2015 11:33:40 +0000 ldh112 2376686@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Was she sleeping better with both arms in the swaddle? If so, maybe giving her that option to ride out the regression will help a little bit if she isn't rolling over yet. I echo @gingerbebe: latest comment about the combined factors of regression and increased ounces since this stage was really when we had to begin tweaking our usual 4 oz bottles. Maybe offer 5 oz feedings during the day, or at least know that increasing her ounces slightly will be necessary soon enough regardless of the sleep issue as she continues to grow. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2376658 Thu, 03 Dec 2015 11:24:54 +0000 gingerbebe 2376658@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@buttermilk: Hang in there, folks are right in that there is a 4 month sleep regression that is SUPER common. But I do think she may need more than 4oz at a feeding, so use your judgement on that.</p> <p>If you're committed to staying with a schedule, I would encourage you to just keep sticking with it - as a schedule mom myself, it helps to have some kind of template to return to when you're in the weeds like that. When we were going through it, I found a lot of comfort in the fact that the 4 month sleep regression is where their brains are actually rewiring themselves out of the newborn phase and into more mature, adult-like sleep cycles. </p> <p>4 months is also when we introduced a lovey to start self-soothing with. We just threw it in there to create an association and while he didn't do anything with it during the regression itself, over time my son would babble at it, or throw it, and then eventually started sucking on its ear to self-settle at night. </p> <p>I hear you about wanting to protect your breastfeeding relationship, but as you indicated elsewhere, not sleeping isn't going to help your milk supply either. You can try to ride out the 1-hour long wake ups in the night by trying to side-lying nurse, snooze, and perhaps transfer a sleepy baby once she's relaxed on the boob, or you can try to offer her a little warm formula and see if she will go back to sleep easier that way, and hopefully give you a little more fullness in the breast to offer in the morning. I think the big thing is to try and get BOTH of you some more sleep so you can protect your milk supply because exhaustion, frustration, stress all have negative impacts on your supply. If you're worried, see if you can pump longer or more frequently at work and after a few days may tell your body to make more milk. The swing suggestion might also be a good one. You can wean the swing by slowing down the rate, then shorter durations of swing, and then finally sleeping in a non-moving swing if you're worried about bad habits.</p> <p>Also, don't beat yourself up about doing your best the pumping/BFing ring. It took me a LONG time to get to 22-24oz a day, and it was only because I was pumping like 3 hours a day. I was at home and I had no life because of it. It was totally miserable. I'm pregnant with LO2 and while I hope our BFing relationship is better than with LO1, I will not put myself through that again and will just supplement a little more heavily. Supplementing actually helped me BF longer because I didn't have to worry about his intake and could actually enjoy the snuggles and comfort nursing when he needed it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2376586 Thu, 03 Dec 2015 10:29:48 +0000 buttermilk 2376586@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SproutBee: I do have a swing in the nursery that I stopped using a few weeks ago. Maybe I'll have to try it tonight but I hate to go back to it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2376384 Thu, 03 Dec 2015 06:35:18 +0000 SproutBee 2376384@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So, I'm of the mindset that this has nothing to do with hunger, but is likely developmental. Sounds like the 4 mo regression to me. Which means just hang in there. Ours lasted a week or two. We used a swing overnight to survive. Then eventually it was just "over" and we were back in the crib doing ok. Hang in there mama. Baby sleep is hard. And a mystery. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2376375 Thu, 03 Dec 2015 06:01:17 +0000 buttermilk 2376375@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@gingerbebe: so after that I fed her again and then also topped her off right before bed. She took 3 ounces. Slept 8pm-1am like usual. But she also woke twice around 9pm which never happens. But that could be bc I left both arms out of her swaddle. I put one back in after that like normal. Then the rest of the night was the same as it has been! Slept 1:30-3:15. Took an hour to get her back down. Slept 4:30-5:15 and we couldn't get her back down after that. It was horrible. Maybe she is hungry idk! I'm not sleeping well so I can't possible be making as much milk. But I have to protect our breastfeeding relationship. DH was yelling at me to give her formula in the MOTN but he doesn't understand. I can't lose that. And She has never needed it before. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2376081 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 18:22:15 +0000 buttermilk 2376081@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@QBbride: it does seem like a lot! I do pace her but I should probably be doing so even more. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2376052 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 17:52:22 +0000 QBbride 2376052@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@buttermilk: do you pace her with the bottle? Lots of babies chug bottles back because they're super fast flowing. If she nursed and then took 6 oz, that's quite a lot! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2376035 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 17:36:06 +0000 buttermilk 2376035@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ldh112: thank you :) :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2376033 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 17:34:28 +0000 ldh112 2376033@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@buttermilk: Her needs will definitely increase (as you are noticing) so if your supply isn't able to keep up, offer more formula. It sounds like as long as you can pump (or nurse), she will be getting some amount of BM so that is GREAT! :) Whether you can combo feed for a year, 6 months, or just another week, whatever works for your family tell yourself that FED is best. :)</p> <p>If you ever want to wall me, let me know. It's been so tough and I've always felt better when I can talk to others who have been there! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2375996 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 17:05:24 +0000 buttermilk 2375996@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ldh112: I feel like i am in exactly the same situation. Yesterday was my first day at work. I'm pumping but I always figured this would be the point at which we rly see how things will go. I got 6 oz from 3 pumping sessions yesterday which is pretty much what I had targeted. I rly think she must be getting at least 14-15 oz from me and I've assumed 10 oz of formula is enough to supplement but maybe she needs a bit more. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2375934 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 16:21:59 +0000 ldh112 2375934@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@buttermilk: girl, I get it. I felt like my daughter started wanting more around 3.5 mo and while I really didn't want to increase supplementing, my supply was crap (weighted feeds of only 1.5-2 oz total) and I didn't know what else to do. When her weight gain stalled at 4 mo, I said f*ck it and upped the bottles and let nature take its course. I have been sad about how our nursing relationship has gone, as I have posted elsewhere on HB.</p> <p> I fought really hard to keep going and have had to hold on to that. If I could've pumped I would still be BF but unfortunately my supply majorly tanked when she upped her supplementing (nursing strike for a week) so I couldn't save my supply. She just turned 5 mo last week and I am barely nursing now. It's taking an emotional toll, but I know that I made the right decision given our circumstances. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2375929 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 16:20:05 +0000 buttermilk 2375929@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@gingerbebe: okay, I'll report back! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2375921 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 16:10:36 +0000 gingerbebe 2375921@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Well, she might take less at the next feeding, just wait and see. At 15 weeks, I was prepping 6oz bottles and he was taking 5-6 ounces depending, so maybe that's just where you are. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2375916 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 16:07:52 +0000 buttermilk 2375916@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ldh112: @gingerbebe: um ok so I just nursed her and then she took 6 ounces of formula! no spit up yet. Wtf. Maybe I have even less milk than I thought? :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2375908 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 16:00:50 +0000 ldh112 2375908@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@buttermilk: I agree with what has been said. I also have mainly combo fed my 5 mo old. She will now take 4-6 ounces usually at a time. I was told at around 4 mo by my LC that she should get around 25-30 oz a day regardless of BF or FF. I worried about overfeeding her too, so what I have done is make 4 ounce bottles to start. If she fights finishing that, I stop at 4. If she finishes it easily, I do one more ounce at a time until she spits up a little or turns her head/gets super wiggly like she is over it. She will not overeat, I promise. Their tummies are still small so I would imagine she would probably only take a couple more ounces anyway, not a whole other bottle. If anything, she will just spit up a little and you'll know she's maxed out. :)</p> <p>I will say, as she has begun to eat more during the day (5oz typically every 3 hours), she is sleeping much better at night. </p> <p>We switched to a Baby DeeDee from her swaddle recently. We did 1 arm out for 2 weeks at 4 mo and then went cold turkey to the sleep sack. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2375895 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 15:54:08 +0000 gingerbebe 2375895@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@buttermilk: we did arms out at 4 months. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2375866 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 15:31:42 +0000 buttermilk 2375866@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ok I'm gonna try this. Babysitter said she wanted more after her 4 oz feed today. Oh also she has still been swaddled. I started leaving one arm out last week but babysitter said she took a 2 hour nap today without being swaddled at all! So maybe time to ditch it. This week she has started scooting all around the crib in her swaddle, turning 180 even. Maybe she is trying to wiggle out of it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2375849 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 15:20:50 +0000 Eko 2375849@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@buttermilk: it was definitely experimental on upping LO's ounces. Some days he definitely needed more and others he didn't. But then it started to where the higher dose was all the time. For us, he never threw up if he overate, but definitely was spitting up more. I learned his cues for him being full (wiggling around, becoming uninterested). I always offered more at each feeding, whether he ate it or not. You could offer just an extra ounce and see how she does with that. It was a little trial and error for a couple weeks. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2375820 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 14:57:12 +0000 gingerbebe 2375820@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@buttermilk: I would try to keep her up a little longer without getting her overtired (only you know the signs), and let her sleep as long as she wants. Then if she's up a little early let her hang out in the crib if she's content to do so. If she cries, then get her up and change her and just hang out a little until the 3.5 hour mark to feed. Combo schedules might come into play - i.e. she really needs that 3 hour schedule in the morning because she's tired after an hour and sleeps the full 2 hours, but she's good with a 3.5 hour schedule later in the afternoon because she's more wakeful. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2375812 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 14:54:02 +0000 gingerbebe 2375812@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If she overeats, she will puke and then its no harm - just try again the next feeding but offer her a wee bit less. My son immediately puked if he took a drop over 4 ounces until 12 weeks and then he suddenly just took 5 without any problems, but we experimented with that extra ounce for a while before we got there. Plus they never eat the same amount at every feeding, so its no harm in offering a little more than they need and see what they want to do. Lots of schedule babies tank up before bed like @eko said, so just see what she wants to do. Once she starts STTN, she may want a big breakfast bottle too, so short of wasting formula, there's no reason not to try a little more and see what happens. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2375807 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 14:50:59 +0000 buttermilk 2375807@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@gingerbebe: so if I did 3.5 hours would I keep her awake for 2 hours and then try to get her down for a 1.5 hour nap? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2375806 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 14:49:38 +0000 buttermilk 2375806@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@gingerbebe: okay that could be w good experiment - just offer as much forumula as she wants at each feeding to gauge? I only worry about her overeating. She also has some mild reflux and spits up a lot. Won't she guzzle more just bc its forumula and easy? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2375803 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 14:47:30 +0000 buttermilk 2375803@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>She seems satisfied after nursing for 20 mins, but then she always drinks the formula too. She seems satisfied after 2 oz and also after 3 oz so I never know! One night I fed her as much as she wanted before bed and she took 6 oz and slept a couple hours later. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2375802 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 14:47:12 +0000 gingerbebe 2375802@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I combo fed too - he got like 22-24oz of breast milk that I pumped everyday, plus about 6-8oz of formula - whatever I needed to get the 28-30oz. I think he maxed out at 30-32-ish ounces at 5 months and by 6 months he was back down to 24oz with the addition of solids. Then he ramped down slowly to 16oz a day by 1 year old. So you're entering their heaviest milk consumption age range. I would just give her as much as she wants to eat at each feeding and let her take the lead. My son would puke immediately afterwards if he overate (he was a reflux baby so nothing new there), but you can just dial it back. I would breastfeed and then offer like a 4oz bottle of formula and see how much of it she takes and use it as a gauge for how much you should top her off with in the future. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2375798 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 14:42:06 +0000 buttermilk 2375798@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Eko: @gingerbebe: okay I've certainly thought about her needing more food. I have a low milk supply so we supplement with formula. I'm pretty sure she gets about 2 ounces from me per feeding and then I just give her 2 oz formula but she will certainly take more. She never refuses milk and takes whatever I give her - I wonder if that means she needs more milk in general? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2375656 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 13:05:51 +0000 Eko 2375656@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I also second the idea that perhaps she needs to eat more at each feeding. Not to discount also the 4 month sleep regression, because sometimes with that all bets are off. </p> <p>For us, around 4 months DS started the switch to eating more ounces with less feedings throughout the day. I think he increased to about 6-7 ounces at that time. Plus, he eats A LOT before bedtime. He would still wake up around 2-3 for another feeding, but would easily go back to sleep and not wake up until 7. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2375642 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 12:54:38 +0000 gingerbebe 2375642@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>She may need to increase the amount of her feedings - she may be getting up to eat because she's hungry and then the broken sleep at night is making her want to nap more during the day.</p> <p>I would try to increase her feedings maybe half an ounce and see how that works. We gave my son 4.5-5 ounce bottles at the tail end of his 3-hour schedule days (around 13 weeks or so), which included a 10pm dreamfeed (so 6 feedings total for about 26-28oz a day). He started STTN on that schedule.</p> <p>You may also try a 3.5 hour schedule and see what that does - it could make her a little hungrier at feeding times and make it possible to take a little more. It would also eliminate that catnap and the last cycle would end at 8pm. You could try to get her bedtime feeding in at 730pm and get her to sleep by 8pm. You could also introduce a dreamfeed at 10 or 1030pm to keep her belly fuller during the night and hopefully, at the very least, push that first stretch til later at night.</p> <p>At 15 weeks my son was on a 3.5 hour schedule and getting about 6 ounces per feed. We also still kept a dreamfeed around 9pm because he wouldn't take as much for his 730pm bedtime feeding because it was only about 90 minutes after his 6pm dinnertime feeding. He'd just get the rest of the bottle he didn't finish and would sleep the rest of the night. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-regression-is-baby-napping-too-much#post-2375612 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 12:26:41 +0000 buttermilk 2375612@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hoping some of you more experienced moms have some insight here. </p> <p>As plenty of other sleep posts start out...I used to have a great sleeper, and now she is 15 weeks and sleep has gone to the pits!! </p> <p>I just returned to work this week and trying to troubleshoot this sleep regression bc I'm currently getting 4 hours of broken sleep ea night. </p> <p>I read Baby Whisperer books and we have been on a 3 hour EASY schedule since 6 weeks. She wakes at 6am. Spends 1.5 hrs awake, and 1.5 hours asleep all throughout the day. She eats every 3 hours, about 4 ounces. She usually takes 3 big naps like that and then a 4th catnap to get her through to bedtime which is around 7:30-8. </p> <p>At night her new norm is a 4-6 hour stretch at first. She wakes to eat around 1am and then is up almost every hour after that. We don't nurse or rock to sleep. She goes in her crib awake and about half the time we have to shush/pat or PUPD. What am I doing wrong? It's been 3 weeks of this. Is she napping too much during the day? Sometimes 1 or more of her naps is 45 mins. Yesterday she followed the EASY schedule to a T and napped for 5 hours total and we had one of the worst nights ever. I thought sleep begets sleep? Last week we were traveling for the holiday. She ended up napping much less some days and she actually slept a little better at night!</p> <p>BW talks about switching to a 4 hour schedule at 4 months but I'm wondering how common that really is. Any other experience with that? I wonder if it would help. She still gets pretty crappy if she isn't in the crib again 1.5 hrs after she wakes. </p>