Truth: It can feel as if you’ve won the new-parent lottery when your infant stitches together a solid four hours of sleep at night. But when this precious shut-eye is suddenly interrupted around the 3-month mark, you might wonder if you missed some crucial part of her bedtime routine.
Try not to worry — this hiccup isn’t connected to your lullaby choices or the extra snuggles at tuck-in this week. The fact is, your little one might be going through what some call the 3-month sleep regression, a normal (but sometimes stressful) glitch in her regular nighttime pattern.
"Baby is going through her sleep regression, and it’s lasted about 2 weeks now," says pau11, a What to Expect Community mom of a baby and a toddler. "She used to sleep 4-6 hour stretches, and now she wakes up every 1-3 hours. During the day, I have to put her to sleep and my 3-year-old purposely makes noise. ... I just need a break and some sleep."
A sleep regression is generally considered a two- to six-week stretch when a baby who usually snoozes pretty well can’t drift off or wakes up crying hours later.[1]
Here’s more about the 3-month sleep regression, including signs your child may be going through it, what causes it, and how to handle this stage.
Is there a 3-month sleep regression?
Yes, there may be a sleep regression (aka a change in sleep patterns) that can crop up at the 3- or 4-month mark, though not every baby will experience one at this point. And some doctors refrain from calling sleep fluctuations or disruptions "regressions."
“Night sleep and nap schedules change as infants grow,” says What to Expect Medical Review Board Member Jesil Pazhayampallil, M.D., a board-certified pediatrician on Long Island, New York.
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And their schedules aren’t always consistent day-to-day. They may be settling into longer night-sleep periods and naps, but most aren’t sleeping through the night, she adds.
Babies "aren't really regressing, but changes can occur in how they are sleeping compared to how they were," Dr. Pazhayampallil explains.
Your baby might backslide at bedtime or naptime at other ages too, since noticeable sleep regressions can occur at 6 months of age, at 7 months, between 8 and 10 months, and then around 12 months. Sleep regressions may also happen in toddlerhood.
But remember, infant sleep at 3 to 4 months is, by definition, often interrupted. Many babies sleep 12 to 16 hours a day, but in three- and four-hour bursts.
Fortunately, while a sleep regression can leave you exhausted, it’s also often short-lived. Some babies may take longer to get back to their usual sleep routine, but generally after a few weeks or even a month, your infant should be over the blip. In the meantime, just stick with your usual bedtime routine and you'll get your little one back on track, advises Dr. Pazhayampallil.
"Our regression started at 3 months, and he just turned 4 months," says What to Expect Community member Llyndze. "We were waking every 1.5 hours ... but I changed his day schedule last week, & he finally started eating again during the day. He’s still not consistent at night and waking every 2-2.5 hours. ... And has recently added waking up at 5 a.m. to the mix. The struggle is real!"
Signs of the 3-month sleep regression
Every baby has an off night, whether it’s due to sickness or simply trouble drifting off. But you’ll know you’re dealing with a true sleep regression if you see any of the following signs:
Extra tears at bedtime and at odd hours
Difficulty settling down to sleep
Shorter or disrupted naps
There’s a new skill on her radar, such as rolling over
Are naps affected by the 3-month sleep regression?
Yes, your baby’s naps can be affected by a 3-month sleep regression, says Dr. Pazhayampallil, which means her daytime naps may be shorter or not even happen at all sometimes.
Still, just as nighttime sleep varies at 3 months, so does daytime sleep. There may not be a solid nap schedule now, but most 3-month-olds will nap three or four times during the day for about four to six hours.
- A sleep regression is generally considered a two- to six-week stretch when a baby who usually snoozes pretty well can’t drift off, or wakes up crying hours later. Some experts refrain from calling these fluctuations "regressions," however, and say they're normal shifts in an infant's sleep habits.
- Causes of the 3-month sleep regression can include looming milestones and other skills, teething, and normal changes in baby's sleep patterns.
- Among the common signs of the 3-month sleep regression are more frequent wake-ups, trouble settling down at night, shorter or disrupted naps, and fussiness, especially at naptime or bedtime.
What causes the 3-month sleep regression?
While it’s not really clear why sleep regressions occur, there are some ideas about them, notes Dr. Pazhayampallil. Here’s what your 3-month old could may be going through:
A change in circadian rhythm. Between 10 and 12 weeks, your baby’s sleep will shift between deep snoozing and lighter sleep, rather than the mostly deeper sleep she’s had. As a result, your little one is more likely to wake up and fuss.
She’s honing a skill. Learning to roll or flip over is great fun — and, of course, your baby may decide to practice the trick when she should be getting some shut-eye.
A growth spurt. Dr. Pazhayampallil says more growing at this age could mean “waking up to feed more often or earlier than usual.”
She’s connecting sleep dots. “Another theory for sleep regressions is that babies start to form sleep associations at around 4 months,” she says, pointing to the Physician Guide to Breastfeeding as a good resource for determining what may be behind sleep setbacks at this age.[2] So when your baby wakes up in a different situation than when she fell asleep, she may request (that is, cry) for the same method she enjoyed before — like rocking or feeding.
Teething is starting. While your baby’s first tooth usually emerges between 4 and 7 months (or later), teething and the pain that comes with it can occasionally start sooner, at around 3 months.
She’s more aware. Your baby’s interest in the world grows greater as she ages, so sleep and her feedings may be interrupted. “Increasing curiosity, plus new milestones, could lead to less feeding during the day and then waking more to feed to make up for this,” Dr. Pazhayampallil adds.
How to cope with the 3-month sleep regression
You can’t force a baby to sleep, but you can create conditions that make it more likely. Your best bet? Don’t stress out, remember this stage is temporary and then check out these tips.
Stick to the routine. Consistency is comforting, so continue bathtime, a story book or two, a bottle or the breast, and a quick snuggle or song to send her to dreamland.
Watch for drowsiness. Rather than rock your infant to sleep, put her down when you notice eye rubbing and yawning. “Though it's too early to sleep train, set up good habits by having a nap- and bedtime routine, and place your baby in the crib drowsy but awake,” Dr. Pazhayampallil advises.
Keep the nights quiet. If your baby does wake up, leave the lights very low and be calm and quiet as you change her diaper or offer a bit of soothing.[3]
Add up her Zzzs. Sleep begets good sleep, say the experts, and babies this age need about 10 to 12 hours of sleep at night, along with three or four naps. If you find yours isn’t getting about that amount, strive to get her down earlier or add more daytime snoozing.
Don’t open the buffet. At 3 to 4 months, infants may only need to nurse or take a bottle once or twice overnight (Breastfed babies may feed more frequently overnight.). During a growth spurt, this may change for a short time. You can offer (not force) more during the day. If baby is consistently not feeding much when offered the breast or bottle, try to ease her back to sleep without a feeding (try a pacifier or gentle rocking (then back to bed awake but drowsy), or let your spouse or partner take a turn).
While a sleep regression can test even the coolest of parents, it’s normal to feel frustrated when it happens. Bear in mind that you can always call your baby’s doctor if you have questions about sleep. And know that this developmental phase is just that — a moment in time that won’t last.
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