Waking at Night After 4 Months

You can sleep train your baby at about 4 months of age. Typically when your baby is double their birth weight or some variation. Some people say they need to weigh 12lbs, others say 14lbs. No matter what you read, check with your doctor first. Often this topic comes up at about 4 months.

These are 2 methods and books that I have used. There is no magic answer and all babies are different. They will wake again if something is bothering them! You should be in tune with your baby and their needs. Don't just ignore them and let them cry all the time after they have been sleep trained. Set your own standards and always give into your mother's intuition!

For my son the Ferber method worked really well. I could not imagine that this method would not work for everyone because it came so easy for him. Many people refer to this method as the, "Cry it out!" method. It is and it isn't! This method is letting the baby cry with a plan. You have to be strong and it works really well. My son is 3 and a half, he still sleeps 11 hours a night and naps 2 hours a day.

When I had my daughter, Ferber did not work at all! I used the Weissbluth method. And some Ferber ideas. Weissbluth has a lot to say about post colic children. When I read the chapters on colic, it was as if the chapters were written about my child-specifically.

I suggest that you read both books and take what you can handle to sleep train your baby. You will find it hard at first but be so grateful in the end. My children sleep 10-12 hours a night. They nap every day too! They are always well rested and happy! (Not always perfectly behaved!) My husband calls me the sleep notzie! But a well rested baby makes a happy (well rested) mom.

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child

by: Marc Weissbluth, M.D.

Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems

by: Richard Ferber, M.D.