Why does my baby wake up every 2 hours at night?
My 5-month-old has been waking up every 2 hours for the past 3 weeks. Before that she slept 5-6 hour stretches. I'm a zombie. I've tried feeding her more before bed, swaddling, white noise — nothing works. Is this normal or is something wrong?
1 Answer(s)
First, what you're experiencing is incredibly common at 5 months and it's called the "4-month sleep regression" even though it can hit anytime between 4-6 months. It's caused by a permanent change in your baby's sleep cycles — they now cycle like adults do, and they wake up between cycles because they don't know how to fall back asleep on their own yet.
The good news: this is temporary and it WILL pass. The bad news: it can last 2-6 weeks. Here's what actually helps. Stop trying to get longer stretches at night — focus on teaching her to self-soothe. When she wakes at 2 AM, wait 3-5 minutes before going in. Often they'll fall back asleep on their own. If you rush in every time, you're reinforcing the waking.
Make sure her last feed is a full feed, not a snack. A 5-month-old should be going 10-12 hours overnight without eating. If she's actually hungry, increase calories during the day.
Keep the room dark, cool, and consistent. White noise is great — keep it on all night. You're doing everything right. This phase ends. Hang in there.