4 Month Sleep Regression? There’s a product for that

If you have a baby and haven’t heard of this sleep product yet, then you are seriously missing out. Most parents are aware of the amazing powers of swaddling a newborn but what comes after that? The Magic Merlin Sleepsuit (yes it’s really magic) was designed for exactly this. It is the easiest way to transition a baby out of a swaddle, allowing for more movement but still providing the cozy “being held” feeling of security. The 4 month sleep regression hit us hard and I couldn’t figure it out under I focused on the underlying cause of the issue, the change that occurred in L’s sleep patterns (see below for more detail). The Magic Merlin Sleepsuit saved us helped L transition from swaddles.

Disclaimer: this post contains Affiliate Links. Read about what affiliate links are and how I use them here. The makers of the Magic Merlin Sleepsuit provided us with a free Sleepsuit as part of a giveaway which has now ended.

The 4 Month Sleep Regression

The 4 month sleep regression is one of the biggest and most challenging sleep regressions to get through. If you haven’t heard of it or gone through it yet, you will. In fact, it will probably be the only thing you talk about for about a month, specifically the fourth month. Why? Well, if you are sleep deprived, you already know how important sleep is and how awful and all-consuming it is to not get enough sleep. You don’t need me, or this post, to know this.

What happens during this 4 month sleep regression? Your newborn that could previously sleep anywhere has undergone a sleep milestone. A variety of changes have occurred in the brain that relate to regulating sleep. The result is that now your baby will cycle in and out of light and heavy sleep approximately every 45 minutes. When baby is in light sleep, they will most likely wake up and need help falling back asleep. It is also the time point at which their sleeping environment becomes more important.

In addition to correct lighting and a quiet soothing environment, what you dress baby in will either help or hinder their sleep. At this point, swaddling isn’t an option anymore and most babies will cry bloody murder if you place them in a crib wearing only pajamas, as most still need that “being held” feeling. All of these changes combined leave you with a baby who won’t sleep and feeling very sleep deprived.

The solution that worked for us

When we hit the 4 month sleep regression, L was up every 2 hours at night or more and she wouldn’t nap for longer than 45 minutes. After about a few days of this, I began to ask for advice from anyone I knew who had a baby older than mine. A friend of mine swore that this suit, known as the Magic Merlin Suit, would not only fix my baby’s sleep but also be by far my favorite baby product. She was right about both.

I purchased the suit because I had to know if it would work and also I would’ve probably bought anything at that point if it promised me even one extra hour of sleep. Once the suit arrived, I immediately put L in it because I was curious about how it worked. I then spent probably a good 15-20 minutes taking pictures of L in the suit because she looked so hilarious, like she was stuck in a marshmallow. I then had to test it out so I took L up to her crib in her Magic Merlin Sleepsuit and placed Alone, on her Back, in the Crib (ABCs of sleep). The Magic Merlin Sleepsuit is designed to follow the ABCs of sleep and should never be used with sleep positioners such as a RNP or DockATot, or be used while co-sleeping.

Without the suit, placing L in her crib alone on her back would have resulted in screaming. Instead she was content and wiggling happily in her suit. As I watched her for a minute or two, I kid you not, she closed her eyes and fell asleep right there in front of me. I was beyond amazed and thought it had to be coincidence. Before this, L would only fall asleep in a wrap on me or on a boob while nursing. I continued to try the suit again and again at every nap and at night. To my amazement, the suit continued to work.

We used the Sleepsuit with L until she was showing signs of being able to roll over IN the Sleepsuit. At that point, the designers of the suit recommend transitioning out of the suit. We found this to be a much easier transition than transitioning out of the swaddle because L didn’t need the “being held” cozy feeling as much anymore. We would pair the suit with a diaper and either a onesie or a light cotton pajama in the winter. L never got overheated because her hands and feet were free in the suit.

While L was never a thumb sucker, our friend’s child was and having his hands free in the suit was a must so that he could self-soothe with his thumb. As with most babies this age, diaper changes during the night were still a thing. The sleep suit has a double zipper which allows you to quickly and easily get baby in and out of the suit for a diaper change.

The Suit helped me in more ways than just sleep

While I definitely bought the Magic Merlin Sleepsuit for L to help her sleep, I soon learned after a few days that the suit also helped tremendously with breastfeeding. L was a colic baby and was usually pretty challenging to get to latch on if she was at all uncomfortable or upset. I learned from a lactation consultant that to secure a better latch, I should try to make sure all of her limbs were being held so she felt secure enough to calm, relax and nurse.

L was a very big baby, which meant it was hard to hold all of her just the way she liked. As the Magic Merlin Sleepsuit is designed to give the baby that “being held” feeling, it worked wonders when I couldn’t get L to latch. Sometimes, putting her in the suit was the only way to get her to latch. There was a point in time where I took the suit everywhere with me, no joke.

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Trina Fitzpatrick

Dr. Trina Fitzpatrick is a wife, mom, blogger, and a breastfeeding advocate. She is the co-author of the Week-by-Week Bump Smart Course, the Nesting Planner and the Breastfeeding Handbook. She attributes her success at breastfeeding her own children into toddlerhood with working with lactation consultants in the hospital in the early stages and on a weekly basis afterwards. By writing at MomSmartNotHard, she educates mamas-to-be on all things pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding. Read more about Trina.