Don't
Don't add in extra night feeds just because your baby is waking more frequently at night. If your baby has shown you that they are capable of going longer stretches at night without feeding, don't start adding in a bunch more feeds simply because they are waking.
I see parents do this a lot during the 4 month sleep regression. They assume that because baby is waking more, they must be hungry or going through a growth spurt. But what usually ends up happening is what we call reverse cycling.
Baby starts taking in more calories overnight because extra feeds are offered... then baby is more distracted and uninterested in eating during the day... this leads to a hungrier baby at night... and the cycle continues.
Another thing to keep in mind about growth spurts: you will notice an increase in hunger 24/7, not just at night.
Do
Do give your child space to settle in the night and if they don't start by offering less help and work your way up. We don't want to jump straight to the "big guns" to comfort and soothe if we can help it.
If your baby is waking more frequently in the night because of the 4 month sleep regression and fussing or whining, it's okay to give them space until they become distressed. They may just show you that they can go back down on their own!
If they become distressed and start crying, then I recommend going and offering soothing. It's best to start with the least amount of intervention (soothing words, shushing, your presence) and then work your way to more intervention (patting, rubbing, replacing pacifier, picking up to settle then placing back down again) as needed. If they still need more help to calm down and fall asleep, then you can switch to the most intervention (rocking and holding til asleep).
By working our way through this ladder slowly, we give them lots of chances to practice some independence and we can hopefully avoid adding in a bunch of extra sleep habits that aren't sustainable long term.
P.S. If you've got a newborn, my Newborn Mini Course walks you through how to use this ladder from the start.
Don't
Don't assume that sleep will magically go back to the way it was before the 4 month sleep regression. As I mentioned earlier, this regression marks a permanent change in your baby's sleep cycles.
They no longer have sleep cycles like a newborn- which is comprised of quiet and active sleep. Instead their sleep is now consisting of 4 different stages and there is more cycling in and out of lighter stages of sleep.
So it's not unusual for the poor sleep that happens with the 4 month sleep regression to continue until parents make some sleep changes. Because of the increase in lighter sleep, your baby just has more potential for wake ups! And with that, your help will be needed more and more often each time they wake.
We can change that by giving them the tools to fall asleep on their own- that way they won't be disturbed and need outside help at each and every waking!
Do
Do use this as an opportunity to sleep train your baby and teach them independent sleep skills. If you're struggling with their sleep during the 4 month regression and you're also ready to make a change, now's a great time to sleep train!
I often have parents ask me if they should wait until after the 4 month sleep regression is over before they sleep train, but as we discussed, this sleep regression doesn't "end." It's a permanent change to your baby's sleep cycles so if you are waiting for the regression to "end" and your baby's sleep to get better before you sleep train... you'll be waiting awhile!
Feeling overwhelmed?
If you feel like you might be ready to start making sleep changes but you're feeling really overwhelmed about where you can even begin... Here is a link to my scheduler so we can talk through your situation and see if we'd make a good fit to work together.