Hello!

My coming 5 months old is sleeping more in the day and wakes up very often at night and always up about 5 in the morning. I’m putting him to bed at about 9 now as he needs to be cuddled/breastfeed to sleep and wakes up easily if I walk away. He is sleepy every 1.5 to 2 hours in the day and I am not able to delay his sleep as he gets really cranky and screams a lot when he is tired. What can I do to make him sleep longer at night?

Emailed by anon 21.1.2013


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  • Try a lulla doll. May be a skeep miracle aid for your baby. They are highly sort after and can work wonders


  • I hope he has settled now. But for future reference. swaddling helps baby sleep longer.


  • you could try feeding him later and also putting him to bed later.


  • Try the Karitane routine – available on their website. It worked well for us. they recommend from 4.5-6mths Awake / play time for 2-2.5hrs then sleep for 1-1.5hrs with 2-3 sleeps per day. With the following schedule for a day:
    AGE: 6 months – 9 months
    Early Morning Milk Feed
    (Baby may go back to bed)
    Up time 2 ½ – 3 hrs
    Solids
    Play
    Sleep (1 ½ – 2 hrs)
    Variation________________________________
    ________________________________________

    Up time 2 ½ – 3 hrs
    Milk feed
    Solids
    Play
    Sleep (1 ½ – 2 hrs)
    Variation________________________________
    ________________________________________

    Up time 2 ½ – 3 hrs
    Milk feed
    Solids
    Play
    Bath
    Milk feed
    (You may choose to delay this feed and
    give just before you go to bed)
    Quiet time
    Bed time
    Variation________________________________
    ________________________________________
    Aim to give both Milk & Solids within one hour.


  • I think some of the others are right. He is back to front and thinking night is day. Try doing a routine through the day and cutting down naps, it may be hard at first but will get easier once you are both in the swing of things


  • Sounds like he’s a bit back the front. I would try a routine through the day and see of that helps


  • Hope you got the advice you needed,


  • What ideas did you come up with to get your baby to sleep longer at night?


  • I hope things are going better for you now


  • I’d get him into a set routine, and try to keep him awake a little longer throughout the day


  • Sounds like u keep walking back in as soon as he cried. Let him cry a little longer so he knows u won’t just jump at every cry


  • Good luck :-)


  • Typical sleep at this age

    At 3 months, most babies sleep a total of 15 hours a day, including nighttime sleep and naps.

    Sleep training opportunity
    Typically, by age 4 months or so, babies have started to develop more of a regular sleep/wake pattern and have dropped most of their night feedings.

    This doesn’t mean you should suddenly impose a rigid sleep program on your 4- or 5-month-old. In fact, your baby may already have developed sleep patterns that fit in well with your family life. But if you’d like to help your baby sleep longer at a stretch and keep more regular hours, now might be a good time to try some type of sleep training.

    Keep in mind that every baby is on a unique developmental schedule. Observe how your child reacts to sleep training, and if she doesn’t seem ready, slow down and try again in a few weeks.

    Sleeping through the night

    At some point between 4 and 6 months, most babies are capable of sleeping through the night. “Through the night” at this age generally means a stretch of 8 to 12 hours. This is an important milestone for you as well as your baby, allowing you to get through a few sleep cycles and feel more rested in the morning.

    If your baby isn’t yet sleeping 8 hours straight, you’re not alone. Many babies still wake up more than once at night for feedings in the 4- to 6-month stage. But by 6 months, if not before, your baby’s likely to be ready for night weaning, if that’s what you choose.

    Waking up again
    If your baby already sleeps for long periods at night, enjoy it. But babies who’ve slept through the night for weeks or months may start to wake up – so don’t be surprised if you’re suddenly getting up every couple of hours again.

    It can be frustrating and puzzling if your baby does this, but she has her reasons. She may be increasingly socially aware and wake up crying for your company. Or she may be working so hard to master new skills, like rolling over or sitting up, that she practices in her sleep and wakes herself up.

    How you can establish healthy sleep habits

    Here are some tips for helping your baby sleep well at this age:

    Establish a set bedtime and regular nap times – and stick to them.
    When your baby was a newborn, you knew it was bedtime when you started noticing signs of sleepiness (eye-rubbing, ear-pulling, and so on). Now that she’s a little older, you should establish a regular bedtime, as well as consistent nap times, to regulate her sleep patterns.

    Some babies naturally nod off by 6 every night. Others still seem wide awake at 8 or later. And of course your household routine will influence her sleep schedule, too.

    Choose a reasonable bedtime that suits your family’s schedule and stick to it as much as possible. If your baby seems to want to stay up past bedtime, consider this: Energetic behavior late at night can be a sign that a child is tired.

    You can start to plan naps for a specific time every day, too, such as at 9 a.m., noon, and 3 p.m. Or you can just put your baby down about two hours after she last woke up. As long as she’s getting enough opportunities to sleep, either approach is fine.

    If your baby’s having a hard time getting to sleep or staying asleep, whether during naps or at night, try putting her down sooner. Being too tired can make it hard to settle down and get restful sleep.

    Begin to develop a bedtime routine.
    If you haven’t already done so, now’s a good time to start a bedtime routine. Your ritual can include any or all of the following: giving your baby a bath, getting her changed for bed, reading a bedtime story or two, singing a lullaby, and giving her a kiss goodnight.

    Whatever routine works for your family is fine, as long as you do it in the same order and at the same time every night. Babies thrive on consistency.

    Wake your child in the morning to set her daily clock.
    It’s fine to wake your baby up in the morning if she’s sleeping past her usual waking time, to help set her daily clock. Your baby needs to follow a regular sleep/wake pattern and recharge with naps during the day. Waking her up at the same time every morning will help keep her on a predictable sleep schedule.

    Encourage your child to fall asleep independently.
    All of us, babies and adults alike, wake up several times every night for brief periods (anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes). As adults, we put ourselves back to sleep each time – and we don’t even remember doing it.

    The ability to get back to sleep is key when it comes to snoozing through the night. Some babies seem to do this naturally. But if your baby doesn’t, it’s a skill she’ll have to master. One way to get her started is to put her down when she’s drowsy but awake.

    If your baby needs more help and you think she’s ready, you can try a more involved method of sleep training. Your options include various no-cry and cry-it-out techniques. What will work best for you depends on your parenting style, your personal beliefs, and your child’s particular needs.


  • Try playing with him more before the bed time wind down


  • Maybe try a eat sleep play routine which may help stretch the sleep in the day.


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