Reply To: 7-month old forgetting how to self-soothe?

[Emma H]

Hi Diana!

It sounds like you’re experiencing some changes with your little one’s sleep patterns. Before I can give you some suggestions, I have a few questions:

1. When did these changes start?

   • Did they begin when you moved him into his own room or did you move him into his own room at 5 months?
   • Did they coincide with him starting to crawl?

2. Can he roll from his back to his tummy on his own?

3. You mentioned his previous routine looked like this:

   • 6 AM: Wake
   • 1st nap around 8:30/9 AM (wake at 10/10:30 AM)
   • 2nd nap around 12:30/1 PM (wake at 2/2:30 PM)
   • 3rd nap at 5 PM (wake at 5:30 PM)
   • Bedtime at 7 PM
   • Overnight wake for a feed between 11:30 PM – 2:30 AM

Does his routine still look like this?

4. You mentioned he is waking often during the night—are there specific times he wakes, or is it every two hours from 7 PM onwards?

5. Also, you mentioned he is harder to settle for bedtime and naps. Is he still able to fall asleep in the crib by himself, or are you placing him in the crib and then moving up the settling pyramid, eventually picking him up and rocking him to sleep?

One possible reason for the sudden change in his sleeping patterns might be that he is ready to drop his third nap and transition to a two-nap schedule. Babies typically make this transition between 6 and 9 months of age. Do you think this might be the case? Here are some signs that indicate your baby might be ready for this change:

1. Trouble Falling Asleep at Nap Time: If he struggles to fall asleep during his usual nap time, especially in the afternoon, it might be because he isn’t tired enough and needs more awake time between naps.

2. Difficulty Falling Asleep at Night: If he used to fall asleep quickly but suddenly resists bedtime, it could be due to the last nap of the day being too close to bedtime, not allowing enough awake time to build sufficient sleep pressure for the night.

3. Waking Up Earlier Than Usual: If he starts waking up earlier in the morning, such as shifting from a 6 AM wake-up to 5:30 AM, it might indicate he needs to drop a daytime nap. As children grow, their overall sleep needs decrease, and excessive daytime napping can reduce nighttime sleep duration.

4. Shorter Naps: If he begins to have shorter naps, waking up much earlier than usual, it might be a sign that he’s ready to drop a nap. This often happens because they aren’t tired enough for a long nap due to shorter awake periods.

Thanks

Emma