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Hi Monica,
Thank you so much for your detailed answers. They really helped me understand your little one’s daily routine more clearly.
It’s great to see that you’ve made some changes recently—such as following the wake, feed, play, sleep routine during the day, extending her wake windows, and making the room darker—and that you’re seeing some positive shifts in her sleep.
Here are a few suggestions that might make it easier to settle your little one to sleep:
1. Consistent Wake-Up Time
You mentioned that 6:30 a.m. seems to be a common wake-up time. How would you feel about making this her official start to the day, not allowing her to sleep past 6:30 a.m.? A consistent morning wake time will help regulate her circadian rhythm, making bedtime more predictable. It will also help solidify the timing of her first nap, which then leads to more consistent subsequent nap times.2. Wake, Feed, Play, Sleep Routine
Continue following the wake, feed, play and then sleep routine during the day. In saying that, you mentioned giving a feed before the midday nap tends to lead to a longer sleep. If you’d like to continue this, try offering the feed in a well-lit area (like the living room) about 30 minutes before nap time. Keep a close eye on her to ensure she’s actively feeding (swallowing every few sucks) and not dozing off. If she falls asleep during the feed, even briefly, it can reduce her sleep pressure and make it harder for her to settle when you put her down for the nap.3. Adjusting Wake Windows
I know you’ve recently extended her wake windows, but I’m wondering if she is fighting her naps because she simply isn’t tired enough to fall asleep. How you would feel about gradually extending her wake windows You could start with two hours for a few days and see if that makes it easier to settle her to sleep. If not, then you could try 2 hours 15 minutes for a few days and see the impact it has. If it is still challenging, you could then stretch it to 2 hours 30 minutes if needed.4. Naps and Changes in Routine
It’s wonderful that she’s having long naps. If you’re currently holding her for naps, transitioning to settling her to sleep on the bed might shorten those naps at first. This could temporarily lead to needing four naps a day with shorter wake windows (around two hours rather than two-and-a-half hours). As she gets used to falling asleep on the bed, her naps should lengthen again.5. Nap Routine
From your description, I imagine your current nap routine as something like this:- Take her to the bedroom,
- Close blinds and curtains.
- Lay her on the bed and put her in her sleeping bag.
- Turn on white noise.
- Hold her close, rock gently, sing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” and pat her back until she falls asleep.
You mentioned that you tried the settling pyramid for her morning nap and it almost worked. Have you had a chance to try it again? If not, would you feel comfortable using it consistently for the first nap of the day, or even over the next few days to see if it helps?
If that feels like too much right now, you could try a more gradual approach. This is where you would follow your usual nap routine, but you would stop rocking and patting her before she falls asleep. This small step will help her get used to falling asleep without movement, and this will make it easier to transition to the settling pyramid when you’re ready.
6. Nighttime Sleep and Tummy Sleeping
Nighttime sleep seems to be going well, which is great!
Regarding your question about tummy sleeping: You mentioned that she hasn’t fully rolled yet, but you’re having to flip her back onto her back overnight. Does this mean she’s rolling onto her tummy during sleep?
If that’s the case, I recommend discussing this with her paediatrician/doctor. They will know her medical history and can advise you on whether it’s safe for her to sleep on her tummy at this stage. Generally, once babies can roll onto their tummy on their own, there isn’t much you can do to prevent it, and you certainly can’t hover over them all night. So at this point, the recommendation changes slightly in that you still lay them on their back when you put them down to sleep, but you let them find their preferred sleeping position. So if they prefer to sleep on their tummy, you let them sleep on their tummy). You just need to make sure that the sleeping environment is safe and free from loose items.
How do you feel about these suggestions?
Emma