Reply To: Wakes after one sleep cycle and feeding blends with sleeping

[Emma H]

Hi Emily,
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions in such detail—I really appreciate it. It sounds like you’re doing an incredible job staying responsive to your little one’s needs, even through some very long and tiring nights.

From what you’ve described, you’re absolutely right that resettling and self-soothing are the biggest challenges right now. The fact that he’s waking every 50–60 minutes overnight and every 25 minutes for naps—especially with those patterns being so consistent—suggests he’s waking at the end of each sleep cycle and relying on you to help him fall back to sleep, usually by feeding or rocking. This is how he’s learned to fall asleep, so naturally, he needs those same conditions when he wakes again.

The key to reducing these frequent wakes (and getting you both more rest!) is to help him learn to fall asleep independently, without feeding or rocking. Once he develops this skill, he’ll be much more likely to link sleep cycles on his own.

I think one reason the settling pyramid hasn’t been as effective yet is that he may be having micro-sleeps while feeding—particularly during those long daytime feeds. Sucking is soothing, and many babies do drift off while nursing, even briefly. When this happens, he’s likely taking the edge off his sleep pressure—the natural drive to sleep—which then makes it harder for him to fall asleep when it’s actually time for a nap. He might either resist settling (because he’s not quite tired enough), or fall asleep briefly in your arms but wake shortly after being placed in the crib.

Here are a few things we can try to help increase the effectiveness of the settling pyramid:

1. Keep him fully awake during daytime feeds

This can be tricky, but it really helps. Try offering feeds 5–10 minutes after he wakes from a nap, and do them in a bright, stimulating environment (like a room with some background noise or gentle activity).

If he starts getting drowsy mid-feed—often indicated by slower or less frequent swallowing—pause the feed, sit him up, or change his diaper to help him wake up again. Then continue feeding if needed. If the feed has already been long enough, you can move straight into playtime.

How have the last few days gone with trying this?

2. Try extending his wake windows by 15 minutes

This might help build up just a little more sleep pressure, making it easier for him to settle and stay asleep during naps. Give it a try and see if he seems more ready to settle when he’s had a bit more awake time.

3. Pacifier use

It sounds like the pacifier may be contributing to shorter naps if it falls out and he wakes looking for it. How has it gone trying to remove the pacifier before he falls asleep? Has he been able to settle without it?

One last thing to consider: if either you or your husband snore loudly, that could also be causing your little one to rouse between sleep cycles overnight. Loud or sudden noises close to his sleep space can make it harder for him to settle or return to sleep on his own.

In terms of the white noise machine—yes, it’s perfectly safe to leave on all night, as long as the volume is kept at a safe level (ideally below 50 – 60 decibels and placed at least 1 meter from the crib). White noise can be really helpful in blocking out sudden environmental noises and masking the noises of you and your husband sleeping in the same room.

I hope this helps,
Emma