[Emma H]

Hi Melanie,

Firstly, congratulations on the arrival of your little one! I hope you’re getting to soak up lots of those precious newborn cuddles.

It’s fantastic that you’ve already been able to follow the wake–feed–play–sleep rhythm during the day and the wake–feed–sleep rhythm overnight. That’s such a great start.

Where your little one should sleep during the day

This really comes down to what feels right for you and what fits into your day. It’s so important for your own mental health to get out and about – so naps in the pram or carrier are perfectly fine. And if you love those newborn snuggles while she sleeps on you, that’s absolutely okay too.

I understand your concern about being in the same room while she naps. You’re right – the AAP and Red Nose Australia recommend babies nap in the same room as you. But they also emphasize that the most important factor is safe sleep: placing your baby on a firm, flat surface with no loose items. Many families only have one crib or bassinet located in the bedroom, and in these situations, letting their baby nap there is still considered a safe choice. It really comes down to what you feel most comfortable with.

The main reason I recommend having her nap in her sleep space is that it gives you the opportunity to practice helping her settle using the settling pyramid. It also allows her to start learning the nap and bedtime routine, which will become positive sleep associations and make it easier for her to fall asleep over time. That said, you can still complete a nap routine and complete a modified version of the settling pyramid—even if she’s napping in the pram, carrier, on you, or on a blanket on the floor.

Napping in a dark room

At this stage, you don’t need to worry about dark rooms confusing her circadian rhythm. Her body isn’t yet mature enough to establish a strong day-night pattern. What helps her circadian rhythm develop is exposure to natural light when she first wakes in the morning.

The main benefit of a darker room is that it minimizes distractions, making it easier for her to settle and stay asleep—especially as she becomes more alert and aware of her surroundings (which typically happens around 3 months).

Does this make sense?

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Monique,

It really comes down to what you feel most comfortable with.

If your little one has soiled their diaper while sleeping and it’s going to be hours before they naturally wake for a feed, I’d recommend changing it. However, as they get older, you’ll likely notice they gradually stop pooping overnight (this typically happens anytime after 6 weeks of age). At that point, if you’re comfortable with it, you can leave them to sleep and just change their wet diaper in the morning.

If you’d prefer not to leave them in a wet diaper, you can wake them to change it – but just keep in mind that you may need to feed or settle them again afterwards.

Does that make sense?

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Seyy,

Hopefully, the transition out of the swaddle is going a little smoother the second time around.

When it comes to improving bedtime and overnight sleep, I have a few suggestions for you. It might be best to wait and try these once she’s fully transitioned out of the swaddle, as this will set her up for more success.

Final Wake Window

To help her fall asleep and stay asleep at bedtime, it’s important that her final wake window is long enough for her to build up sufficient sleep pressure. If this window is too short, she may either fight bedtime or fall asleep only to wake again soon after because she wasn’t tired enough to stay asleep.

At 4 months, most babies can tolerate 2–2.5 hours of awake time, and sometimes even up to 3 hours before bedtime. So if her bedtime is 9 pm, aim for her last nap to finish by 6–6:30 pm to give her enough awake time before bed.

Track Her Bedtime Sleep Patterns

If she continues to wake multiple times after falling asleep at 9 pm – even when her last wake window is long enough – it might help to track what time she finally settles into a deep, longer stretch of sleep.

If you notice this consistently happens around 10:30 or 11 pm, it could suggest her natural bedtime is later than 9 pm right now. In that case, we may need to shift her wake-up time earlier to help bring her bedtime forward.

Tweak Her Bedtime Routine

To give you the chance to use the settling pyramid and help her learn to fall asleep in her crib independently (which will naturally reduce overnight waking), I recommend moving her feed slightly earlier in her bedtime routine. Here’s an example of how her routine could look:

1. Bath or massage

2. Diaper change and pajamas

3. Feed – stop the feed when her sucking slows, and she stops swallowing every few sucks (this often means she’s starting to drift off). If you think she hasn’t had enough, try gently waking her (changing her diaper again or shifting position can help) and offering the rest of the feed. The goal is to avoid her falling asleep at the breast/bottle, as this reduces sleep pressure and can make it harder for her to settle later.

   • Quick question: Do you still need to hold her upright after feeds, or has her reflux improved with the medication so you can skip this step?

4. Go into the bedroom and darken the room

5. Put on her sleeping bag

6. Sing a lullaby while gently rocking her in your arms

Once the lullaby ends:

• Lay her down in the crib awake and use the settling pyramid to help her drift off.

• If the pyramid feels too challenging right now, you can continue rocking her but start to slow the motion gradually. Then:

  • Transition to holding her still while patting and shushing

  • Gradually stop patting, then stop shushing

  • Allow her to fall asleep still and quiet in your arms before attempting to transfer

But given that she tends to wake when being transferred or laid down, trying the settling pyramid first may give her the best chance to learn how to settle in the crib.

Does this feel like a manageable next step for when she’s fully out of the swaddle?

Emma

• This reply was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by  Emma H.

[Emma H]

Hi Kate,

I’m so glad to hear the heatwave has passed!

It’s also fantastic that her wake-up time is stabilizing around 7:30. That consistency will really help regulate her body clock, which is a solid foundation for improving her sleep overall.

Now, about the bottle – it’s completely understandable that she’s been seeking extra comfort after the stress of her vaccinations. But the fact that you’re already managing to get her to sleep without the bottle 1–2 times a day is such a positive sign – it shows she can fall asleep without it, even if it’s not consistent yet.

As for the settling pyramid, there isn’t a strict time limit for how long to try before switching strategies, but there are practical considerations. If she’s been awake beyond her maximum wake window and is very unsettled, it’s often better to prioritise getting her to sleep. At the same time, we want to avoid the bottle becoming her primary way of settling, as this can reinforce the habit.

To help her move away from relying on the bottle to fall asleep, I’d suggest giving her a few more days (to ensure she’s fully comfortable and not sore from the vaccinations), then starting to follow the wake–feed–play–sleep routine. When it’s time to settle her, you could try getting her to sleep in your arms without the bottle first. Once she’s more comfortable falling asleep this way, we can then focus on helping her learn to fall asleep without movement using the settling pyramid.

Does that sound like a good next step? If so, I can put together a more detailed plan for you to follow.

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Julia,

Waking hourly must be absolutely exhausting – you must be so tired right now.

Since this is a new pattern, I think it might just be a coincidence for now. How did last night go?

You mentioned that you’re not feeding her between 7/8 pm and 12 am. From what you shared, it sounds like she may have gone to bed around 8 pm and then slept through until about 11–11:30 pm – is that right? If so, that’s a big improvement from before when she was waking at both 9 and 10 pm.

If she’s now sleeping until 11–11:30 pm, then waking again an hour later, but settling into a longer stretch after her 12/12:30 am feed, you might consider offering her a feed at that 11–11:30 pm waking for now. This could help her settle back to sleep more easily and potentially support a longer stretch again after that feed.

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Jacelyn,

It sounds like you’re making some progress, which is good to see.

Let’s go through your questions one by one:

Shorter Nap Times:

It’s possible that slightly shorter naps during the day could help consolidate his nighttime sleep by increasing sleep pressure. However, another factor to consider is that on the day his first two naps were shorter, his third nap likely started and finished earlier. This may have created a longer wake window before bedtime, which could have contributed to the longer stretch of sleep at the start of the night. Do you recall what time he woke from that final nap on that day?

Something you could try is capping Naps 1 and 2 at around 45 minutes and allowing a longer third nap for a few days to see if this improves his overnight sleep. If it does – fantastic!

If you go ahead with this, keep an eye on the timing of his last nap, especially when he wakes from it. If the nap ends too close to bedtime, it could make it harder for him to settle at night.

Changing Cots at Night:

The increase in night wakings after moving to Level 3 could be related to the change in environment. Even small differences in surroundings can be enough to disrupt sleep for babies, who are highly sensitive to their sleep environment.

Another factor could be the natural shift in sleep patterns during the early morning hours. The first part of the night is dominated by deep sleep, making longer stretches more likely. In the early morning, lighter stages of sleep (REM and stage 2 NREM) dominate, making babies more prone to waking from noises (like snoring), rolling, pacifiers falling out, or simply noticing they’re in a different space from where they fell asleep.

From what you mentioned, it sounds like he wakes around 12 am, then sleeps until 3 am, and after that begins waking hourly. Is that right? Have you noticed that he wakes up less when he is sleeping in the cot on level 2?

To encourage him to sleep for longer stretches in the early hours of the morning there are a few things you can try:

• Sleep in the cot on level 2 overnight: If you or your partner snores, and your helper doesn’t, then it might be worth seeing if letting your little one sleep in cot 2 overnight reduces the overnight wakes (only if you’re happy to do this).
• Letting him sleep on his tummy: You mentioned that your little one often wakes when he rolls from his side onto his tummy, especially in the early morning hours. I’m wondering – has he learned to roll both ways (onto his tummy and back again)? If he has, would you consider settling him to sleep on his tummy if that’s the position he prefers? Once babies can roll independently, the recommendations shift slightly: you still place them in the crib on their back, but it’s safe to let them roll into the position they find most comfortable – even if that’s their tummy. Many babies at this stage start preferring tummy sleeping, and it often helps them settle more easily and sleep for longer stretches. If you decide to try this, just make sure the crib is clear of any loose items and the mattress is flat and covered only with a fitted sheet. When he wakes in the early morning because he’s rolled onto his tummy, you can help him resettle in that position. Use the settling pyramid, but instead of patting his chest, gently pat his bottom to soothe him. Once he becomes comfortable sleeping on his tummy, he’s more likely to stay asleep when he rolls over during the night.
• Offering a 3 am feed: Since his last feed is at 12 am and he isn’t waking again until 3 am, then starts waking hourly until morning, it’s possible he’s waking at 3 am because he’s hungry. Would you be open to offering him a feed at 3 am to see if this helps reduce those hourly wakes? I know you’re working towards reducing his overnight feeds, and that’s definitely achievable. What often happens is the first feed naturally shifts later, which then pushes back the timing of the second feed, and over time, the overnight feeds gradually drop off. If feeding him at 3 am doesn’t reduce the hourly wakes, it may suggest he’s waking due to a sleep association. In that case, helping him learn to fall asleep in the crib without the pacifier (if he’s still using it) could make a big difference.

Does this sound okay?

Emma

• This reply was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by  Emma H.

[Emma H]

Hi Julia,

If you’re happy to, I recommend you continue using the paci to help her fall back to sleep when she wakes before 12am, for the next week. The other thing you can do is see if feeding her when she wakes between 2 – 3 am reduces the later, earlier morning wakes.

Does this sound okay?

Emma

[Emma H]

No worries at all Jillian.

Enjoy the rest of your holidays!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Jillian,

I really hope you’re all soaking up some special moments with your little one, on your first family holiday!

Definitely don’t worry about starting these strategies until you get home – just enjoy your holiday.

To answer your questions:

How long does it take to get the first success with the settling pyramid?

This really depends on the baby – some get the hang of it within a few days, while others need a couple of weeks of consistent practice to have that first “aha” moment where they fall asleep in the crib on their own. Remember, success isn’t always all-or-nothing at first; even needing less support to settle is progress. Think of it like building a new skill – you’re helping her learn something completely new, and it’s normal for it to take time.

How long should I try before taking a break?

You’re absolutely right – trying to force sleep when she’s really resisting isn’t helpful for either of you. Here’s what I usually recommend:

• Give the settling pyramid about 20 minutes for each nap.

• If she’s still wide awake after 20 minutes and showing no signs of settling – but you feel she is tired – you can go ahead and settle her using your usual method.

• However, if you try your usual settling and she still takes a long time to fall asleep, or needs a lot of input from you, it might be a sign that she isn’t quite tired enough yet and needs a little more awake time.

To help figure this out, I’d suggest recording the time she actually falls asleep for each nap. This can give you a clearer picture of how long she really needs to be awake between naps, which can make future settling much easier.

Helping her link sleep cycles

At this stage, many babies still naturally wake after one sleep cycle (30–45 minutes), and that’s very normal. If she wakes from a short nap and seems cranky or still tired, you can try resettling her. For some bubs this works, but for most, they won’t fall back to sleep as their sleep pressure is lower, so they are not tired enough to fall asleep. So if after 10 – 15 minutes she hasn’t fallen back to sleep, I recommend you just embrace the short nap and start the next wake window.

In the catnapping video in the course, I go through both these options in more detail which you might find helpful.

Also, something else to keep in mind is that between 5 – 6 months of age, babies are developmentally capable of linking sleep cycles (and start having longer naps). But this is only if they know how to fall asleep on their own. So the key to helping her link sleep cycles is helping her learn how to fall asleep on her own.

Enjoy your holiday, and don’t put any pressure on yourself to work on these changes until you’re home and ready.

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Julia,

It’s completely normal for babies to still wake overnight for feeds, and it’s really promising that your little one already knows how to fall asleep independently. That’s a huge skill and a great foundation. It’s also fantastic that you’re starting to work on reducing some of her overnight feeds.

One small tweak I’d suggest is to focus on reducing the feeds at the start of the night – specifically, any feeds that happen before midnight. The goal here is to encourage her to have a longer stretch of uninterrupted sleep in the first part of the night.

These early-night feeds are usually the easiest to drop because:

• Sleep pressure is highest at the beginning of the night

• Her circadian rhythm is promoting sleep, not wakefulness

• Deep sleep is dominant, making it easier to settle and stay asleep

In contrast, the early morning hours are trickier – sleep pressure is lower (because she’s already had several hours of sleep), her circadian rhythm starts to shift toward waking, and lighter sleep cycles are more common. This could be why she’s struggling to resettle at 2am.

Would you be open to trying one of the following approaches when she wakes before midnight?

• Try settling her using the settling pyramid, rather than feeding

• Or, if that feels too big a step, you could gradually shorten the feed instead

Also, just to clarify – does she usually go to bed around 7:20 pm, then wake about an hour later and not really settle into a longer stretch until 9 pm? If so, let me know, as that timing could offer a few more clues about what’s going on.

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Seyy,

Thank you so much for answering all of my questions – it really helps me get a clear picture of how things are going.

It does sound like transferring your little one into other people’s arms or the crib has become a little more challenging over the past few days. This could be part of the 4-month sleep regression, but usually in that case babies tend to wake at fairly predictable intervals overnight (like every 2 hours). From your description, it sounds like that might not be the pattern here? I’m also wondering if these difficulties began or worsened when you started transitioning her from both arms swaddled to one arm out. Do you think that could be it? It’s very common for babies to take a few days to adjust during this transition.

Transitioning Out of the Swaddle

You asked how long to wait before letting the other arm out. There’s no set rule, but many families make the transition about 3–4 days after starting with one arm out. If she’s adjusted well already, you could do it sooner. Once she’s fully out of the swaddle, I’d recommend dressing her in a sleeping bag (also known as a sleep sack). These are safer than blankets and help keep her warm throughout the night.

Making One Change at a Time

Since transitioning out of the swaddle can make sleep trickier for a little while, I’d hold off on introducing the settling pyramid until she’s used to having both arms out. Once she’s adjusted, you can start making the other changes below when you feel ready.

Narrowing Wake-Up Time

Keeping her wake-up time within a 30-minute window will really help her circadian rhythm mature. This, in turn, encourages longer stretches of sleep overnight. Given that you’re trying to shift her bedtime earlier, I recommend her wake up time be 8 – 8:30am.

Something to keep in mind though is babies can only sleep about 10–12 hours overnight. So if you’re aiming for a 7pm bedtime, then you may need to shift her wake up time to 7am at the latest.

Settling for Naps

You mentioned wanting to move away from contact naps. Once she’s fully transitioned out of the swaddle, you could:

1. Try the settling pyramid for all naps (best for faster progress)
2. Or start with just the first nap of the day (often the easiest for babies)

Here’s what that could look like:

• +/- Diaper change

• Darken the room

• Put her in her sleeping bag

• Turn on white noise

• Hold her horizontally while singing a lullaby

• When the lullaby ends and she’s calm, lay her in the crib awake and apply the settling pyramid -moving up or down as needed to provide just enough support for her to settle

If she’s protesting but pausing between cries, stay at the same level of support. If she’s crying without breaks, gradually move up the pyramid to help her calm down, then work your way back down so she falls asleep on her own.

In the course there are four videos where I demonstrate using the settling pyramid with my daughter. It may help to watch these to see how I gauge when to intervene and move up a level.

If after 20 minutes she’s still not asleep and you’re exhausted or short on time, pick her up and help her settle in your arms – but try to reduce how much movement/noise you use so she falls asleep with less assistance.

Modified Settling Approach (if the pyramid feels too big right now)

If you’d like to keep holding her for naps while preparing her for crib sleep later, you can:

1. Follow your usual nap routine.

2. After the lullaby, continue rocking while patting her bottom and shushing.

3. Gradually stop rocking but keep patting and shushing while standing still.

4. Then stop patting and only shush.

5. Finally, stop shushing so she falls asleep while you are standing still and in silence.

This helps her learn to fall asleep without movement or noise, making the crib transition easier later.

Note: Even with this approach, transfers to the crib may still be tricky because her sleep pressure decreases as she sleeps in your arms.

Wake Windows

At 4 months, wake windows of 2 – 2.5 hours are common. You mentioned she’s awake 1.5 – 2 hours. To gently stretch this:

• When she shows sleepy cues and starts fussing, try changing the activity (new room, new position, etc.) to see if she stops fussing – if she does, she may just be bored.

• If she continues fussing, she’s likely tired and ready for a nap.

This may help her naturally extend her wake windows, which can make settling in the crib easier.

Bedtime and Overnight

You mentioned bedtime and overnight routines, but I’m a little confused:

• Are you still aiming to start her bedtime routine at 7 pm, with her asleep by 8 pm?

• Or have you continued starting the routine at 8 pm, with her asleep by 9 pm?

Sorry, once I understand this I will have more suggestions on how to improve bedtime and overnight sleep.

Does this feel doable?

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Kate,

I’m so sorry to hear you hurt your back. I really hope it’s starting to feel a little better now. Back injuries can make day to day life with a bub really challenging and painful! So do be gentle with yourself as you recover.

It’s really encouraging that you were seeing moderate success with the changes before your injury. That’s a great sign. But it’s absolutely fine to pause things for now while you focus on healing and see how your little one is going in the meantime.

Naps

If she’s having one long nap and two shorter ones – and she’s generally happy when awake – a 3-nap schedule at 3 months is perfectly fine.

It’s interesting that her morning nap is still shifting a bit even with a consistent wake-up time. I wonder if her overnight sleep is influencing this? Either way, the most important thing right now is to keep her wake-up time consistent. This helps anchor her body clock, encourages the release of melatonin at bedtime, and supports longer stretches of overnight sleep. With time, her morning nap is likely to settle into a more predictable rhythm too.

Helping Her Wake Up in the Morning

To help her wake up at her set time, opening the blinds and making some noise is a great start. The other thing you can do to encourage her to wake up gently is to make her slightly cooler. So you can try removing her sleeping bag (if she’s wearing one) or lifting or unzipping her clothing to make her a little cooler. I am not sure if this is possible with the heatwave – I heard it might still be happening?

If She Wakes Early

If she wakes earlier than usual, here’s how you can handle it:

• Before 6:00 am: Treat it like a night waking – offer a feed and encourage her to go back to sleep.
• Between 6:00–7:00 am: You can try the same approach, but many babies are less likely to resettle at this time. If she doesn’t go back to sleep, I’d recommend just starting the day. On those days, because of the earlier start, she may need 4 naps instead of 3 to make it through to bedtime.

Does this make sense?

Emma

• This reply was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by  Emma H.

[Emma H]

Hi Thu,

Thank you so much for answering all of my questions!

It’s great to hear that she’s mostly falling asleep on her own in the crib, and while she’s still waking 3 times overnight, it does sound like things have improved from when she was waking very frequently.

Given how suddenly the increase in night wakings began, and the fact that her wakes are now gradually reducing, it’s likely that the disruption was caused by some temporary discomfort. I do think she will continue to lengthen that first stretch of sleep at the start of the night, and her night wakes should gradually drop off.

You mentioned her first wake is usually around 10–11 pm and you tend to go to bed around 10:30pm. It might be worth experimenting with going to bed a little earlier (before 10 pm) or later (after 11 pm) to see if this eliminates that 10/11pm wake.

Also, when she does wake overnight – especially for that 10–11 pm wake – try pausing before responding. Give her a few minutes to see if she resettles on her own. If she just fusses lightly without escalating, wait and see. But if she starts to cry and it builds, that’s her way of letting you know she needs you.

If by the end of next week she’s still waking every 3 hours, you could start encouraging her to gradually drop her overnight feeds – focusing first on dropping that 10–11 pm feed. To do this, when she wakes at that time, instead of offering a feed, use the settling pyramid or your usual settling method (patting, rocking, etc.) to help her back to sleep. Over time, this should help her stop waking for that feed and extend her sleep stretch at the start of the night.

Daytime Sleep

It sounds like her naps are going really well! The one thing I do want to mention is at this age, babies are often still on a 3-nap schedule. Most don’t transition to 2 naps until somewhere between 6–9 months. I’m not suggesting you go back to 3 naps, but if her night sleep doesn’t continue improving, it might be worth trying a 3-nap schedule to see if it helps.

Here’s an example of what her day could look like with 3 naps:

• 6:30 am – Wake

• 9:00 am – Nap 1

• 10:30 am – Wake

• 1:00 pm – Nap 2

• 2:30 pm – Wake

• 4:30 pm – Nap 3 (short 30 min nap)

• 5:00 pm – Wake

• 7:30 pm – Bedtime

First Feed of the Day

For that first feed in the morning, I’d recommend offering it when she wakes up for the day – even if her last feed was at 4–5 am. This helps you follow a wake–feed–play–sleep rhythm for the first wake window. If you feel she isn’t very hungry yet, you could wait and offer the feed closer to 7:15 – 7:30 am instead. At that time, she’s unlikely to fall back asleep, and she’ll probably take a fuller feed.

Does this sound like a plan you’d be happy to try?

Emma

[Emma H]

No worries!

[Emma H]

Hi Jillian,

Thank you so much for answering all my questions – it really helps me get a clear picture of what’s happening.

It’s fantastic that your little one continues to sleep so well overnight! You mentioned her bedtime is between 9–10 pm and that you’d like to shift it earlier. To do this, I’d suggest moving everything – wake-up time, naps, feeds, and bedtime – 15 minutes earlier every 3 days until you reach your desired bedtime. A bedtime between 7–8 pm is very typical at this age.

Here are some ideas to help with her naps and transitions to the crib:

Wake-Up Time

Keep her wake-up time consistent within a 30-minute window. Right now, she’s waking around 8:30 am. If you’re shifting bedtime earlier, this wake-up time will move earlier too. For now, wake her by 8:30 am if she doesn’t wake on her own.

Make the First Nap Consistent

Once wake-up time is steady, aim to make her first nap happen at a consistent time each day. With a 60-minute wake window, this would be around 9:30 am. A consistent first nap often helps the rest of the day’s naps fall into place too.

Try the Settling Pyramid

You mentioned that you’re currently bouncing or rocking her to sleep for naps, then trying to transfer her to the crib – but it often doesn’t work. This is such a common challenge, and the reason for it comes down to how sleep pressure works.

When she falls asleep in your arms, the sleep pressure (the drive that helps babies fall asleep during the day) starts to decrease as she sleeps. So, when you transfer her to the crib and she stirs even slightly, she’s now less tired than when she first drifted off. This makes it much harder for her to fall back asleep independently, which is also why trying the settling pyramid after the transfer often doesn’t lead to success.

To help her fall asleep and stay asleep in the crib, it’s important that she’s still awake when you lay her down. That’s where the settling pyramid comes in – it teaches her how to drift off in her sleep space.

If you feel ready to try, there are two options:

1. Start using the settling pyramid for every nap
2. Begin with just the first nap of the day, which is usually the easiest time for babies to learn this skill

Here’s how to try it:

• When she shows sleepy cues, start your usual nap routine.

• After you’ve finished singing the lullaby, lay her down in the crib while she’s still awake.

• Apply the settling pyramid – moving up and down the steps as needed to help her settle.

If starting with the pyramid feels like too big a leap, we can take a smaller step by helping her learn to fall asleep without constant movement first. This makes the transition to the settling pyramid much easier later.

Here’s how:

• Start your nap routine as usual when she’s showing sleepy cues.

• After the lullaby, begin rocking or bouncing her while gently patting her bottom.

• If she’s calm, gradually stop the rocking/bouncing but continue patting and shushing.

• Then stop patting and just continue shushing.

• Finally, stop shushing so she falls asleep without any motion or noise.

Once she’s asleep, you can try transferring her to the crib. Aim to do this when her body is completely still – this is a sign she’s in deeper sleep and less likely to wake from the movement.

Wake Windows

At 4 months, most babies can manage 2 – 2.5 hour wake windows. You mentioned she’s awake about 90 minutes between naps (except for her first wake window, which is 60 minutes). Would you be open to gently stretching her wake windows to see if this makes it easier for her to fall asleep at nap time? If you are you could:

• Start by extending them by 15 minutes (so 105 minutes between naps).

• Keep this for 3 days and just track if it helps her settle more easily for naps – so you don’t need to bounce or rock her for a long or she falls asleep quicker when you lay her in the crib.

• If after 3 days you notice that nap times aren’t any easier but she seems to have managed the longer wake window you can try adding another 15 minutes (so 120 minutes between naps) and see if this makes nap times easier.

Nap Length

You noted her naps are 30 – 45 minutes. That’s very normal at this age as many babies haven’t yet learned to link sleep cycles. Longer naps often emerge around 5 – 6 months once they’re falling asleep independently. For now, she may need 4 – 5 short naps per day.

Wake, Feed, Play, Sleep Routine

Once her wake windows stretch to 2 – 2.5 hours and naps stay 30 – 45 minutes, you may naturally fall back into a wake–feed–play–sleep rhythm with roughly 3 hours between feeds. If not, feeding on demand is still completely fine.

You may also find it easier to follow this routine in the first wake window, which is another reason to try the settling pyramid for the first nap.

Does this sound doable?

Emma

• This reply was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by  Emma H.