[Emma H]

Hi Monica,

Thank you so much for answering those questions!

Since she’s already falling asleep on her own for naps and bedtime, I wouldn’t expect her to wake after every sleep cycle (as it seemed she did on the first night you recorded her wakings).

This has me wondering if one possible reason for the frequent night wakings could be related to her daytime naps. For some babies, being overtired during the day can impact their overnight sleep. I noticed that on the day she had three naps and a shorter wake window before bedtime (compared to the day she had only two naps), she had a longer stretch of sleep and woke just twice for feeds.

With that in mind, it might be helpful to focus on making her nap routine more consistent and capping her final nap. This would help bedtime consistently occur around 7:00 pm. Around 5–6 months, babies often start to develop a more regular nap schedule, and we can gently guide her toward that by:

1. Setting a Morning Wake-Up Time

   • Aim to have her wake no later than 6:30 am.

2. Timing the First Nap

   • Plan her first nap no earlier than 8:30 am. Given her typical 2-hour wake windows, this timing should work.

3. Capping the First Nap

   • If her first nap starts to run long, cap it at 10:30 am. This helps ensure the second nap begins around 12:30 pm at the latest.

4. Timing and Capping the Second Nap

   • Cap the second nap at 2:30 pm at the latest. This ensures there’s enough wake time before the final nap.

5. Managing the Final Nap

   • Plan for the third nap around 4:30 pm and cap it at 5:00 pm.

Now, if she doesn’t have two long naps in the morning and ends up needing four naps that day, that’s completely fine. Let her have the four naps, but be sure to cap the final nap by 5:00 pm. That said, if, on occasion, she doesn’t fall asleep for that last nap until closer to 5:00 pm, you can cap it at 5:30 pm and adjust her bedtime slightly later to 7:30 pm. Try to avoid letting her bedtime creep to 8:00 pm, as it’s important to keep bedtime within a consistent 30-minute window (7:00–7:30 pm) to support her sleep rhythm.

The other thing you mentioned is that you’re not entirely sure if she’s fully waking during her night feeds. One thing you could try, if you’re not already, is taking a moment to really listen and observe when she initially stirs overnight to ensure she’s actually awake.

As you know, babies stir between sleep cycles or during REM sleep, where they may move around or make noises but aren’t truly awake. Given the frequency of her overnight wake-ups, it does seem like she could be stirring between sleep cycles. So, you might find it helpful to wait until she cries out or shows clear signs of being awake before going in to feed her. Simply giving her a little space to resettle could naturally reduce the number of times she wakes during the night.

Also, I noticed that you mentioned, ‘Sometimes I will feed an hour or half hour before she goes back down. If she hasn’t had much of a feed before her night sleep, she often wakes after an hour or so. I go in, keep everything dark, keep the white noise on, feed her (she usually falls asleep), put her back on the bed, and leave.’

I was wondering how often this happens—how many nights a week does she wake up an hour after bedtime, and you feed her? I’m just trying to determine if this is a regular occurrence. If it’s happening most nights, it might indicate that we need to adjust her bedtime slightly or tweak her bedtime routine, so that a longer feed occurs at the start of the routine.

Are you happy to give these a try and let me know how it goes?

If they don’t seem to help, we can explore a few other strategies together.

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Damen.

I have posted this reply in your earlier question – but just wanted to add it here to ensure you saw it. Hopefully, it makes sense and helps a little.

Hi Damen,

Firstly, congratulations on your beautiful boy! It sounds like you and your wife are doing an incredible job supporting him—7kg at 15 weeks is fantastic growth!

I completely understand how exhausting broken sleep can be, especially for your wife. And I am so sorry you’re both going through this at the moment.

From what you’ve shared, it sounds like your son’s overnight schedule looks like this:

• 7:00 pm – Bedtime
• 11:00 pm (ish) – Wakes for first overnight feed
• 1:00 am (ish) – Wakes for second overnight feed
• 2:00 am onwards – Wakes every hour for a feed until wake-up time, resulting in 4–5 more feeds.

Based on this, it sounds like your little one is having about 6–7 feeds overnight. Is that correct?

At this age, it’s common for babies to wake 1–2 times for a feed, so we can definitely start looking at ways to reduce the frequency of these wake-ups.

To help work towards this, I have a few questions. When you have time, could you let me know the following?

1. Can you describe his bedtime and nap routine?
2. You mentioned he falls asleep while eating—does this happen for all naps as well?
3. What time does he wake up in the morning? Is this time consistent?
4. During the day, have you been able to follow the wake, feed, play, and sleep routine?
5. How many naps is he having during the day, and where are these naps happening?
6. Where does he sleep overnight, and what is the room like (e.g., temperature, lighting, noise levels)?
7. Does he use a pacifier?
8. How long is he generally staying awake between naps?
9. When he wakes overnight, do you follow the wake, feed, sleep routine without changing his diaper unless necessary?

The answers to these questions will help me provide specific strategies to reduce the number of overnight feeds and increase the stretches of sleep you all get. But in the meantime, here are a few things that you can try:

• Set a Consistent Wake-Up Time (if you haven’t already)
  I know this can be tough, especially with frequent night wakings, but aiming for a consistent wake-up time (within a 30-minute window) will reset his circadian rhythm every day and help in it’s maturation. A mature circadian rhythm encourages wakefulness during the day and longer, more restful sleep overnight.

• Adjust the Bedtime Routine
  You mentioned that he often falls asleep while feeding, which might be contributing to his frequent night wakings. At the start of the night, deep sleep dominates, so babies can drift from one sleep cycle to the next without waking fully (meaning they tend to have a longer stretch at the start of the night). However, as the night progresses, light sleep and REM sleep dominate, especially in the early morning hours. During this time, if he’s used to falling asleep while feeding, when he wakes between sleep cycles (as we all do) he’s more likely to wake up fully and then call out for a feed to settle back to sleep.

  So if he is always falling asleep while feeding for all naps and bedtime, teaching him to fall asleep on his own can make a big difference. Once he learns this skill, he’ll be able to settle himself back to sleep during overnight wake-ups when he’s not hungry, leading to longer stretches of sleep and less feeds.

To help him learn this skill, would your wife be open to adjusting the nap and bedtime routine slightly? And by that, I mean beginning the nap and bedtime routine with a feed, but in a bright, active space with some background noise to discourage him from falling asleep during the feed.

After the feed, you could:

• Put him in his sleeping bag.
• Carry him into his room, dim the lights, and turn on a white noise machine (if you use one).
• Sing a lullaby while holding him in your arms.
• Lay him down in his sleep space and use the settling pyramid to guide him to sleep.

If you are both open to this but feel that making this change for all naps and bedtime would be too much at once, you could start with just his first nap of the day and/or bedtime. Babies often find it easier to settle for the first nap, and at bedtime, the combination of the circadian rhythm and sleep pressure working together (promoting sleep) makes it easier for them to fall asleep.

Does this sound doable?

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Damen,

Firstly, congratulations on your beautiful boy! It sounds like you and your wife are doing an incredible job supporting him—7kg at 15 weeks is fantastic growth!

I completely understand how exhausting broken sleep can be, especially for your wife. And I am so sorry you’re both going through this at the moment.

From what you’ve shared, it sounds like your son’s overnight schedule looks like this:

• 7:00 pm – Bedtime
• 11:00 pm (ish) – Wakes for first overnight feed
• 1:00 am (ish) – Wakes for second overnight feed
• 2:00 am onwards – Wakes every hour for a feed until wake-up time, resulting in 4–5 more feeds.

Based on this, it sounds like your little one is having about 6–7 feeds overnight. Is that correct?

At this age, it’s common for babies to wake 1–2 times for a feed, so we can definitely start looking at ways to reduce the frequency of these wake-ups.

To help work towards this, I have a few questions. When you have time, could you let me know the following?

1. Can you describe his bedtime and nap routine?
2. You mentioned he falls asleep while eating—does this happen for all naps as well?
3. What time does he wake up in the morning? Is this time consistent?
4. During the day, have you been able to follow the wake, feed, play, and sleep routine?
5. How many naps is he having during the day, and where are these naps happening?
6. Where does he sleep overnight, and what is the room like (e.g., temperature, lighting, noise levels)?
7. Does he use a pacifier?
8. How long is he generally staying awake between naps?
9. When he wakes overnight, do you follow the wake, feed, sleep routine without changing his diaper unless necessary?

The answers to these questions will help me provide specific strategies to reduce the number of overnight feeds and increase the stretches of sleep you all get. But in the meantime, here are a few things that you can try:

• Set a Consistent Wake-Up Time (if you haven’t already)
  I know this can be tough, especially with frequent night wakings, but aiming for a consistent wake-up time (within a 30-minute window) will reset his circadian rhythm every day and help in it’s maturation. A mature circadian rhythm encourages wakefulness during the day and longer, more restful sleep overnight.

• Adjust the Bedtime Routine
  You mentioned that he often falls asleep while feeding, which might be contributing to his frequent night wakings. At the start of the night, deep sleep dominates, so babies can drift from one sleep cycle to the next without waking fully (meaning they tend to have a longer stretch at the start of the night). However, as the night progresses, light sleep and REM sleep dominate, especially in the early morning hours. During this time, if he’s used to falling asleep while feeding, when he wakes between sleep cycles (as we all do) he’s more likely to wake up fully and then call out for a feed to settle back to sleep.

  So if he is always falling asleep while feeding for all naps and bedtime, teaching him to fall asleep on his own can make a big difference. Once he learns this skill, he’ll be able to settle himself back to sleep during overnight wake-ups when he’s not hungry, leading to longer stretches of sleep and less feeds.

To help him learn this skill, would your wife be open to adjusting the nap and bedtime routine slightly? And by that, I mean beginning the nap and bedtime routine with a feed, but in a bright, active space with some background noise to discourage him from falling asleep during the feed.

After the feed, you could:

• Put him in his sleeping bag.
• Carry him into his room, dim the lights, and turn on a white noise machine (if you use one).
• Sing a lullaby while holding him in your arms.
• Lay him down in his sleep space and use the settling pyramid to guide him to sleep.

If you are both open to this but feel that making this change for all naps and bedtime would be too much at once, you could start with just his first nap of the day and/or bedtime. Babies often find it easier to settle for the first nap, and at bedtime, the combination of the circadian rhythm and sleep pressure working together (promoting sleep) makes it easier for them to fall asleep.

Does this sound doable?

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Rita,

I’m so sorry to hear that the sleep pyramid hasn’t been working well for you and your husband.

Let’s see if we can turn things around!

I just have a few questions to better understand what’s happening:

Night Wakings

You mentioned she occasionally wakes between 3:00–5:00 am.

• When she wakes during this time, do you usually feed her, or do you try to shush and pat her back to sleep each time?
• If she doesn’t settle after an hour of patting and shushing, am I correct in thinking that you get up (sometimes as early as 4:00 am), put her in the sling, and walk around with her until her wake-up time at 6:30 am?
• How often does she wake during this window (e.g., how many nights per week)?

Bedtime

You mentioned that your husband does the pyramid at night if she doesn’t fall asleep during the final feed.

• When he does the pyramid, does she fall asleep in the crib, or does he have to climb the pyramid and then rock, hold or carry her around to get her to sleep?

Bedtime and Nap Routines

Could you describe what her nap and bedtime routines currently look like?

• Do you use the same routine when planning for her to sleep in the sling, or do you have a different approach? If it’s different, could you share what you typically do when she’s going to sleep in the sling?

Short Naps

At this age, short naps are very common, especially when your baby is sleeping in the crib. This happens because they aren’t yet able to connect their sleep cycles (as you already know). In the catnapping video, I talk about a method where you can try to extend their naps by entering the room before the first sleep cycle ends and recreating the conditions they associate with falling asleep. However, this doesn’t work for every baby.

It’s also worth noting that while babies often sleep for longer periods in a baby carrier, the quality of sleep may not be as restorative. This is because they adapt—or “habituate”—to the environment. Essentially, they’re working harder to stay asleep when we make sudden noises, move, or change direction. This is why they may sleep for longer stretches.

That said, if babywearing works for you and she’s happy after her naps, that’s fantastic! I just wanted to explain why naps in the sling might be longer.

Am I right in assuming that most of her naps, except for one (which is in the pram), are currently in the sling? You also mentioned that the second-to-last nap might be in the crib. How does your husband help her fall asleep for this nap?

Pacifier

Does she use a pacifier? If she does, do you find you need to keep popping it back in until she falls asleep?

Sorry for all the questions!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Aditi,

Congratulations on the arrival of your little one!

I hope you’re soaking up all those precious newborn cuddles.

As you have noticed at this age, it’s completely normal for babies to nod off while feeding, which makes the wake-feed-play-sleep routine tricky. Around six weeks, you’ll likely start to notice your little one staying awake after some feeds—maybe just one or two at first—and then gradually she will stay awake after each daytime feed.

Your current approach—feeding from one breast, changing her nappy to gently wake her, then offering the second breast—is a great strategy.

If she falls asleep after the second breast, feel free to lay her down to continue her nap.

If she stays awake after the second breast, go ahead and enjoy some playtime, and keep an eye out for tired signs.

When you notice she’s getting tired, try wrapping her in a swaddle (if you’re using one), then head into the bedroom and rock her gently while singing a lullaby. Once she seems calm, lay her down in her sleep space and begin the settling pyramid. If she becomes upset, move up the pyramid—pick her up and soothe her by rocking, singing, or shushing. As she relaxes, gradually reduce your movement, perhaps just standing still while continuing to sing or shush. If she drifts off in your arms, you can carefully lay her down to keep sleeping if you’d like.

Does that sound manageable?

Another thing to keep in mind is that the Period of PURPLE Crying may have begun, which can make her fussier and harder to soothe in the afternoons and evenings. During this fussy stage, she may want to be held more and fed more often (cluster feeding). This is perfectly normal—offering extra cuddles and feeds during this time is absolutely okay.

I hope this helps!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Razan,

Congratulations on the arrival of your little one!

I hope you’re enjoying all the cuddles and special moments during this precious time.

When it comes to your baby’s safety during naps and overnight sleep, the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) and Red Nose Australia recommend that the safest sleep environment is:

• A crib, bassinet, or portable play yard with a firm, flat surface.
• Covered by a tight-fitting sheet.
• Free from any loose bedding, pillows, or soft toys.

For daytime naps, they also recommend that your baby sleeps in the same room as you, provided she is napping in a crib, bassinet, or play yard that meets the above safety criteria. If room-sharing isn’t practical or this option isn’t possible, both organisations emphasise that the most important priority is ensuring your baby’s sleep space is safe, even if she naps in a separate room.

So, if having her nap in her own room works best for your family, as long as her sleep environment is safe, it’s perfectly okay for her to nap there.

I hope this helps,

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Rita,

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions—I really appreciate it!

I’m going to take a little time to think about what you’ve shared and come up with some strategies to help. I’ll get back to you with my suggestions before the end of the day (within the next 8 hours).

I hope that’s okay.
Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Joyce,

How have the last few days at childcare been for your little one?

Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for naps to be shorter on childcare days—there’s so much activity and stimulation, and unexpected noises can make it harder for little ones to stay asleep. That said, it’s great to hear that they’re offering her more naps to compensate for the shorter ones and are following her tired signs. That’s a really positive approach!

Also, at 3 months of age, it’s completely normal for babies to have 4–5 naps per day. In fact, if you didn’t extend her 2nd and 3rd naps at home, it’s likely she’d end up having 5 naps instead of 4. Short naps during the day are very typical at this stage and shouldn’t negatively impact her ability to consolidate memory or learn new skills.

You mentioned that she seems really tired on childcare days and that the last wake window can sometimes be a bit challenging. If it’s becoming too difficult, you could try shifting her bedtime slightly earlier on those days. This might mean she only has one feed before bed instead of two, but if she doesn’t wake earlier in the night for another feed, it could mean she doesn’t need that second feed before bedtime after all.

As for the weekend routine, it really depends on what works best for you. If you enjoy extending her 2nd and 3rd naps, you can absolutely continue doing that. But if you’d prefer to let her take shorter naps and simply offer more throughout the day (5 naps instead of 4), that’s perfectly fine too. If you do decide to offer her 5 naps, you could still follow the wake-feed-play-sleep routine – it would just mean that you will offer a bottle more frequently. She might take less at each feed initially, but as she gets older, her awake windows will naturally lengthen, and the spacing between her feeds will adjust as well.

Hopefully that helps!
Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Pav,
No worries at all.
Let me know how he goes over the next few weeks.
Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Pav,

Since Rohan is only 6 ½ months old, dropping to two naps might be a bit too soon for him right now. I think your plan to return to three naps and give him a little more time before transitioning is a great idea.

You can reassess in a month to see how his sleep is going and try again if you feel he’s ready. Just keep in mind that most babies transition from 3 to 2 naps between 6 and 9 months, so it’s perfectly normal if he still needs a bit more time beyond 7 months.

When he’s ready to move to two naps, you could experiment with wake windows of 2.5/3/3 hours to see if that suits him better. The other option is to shift his bedtime slightly earlier at first to ensure the final wake window before bed isn’t too long. Then, once he’s comfortably settled into a two-nap schedule, you can gradually shift his bedtime back if you prefer.

Does that make sense?
Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Jill,

Thank you so much for the update!

It’s great to hear that his naps are longer than they were a month ago. But I’m sorry to hear that nighttime sleep hasn’t been going as well.

To help improve overnight sleep, I just have a few questions so I can better understand what’s happening:

1. From what you’ve shared, it seems like he’s having breastmilk at 7:30 am and a bottle at 5:00 pm, with solids offered for all other meals during the day. Is that correct, or are there additional feeds throughout the day?

2. Could you walk me through his daily routine? For example, when does he eat and nap, and how long are his naps?

3. From what I understand, his nighttime routine might look something like this:

   • Bottle at 5:00 pm
   • Bedtime at 6:15 pm
   • First overnight feed between 9:00–10:00 pm (bottle)
   • Second overnight feed around 1:00 am (bottle)
   • Third overnight feed around 4:30 am (breastfeed)
   • Wakes at 5:30 am, then nurses back to sleep in your bed before getting up for the day at 6:00 am

Is this correct?

Also, for the first overnight feed, does he wake on his own, or are you waking him up for it? And if you’re waking him, does he usually drink the full feed?

Sorry for the questions!
Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Monica,

It’s wonderful to hear that your little one is falling asleep on her own for naps and that your routine is becoming a bit easier!

Regarding your question about starting solids to encourage longer overnight sleep:

Research indicates that introducing solids typically doesn’t significantly impact how often babies wake up overnight. In the beginning stages, when babies start solids, they’re mainly tasting the food rather than consuming large quantities. This means that starting solids is unlikely to make them feel full enough to stay asleep longer.

Regarding her overnight sleep:

Before I offer suggestions to improve her overnight sleep, could you please answer a few questions to help me better understand her current routine?

• Is her bedtime still at 6:50 PM?

• Is she still waking up consistently at 6:30 AM?

• In your December message, you mentioned that she sleeps better on her tummy and was rolling onto her sides. Does she now consistently sleep on her tummy, or do you still lay her down on her back? And when she wakes overnight is she still lying on her back or tummy?

• Has her bedtime routine stayed the same? So do you bring her into the bedroom, close the blinds and curtains, put her sleeping bag on, turn on the white noise, sing her twinkle little star and then lay her down (while she is awake)? I am assuming you might feed. her before bed? If you do, can you let me know when this happens in her routine?

• What time does her last nap end?

• When you feed her overnight do you keep the lights low or off and follow the wake, feed, sleep routine?

• You mentioned that she sleeps for 4 hours at the start of the night, then wakes for a feed, then sleeps for another 2 – 3 hours and then wakes for a second feed then sleeps for another 1- 2 hours before waking for her third feed. So your night might look a little like this: Bedtime 6:50pm, first feed 10:50pm, second feed 1:30am, third feed 3:30am, wake up 6:30am. Does that sound about right?

I was also hoping you could also let me know what her previous overnight sleep looked like before tha change?

I am sorry for all the questions!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Pav,

It’s so lovely to hear from you again!

I can’t believe Rohan is already going through another nap transition—time really does fly!

Based on my calculations, Rohan would be around 7 months old now.

Between 6 and 9 months, babies typically transition from three naps to two, so it’s possible that he’s ready for this change. You mentioned that you felt he was ready because he was waking up earlier in the morning. Could you let me know what time he’s waking up and if there were any other signs that made you think it was time to drop a nap?

As you mentioned, there can be an adjustment period when transitioning to fewer naps. During this time, it’s not uncommon for babies to need a third nap if the second nap was short, and then slightly adjust their bedtime to accommodate this third nap. This wouldn’t happen every day, but just on those days when they have a short second nap.

If you would like to continue trying with the 2 nap schedule, here are a few tips to help Rohan settle into this schedule:

1. Maintain a Consistent Wake-Up Time: Keeping a regular wake-up time helps regulate his internal clock.
2. Stick to Regular Nap Times: Consistency with the first and second naps encourages his body to adapt to the new schedule.
3. Allow the Second Nap to Lengthen: With a consistent routine, the second nap should gradually become longer.

If the second nap doesn’t lengthen as expected, you might consider capping the first nap to about an hour. This can help distribute his daytime sleep more evenly, allowing the second nap to become the longer one. Additionally, this adjustment ensures that the wake window between the second nap and bedtime isn’t too long.

The two-nap schedule you mentioned sounds great! One thing to keep in mind is that when transitioning to two naps, the first wake window is typically shorter, around 2 hours. You might try shifting the first nap to 9:00 AM instead of 9:30 AM. Here’s how the revised schedule could look:

• Wake Up: 6:45 AM / 7:00 AM
• First Nap: 9:00 AM
• Wake Up: 10:30 AM
• Second Nap: 1:00 PM / 1:30 PM
• Wake Up: 3:00 PM / 3:30 PM
• Bedtime: 7:00 PM

Regarding your question about Rohan waking at 4:30AM and if it counts as an early morning wake. Given that he was only awake for a few minutes and he fell back to sleep, I wouldn’t count it as an early morning wake. However, it’s still a good idea to check that his bedroom remains dark during that time, because if there is light coming in then it could encourage him to wake up earlier.

I hope that helps,

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Joyce,

Sleep can certainly be a bit more challenging when they transition out of the swaddle.

How have the past few nights been going? Have you noticed any improvements?

If she’s still waking up frequently when you first put her to bed, it might mean she’s not quite tired enough to stay asleep. This could suggest that her bedtime might need to shift back to the later time.

But, before we make any changes, could you update me on her current routine? For example:

• What time does she usually wake up in the morning?
• What does her nap schedule look like now?

This information will help me determine if it’s time to drop a nap, which would involve extending the wake windows between her naps to ensure her final nap isn’t too far from bedtime, or if we should consider capping her naps or shifting her bedtime back.

Emma

[Emma H]

No worries at all Aditi. Happy to help!