[Emma H]

Hi Julia,

It’s so nice to have you join us! And you’re definitely not alone!

It sounds like you’re all doing everything you can to settle your little one to sleep and get some sleep yourself.

It’s so nice to hear that you have already made some changes to your routine and implemented a lot of the strategies outlined in the course – that is honestly very impressive. It’s nice to see you have noticed some slight improvements as well.

From what you have written I just have a few more questions – so when you have time can you please answer them – sorry for all the questions!

1. Does your little one have a consistent wake-up time, that occurs within the same 30-minute window? If so what time is it?
2. When you swaddle her are her arms up by her head or down by her side?
3. Is there the option to swaddle her on hot days in the UK – so maybe turn on an air conditioner?
4. When you say she doesn’t sleep for most of the day and night – do you notice if she is falling asleep while breastfeeding?
5. When she won’t sleep overnight – do you keep the lights off or dimmed and distractions minimal (so no tv on in the background)?
6. When she woke today at 4:40am and you fed her did you follow the wake, feed, sleep routine or are you still needing to change her diaper? Also during this feed did you keep the lights off/dimmed?
7. From what you recorded in regard to her naps it looked like this:

• 6:30am – Wake
• 8am – Nap (asleep for 4 hours and 45 minutes)
• 12:45pm – Wake
• 4:40pm – Nap (asleep for 3 hours)
• 7:45pm – Wake
• 9.05pm – Nap (asleep for 40 minutes)
• 9:45pm – Wake
• 12:30am – Bedtime

Do you feel like this represents a normal day? Or are the naps generally shorter than this?

8. How long do breastfeeds typically take during the day and where do you feed her?

Sorry again for all the questions,

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Jacelyn,

It sounds like you’re already on the right track by consistently following the wake-feed-play-sleep routine and establishing clear nap and bedtime routines – great job!

That said, I completely understand how tiring it must be carrying around an 8kg bub to help him settle for sleep.

From your description, it seems he’s waking regularly overnight, particularly more frequently in the early morning hours. At his age, it’s quite common for breastfed babies to wake at least once for a feed overnight. The wakes where you find you can’t resettle him without feeding are likely genuine hunger cues, so you’re responding perfectly there. However, the wakes where you can settle him back to sleep by walking him around suggest he may be waking due to a sleep association – needing your help to recreate the feeling of being held to transition between sleep cycles.

To help reduce these overnight wakings, we need to help him learn how to fall asleep in the crib independently. To help you achieve that I just have a few more questions:

1. What time does he typically wake in the morning? Does this stay consistent within about 30 minutes each day?

2. You mentioned he generally has 3 naps a day—could you share roughly what times these naps typically occur?

3. Does he use a pacifier at all for sleep?

4. You mentioned you give him 140ml of breastmilk per feed, and you’re not sure if he should be having more. Do you know if he is following his weight curve? So tracking well in regards to weight gain?

Sorry for the questions,

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Carola,

Firstly, congratulations on the arrival of your little one! It’s wonderful that you’ve already started following the advice from the course.

Regarding your baby’s behaviour before sleep, it’s possible she might not be quite tired enough, which could explain why she’s protesting. When you notice her starting to stare into the distance, losing interest, or fussing, try changing the activity—maybe walk into another room, step outside briefly, or introduce a new toy. If she stops fussing after the change, it’s likely she was bored. But if the fussing continues and she’s been awake for more than 45 minutes, it’s probably a sign of tiredness.

If tiredness is the issue, something that can help reduce the protesting is swaddling her out in the living space and then holding her in your arms while you walk around the living space a few times until she calms back down. If she really wants to be looking out into the room instead of into your body, what you can do is hold her on her stomach or side while she’s in a horizontal position (I show this position in the Period Of PURPLE Crying video when I demonstrate Dr Harvey Karp’s 5 S’s position). This position is still soothing so likely to help her get sleepy and also fits her desire to see everything.

The other thing that might be worth trying is swaddling her in the living space but then walking into a dark bedroom and shutting the bedroom door. Often babies can become overwhelmed with all the new things to look at and a dark space where they can’t see anything can make it easier for them to ‘switch off’ and fall asleep. She might protest when you first walk into the dark room but just give it a few moments with you bouncing up and down while holding her and see if she calms down.

In regards to naps when you’re out and about. Ideally, you would still complete your little one’s nap routine to tell her that it’s sleep time and then you would just help her fall asleep, whether this is in a baby carrier, in your arms or in the pram. If you are using a pram and it’s a bassinet-type pram it can be helpful to swaddle her as part of her nap routine (so like you would do at home). Something to remember though, is it might take your little one a little while to fall asleep, because of all the sudden noises and movement, but eventually they will fall asleep. Also, it’s still important when you’re out and about to follow your little one’s cue and offer sleep when they are showing you that they are tired.

Let me know if any of the suggestions above help. If they don’t then I will just need to ask some more questions to truly understand what is happening and tweaks that we can make.

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Jacelyn,

Thank you so much for answering my questions – it’s really helpful.

I’ve put together some suggestions below to help your little one sleep better in his crib and enjoy longer stretches of sleep overnight.

Narrow His Wake-Up Time to a 30-Minute Window

Would you feel comfortable aiming for a wake-up time between 7:00–7:30 AM each day? Keeping this consistent and exposing him to daylight first thing in the morning helps reset his circadian rhythm. It also encourages his body to naturally release melatonin roughly 12 hours later, making bedtime smoother and nighttime sleep deeper. This consistency can also help stabilize his nap schedule, particularly his first nap of the day.

Make the timing of his first nap consistent

At the moment his first nap appears to occur at different times. If you go with a 7/7:30am wake up then would you be happy to try settling him to sleep for his first nap at 9/9:30am? Once the timing of this nap becomes consistent what should happen is the timing of the second nap becomes more consistent. So for example his nap schedule might look like this:

• 7/7:30 – Wake
• 9/9:30 – Nap 1
• 10:30/11am – Wake from nap if he hasn’t woken up
• 12:30/1pm – Nap 2
• 2/2:30pm – Wake from nap if he hasn’t woken up
• 4/4:30 – Nap 3 (30 – 45 minute nap max).
• 4:30/5 – Wake from nap if he hasn’t woken up
• 7pm – Bedtime

Ensure he has a 2 hour wake window before bedtime

To encourage him to have a longer stretch of sleep at the beginning of the night, we want to make sure that he has enough wake time before bedtime to build up enough sleep pressure to be tired enough to fall asleep and stay asleep. At 6 months of age, they can usually tolerate staying awake for 2 – 3 hours. I noticed in your nap log that he sometimes nap until 5:25pm. If he went to bed at 7pm that night he would have only been awake for 1 1/2 hours which means he might have woken up earlier or more frequently that night. What I was wondering is if you would be willing to make sure that he is awake for 2 – 2 1/2 hours before bedtime? This means that if he has a consistent 7pm bedtime he should be woken from his third nap by 4:30/5pm. If he is tolerating that well, you could see if he would tolerate a 3 hour wake window which would mean he needs to be up from his final nap by 4pm.

About Daytime Feeding and Night Wakings

In regards to your question about upping his feed during the day and the impact that will have on his overnight wakes. I cannot say whether or not increasing his feeds during the day will result in him not waking as often overnight, as it really depends on the bub. But there is no harm in trying. He appears to be following his weight curve well, which is great. Something to keep in mind is that it is very normal for babies who are breast feed to wake at least once overnight for a feed. It looks like he might be waking 2 times overnight for a feed.

If you do want to see if you can encourage him to sleep for longer stretches, what I would recommend is trying to settle him back to sleep at the 10/11pm wake without the bottle – as we want to encourage a longer stretch of sleep at the beginning of the night – this is what tends to happen first and then the early morning wakes drop off. If he settles back to sleep without a feed at this time, then you know that he isn’t necessarily waking for a feed at this time, rather it’s a sleep association. But if he won’t settle to sleep at this time, then it is likely he is waking due to hunger and you should go ahead and feed him.

Teaching Independent Sleep Skills

What will help him gradually start to drop those feeds overnight and sleep for longer stretches is helping him learn how to fall asleep in the crib on his own. I know that this is something you’re interested in trying, and it’s great that you have already implemented the wake, feed, play, sleep routine, as that will make it easier for him to adjust.

To help him learn to fall asleep on his own, the quickest way is to give him lots of opportunities to practice this skill, which would mean trying the settling pyramid for every nap and at bedtime. But if you feel like this is too much at the moment, you could just try to use the settling pyramid at bedtime, as this is when you have the circadian rhythm and sleep pressure encouraging him to fall asleep. So if you’re happy to give this a go his new bedtime routine would look like this:

• Wipe him down
• Change him into pyjamas and sleep jacket
• Close the bedroom curtains
• Switch on the air purifier
• Then from here you have a two options
• • Stay in his bedroom and sing his nighttime song while you walk and pat him (and if he gets upset because it is too dark then see if leaving a lamp on in the bedroom or just dimming the lights helps) OR
  • Bring him to the living room and carry him while singing his nighttime song and then when he is calm walk into the bedroom and continue walking and patting in the bedroom
• Once the song is finished and he is calm, lay him down in the crib and use the settling Pyramid. If he rolls onto his stomach when you lay him in the crib, you could consider letting him sleep on his tummy if the sleep space is safe. You would just pat his bottom instead of his belly.

If you feel like this would be too big a step for him then you can use a modified version of the settling pyramid where you start at the top straight away and then work your way down. So it would look like this:

• After singing the song, place him in the crib and immediately offer physical comfort and shushing. But instead of patting, gently rock him side-to-side while he’s lying down. You can see me demonstrate this at 11:13 in the video “Live Example: Helping Your Baby Fall Asleep.”
• When he calms down, gradually slow your rocking while continuing to shush.
• If he remains calm, stop rocking but keep shushing, staying in his line of sight.
• If he continues to stay calm, keep shushing but gradually move out of his sight

If he becomes upset when you stop rocking, just rock him to sleep while he’s lying down in the crib for the next 3 nights. Then once he gets familiar with this new way of settling to sleep, see if you can gradually slow down the rocking and just let him fall asleep with your hand on his chest. Then after a few nights of that, aim to remove your hand before he falls asleep. Then eventually move out of his line of sight before he falls asleep.

If you feel that both these options are too much at the moment then you would tweak your current routine so that he gets used to falling asleep without movement or patting. Doing this will make it easier for him to transition to the settling pyramid when you are all ready. So his sleep routine would look like this:

• Wipe him down
• Change him into pyjamas and sleep jacket
• Close the bedroom curtains
• Switch on the air purifier
• Bring him to the living room and carry him while singing a nighttime song
• Pat him and walk him until he is calm
• Stop walking and just continue patting him
• Stop patting him and just hold him in your arms, so that he falls asleep without movement or the patting.
• Lay him in the cot in the bedroom.

Do any of these options sound possible?

Emma

Also just wanted to check, when he wakes during his nap, do you just go in and pop the pacifier back in or do you have to pick him up, pop the pacifier back in and walk him around to get him back to sleep?

• This reply was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by  Emma H.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by  Emma H.

[Emma H]

Hi Cindy,

The easiest way to try settling her in the crib for naps, would be when your husband has her in the morning and she is starting to stay awake following the feed – which I understand is very new. Instead of feeding her when she is starting to get tired, he could try the nap routine I mentioned in the previous message. If he has to settle her to sleep in his arms, then once she is asleep he could try to lower her into the bassinet – I know you mentioned that she seems to prefer the swaddle where her arms are up near her head – but she will be more likely to startle when he is lower her onto the bassinet if she is wearing one of these. So if you have a swaddle where her arms are down, I would see if she would tolerate that for this nap. When he is lowering her into the bassinet he should try to lower her so that her feet touch the mattress first, then her bottom and then her back, then finally her head. Laying her down like this will be less likely to trigger the startle reflex. Then when he has laid her down, he can try rocking her, by placing his hand on her bottom and moving her gently to the side or patting her until she settles.

Something to keep in mind is that if she does have a nap in the bassinet it is likely to be shorter than the naps she has in your arms.

Does this sound okay?

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Robin,

It’s great you have been able to let him sleep on his tummy and he seems to prefer it.

It also sounds like sleeping on his tummy at the start of the night lengthened that first part of sleep that he has before waking and sleeping on your husband’s chest until 3am when you take over.

And it’s great to hear that his naps seem to be better on the 4 nap schedule. I was wondering if you could share this schedule with me, as the timing of his last nap might be having an impact on his bedtime, so it would be great to see it?

In regards to feeding him at 5am when his wake up is at 6:30am, I would just feed him. At this time in the morning, his sleep pressure would be low and his circadian rhythm would be starting to encourage him to wake up, so getting him to fall back to sleep at this time will be difficult without a feed. I would expect that once he learns how to fall asleep on his own, these night wakes will gradually decrease (usually the wakes at the beginning of the night are the first to disappear and then the early morning hour wakes).

Regarding your question about feeding him to sleep for naps – if it works then it is okay to do it. The only thing is that if you do feed him to sleep for naps, he might come to need that to fall asleep for all his naps and bedtime. The way we increase the length of the naps and length of time he spends in his co-sleeper overnight is by helping him learn how to fall asleep on his own. So that is the only potential impact it might have on his sleep.

In regards to travelling to the Netherlands, just wanted to clarify – when you say it’s 2 hours earlier does that mean his 6:30am wake will be 4:30am there or will it be 8:30am? Sorry, I always find the time conversion so confusing.

Thanks
Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Luise,

No need to apologise at all. It’s great to hear that the problem just resolved itself on it’s own.

Based on that YouTube video of your daughter (who by the way is very cute) she just doesn’t look tired. I am wondering if you can update me on what her nap schedule is now? As we might need to make some tweaks to ensure she is tired at nap time. So can you let me know:
– What time she wakes in the morning and if this is consistent (so kept within the same 30 minute window)?

– What time she naps and how long she naps for?

– What time is bedtime and when she actually falls asleep and stays asleep at night?

– What time she is waking overnight and how long these night feeds typically last.

Can you also update me on:

– How you are helping her fall asleep at bedtime and what her bedtime routine is?

– It sounds like for naps you’re putting her in the carrier and then bouncing on an exercise ball (a lot) to get her to fall asleep. Is that right?
– Have you been able to start following the wake, feed, play, sleep routine now that she is older and staying awake following daytime feeds?

In regards to feeding her overnight – if feeding her back to sleep is the quickest way to get back to sleep, then I recommend you continue doing it for now. What should happen is once she learns how to fall asleep in the SNOO on her own, those overnight wakes will gradually start to drop off, as she will have the ability to link sleep cycles and continue sleeping.

Sorry for the questions again!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Catherin,

I hope the vaccinations went smoothly and haven’t disrupted your little one’s sleep too much!

During the vaccination appointment, were you able to ask the paediatrician or nurse about whether you still need to hold her upright for 20 minutes after a feed? Skipping this step, if it’s no longer necessary, would make applying the settling pyramid at bedtime easier, as she’ll still be awake.

Overnight Wakes

Something I wanted to mention is that it’s perfectly normal for babies to wake once or twice overnight for feeding at this age. It sounds like your little one may already be settling back into waking just once, which is great progress. Once she consistently falls asleep independently at bedtime, she’ll likely drop the overnight feed naturally and start sleeping through.

What To Do When She Wakes Early

If she wakes earlier than usual, you can adjust her morning routine and naps accordingly. For example, if she wakes at 7 am (which is quite reasonable for babies), consider shifting her first nap earlier by half an hour to 9:30 am instead of 10 am. If she appears very tired earlier, you can move the whole schedule forward like this:

• 7 am: Wake

• 9 am: Nap (wake by 10:30 am)

• 1 pm: Nap (wake by 2:30 pm)

• 5 pm: Short nap (maximum 45 minutes)

• 8 pm: Bedtime

Adopting this schedule consistently might naturally shift her bedtime to around 8 pm.

If you prefer maintaining her current wake-up and bedtime, when she wakes at 7 am, you could feed her and then gently lay her back in her crib to continue sleeping until her usual 8 am wake-up. Offer another feed at 8 am, though she may not be hungry immediately and might prefer feeding slightly later, around 8:30 am.

Regarding the recent frequent wakes, it’s unlikely that the bath caused this. More likely, the later bedtime was the culprit. Additionally, since it’s summer and you mentioned not having blackout curtains, early sunlight may cause earlier wakes. Adding blackout curtains could help extend her morning sleep.

Naps With Your Husband

It sounds like rocking your little one to sleep for naps may currently be a bit challenging for your husband. It might help if he focuses initially on consistently following the 3-nap schedule, as this will help bedtime and make future transitions easier. When her nap schedule becomes predictable, she’ll naturally feel tired at these times, making it easier to introduce rocking later without much resistance.

If your husband continues feeding her to sleep, sitting upright will be safer and make swallowing easier compared to lying down.

Naps With You

For naps where you’re settling her, you mentioned you usually feed her while you’re sitting in your rocking chair. Instead of feeding her to sleep, would you be happy to tweak her nap routine slightly to look like this:

• Go to her room

• Pop in the pacifier

• Close the blinds

• Turn on the white noise machine

• Sing her a lullaby while rocking her gently in your arms (this will become a sleep cue)

After finishing the lullaby, you have three options:

1. Lay her down in her crib and use the settling pyramid.

2. Continue standing and gently rocking and shushing her, gradually stopping the rocking, then reducing shushing, allowing her to fall asleep without movement or sound before laying her down in the crib (this method helps her gradually adjust to falling asleep without movement which will make it easier to transition to the settling pyramid when you’re both ready).

3. Gradually stop rocking while sitting in your chair, allowing her to fall asleep without movement. Then you can either let her nap on you or transfer her to the crib.

Does this feel achievable?

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Justin,

Thank you so much for answering all those questions – I really appreciate it!

It’s fantastic that you’ve already purchased some swaddles. Newborns often sleep much better when swaddled, so I’m curious to hear how it’s been going. Have you tried swaddling yet, and if so, have you noticed if she’s able to stay asleep when laid down, or is she still primarily sleeping on you? Also, when you swaddle her, do her arms naturally rest up by her head or down at her sides?

At four weeks old, it’s completely normal for your little one not to have a structured nap schedule yet. Typically, babies wake when they’re hungry, uncomfortable, or no longer sleepy, and there usually isn’t much awake time between feeding and diaper changes.

However, as you have noticed she is starting to stay awake briefly following some feeds. You mentioned that when she does stay awake following the feed it typically looks like this: wake, feed, diaper change, feed, brief play/interaction then feeding her again when she becomes fussy – at which point she falls asleep. Instead of offering her that 3rd feed when she begins to fuss, could you try swaddling her, then rocking her in your arms while you sing her a lullaby or a song? If she’s calmer in your living area, it’s fine to stay there initially. Then once she’s calm, could you try:

• Placing her gently into the pram. If she starts to fuss when you lay her down, start pushing the pram back and forth (gently) and shush her until she settles and falls asleep.

• Or lay her in the cot and try the settling pyramid. Again if she becomes upset as soon as you lay her down on the mattress, immediately start patting her and shushing and then if she starts to calm down move back down the pyramid.

If she becomes too unsettled when attempting this, just pick her back up and soothe her to sleep in your arms.

Does this sound manageable?

Emma

[Emma H]

The things that help in the maturation of her circadian rhythm is having a consistent wake up time and exposing her to light (sunlight if possible) when she wakes, and turning the lights down at nighttime to signal to her that it is bedtime and promote the release of melatonin the sleepy hormone.

Letting her sleep in a cool, dark, quiet room for naps, is fine – in fact it could make it easier for her to fall asleep (as the room is dark and there are no distractions) and stay asleep for longer (as it is quieter).

So if you feel comfortable I would let her sleep in the same room for naps and nighttime.

[Emma H]

Hi Robin,

Thanks so much for the update!

It’s tricky to pinpoint exactly why his naps have regressed, but developmental milestones could definitely play a role. Has he recently learned any new motor skills or started doing something new physically? Another possibility is that his wake windows might have extended, meaning he’s not quite tired enough at nap times. Do you think this could be the case?

I’m glad you spoke with your pediatrician and received approval for Maxi to sleep on his tummy during daytime naps when supervised. I’ll be interested to hear how this goes.

Regarding your trip to the Netherlands, could you please let me know if the time difference will be two hours earlier or later compared to your current time? That way, I can give you some specific advice on how to help Maxi adjust.

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Livia,

It’s wonderful that Emilia has settled into a consistent bedtime routine!

However, I’m sorry to hear the nights have been challenging lately. Has this continued?

Given this is a new behaviour, it’s possible she might be feeling unwell. I doubt the change is related to having one arm free, especially if that arm was out for a few days before this behaviour began—is that correct? Similarly, the nursing strike may not fully explain it, as you mentioned she continued to fuss and wave her arm even after a full 20-minute feed. I’d love to hear how the past few nights have been going.

Regarding the nursing strike, you’ve already done a great job by reducing distractions during feeds. If you suspect strong milk flow might be the issue, feeding her in a slightly reclined position can help slow down the milk flow and make feeding more comfortable. Additionally, babies naturally become more efficient at feeding as they get older, so it’s possible Emilia might now be getting enough milk in a shorter time. If she’s feeding briefly but still gaining weight consistently, that might be what’s happening.

As for your question about the pacifier impacting naps, during daytime naps babies spend a lot of time in lighter REM sleep, making it easier for them to wake up if the pacifier falls out. Also, since sleep pressure is the driving force for naps, if the pacifier falls out while she is sleeping it could cause her to stir fully between sleep cycles and lead to shorter naps.

If Emilia continues to have short naps, you might try removing the pacifier just before she falls asleep during naps (you can still use it during the routine). If this doesn’t help lengthen her naps, it’s okay to accept these shorter naps and start her to the next awake window. You could attempt to resettle her briefly, but keep in mind that lower sleep pressure after a short nap makes it trickier for her to fall back asleep. So I would only try to do this for 10 -15 minutes and if she doesn’t fall back to sleep, then simply pick her up and start the next wake window.

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Giedre,

I’m thrilled to hear that the new routine is working so well and that your little one is falling asleep independently again.

Good luck with the night wakings. I am sure she will be sleeping for longer stretches in no time!

Wishing you and your family all the very best. Take care!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Rita,

If you feel like these sleep changes started around the time she began solids and she continues to experience bowel difficulties and general discomfort, contacting your paediatric department is absolutely the right next step. They can help determine if there’s an underlying cause and suggest appropriate interventions or dietary changes.

I really hope you get some answers and relief soon.

Please keep me updated!
Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Julia,

I know that nap sleeps in her bed might feel impossible at the moment but it is definitely achievable.

That’s fantastic news that the construction has moved further down the road and reduced the noise! Hopefully, this means you can start consistently using the bedroom for naps again. If the noise returns, using the pack and play in the hallway might still be helpful. I understand the depth of the pack and play could make the settling pyramid a bit tricky, but it’s definitely doable.

It’s great to hear she slept until 3 am for that first feed. Has this continued?

Regarding tummy sleeping, once babies learn to roll over, it’s virtually impossible and impractical to prevent them from rolling onto their tummy. Given she’s already commando crawling, this indicates good arm strength to lift her head if needed. It’s reassuring that she has rolled from tummy to back at least once already. I completely understand that tummy sleeping can feel concerning, so it might be helpful to talk it through with your doctor or pediatrician for added peace of mind. Typically, babies learn to roll confidently onto their backs by around 7 months, so she’s likely close to mastering this.

To improve her daytime naps, here are some suggestions:

1. Keep the morning consistent: It’s wonderful you have a regular wake-up time of 7 – 7:30 am. Keeping this consistent will really help.

2. Return to the wake, feed, play, sleep routine: I noticed you mentioned that feeding her to sleep has become easier lately, switching from your previous wake-feed-play-sleep routine. Feeding to sleep can make transitioning to settling in the crib more challenging. Would you feel comfortable returning to the wake-feed-play-sleep routine during the day? If that feels too difficult at the moment, maybe just try this approach for the first nap of the day, so we can gently introduce the settling pyramid.

3. Try the settling pyramid at bedtime and first nap of the day: Bedtime seems to be going well, aside from needing to hold her hands. Has this improved to the point where you can just pat or shush her? If bedtime is now smoother, and with the reduced construction noise, this might be the ideal time to try settling her for the first nap in her crib, since it’s usually the easiest nap to manage.

When you notice she’s getting tired, you could:

• Walk her into the bedroom

• Curtains down

• White noise on

• Lamp on

• Sleeping bag on

• Optionally read a short book

• Carry upright while softly singing one lullaby

If she’s calm after the lullaby:

• Lay her down in the crib and start the settling pyramid

If she’s not calm:

• Walk around gently patting her bottom and shushing

• Gradually reduce movement, stopping walking first, then patting, then shushing, allowing her to fall asleep without movement or noise before placing her in the crib

If she wakes shortly after laying down:

• Pause briefly to see if she settles herself

• If her crying continues without breaks, attempt crib settling for about 5 minutes

• If she doesn’t settle, use the carrier, gradually reducing movement as before

Remember, even short naps in the crib are a success because they help her build the skill of settling independently.

Naps in the carrier: If trying the crib for all naps feels overwhelming, it’s completely fine to continue using the carrier for the other two naps, with slight adjustments to the routine:

• Walk into the bedroom

• Curtains down

• White noise on

• Lamp on

• Optionally read a short book

• Pop her into the carrier and gently walk around while singing a lullaby

• Gradually reduce movement and noise, as outlined above, until she falls asleep calmly

Does this approach feel doable for you?

Emma