[Emma H]

Hi Diala,

Before I can give you some advice on how to shift her bedtime from 10pm to 8pm, I just have a few questions. I am sorry that there are so many. It will just help me understand what is happening and as a result what strategies will work. So when you have time can you please answer the questions below?

1. Does your little one have a consistent wake-up time? If so what time is it?
2. How many naps does she have?
3. What time does she go down for the nap and then wake up from those naps?
4. Can you describe where she sleeps (does she room share, co-sleep, is the room dark, cool and quiet?)
5. Have you been able to follow the wake, feed, play, sleep routine during the day?
6. Do you have a nap routine? If so can you describe what the routine is?
7. Do you have a bedtime routine and if so can you describe it?
8. How are you currently settling her to sleep?
9. Does she use a pacifier?

Sorry again for the questions.

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Catherin,

It’s wonderful that the later bedtime initially worked well, though it’s definitely tough that she had that rough night waking every 2 – 2.5 hours. Has her sleep settled back into longer stretches again?

Great job establishing a consistent 8-8:30am wake-up; consistency is so beneficial for sleep patterns.

Regarding your concern about spitting up and choking: Generally, by 6 months, babies spit up less frequently. Additionally, sleeping on her back significantly reduces choking risk because the milk is likely to flow back down the food pipe rather than entering the airways. However, because your little one has reflux, I’d recommend checking with your paediatrician about whether it’s safe to lay her down immediately after feeds overnight, possibly removing the need to hold her upright.

For total overnight sleep at 7 months, typically babies need 10 – 12 hours, so a 9pm bedtime with an 8am wake-up is perfectly suitable.

Here are a few suggestions to improve your little one’s sleep:

Adjust Her Nap Schedule: I reviewed your sleep data and noticed the timing of her naps and the length of her wake windows varied quite a bit. At her age, a structured nap schedule usually works best, with wake windows around 2-2.5 hours. It sounds like she has gone back to having 3 naps a day. If she has then would you be happy to follow a more structured nap routine? So it could look like this based on her consistent wake-up:

• 8am: Wake

• 10am: Nap (wake by 11:30am if she’s still asleep)

• 2pm: Nap (wake by 3:30pm if she’s still asleep)

• 6pm: Short nap (45 minutes max)

• 9pm: Bedtime

Tweak Her Bedtime Routine: You might adjust her bedtime routine slightly to help keep her awake after feeding, enabling you to use the settling pyramid effectively:

• Feed her in a brighter, stimulating room.

• Pause feeding when she slows down, put her in pajamas to help her become alert again.

• Finish feeding and move to the bedroom.

• Place her in her sleeping bag, dim the lights, close the blinds, and sing a lullaby.

• Then, lay her down awake but calm, and use the settling pyramid if needed.

Discuss Pain Relief for Teething with the Paediatrician: Since she’s rejecting Tylenol, it might help to explore different flavoured options. My own children tolerated orange-flavoured medicines far better than strawberry ones.

Finally, I have a few more questions to clarify:

1. How do you typically settle her for naps in the crib—feeding, rocking, or something else?

2. Do you have a specific nap routine? If so, what’s involved?

3. Is she breastfed, formula-fed, or mixed-fed?

4. When she falls asleep in the pram, is your husband pushing it continuously outside, or rocking it indoors?

5. Is the pram a bassinet style (lying down) or an upright seat?

6. What time do you leave and return from work? (This helps me understand which naps your husband is managing.)

7. When she wakes overnight, do you feed her each time? Does she have a big feed or are they quick?

8. Are diaper changes overnight due to bowel movements?

9. Do you keep the lights off or very dim during night wakes?

10. Does she sleep on her back or tummy?

11. Is she sleeping in a crib overnight, and is it in your bedroom or elsewhere? Can you describe her sleep space – so is it cool, dark and quiet?

Sorry for the questions.

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Catherine,

I’m sorry to hear that her older brother is sick. Hopefully, she doesn’t get it – but siblings love to share their germs!

It’s a great idea to wait until everyone in the house is feeling well again before trying to settle her in the crib.

Hopefully it’s a quick illness!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Giedre,

Please let me know how it goes!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Livia,

It sounds like a lot was happening the past week, and it impacted her sleep a little, but it’s great to hear things have settled down again.

In regards to your questions I have answered them below:

Early Wake-ups (5am local time 6am at home)

Starting your day at this early wake time is actually exactly what I would recommend if it suits your family routine. However, if you prefer a later start to the morning, you can try keeping the room dark at the 5am wake-up, offering her a feed, and seeing if she’ll go back to sleep. If she does return to sleep, limit this extra sleep to no later than 7am local time /8am at home to maintain her usual wake up time.

Transitioning Out of the Swaddle

Given she seems quite uncomfortable with the swaddle and is approaching the stage where babies typically transition out of it, you can begin gradually by freeing one arm (as demonstrated in the video “How to Dress Your Baby For Better Sleep”). However, if freeing one arm doesn’t help her settle, you might consider transitioning directly to a sleep sack, completely removing the swaddle. Initially, she may need extra support like more patting and shushing while lying in the crib, but most babies adjust well within two weeks. Bedtime is usually the easiest sleep session to start this transition because her circadian rhythm and sleep pressure will naturally encourage sleep.

Pacifier Use

If the pacifier falling out is waking her, removing it could help her achieve longer stretches of sleep. You have two options here:

• Option 1: Use the pacifier during your nap and bedtime routine but remove it just before she falls asleep. To do this you would just place your little finger between the pacifier and her mouth to gently break the suction and pop it out just before she falls asleep. If she continues to fall asleep, great! But if this causes her to fully wake up, you may need to move to Option 2.

• Option 2: Completely remove the pacifier for all naps and overnight sleep. You can still use it during the day to soothe her when she’s fussy or in the car, but for sleep times, avoid it entirely. She’ll likely need more initial support from you using the settling pyramid as she adjusts.

4-Month Sleep Regression

Regarding your concern about the 4-month sleep regression: If your little one learns to fall asleep independently in the crib she’ll develop the essential skill of linking sleep cycles. This means she will be less likely to experience frequent waking every hour or two. Instead, she’ll likely continue having longer, more restful sleep stretches overnight, and the time between her overnight feeds will naturally lengthen.

I hope this helps!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Leonor,

It’s fantastic that you’ve started using the settling pyramid for your baby’s first nap of the day! Here are a few suggestions to help increase your chances of success:

• Make the Room Very Dark: Can you make the room completely dark, so dark that you wouldn’t be able to see your hand if you held it up in front of your face? This helps minimize distractions and clearly signals to your baby that it’s sleep time. You might need to partially close the bedroom door to achieve this.

• Adjust Wake Time: You’ve mentioned she’s happy and cooing in the crib initially. I’m wondering if she might benefit from a slightly longer awake period in the morning to ensure she’s truly tired when you put her down.

• Allow Time to Self-Settle: If she is calm and content, try giving her space to fall asleep independently. Babies often need up to 20 minutes to drift off, so if she’s comfortable and happy, let her be.

• Instant Comfort to Avoid Escalation: You’ve noted she escalates quickly to screaming when upset. To prevent this, try providing immediate comfort by patting her gently or placing your hand firmly on her chest and gently rocking her body side-to-side while she remains lying in the crib. Starting comfort immediately may help avoid escalation to intense crying.

• Settling Her in Your Arms: If she continues crying after being picked up, it’s completely fine to soothe her to sleep in your arms. However, try reducing any movement gradually so she learns to fall asleep without motion, which will eventually make transitioning to the crib easier.

• Handling Short Naps and Waking on Transfer: If she wakes shortly after being placed in the crib from your arms, settling her back to sleep in the crib might be difficult because her sleep pressure has reduced. In this scenario, you have two options:

  1. Pick her up again and settle her back to sleep in your arms or a carrier.

  2. Start her next wake window immediately, but know it will be shorter, and she will likely need an earlier nap.

Does this sound okay?

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Giedre,

Yep it will be strange but if you feel like her sleep has gotten worse not better since dropping to 1 nap it might be worth a try. Do you feel like it has gotten worse?

Also, you’re right initially I would start the bedtime routine at 7:30pm with her in the crib at 8pm.

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Val,

Thanks so much for the update – it’s so good to hear that everything is going smoothly!

Unfortunately at this age, it’s still a bit early for a fully consistent nap schedule. Initially, the goal is to establish a predictable first nap. Once this first nap is consistent, you’ll typically find that the second nap begins to fall into place, followed by the third, and so on. Generally, a firm nap schedule starts to become more established around 5 to 6 months of age.

Please keep me posted!

Emma

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

[Emma H]

Hi Rita,

At around 7 months, it’s common for separation anxiety to start appearing, as you’ve noticed. Your little one might handle mornings well, feeling refreshed after a night’s sleep, but as the day progresses, she may increasingly need your presence because her resilience and coping abilities decrease as she gets more fatigued.

It sounds like you’re able to lay her down in the crib awake for naps and at bedtime which is great! I’m curious-how long has she been consistently able to fall asleep independently in the crib? If this is a recent milestone, it’s likely that her nighttime awakenings will naturally begin to decrease. You’ve mentioned she occasionally sleeps in 3–3.5-hour stretches at night- has this started recently, and does it typically happen during the first half of the night? If so, this is a great sign indicating that her initial stretch of sleep is gradually lengthening. Usually, once babies master self-settling, these longer sleep stretches expand, and night wakings begin to shift later into the night before eventually disappearing altogether, with early morning wakings typically being the last to fade.

If she’s been self-settling for a few weeks already, we can gently encourage even longer sleep stretches at the beginning of the night. When she wakes around 9:10 pm, initially pause and see if she can resettle herself. Since you’ll be in the room at this time, maintaining a very quiet environment is key. If she pauses between calls, give her some space to self-soothe. If her cries are continuous without pauses, that’s your signal she needs support. Instead of feeding her at this time, would you be comfortable trying to resettle her either directly in the crib using the settling pyramid (starting immediately with patting and shushing, then gradually working down the pyramid) or picking her up and walking around the room (or standing still rocking her) while singing a lullaby? Avoiding the 9:10 pm feed could help prevent reinforcing her waking due to hunger. Additionally, if she settles without a feed in your arms, transitioning to crib settling using the pyramid method will be easier.

Does this sound doable?

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Catherin,

Thanks so much for all of this information – it’s incredibly helpful, and it’s definitely not too much!

It’s great to hear that you’ve adjusted the bedtime routine slightly to better suit your little one’s needs.

I’m curious how the past few nights have been going with the later bedtime. Have you noticed fewer wake-ups overnight as a result?

Also, regarding her overnight wake-ups, I noticed there’s quite a bit of time before placing her back in the crib. Is she fully awake during this period, or is this extended time due to holding her upright for 20-30 minutes to manage reflux? Given she’s now over 6 months old, would you consider experimenting with skipping this upright holding time to see if it affects her sleep. It’s possible she no longer requires this after feeding.

I also wanted to confirm – are her naps still happening in your arms, or has she started successfully napping in the crib?

Additionally, I noticed her morning wake-up times have varied significantly in your recent records. To encourage longer, consolidated nighttime sleep and more predictable bedtimes, it’s helpful to maintain a consistent morning wake-up time within about a 30-minute window. I understand that a 7:30am wake-up is too challenging right now, so I was wondering if you can think of a wake-up time that would be achievable? If so, we can structure her naps and bedtime routine around that.

Let me know your thoughts!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Giedre,

I’m sorry to hear the last few weeks have been rough. From what you’ve described, it seems like switching to one nap might not have improved her sleep, and it may even be making things worse – she seems to be waking more overnight and fighting sleep just as much.

What do you think?

If you feel her sleep has gotten worse rather than better, would you consider trying a two-nap schedule again? I didn’t suggest this previously because you mentioned she stayed awake for about an hour during overnight wake-ups with two naps. However, since she’s now waking again for extended periods, this could indicate she’s not getting enough daytime sleep. It might be worthwhile to revisit the two-nap schedule to see if it helps.

Here’s a schedule you could try:

• 6:30/7:00 am – Wake up

• 9:00 am – Nap 1

• 10:00 am – Wake up

• 1:00 pm – Nap 2

• 2/2:30 pm – Wake up (2:30 at the latest)

• 7:30 pm – Bedtime

With this schedule, she will still wake up from that final nap at a similar time and therefore should have enough wake time before bedtime to fall asleep. But, if you feel like she needs more time awake before bedtime you could shift her bedtime to 8/8:30pm. But in saying that, I would be interested to see if a bedtime at 7:30pm actually makes it easier for her to fall asleep.

If you do go back to the two-nap schedule, you could slightly tweak your settling routine. After completing your usual nap or bedtime routine, lay her down and immediately begin patting and shushing to help her calm quickly. Once she settles, stop patting and continue shushing while still in her view. Then, gradually move out of her sight, allowing her to fall asleep independently. Starting at the top of the settling pyramid right away can help prevent her from becoming too upset, reducing the need to pick her up or continue patting and shushing her until she falls asleep.

Regarding your question about sleep sacks, getting a sack with legs could help prevent her from falling and becoming upset. Alternatively, if the temperature is comfortable enough, you might consider skipping the sleep sack altogether.

What do you think?

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Robin,

It’s great to hear that when Maxi is asleep his legs aren’t restless. This reassures me that once he learns how to fall asleep in the co-sleeper, he will be able to start sleeping for longer stretches.

Let me know how the tweaked routine and the modified version of the settling pyramid goes.

I really think this might be a better option for Maxi.

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Rita,

It’s great that she is napping in the crib and she has started to connect nap cycles now.

As you have noticed the wake window for the first nap tends to be shorter than the rest. Typically, the wake windows can get longer as the day progresses. It sounds like the timing of her first nap is happening at the same time each day which is great too!

It’s fine to continue to follow her tired signs to identify when she is ready for a nap.

In regards to bedtime and overnight sleep, I just have a few questions.

• You mentioned that for naps you stand by the crib for 2 mins or until her movement and finger sucking slows down before laying her in the crib. Is she asleep when you lay her down in the crib or awake?
• Can you describe to me what her bedtime routine looks like and if she is feeding to sleep or asleep before you lay her in the crib?
• Is she room-sharing with you?
• If you are room sharing, what time do you or anyone else enter the bedroom at night?

Sorry for the questions again Rita.

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Catherine,

Keep an eye on what time she naturally falls asleep at night—this will help you identify her true bedtime. Her bedtime might shift slightly depending on when her last nap ends, so tracking nap times can help as well. From what you’ve described, it sounds like her bedtime might be around 6:00–6:30 pm. Hopefully, this isn’t too tricky given her big brother’s bedtime is similar.

Helping her learn to fall asleep independently in her crib, both at bedtime and during naps, will support her in developing the skills to link sleep cycles and extend her naps. However, remember that naps typically become longer and more predictable around 5–6 months of age. She might continue taking shorter naps until then, but with practice, she might start extending them earlier.

In response to your question, “Does bedtime create a better environment for learning self-soothing techniques?” the short answer is yes—bedtime usually offers the best chance of success. This is because at bedtime, two factors work together: sleep pressure (the body’s natural urge to sleep) and the circadian rhythm (the body’s internal clock signalling it’s time to sleep). During naps, only sleep pressure is present. Additionally, bedtime typically occurs at a consistent time each day, whereas nap times can be less predictable, especially for babies under 6 months. These combined factors mean you’re more likely to have success with the settling pyramid at bedtime.

Hopefully, you’ve continued to have success the past few days.

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Catherine,

It’s wonderful to hear you’re already seeing success settling your little one in the bassinet for her first two naps! It’s absolutely fine to keep patting her to sleep for now as she gets used to this new way of settling. When you’re ready, I’d suggest gradually reducing the patting: in a few days, try slowing the patting down and eventually stopping it altogether, leaving just your hand resting on her. After another few days, aim to remove your hand before she’s completely asleep. Of course, if she adapts quickly, feel free to move through these steps sooner.

At around 12.5 weeks, 45-minute naps are common. I understand this might seem shorter than the naps she had in the wrap, but that’s because babies often sleep longer in a wrap since our movements naturally soothe them back to sleep.

To help her stay awake during feeds after the second nap, consider giving her a few minutes of playtime immediately after waking, before feeding her. This ensures she’s fully awake for the feed. However, if she wakes very hungry and upset, definitely feed her right away. If she happens to fall asleep during feeding, just start counting her next wake window from when she wakes up after the feed.

If you feel ready, bedtime is also a great time to try settling her in the bassinet using the settling pyramid. If 6 pm is consistently her bedtime, then stick with this time. However, from your message, it sounds like 6 pm might not always be consistent—could you clarify this for me?

Lastly, you asked, “Will bassinet bed sleeping perhaps also improve her wakefulness?” Could you please clarify this question a bit more? I’m just not exactly sure what you’re asking.

Thanks

Emma