[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 Monica,

It’s great to hear that the last few nights have been much better! I’m also really impressed that you’ve already made the changes we discussed—you’re amazing.

Bedtime Routine & Ensuring She’s Full

To make sure she’s full before bedtime, I do recommend incorporating a feed into the bedtime routine. So it might look a little like this:

– (+/- bath)
– Diaper change & pajamas
– Feed (in a brightly lit room—this can be in the bedroom, but if she starts to doze off, you may want to do this last feed in the living room where there’s more activity)
– Move to the bedroom, close blinds/curtains
– Put her in a sleeping bag
– Turn on white noise
– Sing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
– Lay her down in the crib awake

If she falls asleep quickly after being put to bed—great! However, if you notice that she’s still awake after 20 minutes (which is normal, as it can take babies up to 20 minutes to fall asleep), I’d recommend going in and offering a top-up feed. Just make sure to note down the time she actually falls asleep.

Figuring Out Why She’s Staying Awake at Bedtime

Right now, I’m not sure if she’s staying awake after bedtime because she isn’t quite tired enough, or if it’s because she’s still hungry.

Over the next few days, as you track:
– What time her last nap ends
– What time she falls into a deep sleep at night

We should be able to figure out whether we need to adjust her bedtime or cap the final nap to help her settle more easily at bedtime.

Let me know how things go! 😊
Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Damen,

Thanks for the update!

It sounds like you’re doing an amazing job supporting him, especially with his colic and possible teething—it’s great that you’re using Infacol, massage, and exercises to help.

From what you’ve shared, colic could be affecting his sleep, and if teething has started, that discomfort might be disrupting his sleep as well.

Teething pain is usually temporary, lasting just a few days as the tooth breaks through the gum line—it shouldn’t persist for weeks. If you suspect discomfort is waking him, it might be helpful to check in with his nurse or doctor about pain relief options.

Another likely reason for frequent wake-ups is that he’s learned to fall asleep while feeding.

In the newborn stage, falling asleep while feeding is completely normal and doesn’t always impact sleep. But between 3–5 months, babies’ sleep patterns mature. Instead of cycling through just two sleep stages, they transition between four distinct stages of sleep.

Their cycle begins with two lighter phases of non-REM (NREM) sleep (Stages 1 and 2), followed by a deeper sleep phase (Stages 3 and 4 of NREM). The cycle then ends with REM sleep. After REM sleep, babies naturally wake up briefly to check their surroundings—this is something we all do. If everything is the same as when they first fell asleep and they’re still tired, they’ll usually drift back into another sleep cycle.

However, if something has changed—like they’re no longer being held, rocked, or fed—and they rely on these things to fall asleep, they might wake fully and call out for help to settle back to sleep.

These brief wake-ups typically happen every 1 to 1.5 hours at night, and most babies follow one of two patterns:

1. Longer Stretch of Sleep at the Start of the Night – Many babies begin the night with a few hours of deep, uninterrupted sleep. This happens because sleep pressure is high, and their internal clock signals that it’s time to rest. However, as the night goes on, sleep pressure decreases, and they enter lighter sleep stages more frequently. This often leads to wake-ups at fairly predictable intervals—every 1 to 1.5 hours in the early morning hours.

2. Frequent Wake-Ups All Night – Some babies wake fully at the end of every sleep cycle (roughly every 1 to 1.5 hours) throughout the entire night.

From what you’ve described, his overnight sleep 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 (4–5 more feeds)

This pattern closely matches the first sleep pattern, where babies start the night with a longer stretch of sleep but wake more frequently as the night progresses.

Right now, he associates feeding with falling asleep, so when he wakes between sleep cycles, he naturally looks for that same comfort to settle back to sleep. This is why he’s waking so frequently in the early morning hours.

To reduce the number of overnight wake-ups, the goal is to teach him how to fall asleep in his crib or co-sleeper without feeding to sleep.

Once he learns to settle independently, he’ll be able to connect his sleep cycles on his own—leading to longer, more restful stretches of sleep for all of you!

The way you can teach him to fall asleep in his crib or co-sleeper is by doing two things:

1. Tweaking the Nap and Bedtime Routine

Right now, his pre-sleep routine looks like this:
– Walking into your room
– Feeding in a dark room (usually falls asleep)
– Rocking or patting while holding him upright
– Laying him in the crib asleep

To help him learn to fall asleep in his crib on his own, we need to make sure he is awake when you lay him down, giving him the opportunity to settle himself.

One simple way to encourage this is by feeding him in a bright, active space (instead of the bedroom) to help keep him awake during feeds.

Something to note is that babies can appear awake and feeding when they’re actually asleep because they often continue a sucking motion even after drifting off. A good way to check if he’s actively feeding is to listen for a swallow every few sucks. If you don’t hear swallowing, he’s likely asleep.

Then after the feed, you could:

• Put him in his sleeping bag (this will make him more alert if he is super drowsy after the feed)
• Carry him into your room.
• Sing a lullaby while holding him in your arms
• Lay him down in his sleep space
• Then following the settling pyramid to help him fall asleep.

Would you feel comfortable giving this a try?

2. Try Spacing Feeds Away from Naps

At this age, babies can typically go 3–4 hours between feeds. Often, they feed just before naps not because they’re truly hungry, but because they’re tired and have learned to associate feeding with falling asleep.

Would you be open to trying a wake, feed, play, sleep routine during the day?

If you give this a go, you might find that:
– He is more settled between feeds
– His colic symptoms improve, since there’s a longer gap between feeding and sleeping

In addition to doing these two things, there are a few other things that will help:

Wait, Watch, Listen When He Stirs Overnight

As he’s learning to fall asleep on his own in the crib, try to wait, watch, and listen when he first starts to stir or make noises at night. This will help you determine whether he is:

• Transitioning between sleep cycles
• In REM sleep (light sleep, where movement and noises are common)
• Truly awake and needing your attention

If you determine that he’s fully awake and hungry, go ahead and feed him while following the wake, feed, sleep routine.

Over time, as he learns to settle himself to sleep, he’ll begin linking sleep cycles more consistently overnight. This should naturally lead to fewer night wakings, with the first stretch of sleep at the beginning of the night typically lengthening first.

Daytime Naps

One important thing to keep in mind is that when you’re settling him in the crib using the settling pyramid for naps, it’s very likely he’ll wake after just one sleep cycle (which typically lasts 30–45 minutes during the day). This is exactly what you’ve been noticing, and it’s completely normal at this age.

Right now, he isn’t developmentally ready to consistently link sleep cycles during naps on his own—this usually starts happening between 5–6 months. However, for him to start extending his naps and sleeping longer stretches during the day, he will need to learn how to fall asleep independently.

Once he can do this his naps should automatically start to lengthen.

Wake Windows

If you’re using the settling pyramid to help him fall asleep for naps and he only sleeps for 30 minutes, his next wake window will likely need to be shorter to prevent overtiredness. Even with shorter wake windows, he will likely still need around 4- 5 naps a day at this stage.

Keep Morning Wake-Up Time Within a 30-Minute Window

His wake-up time currently varies between 7:30–8:30 am, depending on how often he wakes in the early morning hours. I know it’s tough—especially after a night of frequent wake-ups—but narrowing that window to a consistent 30-minute range each morning is really important.

A predictable wake-up time helps regulate his circadian rhythm, making bedtimes more predictable and encouraging longer, more restful sleep at night.

It might feel challenging at first, but this small change can make a big difference in improving overnight sleep—for all of you!

Do these things sound doable?

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Rita,

I’m sorry that last night was tough, but the silver lining is that she was able to fall asleep for that last wake with just shushing and patting—that’s a great step forward! I really hope you’re not feeling too exhausted today.

It’s great that you’ve been able to track what might be causing her gassiness, though I know it must be frustrating that it’s the food you were looking forward to eating again after pregnancy! But it’s amazing that you’re willing to hold off on those foods for a bit to see if it makes a difference. Let me know if you notice any changes!

I have been thinking about ways to make the settling pyramid work for your little one and have a few suggestions which I have outlined below.

Timing of Bedtime and the Last Nap

You mentioned that she often wakes 5 minutes after falling asleep at bedtime and continues to wake a few times before settling into a deep sleep. This suggests she might not be quite tired enough to stay asleep right away. Two possible reasons for this:

• Her final nap may be ending too close to bedtime, meaning she hasn’t had enough awake time to build up sleep pressure.
• Her bedtime might be slightly too early.

To figure out which one it might be, would you be happy to track this for the next 3–5 days? Specifically:

• What time does her final nap end?
• What time does she actually settle into deep sleep for the night (not just bedtime, but when she falls asleep and stays asleep)?

With this info, we should be able to pinpoint what’s causing these frequent wake-ups at bedtime and make adjustments to help prevent them.

Practicing the Settling Pyramid at Bedtime

It sounds like the settling pyramid is working better at night than for naps, which makes sense—at bedtime, both the circadian rhythm and sleep pressure work together, signalling to the body that it’s time to sleep. During the day, only sleep pressure is at play, which can make naps trickier.

Would you be happy to practice the settling pyramid each night at bedtime? Once she learns to fall asleep in the crib on her own at bedtime, it should help reduce overnight wake-ups, as she’ll be able to connect sleep cycles and settle back to sleep more easily. It should also make it easier to use the settling pyramid for naps since she’ll already be familiar with it.

I know that keeping her awake during the final feed can be challenging at 3 months old, but a few things that might help include:

• Feeding her in a bright, active room to discourage dozing off.
• Once the feed is finished, putting her in her sleeping bag (which may help wake her up slightly) and carrying her into her room.
• Turning off the lights and singing a lullaby (ideally the same one each night to create a sleep cue).
• Placing her in her crib and using the settling pyramid to help her drift off.

Would you feel comfortable giving this a try?

Naps

Since she has started sucking her hand, letting that hand be free is a great idea! She may begin using it to self-soothe, which can make falling asleep much easier and help her settle more independently.

From your description, I understand that using the settling pyramid for daytime naps might be a bit too challenging right now. A gentler first step is to help her get used to falling asleep without constant movement, which will make transitioning to the settling pyramid much easier when the time comes.

If she’s sleeping in the sling, you could try this gradual approach:

1. Put her in the sling and start walking around her room.
2. Sing a lullaby (ideally the same one used at bedtime, so it becomes a sleep cue).
3. Pat her back or bottom while walking.
4. Pause the movement—stand still while continuing to pat her back or bottom.
5. Start shushing while patting.
6. Gradually reduce input—first stop patting while continuing to shush, then stop shushing altogether, and let her fall asleep.

This gradual approach helps her learn to fall asleep without movement, patting, or noise, making it easier to transition to the settling pyramid when you’re ready.

After a few days of this approach, you could try using the settling pyramid for her first nap again. To make the transition smoother, you might:

• Put her in the sleeping bag before entering the bedroom and walk around with her in a bright, active space for a little while to help her calm down.
• Then head to the bedroom, turn off the lights, and complete the nap routine before placing her in the crib and using the settling pyramid.

If she becomes upset when you do this and you can’t put her in the crib and attempt the settling pyramid, you could try an even gentler transition:

• Put her in the sleeping bag before entering the bedroom and walk around with her in a bright, active space for a little while to help her calm down.
• Then head to the bedroom, turn off the lights, and walk around while singing the lullaby and patting her back or bottom.
• Stop walking around and just continue patting and singing the lullaby.
• Stop singing the lullaby and start shushing and patting.
• Stop patting and just continue shushing.
• Stop shushing and let her fall asleep in your arms.

Since this approach requires holding her for a while, it might be something your husband tries if that works for you both.

A quick note: If you transfer her to the crib after she falls asleep, she may wake upon transfer. If she stays asleep, she’s likely to sleep for only one sleep cycle, which is completely normal at this stage.

Does this sound doable?

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