[Emma H]

Hi Vivian,

In a separate post, I mentioned trialling 2 feeds – one when he wakes at 4:30pm from his last nap of the day and another at 6:30 pm an hour before his bedtime at 7:30pm. How did that go?

Determining whether your baby is resisting a nap due to being over-tired or not tired enough can be challenging. To better understand this, I’d need to know about his daily routine, such as his wake-up time, the timing of his first nap, how long he sleeps during this nap, when his second nap is, how long he sleeps then, and so on, until bedtime.

Based on what you’ve shared, I also suspect that his early nighttime awakenings might be due to “false starts,” and adjusting his bedtime to a later time, like 7:30 pm or 8 pm, might help eliminate these early disruptions. However, without knowing more about his daily schedule, it’s difficult to be certain.

Regarding the total amount of daytime sleep for a 4-month-old, it can vary from 3 to 4 1/2 hours, depending on his overall sleep needs. For instance, if he needs 15 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period and is sleeping more than 12 hours at night, his daytime naps might total slightly less than 3 hours.

I hope that helps!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Christine,

It’s great to hear that you loved the course and have been able to implement things that you have learned already!

I have answered your questions below.

1. At what age do you suggest to stop using the white noise machine?

There’s no set age for when you should stop using a white noise machine for your baby. Many people, including adults, use white noise to sleep better. So, if you notice it helps your baby sleep, feel free to keep using it.

As your child gets to be 2 or 3 years old, though, they might start feeling scared of the dark and prefer to be more aware of their surroundings during the night. They might ask to have the door open and the white noise off so they can see and listen to what’s going on around them. If this happens, you can simply turn the white noise machine off.

2. At what age should I stop using the sleeping bag? Should I use the same sleeping bag for winter and summer?

I recommend you continue using a sleeping bag for your little one until they are about 3 to 4 years old and have transitioned to a big bed. The reasoning behind this is toddlers tend to be quite active in their sleep, often kicking off their blankets. But it isn’t until they’re around 3 – 4 years of age that they develop the skills required to cover themselves again. This can lead to disrupted sleep for you and your child, as they call out to you to come and pull up their blankets. In saying that, if you live in a warmer part of the world, where your child won’t need to use a blanket, then you can stop using a sleeping bag whenever you prefer. Ultimately, the decision on when to stop using a sleeping bag depends on your personal preference and your child’s needs.

As for whether you should use the same sleeping bag for both winter and summer, this largely depends on the temperature of your baby’s room. If the room is kept at a constant temperature, such as 21 degrees Celsius year-round, then the same sleeping bag may be suitable for all seasons. However, if the room temperature drops significantly during the winter months, a sleeping bag with a higher TOG rating may be necessary to ensure your baby stays warm.

3. Why should I place my baby with their feet at the bottom of the crib rather than their head at the top? (lesson 12)

Placing your baby with their feet at the bottom of the crib is primarily advised to minimise the risk of the baby wiggling downwards and accidentally covering their face with blankets, which can increase the risk of suffocation. This positioning is particularly important for parents who use blankets in the crib. It ensures that the baby stays at the bottom of the crib and the blanket can be tucked in securely under the mattress, preventing it from covering the baby’s head.

However, if you’re using a sleeping bag that snugly fits your baby’s shoulders and neck, preventing them from wriggling down inside it, then the specific placement of your baby in the crib becomes less critical. In this case, you can position your baby anywhere within the crib safely. The key is ensuring the sleeping bag is the correct size and design to prevent it from moving over your baby’s head or allowing them to slide down inside it.

4. My baby boy always wakes up from his sleep and gets directly into crying, he never opens his eyes quietly and escalates the “I’m awake” signs gradually, like you’ve shown in the video of lesson 14. What might be the reason for that?

Babies waking up and immediately crying rather than gradually showing signs of wakefulness, can be due to a variety of factors. One significant reason could be the baby’s innate temperament. Some babies are naturally more sensitive or prone to immediate distress upon waking, which can cause them to cry right away. This immediate crying upon waking can be their way of signaling a need for comfort, hunger, a diaper change, or simply the need to transition from sleep to wakefulness with the assistance of a caregiver. Each baby is unique, and their responses to waking up can vary widely based on their temperament and needs at the moment.

5. Our local ministry of health recommends that babies should be put to sleep on their back up to one year of age. I’ve seen that your daughter at the age of 5 months was sleeping on her tummy. is that ok? My baby boy has started rolling and the minute I place him on his back in the crib he rolls over and falls asleep on his tummy.

The recommendation to place babies on their backs to sleep, especially up to one year of age, is a widely endorsed guideline aimed at reducing the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

However, the American Academy of Pediatrics and Red Nose Australia also state that while babies should initially be placed on their backs for all sleep times, once they achieve the developmental milestone of being able to roll over independently, they can be allowed to find and settle into their own preferred sleeping positions. This includes sleeping on their tummy if they naturally roll into this position.

It’s crucial, however, that the sleep environment remains safe: the baby should sleep on a firm, flat surface, and the crib should only have a fitted sheet with no loose bedding, pillows, or soft toys that could increase the risk of suffocation or SIDS.

It’s always a good idea to check with your Local Ministry of Health to see if they align with these recommendations.

I hope that helps!

Emma

[Emma H]

Maddie,

It’s great to hear that your little one is feeling better and gradually extending the intervals between the nighttime feedings.

It’s hard to say if it is a growth spurt. Typically, during a spurt, they might also demand more frequent or longer feedings during the day. Is this the case with your little one?

It might be worth feeding her in a quieter room during the day to ensure she is having bigger feeds. This can sometimes help to reduce the need for overnight feeds.

If you’re happy to I would wait until after you’re settled in the new house before implementing all of the strategies we’ve discussed. A house move can be stressful for everyone and adding this on top might be a little too much.

Once you are settled in the new home, I would keep practising the pyramid for naps and bedtime, plus the other strategies. The goal is for her to learn to fall asleep independently, which would enable her to soothe herself back to sleep during the night if she’s not genuinely hungry. Mastery of this skill, however, requires patience and lots of practice.

I hope this helps!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Vivian,

It’s perfectly okay to let him wake up on his own during that 30-minute window. However, if he doesn’t wake up by the end of this period, I suggest waking him yourself. For instance, if the window is from 7 to 7:30 am and he’s still asleep at 7:30 am, you should wake him, open the blinds, turn on the lights, and let him get some natural sunlight if possible.

With the upcoming time change on Sunday, if you find yourself needing to wake him every morning, aiming for a 7:30 am wake-up could help adjust his internal clock.

Sorry, I thought you were putting him to bed at 7 pm but he wasn’t falling asleep until 8 or 9 pm. If you’re following a 7 am to 7 pm schedule, the time change could potentially shift his routine to 6 am to 6 pm if you don’t adjust anything.

If you’d like to maintain the 7 am to 7 pm schedule, you could gradually shift his entire routine back by 15 minutes every other day. Although I recommend starting this adjustment a week before the time changes, it’s still feasible to begin now. It will just extend past the time change.

But in saying that, since he’s 14 weeks old and his internal clock is still developing, this time shift might not greatly affect his sleep patterns. Also if you have been waking him at 7:30 am instead of 7 am, you’re already nudging his schedule.

Considering his last nap ends at 4:30 pm, another nap before a 7 pm bedtime might be too much. If you want him to have another nap, you would need to move his bedtime to around 9 pm.

Do you think you could shift his bedtime to 7:30 pm? This later bedtime could help smooth out those evening hiccups. Plus it would give you the time to feed him when he wakes from his last nap of the day, then again at 6:30 pm (which is an hour before bedtime).

I hope this clears things up!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Nikki,

It’s great to hear your little one has fallen asleep in his crib. You’re doing a great job reading his cues and helping him learn this new skill!

Typically, infants begin to establish a more predictable napping routine around the age of 6 months. Before 6 months of age, the timing and length of naps can and do vary, so it’s very normal.

That said, having a consistent wake-up time will encourage your little one to adopt a consistent bedtime and foster the development of a napping schedule.

If you’re okay with getting up at 5:40 am, start the day with your little one by opening the curtains, turning on the lights, and maybe even going outside if it’s already light. This helps set his body clock and can help bedtimes become consistent. Keeping the same wake-up time every day also helps ensure his first nap happens at the same time. Once you’ve got that first nap happening, like clockwork, you’ll find that the next nap times will start to fall into place, too.

I hope this helps!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hey Vivian,

There is no harm in letting him stay awake for longer than 2 – 21/2 hours just before bedtime and see what happens. Every baby is different so he might be fine having a longer wake window before bedtime.

When your little one wakes from his last nap of the day I recommend you offer him a feed and then offer another feed before bed. This is the only time I recommend you feed them 2 times during a wake window.

Having the final feed at the start of the bedtime routine can be helpful. So for example, your baby’s bedtime routine might start with you feeding him in the living room with the lights on. After the feed, you might go and change his nappy, put his pjs on, put on his sleeping bag, turn off the lights, close the blinds and then sing him a song as you rock him in your arms, then lay him down in the crib awake to fall asleep. The key is to have the feed at the start of the bedtime routine so he doesn’t fall asleep while feeding.

Feeding him closer to bedtime may help to stop those frequent wakings at the start of the night.

I hope that helps!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Vivian,

It is so good that your little one is sleeping through the night (after those initial wakes). You would all be feeling so much better. The catnaps are always a little tricky – personally with my little ones I found them frustrating as it always felt like nap time. It does get better though.

I have been thinking about your daylight-saving question, and I am wondering if doing nothing to prepare for it might help with your baby’s bedtime. If you do nothing, then what will happen is your little one will continue to wake up when he usually does. So, given that you typically wake him at 7am when the clocks go back an hour on Sunday, you will wake him up at 6 or 6:30am. And his new bedtime will fall somewhere between 7/8pm. What do you think about that?

Generally, four months olds can stay awake for 2 – 21/2 hours, but every baby is different. Your baby might be able to stay awake for 3 hours before bedtime. I would try it out and see what happens. If he is ok and it stops those initial wakes, then staying awake for 3 hours before bedtime is fine. What I will say is if you want his bedtime to be at 7/7:30pm make sure his last nap of the day finishes at 5:30pm (it doesn’t sound like he naps that late though).

I hope that helps

Emma

[Emma H]

That’s amazing news Amanda. Honestly, the reason for the change is all you! Well done!

[Emma H]

Hi Kostas,

It sounds like Helen has learnt to fall asleep for daytime naps with movement. So if the settling pyramid isn’t working for you both, you can take a gentler approach that incorporates movement. But instead of rocking her in a pram, you will rock her in your arms. So it would look a bit like this:

– When it’s nap time, do Helen’s nap routine. Make sure the last activity is a calming one which ends in her bedroom and the lights are turned off.

– After completing the nap routine, hold Helen in your arms and gently rock her, as you pat her bottom and ‘shush’.

– If she is calm, stop rocking her (so that you’re standing still) but continue patting her bottom and shushing.

– If she continues to remain calm, stop patting her but continue shushing.

– Then stop shushing, so that she falls asleep in your arms, while you’re standing still and quiet.

– Then, place her in the crib.

By stopping the rocking and patting before she falls asleep, you’re helping her become comfortable with falling asleep without movement (so she is not reliant on movement to fall asleep). This will make it easier to move to using the pyramid technique when you’re both ready.

Does this make sense?

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Elen,

How have the last few days gone?

I can understand why you might be feeling a bit confused.

I am wondering if there are any small tweaks that can be made to make this process a little easier for your little one and you. So when you have some time can you answer the following question:

– With your naps do you have a clear schedule with your little one?

– What exactly does it look like and once you put her down to sleep what do you do?

– Does she sleep in a dark bedroom that is free from sudden loud noises? If not what is her bedroom like?

– When you put her down to nap how long does it take her to fall asleep?

Thanks

Emma

[Emma H]

Hey Sharne,

This message cracked me up. I can only imagine how freaked out our partner would be if he woke up to you watching him sleep! 😂

It’s made my night!

[Emma H]

Hi Vivian,

Wow 4 months – Time goes so quickly!

I’m glad to hear he’s settling into a better routine.

When it comes to adjusting his schedule, a larger shift might be okay—it really depends on what he’s comfortable with. A 30-minute change could be just fine for some babies, but others might need a more gradual approach.

If he wakes up an hour earlier than usual because of a soiled diaper, you could try changing him with minimal light and interaction, then put him back to bed. However, it’s likely he won’t go back to sleep due to low sleep pressure and his natural circadian rhythm signaling it’s time to wake up. On such occasions, it may be simpler to just start the day, especially if this doesn’t happen often.

Regarding your question about returning to a 7-to-7 schedule, I assume this is concerning daylight saving time changes. The steps outlined in the video I shared should assist in this transition.

In regards to when you should put on the thicker sleep sack, if he needs a feed during the night, that would be the time to switch his sleep sack. If he’s not waking for nighttime feeds, I suggest starting with the thicker sleep sack and, if you use central heating, turning it off in his room a few hours before his bedtime to ensure the room is cool.

I hope this helps!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Christine,

Sorry I completely misunderstood!

Before I answer this are you able to answer the following questions:

1. How does your baby fall asleep for naps and bedtime.

2. Where does your baby sleep overnight?

3. Is your little one breastfed or formula-fed?

4. When you say he is waking up for a comfort feed, what makes you think that? For example, if you’re breastfeeding how long is the overnight feed or if you’re bottle feeding how much milk does he drink?

Thanks

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Amanda,

As your little one is consistently waking every 1 1/2 – 2 hours after 1am, it sounds like she has gone through the 4 month sleep regression. Instead of cycling through two stages of sleep she is now cycling through 4 stages of sleep and partially waking between each sleep cycle. Overnight these partial wakes occur every 1 1/2 – 2 hours.

As the start of the night is dominated by deep sleep, your daughter is less likely to wake up after each sleep cycle, which is why she is generally sleeping well until 1am. On the flip side, the middle part of the night and the early morning hours are dominated by stage 2 NREM sleep and REM sleep and these are lighter stages of sleep. As a result your daughter is more likely to wake between sleep cycles (particularly if she is sleeping in an environment that is different to where she fell asleep). And this is why she is waking every 1 1/2 – 2 hours after 1am.

The steps to reducing these overnight wakes can be found in detail in the PDF titled: Managing The 4 Month Sleep Regression which is in the course.

Have you had a chance to read that yet?

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Elen,

Hopefully, pushing her nap time a bit later works.

As for bedtime, just keep an eye on how it goes. If she protests more than usual when you put her to bed at 6 pm, shift bedtime back to 6:15 pm and see if that helps.

Regarding her overall sleep needs, it’s true that some toddlers at this age get by with as little as 9 hours in 24 hours, though that’s relatively uncommon. On the other hand, some might need up to 16 hours, but that’s also uncommon. Based on what you’ve shared, your little one is likely in the typical range, as she sleeps for 11-12 hours at night plus she has a daytime nap.

I hope this makes it a bit clearer.

Emma