[Emma H]

Hi Xu Shan,

I’m so glad to hear that the videos and course have been helpful on your baby’s sleep journey!

It sounds like you’re doing a fantastic job with the wake, feed, and play schedule, and you’ve already established a strong nap routine with swaddling, rocking, and white noise. These are all great foundations.

At this age, short naps (anywhere from 20 to 50 minutes) are completely normal, though understandably frustrating. It’s also common for nap lengths to vary throughout the day. As babies grow, naps typically become more predictable, but catnaps (lasting 30-45 minutes) often persist from around 3 to 6 months. Somewhere between 5 and 6 months, many babies begin to consolidate their naps, linking sleep cycles and sleeping for longer stretches.

That being said, here are a few suggestions that may help extend your baby’s naps and support more independent sleep:

1. Adjust Awake Time:
If it’s consistently taking 15-20 minutes for him to fall asleep after being awake for 65 minutes, this might indicate that his wake window needs adjusting. You could try increasing his wake time by 10-15 minutes, so start the nap routine around 75 minutes of awake time and see if it helps him settle faster. If he falls asleep with less effort, it’s a sign that a longer wake window is more suited to his current needs.

2. Pacifier Use:
Using a pacifier at this age is perfectly fine and even encouraged, as it’s linked with a reduced risk of SIDS. When are you currently offering him the pacifier? If you’re comfortable using it, try giving it to him before swaddling, as this can help soothe him and signal that it’s time to sleep. Once he’s swaddled, ensure the pacifier is still in place when you lay him down in the crib, and then proceed with the settling pyramid. Does he currently use a pacifier at night as well?

3. Extending Naps by Linking Sleep Cycles:
If you want to extend the length of his naps, you can try assisting him in linking sleep cycles. Start by noting how long his naps usually last—there may be a consistent length, like 30-40 minutes. If so, enter the room a few minutes before he typically wakes and gently pat him or reinsert the pacifier to help him transition into the next sleep cycle. This method works well for some babies, though not all, as some may wake up ready for the next activity regardless.

4. Settling Pyramid:
It’s great that you’ve started using the settling pyramid to help him fall asleep. When he cries after being laid down, are you moving up the pyramid (e.g., offering more soothing in the crib) before picking him up? If not, this could be something to try before resorting to picking him up right away. Also, are you able to let me know how are you currently putting him to sleep at bedtime?

5. Swaddle Consideration:
It’s great that you’re swaddling him! Could you let me know which type of swaddle you’re using? Specifically, are his arms positioned up near his face, or down by his sides? If his arms are up, you might want to try a swaddle that keeps his arms down by his sides, as this could help him settle faster during naps. Additionally, having his arms swaddled down will make it harder for him to accidentally knock the pacifier out of his mouth, which might help him stay calm and fall asleep.

I hope this helps!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Lauren,

I’m really sorry to hear that your little one is feeling under the weather with a cold. I hope she starts to feel better very soon.

When she’s not feeling her best, it’s perfectly okay to let her sleep in beyond her usual wake-up time. Sleep is so important for healing, and her body will naturally get the rest it needs to fight off the illness.

Once she’s up, you can adjust the day’s schedule from there. A little extra sleep won’t disrupt her routine too much, and it will likely help her bounce back faster.

Take it easy for the next few days, and once she’s on the mend, you can gradually ease back into her regular routine.

Wishing her a speedy recovery!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Carmen,

It sounds like your little one is learning to belly crawl, which is an exciting milestone!

However, this new skill might be causing him to move around more in his sleep, leading to those head bumps on the cot bars.

It’s quite common for babies to practice new motor skills even while they’re asleep, but don’t worry, this phase usually doesn’t last long.

As your baby masters the skill, he will likely stop practicing it during sleep and the head bumping should decrease.

In the meantime, here are a few things you can try to help:

Positioning: Consider placing him closer to the cot bars when you settle him down to sleep. By doing this, you’ll limit the space he has to crawl, which can reduce the likelihood of him hitting his head with force. This can make any bumps that do occur less painful and less distressing for your little one.

Avoid Cot Bumpers: While it might be tempting to use cot bumpers to cushion the bars, it’s important to avoid them as they can pose a suffocation and entrapment risk.

I hope that helps,

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Catherine & Sébastien,

Thank you so much for your kind words about the course—I’m thrilled to hear that your daughter is sleeping well at night! I understand how challenging daytime naps can be, especially when your little one resists sleep despite showing clear signs of tiredness.

At 3 months old, your daughter is becoming more aware of her surroundings, which can make daytime naps more difficult.

Before offering specific advice, I’d like to ask a few questions to better understand your situation:

1. What does her nap and bedtime routine currently look like?

2. What does a typical day for her involve? For example, what time does she usually wake up, and how many naps does she generally take throughout the day and what time are they?

3. Are you following the wake, feed, play, and sleep routine during the day?

4. Does she have a consistent wake-up time in the morning?

5. How are you currently helping her fall asleep? For instance, do you need to rock her to sleep, or does she fall asleep in your arms before you place her in the crib for that one nap?

6. Does she use a pacifier? If so, do you need to keep re-inserting it until she falls asleep, or does it stay in once she has it?

7. When she sleeps in your arms, is the room quiet and dark, or are you going about your day with her in a baby carrier?

8. How long is she typically staying awake between naps?

Once I have a better understanding, I can offer more tailored advice to help improve her daytime naps.

Looking forward to your response!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Paven,

It sounds like you’re doing a lot of great things for your little one, and I completely understand how challenging bedtime can be with an 8-week-old.

There are a few factors that might be contributing to the bedtime challenges you’re experiencing:

1. Newborn Sleep Patterns

At 8 weeks, your baby’s sleep patterns can be quite unpredictable – meaning their bedtime can and often does vary from night to night. This is because their circadian rhythm—the internal body clock that helps regulate sleep—isn’t fully developed yet. As your baby’s circadian rhythm matures around 4 months, you’ll notice bedtime becoming more consistent, typically falling within the same 30-minute window each night.

2. Late Bedtimes

Many newborns naturally have later bedtimes, often around 9, 10, or even 11 PM. Based on the timing of your baby’s last nap, it seems like you’re aiming for a bedtime around 7:30 or 8 PM. If your little one isn’t falling asleep at this time, it might be helpful to track when he actually settles into a deep sleep each night—the point where you can put him down and he stays asleep for a few hours. While the exact time might vary, tracking this can help you identify a pattern, even if it’s later than you expect.

3. The Period of PURPLE Crying

Another important thing to keep in mind is that at 8 weeks, your little one is likely reaching the peak of the Period of PURPLE Crying. This is a completely normal developmental phase characterized by increased fussiness, where your baby may sleep in short bursts, feed frequently, and want to be held almost constantly. (Not sure if you’ve had a chance to watch the video on this in Peaceful Dreams?)

During this time, it’s common to interpret these signs of fussiness as cues that a baby needs to go to bed, leading to what we call “bedtime false starts.” This is when your baby appears to fall asleep after being rocked, only to wake up shortly after, and this cycle can continue for an hour or a few hours before they finally settle into a deeper sleep.

Given that you’ve been finding bedtime challenging for a few weeks, and considering that the Period of PURPLE Crying typically begins around 2 weeks of age, gradually increasing and peaking between 6-8 weeks, it’s possible that this could be contributing to the difficulties you’re experiencing.

Does this sound like what you might be going through with your little one?

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Gwendolyn,

It’s wonderful to hear that you’ve found the content and discussions helpful and that you’ve already seen improvements with your newborn.

I understand your concerns about your baby being overtired and how challenging it can be to help him transition to self-settling for better and longer stretches of sleep. Based on what you’ve shared, it seems like you’re on the right track with some great progress already.

Before I can provide specific advice, I was hoping you could answer a few questions to ensure I have a clear picture of what your little one’s days and nights look like. I apologize in advance for the detailed questions, as I know your time is precious with a newborn.

1. Based on what you have written, your son is 10 weeks old? Was he born on time or early?

2. It’s great that you have a set morning wake-up time. It’s not uncommon for the first wake window in the morning to be the shortest of the day. If he wants to go to sleep at 8:30 am, that’s okay. You mentioned that when he goes to sleep at 8:30 am, he then sleeps until 2/3 pm. Is this correct, or is he waking up earlier? If he is sleeping until 2/3 pm, have you tried capping his nap to give him more awake time during the day?

3. What does his day roughly look like? At this age, the timing might be all over the place, which is fine. I’m more interested in how many naps he is having and the length of these naps.

4. It sounds like he is spacing out his feeds now and having larger volumes when he does feed, which is great. From what you have written, it sounds like you might be following a wake, feed, play, feed, and then sleep routine?

5. How are you currently helping him fall asleep? When you answer this one, can you include what his nap and bedtime routine is?

6. Where is he sleeping during the day and the night? For example, is he sleeping in your arms or in a crib? If it is in a crib or sleep space, can you describe the environment?

7. It sounds like he goes to bed at 6 pm. Does he then sleep through until 1 am when he wakes up and continues to wake every hour until 8 am? Or does he go to bed at 6 pm and wake often? If so, what time is he waking, and are you feeding him for any of these wakes?

8. When he wakes overnight and you are feeding him, what is the environment like? For example, are the lights on, is he unswaddled, do you change his diaper (if so, when do you change it), do you burp him, etc.? Knowing this will help me come up with a plan on how you can encourage him to stay awake longer overnight to have larger feeds.

Thanks again for taking the time to answer these questions!

Emma

[Emma H]

You’re so welcome, Pav! It’s totally understandable to overthink—it’s all part of being a caring parent. The fact that he’s a happy baby is such a great sign, so you’re definitely on the right track!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Xu Shan,

I’m so glad to hear that the nighttime routine is working well for your baby’s sleep! It sounds like you’ve created a great foundation, and those longer stretches of sleep at night are definitely a positive sign of progress.

When it comes to his daytime naps, the shorter naps could be a sign that he may not be quite tired enough when you’re putting him down. You could try adjusting his wake windows slightly to see if that leads to longer, more restful naps. Sometimes, just an extra 10-15 minutes of awake time can make a big difference.

In terms of using the pacifier for naps, it’s a tool that can help, but tweaking how and when you use it might lead to better sleep. Here’s an approach you could try:

1. Start with the pacifier: When he shows signs of being tired, allow him to use the pacifier as part of the nap-time routine.

2. Lay him down with the pacifier: After completing your routine (diaper change, calming activities, etc.), lay him down in his crib while he still has the pacifier in his mouth.

3. Use the Settling Pyramid: Help him settle by using the Settling Pyramid method to guide him toward falling asleep.

4. Remove the pacifier before sleep: Just before he falls asleep, gently remove the pacifier by placing your finger between the pacifier and the corner of his mouth to break the suction.

Some babies will continue to sleep soundly after the pacifier is removed, while others might stir. If he stirs, you can use the Settling Pyramid again to help him get back to sleep. If he fully wakes up when you remove the pacifier, you might want to try skipping the pacifier altogether at nap time and using the Settling Pyramid from the start to help him fall asleep on his own.

I hope that helps!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Pav,

When it comes to dream feeds, it’s not something I would typically recommend. This is mainly because babies tend to have a natural long stretch of sleep at the beginning of the night, which is influenced by their circadian rhythm and high sleep pressure at that time. Disrupting this stretch with a dream feed could interfere with their natural sleep cycle, and many babies may not even feed well when woken from this deep sleep phase.

While many babies at this age may still wake for 2-3 feeds overnight, it’s perfectly okay for some to sleep through the night without needing a feed. If your baby is content, growing well, and not waking for night feeds, there’s no need to introduce a dream feed simply because the gap between feedings seems long.

Regarding dropping the fifth nap, yes, when that happens, it’s common to have two feeds in the same wake window. So, after nap four, you’d have a feed, followed by some playtime, and then a second feed just before bed.

I hope that helps!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Pav,

I’m so happy to hear the advice has been helpful, and that the 9pm bedtime is working well for you both!

As you start to move bedtime earlier, it’s natural to wonder about how the 6th feed will fit in. One option is to gradually shift that last feed earlier, making it part of the bedtime routine. Let your little one take as much as he needs during this time.

As your baby grows, you’ll likely notice he can go longer between feeds because he’ll start drinking more at each feeding as his stomach capacity increases. This will naturally allow you to space the feeds further apart, which might make it easier for that last feed to fall right into the bedtime routine without any disruption.

I hope this helps!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Pav,

I’m thrilled to hear the advice has been helpful, and it’s great that you’re getting more sleep!

At 12 weeks, your little one may be ready for an earlier bedtime. Since he’s currently going down at 9:30 p.m., you can gradually adjust his schedule to find the perfect bedtime. Start by moving his bedtime 15 minutes earlier, while continuing to wake him at 7 a.m. If he adapts well and falls asleep easily, you can shift it another 15 minutes earlier after 3 days, bringing it to 9 p.m., and continue in these small increments every 3 days until you find the time that suits him best. If he has trouble settling at the new time, it might mean he’s not quite ready for the change, and you can pause before trying again.

I hope that helps!
Emma

[Emma H]

No worries at all.

I hope she starts feeling better soon!

[Emma H]

No worries at all!

[Emma H]

Hi Pav,

I’m so glad to hear that the later bedtime is working well for you and that the video on purple crying resonated with your experience. It sounds like you’re making wonderful progress!

To determine when to make bedtime earlier, keep an eye out for signs that your baby is getting sleepy earlier in the evening and settling into a deep sleep—meaning they sleep for a few hours before waking for a feed, rather than waking every 30-45 minutes or less. When you see these patterns consistently, it’s a good indication that your baby might be ready for an earlier bedtime. You can gradually adjust bedtime by moving it earlier in 10-15 minute increments every few days until you reach the desired time.

Do keep in mind that babies generally sleep for a maximum of 10-12 hours overnight. Given that your little one wakes around 7/7:30 am, aiming for a bedtime of 7-7:30 pm would be the earliest I’d recommend.

Also, remember that bedtime will start to creep forward and settle to a consistent and generally earlier time by 4 months.

As for swaddling, it’s best to start transitioning out of it when your baby begins showing early signs of learning to roll over (N.B. Most babies learn to roll over between 4 – 7 months). These signs include:

• They’re starting to roll onto their shoulders or side, which you might see during playtime or diaper changes.
• They’re kicking their legs and moving around in a circle while on their back. This shows that your baby is developing the strength and coordination they need to roll over.
• They’re moving their hips from side to side and using their legs to lift their hips. This means that your baby is getting better control over their body and is preparing to roll over.

In the video titled “How to Dress Your Baby For Better Sleep,” I demonstrate these early signs and guide how to transition from a swaddle to arms out. If you haven’t watched it yet, I recommend giving it a look.

I hope this helps!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Paven,

Based on what you’ve shared, it’s absolutely okay for your baby to have a later bedtime, especially since you’ve observed that he’s sleeping well with a 9:30 PM schedule. Since he’s getting longer stretches of sleep at this time, it might be worth sticking to it consistently for a few days to see if it reduces those bedtime false starts. If it does, that’s a good sign that 9:30 PM could be the right schedule for him at this stage.

If you’re aiming for a 9:30 PM bedtime and he’s taking 6 naps during the day, that’s perfectly fine as long as he’s getting enough total sleep. You’ll likely notice that he has more frequent, shorter naps (or brief naps while feeding) during the fussier late afternoon and evening hours, which is normal.

The good news is that while 9:30 PM might seem late right now, his bedtime will likely start to shift earlier as he approaches 3-4 months of age. As his circadian rhythm matures, his bedtime will naturally move forward, likely settling around 7-8 PM. Plus, the fussy period known as the Period of PURPLE Crying will start to decrease and usually disappear by 3-4 months, making bedtime smoother.

If he’s naturally waking up around 7 AM, I recommend maintaining this consistent wake-up time, even with the later bedtime. Keeping his wake-up time stable will support the maturation of his circadian rhythm, which will, in turn, help gradually bring bedtime earlier and make it more predictable.

I hope this helps!

Emma