[Emma H]

Hi Anastasia,

Your little one will find it easier to fall asleep using the settling pyramid with less resistance if they’re tired. If you know that your little one typically stays awake for around 60 minutes before needing a nap, and their nap routine takes about 5 minutes, I suggest starting the nap routine after they’ve been awake for 55 minutes. This way, they’ll be in the crib when they’re tired rather than when they’re not, which helps minimise protests.

As for how long to persist with the settling pyramid, 30 minutes is a reasonable timeframe to attempt before switching to your usual settling method if it’s not working. Babies can sometimes take up to 20 minutes to fall asleep, but if you’ve tried for 30 minutes without success, it’s a good idea to provide comfort and try again later.

I hope this helps!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Katerina,

It’s great to hear that Helen is doing well and has started to take longer morning naps.

If Helen can fall asleep on her own in the crib, continues to have that longer morning sleep (indicating she can link sleep cycles), and isn’t waking frequently during the night, then picking her up briefly during her afternoon nap or when she wakes occasionally at 11 PM or 5 AM is perfectly fine.

One thing you might consider is pausing when she first wakes to see if she can fall back asleep on her own. If she becomes distressed and needs your help, you could try some of the less hands-on settling techniques, such as shushing or patting, before picking her up.

This approach can help her learn to fall back asleep independently over time.

Does this make sense?

Emma

• This reply was modified 2 years ago by  Emma H.

[Emma H]

Hi Vivian,

It’s great that your little one has learned to roll over. But as you have noticed, this can impact sleep.

Here are a few tips that might help:

1. Practice Rolling Over: During the day, help him practice rolling from tummy to back. This can help him become more comfortable and skilled at rolling over, making him less likely to get stuck and upset at night or during naps.
2. Adjust the Sleeping Environment: Ensure the crib environment is safe and free of loose items. Using a firm mattress and keeping the crib clear of toys or blankets can prevent any hazards when your baby is rolling around.
3. Consider His Sleeping Position: It’s not uncommon for babies to start sleeping on their tummies once they roll over. You mentioned you can’t settle him using the settling pyramid. Are you trying this while he is lying on his tummy, or have you rolled him back onto his back? If you have rolled him back onto his back, would you consider leaving him when he rolls over onto his tummy and using the settling pyramid to help him fall asleep in this position if needed?
4. Continue to Pause During Nighttime Disturbances: When he wakes early in the morning and gets upset, it’s great that you’re waiting before intervening. Continuing to give him a chance to self-soothe is key. If he remains upset, gently soothing him or rolling him back might help until he adjusts to this new skill. However, try to avoid creating new sleep associations (like feeding) that might be challenging to break later on.
5. Be Patient: This phase should improve as he becomes more comfortable with rolling

I hope that helps,

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Sarah,

My little one is a lot better now. She just caught a virus, got bronchitis, and started to find breathing challenging. She has recovered now, which is great. She is back to her bubbly self!

It’s great that your little one’s starting to settle in the crib with some shushing and patting. Even if he still falls asleep while you’re walking him around, that’s a positive step forward, as this type of sleep association can be easier to modify.

In the coming weeks, try singing a lullaby as you gently walk him around the room, gradually reducing the amount of walking. For example, you might sing to him while walking just once around the room and then put him down in the crib while he’s still awake and use the settling pyramid to help him fall asleep on his own.

It’s also great to hear that he’s beginning to have longer stretches of sleep. Although sleep patterns for babies around 3 months old start to become more predictable, you might still notice quite a bit of variability, which is completely normal as their sleep habits continue to develop.

The timing of feeding before bedtime really depends on your baby. The key is to make sure he doesn’t fall asleep while feeding. If he stays awake during a later feed, that’s fine. However, if he falls asleep during this late feed, moving the feeding to an earlier part of the bedtime routine would be better.

I hope that helps!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Maddie,

You’re doing an incredible job navigating the ups and downs of your baby’s sleep patterns! Dealing with hourly wake-ups is certainly tough. She could be going through a growth spurt, especially if you’ve noticed an increase in feeding both in frequency and duration during the day.

Your plan to try for naps in the big cot while remaining flexible with using the pram, car, or contact naps as needed is a good approach. It ensures she gets the rest she needs without too much stress for either of you.

It’s quite normal for babies to take shorter naps as they adjust to a new sleeping environment, so the brief naps in her cot aren’t unusual.

It’s fantastic to hear that your bedtime routine is solidifying! Now that she’s getting used to settling down without needing to feed, it’s the perfect time to introduce the settling pyramid.

Keep up the great work; consistency is key, and I’m confident you’ll start seeing more predictable sleep patterns soon.

Please continue to keep me updated on your progress!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Monique,

I’m doing well, and so is the family—thanks for asking!

It sounds like your current routine is working well, especially since your little one isn’t falling asleep during feeding and is awake when you place her in the crib. Therefore, I don’t see a need to move the breastfeeding earlier in the routine.

The main reason to consider adjusting the timing of the breastfeeding to before the bath would be if she were falling asleep while feeding. That could lead to her associating feeding with falling asleep, which might make her dependent on feeding to drift off. Since that isn’t happening with your little one, there’s no need to change your current bedtime routine.

I hope this helps!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Monique,

It’s great you have been able to remove the pacifier. Have the overnight wakes started to reduce?

As your little one stays awake for the feed, I wouldn’t say it’s a parent-led sleep prop. As such, I would go back to your previous bedtime routine (breastfed, lights off, going into her room, rocking her, and then placing her in the crib drowsy) as this seemed to be working well.

I hope that helps!

Emma

[Emma H]

It’s my pleasure!

[Emma H]

No worries! Hopefully my answer was not to difficult to understand

[Emma H]

Hi Anastasia,
I hope today went more smoothly!

Remember, learning to fall asleep in her sleep space is a skill your little one is developing, and it takes time and plenty of practice.

Just take it one sleep at a time!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Jennifer,

Thanks so much for answering my questions.

From these responses I think the reason she stays awake for 2 hours after an overnight feed is because she’s not tired, as she has already had a large chunk of sleep. As a result, she is staying awake from a full wake window to build up enough sleep pressure to fall back asleep.

I also agree that it’s very likely your husband finds it easier to settle her to sleep because she has been awake for 2 hours and is then tired enough to fall asleep.

Teaching her to fall asleep independently in her crib could make a big difference. Typically, once babies learn to self-soothe and fall asleep independently, they naturally reduce their overnight wakes because they can fall back to sleep between sleep cycles on their own.

You mentioned that your husband has successfully used the settling pyramid to help her fall asleep for her morning nap. Are you happy to start using this technique for bedtime and any other naps she has in the crib during the day?

Once she learns to fall asleep on her own in the crib, I expect those overnight feeds will start to reduce and her naps will start to lengthen again.

Does that make sense?

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Angela,

It’s so good to hear that she’s settling well in her sleeping bag. Sucking on her hands and stroking the back of her head can definitely be self-soothing behaviours.

It’s also great that you’ve been able to help her fall asleep with less rocking and sometimes just with shushing. And that you’re able to calm her back to sleep with a pacifier and some gentle patting if she wakes up after you put her in the crib.

Regarding her earlier wake-ups overnight, it could indeed be related to hunger, especially if she’s having a longer feed at these new times and falling back to sleep after the feed.

Hopefully, the coming weeks keep getting easier.

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Emma,

It’s fantastic that you’ve identified your little one’s CMPI and that he is starting to settle better without dairy. Did the person who diagnosed him give you an estimate on how long it might take for dairy to be fully out of his system?

You should find that, once the dairy is completely out of his system, he will be easier to settle and sleep for longer stretches. It might be a good idea to hold off on trying the settling pyramid until his body has fully adjusted to being dairy-free.

It’s great that he’s content when placed in his crib and that he’s comfortable with you shushing and patting him. When you say he’s not responding, do you mean he’s happily looking around the room and playing (indicating he isn’t tired), or that he occasionally cries and is tired but can’t settle to sleep? If it’s the second scenario, is his bedroom dark enough that you can’t read a book? Making the room darker might help him fall asleep more easily and reduce the time you spend shushing and patting him. Babies can take up to 20 minutes to fall asleep, so if he’s content, remember to move back down the pyramid rather than continuing to shush and pat him.

I do have a video on YT that shows you how to teach a bub to roll from his tummy to his back. In this video it also shows you have to roll them over. Here is the link:https://youtu.be/H9O0cPh2bsM

I hope this helps!

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Elen,

It sounds like moving the nap time later is really helping your little one.

It’s fantastic that you’re giving her a chance to settle herself back to sleep when she cries out during naps. I expect that as she gets used to this new nap schedule, the crying before and during naps will decrease and eventually stop.

She may have cried at bedtime because she wasn’t tired enough to fall asleep. Pushing her bedtime later could be beneficial in ensuring she’s ready for sleep.

As for waking her up at 6:30 am, I recommend sticking with this since it aligns with her natural wake-up time.

The reason behind shifting her nap time later was because she wasn’t falling asleep at 11:30 am, which suggested she hadn’t been awake long enough to build sufficient sleep pressure. By delaying her nap, you’ve increased her morning wake window, allowing her enough time to feel naturally sleepy, and this adjustment also syncs well with the natural dip in her circadian rhythm. Now that she’s napping later into the afternoon, it’s necessary to shift her bedtime back so that she has enough awake time to build up the sleep pressure to fall asleep at bedtime and stay asleep.

Does that make sense?

Emma

[Emma H]

Hi Monique,

Could you update me on what her typical day looks like, including when she naps and for how long?

In your previous message you mentioned that your little one is now 9 months old, and I’m wondering if her frequent early night awakenings might be because she’s ready to drop her third nap. Usually, babies transition from three naps to two sometime between 6 and 9 months, and signs of bedtime resistance can indicate it’s time to adjust their nap schedule. Do you think she might be ready to make this change?

Emma