5 month baby nap/night routine

Submitted by Erin F on Mon, 07/16/2012 - 17:53

My baby will be 5 months old this week. He was colicky, so we got into the habit of walking him around, shushing and patting him before every nap and at bedtime. (When he was colicky, only movement seemed to settle him.) Our naptime routine is: diaper change, into his sleep sack, book, lullaby, lights out, walking around shushing till asleep, put in bassinet.

My issue is that I don't know how to get him to learn to self soothe to sleep. He is a big baby, 19 lbs., and it's getting hard for me to carry him around for 20+ min before every nap. I've tried to put him down drowsy, but he just cries till I pick him back up. When I put him down asleep, sometimes he wakes up within 3-5 minutes, so then I have to pick him up and walk him around until he's asleep again. (And other times he goes down and sleeps for 1.5-2 hrs.) I don't want to leave him to cry it out, and I don't think he's overtired because I get him upstairs for our nap routine at his very first sleepy cue, which is usually 1 hr 30 min. (I watch him like a hawk!) His night sleep is pretty good. 10 hrs straight with only a few night wakings a week.

How do I help him learn to soothe to sleep when he's used to all this help to fall asleep now?

‹ 6 month baby still waking every 2 hours 10 month old waking at 4 ›

Hello,This can be a problem

Submitted by Juliet on Mon, 07/23/2012 - 17:35.

Hello,

This can be a problem with colicky and reflux babies who have learnt to go to sleep with motion and cuddles. The best approach to use is a gradual retreat method. This uses the least amount of crying but does take longer to resolve but it is a good method for this kind of problem. It is also fantastic that your baby sleeps for so long at bedtime which shows he can do it as he will have stirred through sleep cycles in that period but re-settled himself.

Gradual retreat is done in steps with each step lasting for 3 nights and you stay with your child until asleep and for 10 minutes after so he is deep asleep before you retreat. You have a lovely nap time routine so your key thing will be trying to put him in his bassinet/cot drowsy awake so he is aware he is in there.Also to move on from the walking round to sleep start your step 1 as cuddling him in his bassinet/cot until asleep. Use voice to soothe and if he really reisits use the room leaving technique ie.leave the room briefly for 5-10 seconds and then come back inand continue with your cuddling in the bassinet/cot.The principle behind the room leaving technique is that your baby gets the reward of your presence if he relaxes and calms to sleep with you there cuddling him in his bassinet/cot - if not you will leave briefly. You may need to leave several times until he understands. If he wakes shortly after falling asleep just repeat and be consistent with it all night.

Step 2 you can move onto patting to sleep, step3 intermittent patting etc until you wean him off needing physical contact to fall asleep and then start distancing yourself. All sleep training is hard and don't be surprised if his sleep is disturbs as he adjusts to the changes it will get better.

Hope that gives you some help and hope and good luck.

Best wishes.

Juliet