Author Topic: 5 month old help  (Read 3450 times)

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Offline Dannii2018

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5 month old help
« on: January 11, 2019, 09:41:43 am »
Hi, my lb has been following easy from 12 weeks (now 23weeks), we moved to 4 hour easy at 4 months and things were going well- 2x 1.5hr naps plus cat nap in evening and sleeping 8-7/7.30 with dream feed at 11 and one night feed between 3.30/4.30 and straight back to sleep. For naps he usually wakes once and is then resettled with shush-pat.
Recently he is moving towards sleeping independently with very little patting required both day and bedtime.
Over the last week night time sleep has gone to pot- up around 3 times but not looking fed and waking for the day around 6am. When he wakes he is happily shouting and chatting or throwing legs up and down!  He is also needing more help to sleep- a few times needing lifted and calmed before being put back into bed.

Here is example of his day this week:
Wake- 6am (I don’t let him get out of cot until 7am)- try to resettle with dummy and shush pat, refuses bottle or takes 3oz
Feed-8am (between 6–7oz)
Nap- Falls asleep between 9-9.30, up around 1hr30/40 (started waking for around 10mins but then resettles with help)
Feed- 12pm (8oz)
Nap- falls asleep between 1-1.30, up around 1hr30/40 (again with the waking)
Feed- 4pm (8oz)
Catnap- 5pm-5.30/45 (some days won’t settle so more like 5.45-6.15
Bedtime routine- bath, bottle and into bed for 8pm
Dreamfeed-11pm (between 3-6oz)
1am- wakes resettles with dummy and shush pat
2am/3am- feed
6am- start again

I know this isn’t an awful routine but I quite liked just getting up once in the night- any advice how to reduce the night waking and get back our 7am wake ups instead of 6am)!

Offline creations

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Re: 5 month old help
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2019, 11:29:31 am »
HI there
it could just be that your LO is going through a developmental change and getting ready to drop that CN. Your LO looks like he already handles a longer than normal A time for his age which is fine as all LOs are different. If that's the case though he could be ready to drop the CN a bit earlier than the guidance age too which would make sense.

If your LO appears extra hungry at night you could try 2 feeds before BT and see if that makes a difference (cluster feeding) so 1 after the CN and then 1 at BT, that might help tank him up before BT.  That said, LOs have growth spurts and when they do they are super hungry so additional night wakings for hunger are to be expected through these.  Even as a 4 or 5 year old mine would get up an hour early in the morning (knowing he was to wait for his morning lights but sometimes unable to or waiting but starting to get upset) and come to me saying he was SO hungry he'd be almost crying with hunger and almost begging for a banana.  It stops when the growth spurt has passed.

If you find the routine doesn't settle back down I'd probably think about dropping the CN, reducing it to 20 min then 10 may help with night sleep and night length.
You could also try shifting the morning nap a little later or getting up at 6am and starting activity because at the moment your LO is getting reduced stimulation for an hour of that first A time and might not feel the need to sleep longer in the morning.


Offline Katet

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Re: 5 month old help
« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2019, 03:53:58 am »
I'd agree with Creations, it sounds like he's ready to have a bit longer A times & getting close to dropping to 2 naps.
dc1 July 03, dc2 May 05

Offline Dannii2018

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Re: 5 month old help
« Reply #3 on: January 14, 2019, 08:59:30 am »
Hiya- thanks so much for your replies! I think I’ve maybe wrote the times down wrong- sorry! He is usually back in his cot for around 2hrs of waking and then asleep with 15-20mins so awake time is usually a max of 2.5hrs or he gets very fussy- should I be trying to increase his awake time? (He will be 6 months on 3rd February) I’m not sure he can cope without the cat nap at the minute as his afternoon nap usually ends about 3.30pm and he definitely wouldn’t last to 8pm bedtime

We seem to have had a break through with day time sleep over the last few days where he is needing only a little help to get over and then has been sleeping his 1hr30/40 nap solidly. However night times seem to be getting worse- last night sleeping for 8pm, shush pat and rock at 10.30pm, shush pat then rock at 2am, feed at 3am, shush pat at 5am and 6am and up for the day around 6.45.

He also is taking much less milk e.g previously taking 42oz a day and struggling to get 35oz into him at times. I’m wondering are teeth now becoming and issue possibly, he has also just started to roll so whether maybe this development is affecting him?!

Any other advice would be great 🙈