I need help to get my 5 month old bedtime right

[dani2806]

Hello,

My 5 month old baby is trying to switch to 2 naps but sometimes he still takes the catnap. On the days when he doesn't things get a bit confused and he may have his pm nap as late as 3-3:30. My question is: if he wakes from the occasional pm nap at 4:30-5pm, at what time should I put him in bed?
And what do I do if the pm nap ends at 4:00?
Dani

[*Natasha*]

I would aim for a 7pm bedtime. What time does he usually go down for the night? My DD also went to 2 naps at 5months and this was our day:

7am – Wake
9.30am – Sleep 1.5-2hours
2pm – Sleep 1.5hrs
6pm – Bath
7pm – Bed

[shimzy]

natasha - no cat nap?

[Katie]

Hi at 5 months we were hit and miss with catnap but our bedtime was still always 7pm if she had it or not   well sometimes 7.15pm if she  had it just depended. Hope that helps... I gottta fly will come back and post routines as soon as I get a second 

[*Natasha*]

natasha - no cat nap?

nope she always hated taking it so we just extended awake time and she handled this great.

[dani2806]

Thanks for the replies. Maybe I'm getting it completely wrong then...
Our usual bedtime is 7:30 but since this transitional period started I've been panicking because I get worried about his A time being too long thus ruining his night sleep.
Yesterday he slept until 3:30 and I thought that I couldn't put him in bed at 7 without a catnap because he would be too tired. So I went for a walk and he had a catnap at 6 for 35m. I put him in bed at 8:20 and he was awake quite a lot during the night and up for the day at 5:30! Probably overtired?
So, do you think at 5 months they can handle being awake from 3-3:30 until bedtime at 7-7:30?
Also, if he naps late in the pm (like now, he only managed to fall asleep at 3:15pm) should I let him wake on his own or should I wake him before a certain time? I'd like to keep bedtime at around 7:30.

[*Natasha*]

Hmmm my DD happily handled being awake from 3.30pm to 7pm but some babies at this age can't. Perhaps you need to go back to giving the catnap but make it at 5pm and wake at 5.30pm if not already awake. You could use this time to go for a walk or drive and allow your DS have a short nap in the pram/carseat to get him through until bedtime.

[Katie]

Hi... yup natashas right    at 5 months (and even still now lol) if aliera needed a catnap it was from 5.15 - 6pm  then back to bed for night time between 7.15 and 7.30pm.  Now as we are trying to drop it, if needed i take her for a walk in the pram from 5.15 - 6pm then we go straight into  bath, bottle bed routine and she is down by 7pm.   

[dani2806]

Thanks. I put my lo in bed yest at 7:30 (last nap ended 4:45pm). He woke at 1am and was hungry, which is ok, but then he woke at 5am wanting to play!!! He was making all these sweet sounds for a long time, eventually fell asleep again and woke at 6:45...
Do you think his early wakings can be because of overtiredness? His am nap lasted 1:15h and the pm nap lasted 1:30h...

[*Natasha*]

Those are 2 great lengths for naps,did he only have 2 naps that day?

[dani2806]

Thanks Natasha,
Yes, he only had two naps but the pm one was from 3:15 to 4:45. Do you think this nap was too late and caused the night wakings?
What do I do if he goes for a nap that late (make it shorter and offer a catnap?)?

thank you

[shimzy]

Dani - My 4.5 mth old is napping 2 hours in the am and 2 hours in the pm along with a 30-45 min catnap. Perhaps my lo requires more sleep than your 5 month old. Do you think perhaps she's not getting enough as opposed to getting too much?

[dani2806]

Shimzy - I don't know... I'm confused and feeling very very tired from not having had a full night's sleep for nearly 6 months.
Yest my lo had a 2h am nap, a 1:15h nap (1:45-3) plus a catnap from 4:30 to 5pm. He was in bed by 7:30, agitated by 11pm so I gave him a feed (I don't dreamfeed since it seems to disturb his sleep but I'm not sure anymore), woke at 4am, had 3oz, woke at 6:15 up for the day. He just went for a nap now at 8:20.
Maybe he's still adjusting? Will it get better over time? He's lovely and easy going but I feel so exausted by the lack of sleep. Do you think i should keep bedtime at 7:30?
 

[*Natasha*]

HUGS Dani sounds like you may need to go back to 2 naps and the cat nap at the moment. She many be to overtired with the long awake time before bed which could be the cause for night waking. Generally signs for dropping the cat nap is: Naps shortening to 45mins and taking a long time to fall asleep at bedtime.

[dani2806]

Ok, I'll try. Thanks again.