Mums of 5 month olds - come and talk to me about their sleep habits.

[ipredicttrouble]

Hi,

Just a lighthearted thread to share some ideas/info about how your 5 month olds (or thereabouts) are sleeping.

DD is nearly 22 weeks and has always been a pretty good sleeper, particularly at night. From about 6 weeks she has done stretches of 4/5/6 hours. At around 3 months she was doing about 10 hours or so.

However, she has never slept particularly well during the day...until now. E.g. Today, she has had a 2.5 hour nap. So this is a definite improvement.

Some other info, just started her on solid food but is only taking a tiny amount. Also, I think a top tooth is coming through.

For about a month she's started to wake again during the night, usually just once. I always feed her (FF) and she usually goes back down ok (though not always).

I am getting to the point now though where Im unsure whether she actually needs a feed during the night or whether she is waking for other reasons, full nappy, teeth etc. She often seems disinterested in the bottle and just has a bit as a way of getting back off.

I'm just starting to worry that she's developing a habit that I need to try and break. I offered her water first last night which she took happily but still needed a bit of milk to get back to sleep.

Sorry for the ramble but I'm interested in other people's experiences with babies of similar ages.

Thanks

HELLO ALL

I also have an 5 month old DD.

Now don't hate me but she generally, not generally, sleeps through from 7.30-7ish, maybe waking once at 5 for a feed.

She's always been a pretty good sleeper, at the moment though she has a cold so its very difficult to get her down if she wakes up because of her blocked nose. Anybody have any advice on how to help blocked noses? Shes all snuffly and struggling and I feel like there's nothing I can do :( She was awake from 11.30 to 3 the other night because her nose was so stuffed.

DD never used to nap during the day until about 14 weeks which would mean overtired screaming for an hour every evening. Now she does 3 naps 30mins-1hr, I found putting her down with a dummy really helps and when we're out and about she just sleeps in the buggy.

HelenLG, my DD never used to take a dummy, she would try but she couldn't get the hang of sucking it. It took a few weeks of gently offering it to her and now she completely has the hang of it. I found its really helped because before I'd spend up to an hour feeding her, putting her down, her crying, me feeding her again just for comfort. But now when she cries I just use the dummy and that helps her settle.

FitTot & Gaelicsheep I'm so sorry you're having such a tough time, I honestly don't know how you do it! Big hugs, I don't care whether its mumsnetty or not!

I know its about sleep, but I would also be very interested in hearing about when everyones starting/started weaning, and what approach they took. I'm considering starting soon, my HV seems to think I should have done by down but has really confused me over the whole thing, I was planning beginning of jan.

I have also rambled, maybe its a having-a-5 month-old-DC thing?

*note not not

*now not down

Hi there. Re weaning - my DD is 24.5 weeks, so nearer 6 months than 5 now. A couple of weeks ago I succumbed to pressure from my mum to try her with a little solid food - against my better judgement I might add. I've been letting her play with suitable food for a while but only if she can pick it up and hold it herself. Anyhow, a teaspoon mashed banana before bed has twice made for the worst nights I have ever had in my whole 4.5 years as a mother. Hourly waking, if not even more frequently. DD can take it or leave the solids so I am now definitely waiting until 26 weeks. I am also finding it difficult to motivate myself as it's just one more thing to think about on 3 hours sleep.

Your HV should know that the guidelines are 26 weeks or thereabouts. She should definitely not be pressuring you now. Perhaps she needs reminding?

I found a few drops of olbus oil for children on a bib tied to the side of her cot, and raising the head of the cot with a couple of books under the cot legs helped DD when she was snotty (both MN tips!)....
HTH x

See thats were she confused me, she told me it was 24 weeks...I had thought 26 and had been planning on doing it the week she turns 6 months.

Glad I didn't listen to her I could tell she was a bit thick! She also told me 'There are no gold medals for waiting to wean the longest' .

Thats interesting that you've tried it and you found it disturbed things, think you've just confirmed to me that witing until january is probably the way to go!

orangeone - Thanks, I've tried Karvol drops and snuffle babes? or something, a vicks like chest rub, neither seem to make much a difference though. I may try some olbus oil instead! DDs still in a moses basket so I don't know if I'd be able to prop it in the same way or not. Thanks for the advise!

theresapotatoundermysink TBH I'm not fussed about him not taking a dummy, he seems perfectly happy without and isn't waking in the night to comfort suck (DH gets up with him a couple of nights a week and bottle feeds him, he always take about 5oz's).

With regard to weaning, we started a couple of weeks ago, but we're only doing tiny amounts, more for playing with than eating really. It hasn't made any difference to his sleep. Spent yesterday giving him bits of banana which he squished up in his hands and then sucked off his fingers...

gaelicsheep I thought I had read somewhere about weaning that when you start to feed them in the morning or at lunch time so their tummy's aren't working over time when they go to bed and so they don't get wind.

DS is 21 weeks btw

Helen - I know, it's all been hit and miss and totally chaotic as I really didn't want to do it at all. It kind of seemed like a hoop I neede to jump through to prove to my mother she isn't hungry. Daft - I'm 30 something years old fgs!

I'm going to start doing it properly when I'm good and ready. Although when exactly I'm going to get the chance to faff around with pureeing this and that I don't know. I wish I was laid back enough to go the baby led weaning route, but I actually don't think my sleep deprived brain is capable. I need to be told exactly what to do and when or god knows what DD will end up eating. I'll be getting the GF weaning book out again!

Gaelic - It sounds to me like you weren't ready at all, might as well wait until you and baby are and then you'll probably have more of a positive time. I've also been considering the baby led weaning, but like you, don't know if I'm laid back enough. Is the GF weaning book good? Somebodies offered to lend me the Annabelle something or other book, haven't read anything yet, except on mn of course .

Helen- Sorry I was mistaken, I thought by your post you were wanting him to take a dummy, obviously didn't read it properly.

The thing is I'm not at all sure that DD won't force me to let her lead the way, whether I like it or not! I'm not sure she'll take to being fed pureed/mashed food. She is most certainly ready to experiment with food and has been for weeks, hence me letting her play - it's me that isn't! With the banana, that was a necessary distraction from the food on my plate, and at my parents' house I daren't let her squish it all up and do her own thing! Even though I was notionally spoon feeding her she was grabbing at the spoon and desperate to do it herself!

I found the GF weaning book to be very good indeed. She introduces foods one at a time in a sensible order and it really works well if you're into being organised. For me AK is just too fussy and she doesn't provide a sensible progression through the foods.

I think I will start with lunch with my LO in a couple of weeks time. Avoiding bedtime sounds like a good idea if it upsets their tums! I read that it is becuase it is the first time they have had to digest solid food so it's a bit of a shock to the system.

HVs here say 6m. My DS isn't ready yet but hoping he will be in a couple of weeks time when he will be 24 weeks.

May try a dummy again.

Thanks for the hugs again. Lets hope tonight is better for any of us that need it to be!!!!!

My DD2 is 5m & just doesn't sleep. Put her down for sleep at 7, she sleeps for about 20 mins and then wakes up and crying til about 10pm when she drops off again. Usually back up at 2ish for a BF and then again at about 5.30am wanting a big BF. I want her to take a bottle but she won't. Thinking I should just wean....she stopped sleeping at about 4m so thought just regression..... ? Hate leaving her to cry as worry she's got wind, teeth, etc etc - but then wondering if it's just a sleep thing and I am making it worse by going to her to her when she does? she does suck her thumb but can't seem to settle herself. She's my second baby and this never happened with DS1

mustlearntocook - my DD is an incredibly difficult baby - "high needs" - and very different from DS. I have come to the conclusion that some babies are just like that. Since I stopped following all the crap advice about leaving DD to cry she has settled hugely. Night time is difficult because she wants me all the time but I figure that too will settle down in time. Personally at 5 months I don't think weaning is the answer.

My dc3 is now 23 weeks and has stopped sleeping for a long stretch since last week. She's waking hungry at 10.30pm (goes to bed at 7) and before she was sleeping until 2 or 3 or even 4am. I'm starting her on carrots and rice and stuff like that at 24w then fish, cheese, lentils etc once she's 26w.I did this with my other 2 for the same reason and it seemed to get them sleeping better, but not straight away. I'm going to start with lunch too(bf first).

I don't think leaving to cry works, IME it just gets her wound up and the takes even longer to get her to sleep.

I think with the weaning I've over thought it and gotten myself a bit wound up. Just going to leave it until jan and then take it slow and simply.

Those of you with difficult sleepers, just remember our little 5 monthers are soon to be 6 months; isn't it all meant to settle down then?

Or is that another myth like the 6 week one, believed by the desperate?

I have a 21 week old who has never been a good sleeper. We have had a total of 4 nights since she was born when she has slept for longet that 2 consecutive hours. She is going through a growth spurt at the moment ( i hope) as she is waking every 1.5 hours through the night to feed. This is new, she has previously gone down with a bottle (of expressed milk combined with formula) at 7pm. she wakes twice or three times usually before 10/11pm and can be settled back to sleep before feeding at 10/11, at 1am, 3/4am and again at 6/6.30.

We are exhausted. Am beginning to introduce solids in the next few weeks and hoping that this settles her down as I am struggling to see how this is sustainable.

I'm starting solids next wed when dc3 will be 24 weeks. I'm going to do mainly carrots and pears for a fortnight then if she's worked out how to swallow, fish, cheese and lentils from 26w. She's getting up for the day at 5 am and driving me nuts.