Typical day for a 5 month old?

[JudysDreamHorse]

So I've been waiting for 5 months for DS to "naturally fall into his own routine" like everyone told me he would .
He's a rubbish sleeper and while our mornings have a bit of structure things tend to get a bit random as the day goes on.
Each day tends to be a bit different and I'm never sure how close to bedtime to let him nap (or more make him nap), whether to cluster feed in the afternoon or to not feed him after a certain point so that he takes a full feed at bedtime.
He's EBF more or less on demand and tends to go about 2.5 to 3 hours between feeds though I'll feed him sooner if I think he needs it. I think he could go longer in the day without food but I'm a bit worried that this is because he feeds too much at night so try not to let him go too long without food. He doesn't really nap longer than 45 minutes so I tend to try and make sure he has 4 naps per day.
Would be really interested to know what other people's 5 month olds are doing (particularly short nappers) so I can try and copy you and see if it helps! Thanks

Not sure you'll want to copy us, but typically awake around 7 (really on/off from six but we co sleep and I feed back to sleep as much as possible, even for 10 mins at a time till 7). then they're tired within an hour and we have feed and cot sleep (30 mins).

the next 2 sleeps are normally in the buggy, each after 1.5-2 hours of awake time. on a good day each will be 1 hour or a bit more, but that's rare. today dt2 had an hour at both, dt2 had 25 mins and 1.5 hours.

then 4th nap is a bit hit and miss - sometimes in my arms, sometimes sling, sometimes cot, depends on ds1, generally somewhere between 4.30-5.30, lasts for 30 mins, after which they remain tired and grunpy till we go to bed 6.30 or a bit after. change nappies, quick massage if they've calmed down enough and (hopefully) feed to sleep.

tbh, it's a good day if they remain in sync and have 4 naps. on bad days it can be 5 (used to be 6 or 7!).

oh, and they normally feed after waking and before going to sleep, so every 1.5-2 hours. they get upset if they go 2.5 hours between feeds and I try and preempt that

At 5 months this is roughly what my dd was doing;

up at 7am ish (bf)

back to bed at 9am ish for an hour (bf when she woke up)

bk to bed at midday (bf before she went down) would try and ensure this was a longish sleep an hr and a half - 2hrs.

bf about 3ish

4pm short nap if she seemed tired

bf 5ish

bed 7pm ish (bf!)

This is what I aimed to do but obviously things don't always go to plan!!! I found encouraging a long afternoon nap helpful for me and dd!!! Making sure its really dark and swaddling helped.

Hi Judy, regarding the feeding - as you know my DS was until extremely recently feeding every 2 hours at night and for ages I was trying to feed him every 2 hrs during the day to 'stock him up'. I really don't think this worked though and I think I've had more success since I've been waiting 4 hrs between feeds - I think then he takes more and has a proper feed.

Routine - I wish! We are up any time between 5.30-7.30 - seems totally random - but he always goes for a nap in his cot 1.5 hrs after waking. This nap can be anything from 30 mins- 1.5 hrs (rarely!) We are normally pretty busy the rest of the day so he tends to sleep in his buggy or the car, but I try to ensure he has between 2-3 hrs daily.

ideal day (4 and a bit months):

up at 7. feed
nap at 9am 1hour
up and feeding at 10am
nap at 12 90mins
up at feeding at 1.30

nap at 3.30 45 mins
up and feeding at 4.15

feed at 6.20 after bath
bed 6.45

up again at 12 for a feed
4am feed
and back to the start.

this happens perhaps once weekly.

a more normal day involves plenty of 30-45 minute naps, and plenty of random night wakings .

ps - love the name, judy

My DD is just coming up to five months so I read this with interest, especially as I know THREE mums with babies the same age that are sleeping through

We're normally up between 6-7 and then she has her first nap about an hour after she wakes up. I always hope for an hour, usually get 30-45mins.

Then we feed (EBF). Her next nap is two hours after she wakes up and by then I'm usually dressed and ready to leave the house so she sleeps in the buggy for an hour or so. She generally goes about two hours before she needs her next nap and by then I'm on the way home from wherever we've been!

The 3rd nap is a bit crazy. Last week it was from 4pm-8pm, yesterday it was for an hour. After about 7pm all hell breaks loose. She often won't sleep, cluster feeds, cries, is grumpy, wants to lie around kicking her legs about, has a laugh with her dad - there is no structure at all and every day is different.

I tried to feed her to sleep in a darkened room around 7-8pm for a few days and she hated it. Last night she fell asleep at 9.30 but wouldn't let me put her down until 10.30.

Then there's normally one wake up, between 3-4am but it can more than an hour to get her lie down again, either in the cot or in the bed. I'm lucky that the days and nights are pretty easy as otherwise I don't think I'd be able to cope with the evenings.

My policy now is just to do whatever she wants. I'm not really that bothered about having a routine as we've worked the days out gradually and I'm hoping the evenings will just happen naturally, like the OP says! She's got a bit of eczema and is teething too and I think these affect her more in the evening and night.

I had terrible insomnia as a child - i remember it starting when I was around 3. This is why I don't really interfere in DD's sleep. I won't wake her up if she's napping too long, for example, as it doesn't seem to affect her night sleep at all. One mum I know was shocked that I don't dream feed but whenever I've tried it she woke up at her usual times anyway so that was pointless!

Blimey, that went on a bit, sorry

Thanks for the posts. Don't think my original post was very clear so thought I'd add what a "typical" day is for us (though very variable):

up 7am, feed 7.30am
nap 8.30am - 9.30am (including settling)
feed 10am
nap 11am - 12pm (including settling)
feed 12.30pm
nap 2.30pm - 3pm
feed 3pm
nap (normally in carrier) 4.30pm - 5.15pm
(sometimes feed 5.15pm)
bath, massage
feed in bedroom 6.15pm/6.30pm

I usually then take 30 mins to an hour to settle DS, quickly eat dinner and wait for him to wake after the first sleep cycle . Nights are a bit of a disaster after that.
Think I might try and stretch the feeds to 3.5 hours - I was wondering as well if a more structured feed pattern will make weaning easier but it's hard when his naps are all over the place too.

Thanks Charlotte - DS was born by ELCS and "If you're feeling sinister" was the album he arrived to.

My dd is exactly 5 months. The best nights I had last week, dd followed the GF nap routine, just because it happened to suit me at the time because of what we had planned that day (I'm not a fan, dont even have the book but aware of the 9am 1 hour, noon 2 hour, cat nap before 7pm bedtime) so I'm trying again this week, after a bad night last night and a random napping day. It seems a bit mad because I've had to wake her from these naps to stay on the schedule, but I don't have much to lose really!

Sorry I meant to add, on those two days last week, dd slept through - not usual for us

My DS is 5 months and our routine is usually like this...

Up 7am(ish), feed about 7.30am
Nap at 9am for 45mins
Feed at 11/11.30am
Nap at 12.15pm for about 1.5/2 hours
Feed at 3pm
Quick catnap in car for school run about 4pm
Feed at 6.30pm after bath
Bed at 6.45/7pm then sleeps through.

At 5 months, my DD (8) was doing the same as your DS, everything fell into place at 6 months. I cracked the napping and then the feeding got into a much better routine. Hope that helps!!

DD is 4mo this weekend, daytime is:

up at 6am
feed
nap at 8ish, at least 1.5hrs - put back if wakes earlier
feed at 10am
nap at 12, at least 1.5hrs, usually 2hrs.
feed at 2pm
nap around 3.30/4 often only 45mins if out, try for an hour or more if at home
bath 5.30pm
feed 6pm, bed 6.45 to 7pm

nights are very variable - feed at 10pm then anyone's guess for wakings. Feed at 2am or nearish depending on wakings!!!