5 month old who will not wake for feeds

[EmmaKB]

I am loosely following Gina Fords Contented Little Baby routines, which have been a godsend. I have trouble getting my 5 month old son to wake up at the end of nap time. I usually have to pick him up to wake him. Would love to hear from anyone else who has had this problem and overcome it.

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I've tried to let him sleep for as long as he wants but this usually causes him to wake up in the night. Since using the routine he has become a very happy baby who never cries unless he is hungry, always goes through the night from 7pm to 7am without the need to be fed has taken to solids like a dream. Gina Ford suggests that the baby is aloowed to wake up naturally at the end of the nap but no matter how much I try nothing like opening the curtains of pulling back the covers seems to work.

Hi EmmaKB,
Is picking him up to wake him working ok? Does he still take his feed if he is sleepy?

I loosely followed GF with ds1, but let him sleep as long as he wanted in the day. He still slept at night though. Have you tried recently letting him sleep as long as he wants and seeing how he sleeps at night as a result?

Soory, lots of questions!

Hi elena2,
Yes he is fine once he is awake and feeds ok although he isn't a big milk drinker. Tried to let him sleep for as long as he wants yesterday but he slept for 1.5 hours so he woke up early from his lunchtime sleep which made him very tired come tea time and fell asleep before he had his solids resulting in him waking up a 4am. He is a lot happier if I stick to the routine. However I don't put him down to sleep in his cot because I take my dd to school at 9am which fits in nicely with his morning nap and then we have a trip to the shops in the car or pushchair for lunchtime nap. Which works out great for me but I just feel like such a cruel mother waking him up when he is sleeping peacefully.

I know, you do feel guilty when you look at their little peaceful face when they're asleep.

But, as you said:

"Since using the routine he has become a very happy baby who never cries unless he is hungry..."

That is because what you are doing is best for him.
He musn't be suffering from tiredness from being woken or he'd be asleep again within a short time.

If waking him from naps = him eating enough food/milk = him not waking in the night because he is hungry = happy mummy and baby, that is fantastic.

Don't worry, sounds like you are doing a great job.