5 month old waking after one cycle at lunch

[IB1988]

Hi
I'm just wondering if anyone could share some tips on getting a 5 1/2 month old to go back to sleep after one sleep cycle during the lunch time nap? My daughter goes down easily for that first cycle around 12pm but then wakes herself up and is absolutely furious. If I leave her for a little bit to cry or do some controlled crying then she takes a good hour to resettle because she is so cross and has worked herself up into such a state. If I don't leave her then she is so cross when I go into her room because she's so tired and any games, reading, activity is pointless because she does seem to want to go back to sleep.

I feel like I've tried everything - reading before bed, dark room, white noise, dummy, controlled crying, hand on the chest, ssshing, picking up etc etc. No matter what, come 12.40pm she's up and screaming! The pram is the only thing that realistically helps her to get back down to sleep but I would love to be able to have the cot as an option as well so I can eat my lunch without running up and down the stairs!

Routine is currently: (on a good day)
6.30/7am wake up and feed
9am nap for 40 mins approx
11am feed
12pm - 2pm is when I would love her to sleep properly. She's managed it once or twice but very rarely and usually when teething or ill
2.30pm feed
4pm nap (for however long she needs, normally 1/2 hour)
5pm / 6.15pm split feed
7pm bed

Thank you

Short sleep cycles at the this age are completely normal! Don’t leave your poor baby to cry.
I’ve had 3 kids and not 1 has slept for more than 45-50 minutes until they are over 12 months old.
Forget about “sleep cycles” and just accept that young babies take short naps. And yes she’ll also only probably settle if you pick her up. She’s tiny, she wants her mummy to cuddle her. I know it’s hard but this is all normal

@Oly4, thank you - it's reassuring to know that this is 'normal'! Perhaps I've been reading too many of the standard books that suggest the lunch time nap 'should' be 2 hours uninterrupted! As you say, they are still young and I need to keep remembering that.

Ds is 4 months and exactly the same. I tend to put him in his bouncy chair and when he wakes bounce him for a bit until he goes back off.

The long after lunch nap is more of a toddler thing in my experience. I would do a lunchtime and then mid-late afternoon nap at 5 months.

Yep, totally normal at this age. Takes ages to learn to link sleep cycles. I used to pick up my little one and feed/cuddle back to sleep and hold them for a second sleep cycle.

Ny best advice after three kids is to ditch the books and just accept the baby you’ve got! You’ll enjoy them more. It does get easier I promise. All this will be a distant memory.. none of mine slept through until age 2 either. They just didn’t conform to books

Thanks everyone, really helpful and reassuring advice!

My son only slept for 40 minutes each nap until he was about 7/8 months ish. He then started linking the odd cycle around lunch time but didn't consistently have a longer nap at this time until 9 months. It took a little while to establish. She'll get there when she can but in the meantime go in and maybe hold her for another cycle. I did that a few times when I could see he was still exhausted but wouldn't sleep back in the cot. It worked out eventually.

@butterflycatcher - thanks so much. Did you find that he would need more naps/longer naps in the afternoon after lunch if he only managed to do 1 cycle? I'm just wondering, on average, how much sleep they should be getting in the day at this time and if they've had a bad lunch, should I give them more in the afternoon... ?

Same as the others said. Mine was never a napper. 20 mins usual, 40-50 max on the really odd occasion (only ever more if ill). She's a happy, active 3 year old who has been sleeping through consistently from about 10 months (although she did drop naps all together at around 18 months!).

All babies, like all adults, are different, have different sleep needs and will sleep differently. For my sanity I just went with her flow rather than trying to fit her to what books and the baby sleep industry (that are out there to make money from tired parents) said.

Good luck!

Yes if only 40 minutes at lunch time there was always another nap later in the day so hold on to your late afternoon nap. I think 2-3 hours day time sleep is recommended. 2 hours is 3 x 40 minute sleeps spaced through the day so try not to worry too much and follow her queues. Always best to go with what baby is telling you from their behaviour.

thanks everyone!

If you read Elizabeth pantleys no cry sleep solution she talks about sitting outside of their room (out of sight) about five minutes before you know they are likely to wake, then shhhh-ing until they go back to sleep, if it doesn't work and they start crying obvs go and pick up - hence no cry, but it will work, and did for my children, the older one was 9/10 months and the younger one never napped more than about 30 minutes until a year old unless in a Sling, he had reflux.