5 month old sleep

[lovehasadiameter]

DD was a brilliant sleeper until the dreaded 4 month sleep regression hit!

She is now almost 5 months and at night she goes down without much fuss but then wakes often throughout the night. She doesn't cry but is wide awake and unable to settle back to sleep without me picking her up and rocking her. By about 4.30/5am there is no settling her and she is up for the day.

Naps are also now almost non existent unless she is in the pram or the car or sleeping on me. If I put her down awake, she fusses and cries until I pick her up. If I rock her to sleep and then put her down, she wakes within minutes. I end up holding her for her whole nap just so I know she is getting some sleep because the poor thing is exhausted otherwise but am I just making things more difficult for us both?

Just looking for some advice on how to help her to nap in her cot and how I should help her to settle at night.

Also, what do you find works better for your baby... Following a schedule and putting them down for naps at fixed times every day or just following their lead and putting them down only when they start to show signs of being tired?

Thanks in advance :)

Sorry for lack of paragraphs... They seem to have disappeared when I hit post

I remember this regression! It's hard, particularly the early wake up because it's such a long day. Yes I did find it better to have a schedule for everything the food, naps, play time etc...

I'm finding it so hard to follow a schedule because some days she is up at 5am to start her day and other days she might be up for 2-3 hours through the night and then sleep til 7am instead so it throws everything off

Gah I know you're pain! I just kept going with the schedule, it did work in the end so he knew what to expect when. I wouldn't have woken him at 5am though, I'd leave him to 7am and then carry on with the schedule from there, if you see what I mean? I had to go back to work when he was 7 months so I needed it in place. I know it's such a hard time, I still remember it vividly!

Just to add I'd have left him to 7am because that's the preferred time, so hopefully they get used to it. I do remember walking around the streets with him in a buggy at 4am though it gets better, he does 7_6 now every night.

I think the mistake I've been making is going to her too soon then maybe... She doesn't cry and seems quite happy to just lie there and amuse herself so maybe I should leave her and give her a chance to settle? It's so hard isn't it! She was such a good sleeper before, she used to do 8-6 with only the occasional wake up through the night so this is a shock to the system

I'd see if shell settle without you. 8-6 is amazing for that age as well, I'd think that means shell get back to it once she learns to settle. Good luck! Lots of coffee

Thanks so much for your help