Our routine... Help

[Muminneedofadvicelol]

Hi, I have a nearly 5 month old baby. I'm starting to doubt I've got a good routine for him but I've honestly tried so hard.

Wakes up roughly half 5/6am
Has a nap between half 7till 9
Usually awake until noon/1.30pm when I put him into his cot. He sleeps 30 mins

Nap again roughly about half 3/4pm

Bath starts at 5pm
Bed for 6/6.30

Has started to wake about midnight for a bottle. He usually slept till maybe half 1/3am.this is a new thing - waking at midnight.

Then from that bottle he has a nappy change about 3.30am and I'm constantly putting his dummy in because he will just wake himself up. He doesn't want anything at this time, but the last 3 nights I've been so tired, I've picked him up and brought him in beside me and he's slept sound.

* I am aware that 5pm is also so early. Trust me, I've tried everything to get him to go to bed later, but he ends up being over tired if he isn't in bed for 6.30pm and he SCREAMS the house down. This is also happening if he has had great naps too.

Do you think this can be improved in anyway and if so, please tell me how and also your routine

I was so tired the other day I gave him a bottle in bed at 6am and we slept through till 10.3oam. That was unusual and also far too long lol but boy did I need it

It seems as if he's not getting enough daytime sleep and therefore overtired. Could you possibly wake him up early from
Morning nap and then encourage a longer mid day nap? You want to discourage him from such an early wake up time.
I used the blissful baby expert to help train my baby to sleep (such an obnoxious title but really truly worked for us). She was my first and I did feel a bit regimented for the first while but worth it to settle sleep routines. Genuinely a really helpful read.

Didn't realise how much I wrote.

He sometimes only has 30 mins in the morning then 2 naps in the afternoon of about 30 mins. He's always been a terrible day time napper. I feel like I've tried everything to get him to nap through the day. He goes to bed now pretty happy. We put him down and he falls asleep, no issues. If we make it any later than 6.30pm it's like a completely different baby.

I'll have a look at this baby expert. See what I can get from it

He's just woke up. Wide awake. This is so new. I wonder if maybe the 4 month regression. He isn't 5 months for another week.

It's tough isn't it? 18 week old DS is currently wide awake and chattering to me as I write this...Like pp, I did wonder about daytime sleeps. I still find that DS can't comfortably go more than an hour and a half without a nap; if he's been particularly energetic then it's even shorter.

I read somewhere ages ago that a babies first nap should be 2 hours after you want them to wake up. So if you want them to wake at 7am for example, you should try to not let them nap til 9am. Obviously this would be a subtle shift of say 10 minutes per day until you get to 9am so that he doesn't become overtired. But it may be worth trying to try and get him to try and wake up later so that he isn't so tired at 5pm .. if that makes any sense?

My 6mo has the following routine (mostly .. but is currently going through a sleep regression so waking every few hours but it was working fabulously up until 2 days ago!)

Wake up at 645
Bottle at 715
Nap at 9 - 10
Bottle at 11
Nap at 12-130
Bottle at 215
Nap at 330 - 4
Bath and story at 6
Bottle at 645
Bed at 7
Sometimes with a dream feed at 10pm

Hope that helps! x

My 9 month old came out of her predicable routine not long ago.

She now goes to bed at 9 and gets up at 9. If I wake her earlier, she does to bed early and then gets up again.

I have no suggestions but you're not alone!

Just to add .. DS doesn't sleep from 7pm to 7am seamlessly with that routine and does still wake several times for his dummy / a cuddle. Definitely wasn't trying to be a stealth boast about an amazing sleeping baby!

It's so difficult I obviously don't mind getting up, but I just thought maybe I'm doing something wrong. You're all helpful, thanks..
He's up just now. Took 8oz but I guarantee he will be up after 3am lol

Thank goodness his dad's now on Christmas holidays mum needs a sleep!!!