Five month old sleep help

[Needsomehelpandadvice]

Hello!
We have appeared to have got in a rut with our ds sleep. I’m trying not to be “obsessive” but I’m finding that I’m spending a large portion of my day trying to get him to nap!

He will only have 30 minute naps - 4 a day it used to be 5. He sleeps ok at night asleep at 7 then up maybe twice/three times for a feed and back to sleep awake 5-6

i know the key to all this is longer naps which I’m really trying but to no avail can I get him to nap longer than 45 minutes unless he’s having a catch up on sleep day.

Sleep wise he needs help to get to the drowsy bit then I put him in his pram for day naps and Moses at night - he’s going into cot soon as he’s getting big now.

he can settle himself “drowsy but awake” but getting to drowsy can sometimes take 30 minutes plus to settle.

I try and go off wake times - 2 hours max but then if I try any earlier it feels like a battle.

What’s worked for you guys? We use dummy, muslin, white noise and rocking to get to drowsy. Works wellish. I take the muslin away when he’s fast asleep.

Ftm I’m worried I’m getting too stressed about it

He’s just turned five months and if the short naps are normal happy days! I just want to help him any way I can we used huckleberry which was great for learning his cues but he’s still overtired?

Lyndsey Hookway

Having the same issue with our 5 month old ds. He has been a 40-minute to the dot napper since about six weeks. From what I’ve read (and I’ve wasted hours and hours of time researching/worrying), it is normal and common (or ‘developmentally appropriate’). Doesn’t make it easier though. DS seems constantly overtired. Motion naps don’t make him sleep longer, his eyes still ping open after 40 mins, but you could try sling/pram/car to get him to have longer, sling used to work for me when he was younger. Our first nap of the day seems to have just started to lengthen, fairly consistently, to two sleep cycles (1hr30), but really it needs to be his lunch time nap that lengthens to get him through the rest of the day. He has to have about 4/5 naps a days currently and is still grouchy. I think it can be made worse if you rock/feed to sleep, but sounds like you don’t. DS can self settle so I am just hoping in time his second nap also lengthens… it makes it so hard to plan anything

Thank you, it’s helpful to know it’s normal! I’ve been trying lots of things to help but being conscious of introducing bad habits. He needs the rocking/feed etc to get to drowsy but can get to sleep on his own so he is doing well with that.
Thank you for replying ☺️

I feel like I could have written your post!
My DS has just turned 5 months too and daytime sleep seems almost none existant. Today he can't have had much over an hour and that was with an hour and a half drive and two walks. 🙃
He's never been a great napper but this week he just fights all sleep and seems constantly overtired. I always used to be able to get him down for 30-40 mins in his cot for his first nap of the day but recently even that has disappeared. Hoping it's just a phase! If he does fo down it is never more than half an hour/ 40 mins.
No suggestions- although I'll happily take some- just wanted to offer solidarity!

Look at hey sleepy baby on Instagram or little nest sleep, basically cat naps are completely normal at this age, try not to worry! My little boy is 11months and only started napping longer at 8 months. Sounds like your baby is sleeping great so try not to stress (I wish I hadn't!)

Not sure if it’s feasible for you but we have the same and try to do the second nap in the pram, moving. It’s tends to go for 2h. Then there’s less overtiredness, at least.

Thank you for replying, knowing it’s normal is reassuring. I stress myself out with his naps. Wake windows etc are never longer than two hours.
He gets 12 hours total sleep in. 24 hour period so I know he’s getting enough you just read that much stuff about what you should and shouldn’t do don’t you! Got myself in a tizz