How to train
5 Month Old To Nap
Sleep Training Your 5 Month Old Baby
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If you’re the parent of a 5 month old baby then your days are probably
filled with really cute things like giggling, rolling over and babbling. But
5 months can also be a really exhausting time too.
Maybe some of your friends have told you that your five month old should be
sleeping through the night. The truth is, some five month old babies do
naturally start sleeping through the night but I found that many others need
to be taught. So if your little one doesn't look like she's on the way to
naturally sleeping through the night, these 7 steps will get her there.
Step 1 Have realistic expectations. We can’t really make a plan to get our
baby sleeping better until we know what we can realistically expect. Your five
month old should naturally have a bed time between 7:00 and 8:30 p.m. She
should sleep anywhere from 9 to 11 hours overnight and that's going to include
one or two (sometimes three) night feeds. A good way to judge if your baby's ready
to be night weaned is to talk to your pediatrician. If your pediatrician says
your baby can go six hours between feeds overnight then you know you can wean
down to 1 night feed. If your pediatrician prefers 4 to 5 hours between feeds
overnight then you'll wean down to 2 night feeds. You can check out my Weaning
Night Feeding guidelines right here for step-by-step instructions on how you can
reduce or eliminate your baby's night feeds. Step 2: Start a calming bedtime
routine. When starting sleep training we always begin at bedtime. The best way to
set your baby up to sleep long stretches at night is to introduce a calming
bedtime routine. What you do at bedtime really does matter. When you do certain
activities in a specific order at the same time every night it really does
help your baby fall asleep easier and sleep better at night. You can get my
step-by-step instructions on crafting the perfect peaceful bedtime routine for
your baby right here. Step 3: Set an age-appropriate bedtime. In order for
your five month-old to fall asleep easily and sleep better at night, bedtime
must be both age-appropriate and consistent. Late bedtimes do not
get baby sleeping really hard at night and waking up later. It’s
completely crazy but it's true. Baby sleep is really counterintuitive. In fact
most five month olds are naturally programmed to have bedtime between 7:00
and 8:30 p.m. Now that's a pretty wide range and if you really want to increase
your baby's chances of sleeping amazingly at night then you want to keep
your baby's specific bedtime within only a 20 minute range. So if your baby's
natural bedtime is 7:30 p.m. then you want your baby always falling asleep
between 7:20 and 7:40 p.m. every night. It really does make a difference. Step 4:
Play white noise during naps and at night. White noise has been proven to
help people of all ages sleep better and yes it's completely safe for your baby.
The way that white noise works is it prevents sudden noises from waking your
baby while she's sleeping like a barking dog or a loud neighbor, an older
sibling, maybe the garbage truck at 5 a.m. And for that reason you need to
play white noise all night long. In the description below I've linked to really
popular white noise machines that you can use. Step 5: Blackout your baby's
bedroom. Light plays a really strong role with setting our body clocks. When our
eyes sense light it sends a signal to our brain to be awake and when our eyes
sense darkness the sleep hormone melatonin is produced which makes us
sleepy. So for this reason you need to do a blackout of your baby's bedroom. Trust
me on this one! You don't want an early sunrise waking
your baby at 5 a.m. every day. In the description below I've linked to some
really popular and really effective blackout curtains that you can find.
Step 6: Help your baby nap frequently It's important to keep your
five month-old well-rested during the day. A well-rested baby during the day
sleeps great at night and vice-versa, so for this reason you want to make sure
your baby naps often. Short napping can be common at this age so try not to
worry about it too much. If your five month old is caught in a napping pattern
of only sleeping for 40 minutes at a time what's more important is that he
naps frequently. Specifically, awake times for your 5 month old
should be 1.5 - 2.5 hours. Remember awake
times are more important than number of naps right now. So as long as your baby
is napping often during the day you're doing great. I've got an article on my
website that gives you more specific details about naps for your five
month-old and you can find it right here. Step 7:
Teach your baby to fall asleep on his own. The way that your baby falls asleep
at bedtime is the way that he will need to fall back to sleep each time he wakes
during the night. So if your baby is fed to sleep at bedtime then he's going to
need you to feed him or help him fall back to sleep every single time he wakes
during the night, which you probably already know because he's waking several
times at night. But if instead your baby goes into his crib awake at bedtime
and falls asleep on his own he'll be able to resettle himself every time he
stirs during the night. This is the basis of sleep training. It sounds simple
enough right? But you may be wondering ‘How do I do it?’
The truth is there are many effective sleep training methods for five month
olds and the best method for your baby will depend on your baby's age, your
baby's temperament, and also your parenting style. In my program 21 days to
peace and quiet this is what I help parents do every day. We pick a sleep
training method that's perfectly suited for both your baby and your family. But
you can also sleep train your baby on your own, you don't have to join my
program. I have a guide on my website that gives you more details on how you
can do it and you can find that right here. I just want you to know that it's
okay if you're feeling frustrated and overwhelmed with your baby's sleep. It's
completely normal to feel this way. Life with a new baby is so exhausting but
please remember there's always hope! Once you start doing these 7 sleep
training tips for your five month-old every single day and you do them
consistently, your baby will start sleeping a lot better. If you have any
questions then you can ask me in the comments below and make sure to check
out all the links that are provided in the description below.
Take care!
