A few months ago I shared with you guys the E.A.S.Y Sleep Routine that I have implemented on all my boys. Well, I figured now would be a good time for the second part of the sleep routine for babies (4-6 month babies). Liam is almost six months old, and I know several of you have been waiting for this. Better late then never right?!
Before I share the routine, let’s get a few basics and reminders out of the way…
-Make sure you are establishing a routine vs. you following your child. Babies do not know much at this age. They learn from what we teach them.
-Listen to your child’s cues. More often then not we are following the clock to a T and not listening to our child cues.
-Avoid accidental parenting. I know us moms will do anything to make our kids stop crying, right? Well, often this ends up becoming a bad habit.
-This is not an easy fix. You have to be patient. Also the older the child is, the harder it will be to implement change.
–REMINDER– this is not a schedule, but a routine. You can not fit a baby into a clock. A routine allows consistency, and it’s also predictable. We all thrive on predictability!
What does the four to 6-month routine look like?
By now your baby is much more active and aware of going on around him/her. Babies develop from the head down. So by now, your baby is probably able to hold his or her up and able to grasp at objects around them. With new developments comes new routine.
Most babies at this point are also ready to switch from a 3-hour routine to a 4-hour routine. Most babies at this age can stay up longer for play time too. By now it should be about 1.5 hours, and by six months it’s 2 hours.
Since the routine is changing a bit, you can expect to cut a feed, (especially since your baby can take in more each feed). You can consolidate three naps into 2 and extend his or her wake time.
Here is what the new routine will look like:
**Download the EASY SCHEDULE
Final thoughts:
The Baby Whisper goes through a lot, and I mean ALOT of questions and scenarios that answer many, many questions on sleep routine for babies. I can’t go into every situation and case because, well, I do have three kids. But I HIGHLY recommend this book. It’s an easy read, and it’s a great book!
I also want to mention that I am not a doctor, nor the baby whisper, this is just what has worked for the boys and I. I’ve simply highlighted the most critical part of a sleep routine for babies.
As always if you ever have any questions, please email, comment or reach out. I would love to help in any way I can!
Thank you so much for stopping by. Have a great day!
xoxo,
I’ve been obsessing over baby sleep bc my third little guy is five weeks old and sleeps terrible due to the gassy phase. I have to re read your original EASY post but did you put Liam down awake and teach him to self soothe and at what age? How easy/difficult did it go?
My oldest was all about bad habits bc of me and we learned w #2 and sleep trained him and followed easy by 15-16 weeks. I go back to work at 16 weeks so would like to start earlier but not sure what is reasonable.
Thanks!!
Ughhh…my 10.5 week old is gassy too. Those burps affect so much and even when I think I’ve gotten them all out, he’ll still wake up through a nap or the night with a burp! I find he gets really uncomfortable around 5:30 am so I pop him in the swing every morning to extend his sleep. I have to do it for naps too or else he just catnaps! He’s also my third but I still have a hard time with baby sleep/naps…gives me anxiety!!
Hey Amanada! Are you giving him any gas drops? Are you feeding him formula, bottle or BF? I ask because maybe switching formula or bottle could help in causing less gas. Also, what are you doing when he only naps for 30-45 mins. Are you feeding him, letting him play?
Just re-read first post – didn’t see anything about going down awake. Just the routine I’m guessing. Thanks for the posts!
Seems like you have your family all set up. Best of luck to you, Elly! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Oh! Just thought of something. Do you use a soother and do you ever have to reinsert it during the night? My little guy is 10.5 weeks and I find I do have to do this a few times throughout the night. Also, I’m trying to follow the EASY routine, but I can’t get perfect naps in all the time. What did you do if naps were only 30-45 min?
What kind of activities do you recommend for each stage (0-3 months and 4-6 months)
for 0-3 I normally just use a gym activity and work on tummy time. They can’t handle much, and I try to not over stimulate since their naps are so short! For 4-6 I still use the gym, and will use an activity center to have them work on controlling their head and neck! I’ll also play with them to work on rolling over, sitting up, and learning to grab things.
Thank you Elly for sharing this great post about Sleep Routine. You created such a clever way of thinking about it in segments. Its wonderful. Also, love all the adorable images of Baby Liam?
Did you alter the routine when you started feeding solid foods?
Thank you Elly for sharing this great post about Sleep Routine. You created such a clever way of thinking about it in segments. Its wonderful. Also, love all the adorable images of Baby Liam
Did you alter the routine when you started feeding solid foods?
You are so welcome!! No I did not. So when it’s time for the lunch feed and dinner feed I just feed him about 2oz of baby food and give him the bottle after. Does that make sense?