At this age your little one is more alert and interested in things around them. This is a fun time with your little one, watching them discover. But, this is also a difficult time as they can start to become distracted during feedings and want more attention than before. The wake times in the schedule above are the maximum wake times for this age group (and remember wake times include nursing/feeding).
Our wake time looks something like this:
- feed - change diaper - in the morning we did diaper free time - floor time (click here for some floor time activities) - change diaper again - nap time routine - after the 5:00 feed we did bath time & bedtime routine.
Bed time routine:
Lotion, diaper cream + medicine (if needed)
Pajamas
Darken room - black out curtains
White noise - use have an echo dot in each of our boys rooms we use for pink noise
Pacifier + Swaddle
Rock + Sign a lullaby
I would rock my baby until they were calm and obviously drowsy. Then I would lay them down while still awake.
If my little one was fighting a nap or not wanting to be laid down I gave it 3 tries (about 5 minutes each try). I would lay him down then go brush my teeth, or start a load of laundry, empty the dishwasher... you get it. Then go back and check on him. Most of the time he had drifted off to sleep.
Occasionally, if he was still crying I would go in and resettle. This could be giving him his pacifier, patting him on the butt, picking him up and burping him, or sitting back down and rocking him again.
There is no exact science to resettling a baby, you will learn what your baby likes and what works best. And just like us babies preferences change. What works one day may not work the next.
Nighttime Sleep
I did not wake either of my babies to feed at night. If they woke up naturally I would nurse them as a last resort.
To keep them on schedule, if they woke after 4 am and I would nurse on only one side (if needed) to make sure he was still hungry enough to start our day with a 7am feed. Starting our day at 7am was a nonnegotiable.
I woke up every night at 2 am to pump to maintain my supply. This is not a requirement but I have always been a "just-enougher" when it comes to milk production so I know I needed this pumping session.
Here are my top 5 favorite baby sleep items for Weeks 7-10
If you want more tips, tricks, and my favorite products to help with infant sleep are HERE.
Schedules based on On Becoming Babywise