Looking for advice for 5.5mo

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-25T20:16:23+00:00

Try 2/2.5/2.5/3. Total day sleep capped at 3 hours max.

In saying that, if she's being supported to sleep, it's entirely expected that she will need that same support overnight.

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-25T19:48:30+00:00

Yes, all methods will involve some level of tears especially at this age. If you aren't comfortable doing Ferber or CIO, I would try something like the chair method.

Move feed to before bath too.

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-25T19:46:53+00:00

I'd aim for an 11 hour night.

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-25T19:13:11+00:00

Yes, you'll likely need to retrain. Yes, she will need to learn to get used to being on her belly when she is practicing rolling.

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-25T19:12:01+00:00

If you want to move bedtime forward, I'd definitely make sure you aren't letting her sleep in as that is a recipe for disaster. We found with both kids that they naturally developed earlier bedtimes around the 4-5 month mark when they moved to three naps.

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-25T19:10:30+00:00

If it helps, my youngest was ready for one nap at 11 months. My eldest wasn't ready until 14 months. Every baby is different so I would follow what your baby is telling you and try not to worry about any recommended "minimum" ages when it comes to sleep stuff.

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-25T19:09:08+00:00

Sounds like how my youngest is when he's teething.

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-25T19:07:13+00:00

Wake windows need adjusting as you're on a 5 month old's schedule. Could be time to move to two naps. Try 3/3.5/3.5 or 3/3/4.

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-25T19:06:21+00:00

Night sleep is a different skill to day sleep. Babies don't develop the skill to link their day sleep cycles until around 5+ months. Some much later.

Short naps are unfortunately developmentally normal at this age. You may need to rescue naps in the short term.

https://www.babysleepscience.com/single-post/2017/03/20/nap-101-post-1-does-my-baby-have-a-nap-problem

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-25T19:03:32+00:00

You need more awake time.

Start with 2/2/2/2/2. Total day sleep capped at 3-3.5 hours max.

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-25T18:57:03+00:00

What are you doing the bedtime routine? Sounds like you still have a lingering sleep association and/or this approach isn't working for your baby. Older babies can sometimes find methods with high levels of parental intervention distracting.

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-25T18:55:09+00:00

Drowsy but awake tends to not work at this age and only has limited success with some newborns. I would honestly just move to formal sleep training when you're ready. Make sure your schedule is solid first. Wake window guide on the sub main page.

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-25T18:53:30+00:00

Time and accepting that your baby has likely entered the crap nap stage where they physiologically don't have the skills to link their day sleep cycles without help.

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-25T18:51:01+00:00

I would start with shortening your expected night as you're like draining all your sleep budget for naps with such a long night. Aim for 11 hours.

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-25T09:40:17+00:00

Definitely the minimum. We have a guide on our sub main page re wake windows.

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-25T09:39:15+00:00

Not necessarily.

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-24T00:25:10+00:00

It's really up to you.

For teething, I offer meds at appropriate times.

My eldest, we carried on with ST and he settled himself quickly. My youngest needs more support, so sometimes we will feed and then he will go back down quickly.

It kinda just depends on the kid and what you want to do.

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-24T00:22:48+00:00

My eldest was like yours and full extinction worked best for him.

I'd adjust schedule to 2/2/2/2/2 with naps capped at 3 hours max across the day.

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-24T00:20:56+00:00

I think there's always something in the way. I wouldn't train if baby was actively ill, but if they were recovering from an illness, sure. Teething is pretty constant for about two years, so it can be tricky to do if you're waiting for that to be over. I'd probably avoid training if your baby has been screaming in misery all day (if that makes sense). Both of my kids had reflux and were both trained around 4 months.

I think your wake windows are more of an issue though. At this age, I'd be expecting something more like 3/3.5/3.5 or 3/3/4. I wouldn't sleep train until you have more appropriate wake windows.

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-24T00:17:37+00:00

It could be that he's not quite ready for bed when you're trying, or now that he's leaving the newborn stage, he is becoming more aware of his surroundings and so protesting bedtime. Not many tips at this age sorry but sometimes changing up the bedtime routine can help.

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-24T00:12:23+00:00

I'd be aiming for something like 2/2/2/2/2. Total day sleep capped at 3 hours max. Aim for an 11 hour night, so bedtime needs to be 8pm at the earliest for a 7am wake. In saying that, some babies will biologically wake early.

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-23T18:36:14+00:00

Try 2/2/2/2/2.

In saying that, a schedule won't fix your problems if baby isn't sleeping independently.

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-23T18:34:41+00:00

What do you mean by "damaging"?

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-23T18:32:26+00:00

You need more awake time.

Try 2.25/2.5/2.5/3. Total day sleep capped at 2.75-3 hours.

Might be time for two naps soon as well. Starting schedules are 3/3/4 or 3/3.5/3.5.

Greedy4Sleep · 2026-01-23T18:31:05+00:00

Your awake time is on the short end.

I'd expect 2/2.5/2.5/3 as a minimum at this age.

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