Four- to five-month-old schedule: Sleep, naps and feeding
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Well, you’ve made it through the “fourth trimester” and all the ups and downs that come with it—welcome to months four and five! When your baby is around five months old, you will probably see more of a schedule with dedicated naptimes—usually two naps a day. Many parents also find that on-the-go napping comes to an end around five months, as your kiddo needs their own quiet, dark space to settle down to snooze. Sleeping for 12 hours a night is becoming a possibility, even if you’re not there yet. “A four-month-old or five-month-old often needs a feeding at night, but around six months, if they’re growing on their curve and everything is fine healthwise, then there absolutely is that ability to sleep 12 hours,” says Erin Neri, a certified paediatric sleep consultant in Sherwood Park, Alta.
You might want to consider sleep training your baby at about four months of age, especially if you’re hitting the dreaded four-month sleep regression. Neri adds that the six-month mark is also the stage when babies who use pacifiers start relying on them to sleep, and you might have to stagger over at 4 a.m. to stick the soother back in and repeat. In other words, it might be a good idea to discontinue the soother, depending on what’s working for your family. Between four to six months old is also the time to transition from a swaddle to a sleep sack if that’s what your baby is used to.
Around this time your baby may hit a growth spurt, with all the extra eating and sleeping (or not sleeping) that goes with it. This is the age to start gradually introducing solid foods, such as infant cereals and puréed meats, veggies and fruits (talk about a photo op). You’ll know that your baby is ready for solids when they can sit up on their own and control their head and neck and are deeply interested in that yummy food that you’re eating.
4 to 5 months sleep schedule
Wake time length: About 2 to 3 hours
Sleep time length: 2 to 3 daytime naps of 20 minutes to 3 hours, may sleep up to 12 hours overnight or wake once or twice
Total sleep time: 12 to 16 hours a day
4 to 5 months sample schedule (with 3 naps)
7 to 7:30 a.m. - Wake up (2.5 to 3 hours)
10 a.m. - 1st nap (1 hour)
11 a.m. - Wake time (2.5 hours)
1:30 p.m. - 2nd nap (2 hours)
3:30 p.m. - Wake time (1.5 hours)
5 p.m. - 3rd nap (30 minutes)
5:30 p.m. - Wake time (2 to 2.5 hours)
7:30 to 8 p.m. - Sleep (11+ hours, with or without nightly waking)
Total sleep time: 14.5 to 15.5 hours
4 to 5 months sample schedule (with 2 naps)
7 to 7:30 a.m. - Wake up (2.5 to 3 hours)
10 a.m. - 1st nap (1.5 hours)
11:30 a.m. - Wake time (2.5 hours)
2 p.m. - 2nd nap (2 hours)
4 p.m. - Wake time (3 to 3.5 hours)
7 to 7:30 p.m. - Sleep (12 hours, with or without nightly waking)
Total sleep time: 15.5 hours
4 to 5 months feeding schedule
Breastfeeding: On demand, every 2 to 4 hours, or 7 to 12 times a day
Exclusive pumping: 15 to 20 minutes per breast, every 3 hours or at least 7 times a day
Formula: 120 to 230 mL (4 to 8 oz) per feeding, about 5 to 6 times a day
Solids: Slowly introduce them, starting with iron-fortified cereals and single-ingredient puréed vegetables, fruits or meat; watch for allergies; no honey until they’re at least 12 months old
Liquids: Continue breastmilk or formula; introduce water with solids around 6 months