5-month-old babies need 14 to 15 hours of sleep a day. They may start consolidating naps at this age, from four down to three. Your baby will likely let you know when they’re ready to drop that fourth nap – by simply refusing to go to sleep because they’re not tired. Because of this nap shift, flexibility is key at this age. Here’s how to establish a consistent sleep schedule that meets all your baby’s needs while still leaving room for change.
IN THIS ARTICLE
- How much should a 5-month-old sleep?
- Should I put my 5-month-old baby on a sleep schedule?
- What a 5-month-old sleep schedule may look like
As your baby hits the 5-month-old mark, you’re going to need a lot of one thing when it comes to their sleep: flexibility. Babies this age are closer to their half-year birthday than their day of birth, which means they may be starting to transition away from shorter, more frequent naps and regular night wakings into something resembling a more mature sleep pattern.
Still, at 5 months, even small things – like illnesses and growth spurts – can easily throw off that schedule. Some days your baby may need more or less sleep and you’ll have to roll with it. Here’s an idea of how much sleep your 5-month-old needs, when and how it might happen, and what you can do to help them get enough rest.
How much should a 5-month-old sleep?
A 5-month-old baby needs about 10 to 11 hours of nighttime sleep and another four to five hours of daytime sleep.
Your 5-month-old may consolidate their daytime sleep, dropping that pesky fourth nap just before dinnertime and committing to three naps per day… or not, because they’re just not ready yet. A lot of this will depend on your baby’s average wake window, or the length of time they can stay awake between naps before getting cranky and tired.
Many 5-month-olds can manage a wake window somewhere between 1.5 and 2.5 hours long. If your baby falls into this camp, they may only need to take three daily naps lasting between one and two hours. If your baby tires out more quickly, though, they may need to hang onto that fourth nap for now until they can comfortably stay awake a little longer.
Keep in mind that even a baby on a fairly consistent sleep schedule of three naps per day might sometimes need extra sleep. A rough night or other external factors – like hitting a new milestone or skipping an earlier nap – are common reasons babies may need a fourth nap a few hours before bedtime to avoid overtiredness. Pay attention to their sleep cues, like rubbing their eyes or yawning, to know if they need an extra nap.
Should I put my 5-month-old baby on a sleep schedule?
You can – many experts recommend putting your baby on a sleep schedule around 4 months old, if only to establish a basic routine for the coming months. So if you haven’t done this yet, now is definitely a good time to implement a flexible pattern of waking and sleeping for your baby.
Your baby will naturally fall into a routine and get tired around the same time every day. The more consistent you are in following their natural rhythm, the more tuned in your baby will be to when it’s time to be awake and when it’s time to sleep.
This consistency will also help you at night, especially if you develop a simple bedtime routine. Activities like taking a bath, reading a book, and singing a song or playing calm music can all serve as cues that tell your baby it’s sleepy time. If they’re already feeling naturally tired, bedtime should go pretty smoothly.
If bedtime or nighttime sleep isn’t going smoothly, it’s worth thinking about sleep training if you haven’t already. Sleep training is an important tool for helping your baby sleep independently. You’ll teach them to soothe themself back to sleep rather than relying on you to do it for them.
Sleep training doesn’t mean you have to let your baby cry it out – you can try the “gentle” and “fading” methods. According to the research, sleep training is associated with happier babies and happier parents.
You can start doing some basic sleep training by putting your baby down while they’re sleepy but still awake (rather than fast asleep after a feeding). Try to resist the temptation to run straight into their room as soon as they start fussing, too. By slowly lengthening the amount of time before you show up to soothe them, they can start working on soothing themself.
What a 5-month-old sleep schedule may look like
Every baby’s schedule is slightly different, with more or fewer naps depending on the length of naps, the length of their wake windows, and whether they’re closer to 4 months or 6 months. But here’s a general idea of how your baby might be sleeping at 5 months:
- 6:30 a.m.: Wake for the day and eat.
- 9 a.m.: First nap of the day.
- 10:30 a.m.: Wake, eat, and play.
- 12:30 p.m.: Second nap.
- 2 p.m.: Wake, eat, and play.
- 4:30 p.m.: Third nap of the day.
- 5:30 p.m.: Wake, eat, and play.
- 8 p.m.: Goes to bed for the night.
- 3:30 a.m.: Wake for a feeding, then back to sleep until morning.
Read more about
Add a Comment