Sleeping FAQ: 4-6 Months – Settling/Sleep Associations

My 4.5mth daughter is capable of settling at every nap and sleep except at 7pm. She always wakes after 45minutes

My 4.5 month old daughter has always has problems settling at 6.30/ 7pm but in the last 2 weeks it has got increasingly worse. She goes off to sleep well but then always wakes after 45 minutes. I have tried leaving her to re-settle but her crying becomes more persistent and when I go in and pick her up she burps up wind and then cries persistently for up to 30 minutes when she will then take another 30 minutes to fall back to sleep- sometimes longer. I can’t understand why this is happening as I will sometimes wind her for up to 20 minutes and she will burp and spit up several times. She has been sleeping through the night from 11pm since 6 weeks and continues to do so. She also settles well at every other nap time including lunchtime when she might sometimes wake after 45 minutes but will re-settle herself after a few minutes. I’ve tried to cut back on her afternoon nap but she gets really over-tired and is no-where near being able to drop this nap and can only really stay awake for and hour and three quarters maximum. She also suffers from mild eczema but this doesn’t seem to keep her awake overnight or at any other nap time other than the evening when she will get over tired after waking and start scratching her head. Please help! I have thought that she might need weaning but my health visitor has said that due to her eczema to hold off until she starts waking in the night for food.

At present she takes 7ozs formula at 7.30am, 11am, 2.30pm and 5.45pm. She takes 6ozs at 10pm. She weighs approximately 16lbs.

My daughter naps at 9-9.45am, 11.45-2pm and 3.45-4.15pm. 6.30-7pm.

Your daughter may settle better at 7pm if you split her feed between 5pm/6pm as you may have done when she was younger. It would seem that taking a full 7ozs and then falling asleep is causing her some discomfort. Try splitting the feed in half and see if she is better at winding and staying asleep after she goes down at 6.30pm. Give her 3ozs at 5.30pm before her bath and then the rest when she is ready for bed.

If your daughter gets tired in the afternoon see if she is able to have two shorter cat naps to get her through to 5pm. If the second one of these falls after 4.30pm she may be able to stay awake nearer to 7pm. Being very tired at 6.30pm may make it harder for her to bring up all her wind.

To help your daughter be more comfortable when settling with a full stomach elevate the head of her cot. Use large books or telephone directories under the legs. This should help her be less troubled by her full tummy and any wind which forms when she is lying horizontal.