Sleeping FAQ: 4-6 Months – Other

My four-month-old baby is following the routines really well, and sleeping through to nearer 7am from his 10pm feed. We are soon to spend our first long weekend away from home with him since he was born, and I am getting very anxious that we will not be able to keep him in such a good routine when staying with friends. Is there anything I can do to ensure that his routine doesn’t go totally wrong?

Many babies will follow their routine to the letter regardless of where they are and who they are with, while others can become a bit more unsettled when in a different environment. At four months the important thing to remember is that your baby will still get tired within a couple of hours, therefore try to ensure that he has a nap two hours from the time he last woke so that he does not become overtired. If you are out and about you will have to accept that he may not sleep for the same length of time that he usually does. So instead of having a short nap morning and afternoon with a long nap in the middle of the day, he may have 4 to 5 shorter naps in his buggy or in the car. As long as his daily sleep total between 7am and 7pm does not exceed the amount he normally sleeps, this should not create a huge problem. Just try to ensure that he does not get overtired late afternoon, and if need be bring his bedtime forward slightly.

Try to keep his bedtime routine the same as it is at home. Obviously your friends may want to be involved at bath time, but once your baby has had his bath and massage, be firm about wanting to settle him to sleep in a calm and quiet room. If you follow the same procedure in the evening as you do at home and have a couple of his familiar toys at bath and bedtime it will help him to settle. Once you leave the room try to allow five to ten minutes for him to settle to sleep; if he refuses then return to the room, pick him up and give him a short cuddle and then try to resettle him. Although there may be pressure on you to take him out of the room, if he is unsettled, I would advise doing this only as a last resort. Taking him downstairs to a room full of people may result in him becoming over-stimulated, which could end up in him taking hours to settle. You may find that you will have to go back to his room a few times for a couple of nights, but once he gets used to the different environment he will start to settle quickly, like he does at home. If he is used to a lullaby light at home, it would be a good idea to take this with you so he has the same sleep association when you settle him in his cot.

If he refuses to settle and gets a second wind, then you will have to take him back downstairs as it would be unreasonable and rude in someone else’s house to spend the whole evening upstairs with your baby. If this happens, the important thing to remember is to try and avoid him becoming over-stimulated and watch for the cues that he is getting tired again, so that you can quickly take him back upstairs and attempt to settle him with a small milk feed. If he takes a reasonable feed at this time, it would be advisable to make his 10pm feed later so that he feeds well and doesn’t wake up earlier than normal.
Whatever happens try not to get too stressed if he loses his routine while you are away. Once you are back home you will soon get him back on track. In the meantime make the best of your break away and take advantage of having lots of people around you to amuse and entertain your baby while you take a much-deserved rest.