Sleeping FAQ: 8-12 Weeks – Settling/Sleep Association

My 10 week old son does not settle well in the evenings

My son is 10 weeks old; he is well established on 5 feeds a day as per the CLB routine for 8 – 12 weeks. He naps well during the day in the morning, at lunch time and in the afternoon, however he will not settle when we put him in his cot at 6.30 – 7.00 pm and has not done so since he was 4 weeks old. I feel like we have tried everything! He has a bedtime routine of a bath at 5.30 and then his feed at 6.00 and then bed at around 6.30 pm and I try to keep him calm and quiet after his bath. As he is now on formula I am confident he is not settling due to hunger. After his 10.30 pm feed he sometimes cries for another 20 minutes and then sleeps through to between 6 – 7 am. In the evenings we have been leaving him to cry for about 15 – 20 minutes and then pick him up to calm him down and then put him back in his cot. As this is not working we are now not picking him up but just going in to re-assure him every 10 minutes or so. When we did pick him up he stopped crying almost immediately but then would start to cry as soon as we put him back in his cot. I am hoping that he will grow out of this but am beginning to be concerned that this will not happen and hate having what feels like a constant battle evening after evening, especially as in the days he is so good at sleeping and settling himself.

My son takes 5oz feeds at 7am, 10.30am and 6pm. He takes 6ozs at 2.30pm and 10.30pm. He weighs 11.10lbs.

He naps at 8.30-10am, 11.30-2pm and 4.15-4.45pm.

Looking through your notes it appears that your son has a larger feed at 2.30pm than at 6pm. It may help him to settle better in the evening if the larger feed was at bedtime. Try cutting back on the 2.30pm feed and see if he can have an extra ounce or so at 6pm. If he is too tired to take a larger amount at this time you could go back to splitting the feed between 5pm/6pm to see if this helps him take more. Having a slightly larger feed spread over a period of time should mean that he takes enough for his needs at this time.

Once you have ruled out hunger being the cause of his resistance to settling in the evening, look at his daytime sleep. Too much or too little sleep can cause settling problems. If a baby has slept too much in the day he will not be tired enough to settle easily at 7pm. But if he is overtired he may also fight going down. You could cut back a little on his afternoon sleep, allowing him around 15-20 minutes before 5pm and see if this helps him settle in the evening. To prevent him being overtired watch him for the first signs of tiredness, such as a yawn or beginning to rub at his eyes or ears, and get him into his cot.

To help your son at the 10.30pm feed consider splitting this and allowing him a spell of time awake. Up until 4 months most babies need some time awake between 7pm and 7am. Wake your son by 10pm and offer him 2/3rds of his feed. Then let him have a quiet time kicking until 11.15pm when you take him to his room, change his nappy and dim the lights. Give him the rest of his feed and settle him down to sleep. Being awake longer at this time should help him settle quickly and sleep through the night.