Feedtime.
Often mums feel that they need to have all the feed times lined up to adult mealtimes by this age, when really this is the age that babies START to gradually extend their routines, so that their mealtimes are fully lined up to the rest of the family at 12 months.
Many mums are breastfeeding with little or no difficulty by this time, and their babies are starting to look quite roly-poly, and sometimes very long. From time to time, however, mums worry about their baby's growth, and their own milk supply. Use growth charts to make sure your baby is gaining weight at a normal rate, and for your own piece of mind, or check in regularly with your local clinic sister to check weight gain, if you are at all concerned. Once a month is usually enough, unless there are underlying problems that need to be revisited.
If you are worried about your supply dropping, pumping after feeds is an effective way to increase your supply - just pump for a few minutes after a feed, store in the fridge, and offer to him after the next breastfeed. You can do this up to 3x day, for around 3-5 days to notice a difference.
Other temporary methods of boosting supply include giving a top up feed before bed in the afternoon (after the longest waketime), or adding another late evening feed, if you aren't already doing one.
Rarely, in extreme situations, it can be helpful to give a top up feed before every sleep, until milk supply is re-established (usually a week or so). In the long term, however, this can sometimes be quite tiring for mum, and a cycle of tiredness and poor supply can be tricky to break, as well as disruptive for baby's sleep.
Remember to drink heaps, and keep your own calorie intake well up, as well as don't try to over exercise. Poor water intake, poor calorie intake and too much exercising or even running around doing too much, can all contribute to low milk supply. Now is not the time to go on a low fat, low carbs diet, coupled with a morning jog and gym 5 times a week!
Mums with older children can also suffer from supply dips, as they are running around with school, preschool, afternoon activities and such. Slow down, and enjoy this precious time with your new baby! Sometimes mum finds vitamin (or even recommended herbal) supplements helpful to give a flagging milk supply a boost.
Some mums, for various reasons, are bottle feeding. That's ok. You are not a bad mother for bottle feeding. Your baby will still grow up to be healthy and happy.
Some babies may also be ready to start some solids (if they haven't already). Usually rice cereal 1x day is a place to start, gradually increasing to 3x day, and adding pureed vegetables, or fruit. Solids should be given close after the milk feed, rather than an hour or 2 later.
Remember: always give milk before solids! This will help maintain your milk supply. Even bottle feeding mums should give milk first until 12 months or so.
It is not uncommon for mums to try giving solids at 6 months, only to find bub spits it out! This doesn't mean he didn't like the taste, but more likely that his reflexes are just not ready for solids yet. If he continues to spit out the food, then perhaps try again in a few weeks.
Routine.
A handy guide for 6 months is 2 up, 2 down. That is, 2 hours of waketime, then 2 hours of sleep (possibly 1 1/2 hours).
Sometimes mums have very long waketimes, and baby is over tired, or very short waketimes, and baby is a little frustrated at being in bed too long, and the cycle of feed/wake/nap is getting messed up.
The idea is to try and keep to approximately the same times every day, so that the baby feels secure in the routine. Between the ages of 6 and 12 months, the feed times do often spread out more so that they line up with regular breakfast/lunch/dinner mealtimes for the rest of the family.
By 12 months, they usually only have the 2 naps - morning and afternoon. Each nap should try to be 1 1/2 - 2 hours long. If he wakes early for a nap, and you are sure he isn't hungry, or dirty, then resettling him will help him to learn to fall back to sleep on his own.
Flexibility is good thing and strict clock watching is often unrealistic. Too much flexibility, however, and babies are again uncertain of their routine, and become more unsettled.
If baby is doing really well on this routine, then it might be time to start extending it a little, starting with the first stretch of breakfast to lunch.
Resettling.
If baby is truly struggling to resettle during naps, and feeding and routine are OK, then it’s back to resettling techniques.
Consistency is always the key.
I usually suggest going in every 15 minutes or so, to pick up, soothe, and put baby back down for another 15 minute stretch. Sometimes you may need to spend quite a few minutes calming him down if he is really screamy - be patient.
If you suspect he is in pain/not feeling well etc, then get him checked out for your peace of mind.
Consistency with this usually works after 5 days or so. The first day is the hardest, until baby gradually works out that he is supposed to be sleeping. By the end of a week, most babies are sleeping much better, with maybe one protest sleep cycle/day.
Now and then they may fuss on and off through to the next feed, sometimes they may stay awake but happy, and mostly they learn to go back to sleep.
Remember: we are training baby to put himself back to sleep on his own.
This skill will help for night time wakings also. If baby has been waking at night, then they will nearly always have a day waking problem that needs to be addressed first (whether it be feeding related, routine, or resettling problems). Once they can settle themselves during the day, the night usually sorts itself out!
A common question relates to dummies (or pacifiers). If your baby has been using one from birth, and it is not a problem (like having to go in 50 times to put it back in every time it falls out!), then I don't see a major problem with a 6 month old having a dummy. If, however, it has come to an issue of enslavement, then it helps to think through how you want to use (or eliminate) the dummy.
Some folks go cold turkey - throw out the dummy, and manage an unhappy day or 2 until baby learns to settle himself. Other folks do a slow wean - limiting the dummy to putting baby to bed initially, but not putting it back if it falls out. Or putting baby to bed without dummy, but putting it in to resettle if baby wakes during nap and won't resettle. Some use the method of only ever buying newborn size dummies, so that baby finds it too difficult to keep sucking, and gives up naturally. Some folks are happy to use dummies for longer, and that is fine too.
Waketime Activities.
Playpens, as part of their routine, are very helpful tools that help little ones to have some focused play. It is ideal to start at around 3-4 months (often earlier if there are older siblings, for self-preservation!). However, you may choose to start now if you haven't already.
30-45 minutes playpen time after breakfast, and another 15 - 20 minutes or so in the afternoon after feeding, is ideal. Baby is well fed and well rested, and much more likely to enjoy this time playing alone.
Some babies are content to play happily in a playpen that is in the living room, with activity not disturbing them, while others need to be isolated a little more from the hustle and bustle of family life.
At this age, a mobile, or a few toys are adequate, depending on how mobile they are. Few are better than too many, which can be overwhelming to a little one.
Start with 5 minutes and cheerfully pull him out at the end (regardless of how happy or unhappy he is), and then gradually extend it. Sometimes a music tape is helpful.
Other waketime activities for this age group include walks, floor play (back and tummy), bathing, sitting in rocker chair with mobile or toy, or just watching people potter around the house.
Give him plenty of cuddles and interactive play.
It is worth watching out that they don't become so dependent on being carried around that they are unable spend any time alone. Balance!
Remember that while stimulation is good, too much means a grumpy baby who will struggle to stay asleep during nap time. Overstimulation can also contribute to sudden night waking.
Frequently Asked Questions...
My baby is only sleeping for half his sleeptime. He doesn't seem hungry - should I just get him up until the next feed?
Probably the most asked question!
Basically, there are a number of questions for parents to ask themselves when this begins to happen.
How old is baby? If baby is only tiny, then probably feeding them is a good start. If baby is bigger, and is hungry, then there may be other things to consider.
Is this a feeding/hunger problem, or a sleep/routine problem?
If you suspect a feeding/hunger problem, then feed baby earlier than expected, but have a think as to why baby is waking hungry earlier than previously. Is he going through a growth spurt? Has your milk supply dropped? If you suspect a drop in supply, then there are some tips for building up supply here.
If he is going through a growth spurt, or he has been unwell, or for some other reason just needs some extra food, then feed him early for a few days until he is no longer unusually hungry, and then you can get back to a routine that is suiting everyone.
If he is older than around 6 months, it may be time to consider introducing solids.
If you suspect a sleeping/routine problem, then you will probably find that your baby is quite happy to get up after a short sleep, and doesn't really want a full feed, but after a short time, or after the next feed, he becomes tired and grumpy. He may also start waking in the night, unable to resettle. Sometimes they fall asleep straight after the next feed, and then wake early again, thus starting a tricky cycle of sleep/play/feed, instead of feed/play/sleep.
If this is the case, then it is worth looking at some other things that might be happening in his day. Are his waketimes too long? The most common reason (aside from hunger, and needing an extra feed to cope with a growth spurt) for unsettled babies (especially around the 4 month mark) is long waketimes. Overstimulation really doesn't produce a happy, well sleeping baby! Putting him to bed earlier is a start at allowing him some longer sleep times.
Likewise, if you have been putting him to bed soon after a feed, then increase his waketimes a little, until things get sorted out again.
Are your days too busy? If you are out and about too often in the week, then this can also be unsettling for a young baby.
Are there other things happening in your home? Mother-in-law staying? Just moved house? Baby and/or family members sick? Something else unusual? All these big events impact baby, and it does often come out in baby being unable to resettle during a sleeptime.
If you are sure that this is a sleep/routine issue, then the best place to start is resettling.
