u/Puzzleheaded-Act6586

Looking for some advice on schedule for my 5.5MO.

2 weeks into night training, nights are very solid.

We’re starting gentle nap training this week because daytime and naps are really holding us back from getting on a consistent schedule and getting to a solid 3 nap schedule.

When her first nap is good, we protect the day and ensure it’s a 3 nap day because she can handle longer wake windows - but when it’s 30-35 mins. She really struggles to even make another 2 hours despite all my distractions.

Yesterday was 2/2.5/2.5/2.75 (more like 2h40) - I know I need to add wake time but my question is more so if it matters where?

She’s always had a 2 hour first WW (doesn’t fall asleep independently yet) and it’s rare she connect sleeps cycles. But she falls asleep anywhere from 8-12 minutes.

Should I follow 2.25/2.5/2.5/2.75? Instead of 2/2.5/2.5/3? To see if it can help that first nap? Or is it too soon to say because she isn’t falling asleep Independently for naps yet?

Any advice welcome

On almost 2 weeks of night training with 5.5MO. nights are going really well and having a few nights with no tears at all at bedtime.

I want to tackle naps because they are very inconsistent - and it’s really creating a mess of getting on a proper schedule - she also used a pacifier for naps still and I want to take it for naps before 6 months.

I want to use the gentle nap training guide from this sub but have a few questions and hopefully someone can clear them up a little

- once it works for the first nap of the day , do I try the rest of her naps like this for the rest of that same day?

Or do I just only do this for her first nap for a few days ? And then move onto others?

Would I lay her down 10 mins before end of WW? Or how soon before.

Apologies if these are answered already or in comments - was a little confused really through comments of others.

My daughter is 5 months & almost 2 weeks, we started night training last Friday. She’s doing great!

We haven’t nap trained yet and she still uses a pacifier for those but not at night.

We are still stuck in basically all 30 minute naps. She has extended her first nap 1-2 times since we started- but mostly not, and the wake window is always pretty much the same , and she falls asleep in 10-12 mins usually. I’m just constantly given wake window advice and I honestly feel like sometimes it just makes the stress of it worse.

I feel like if it was wake windows you’d see some variances with the “short” naps but they are literally 30 mins in the nose every day

I know nights don’t always carry over to days, and I will probably need to nap train for independent naps too.

But just looking for advice and if there’s a light at the end of the tunnel with these short naps 😂 it makes managing the day so incredibly difficult and it’s so much effort and planning for such short increments of sleep.

I totally know it’s a phase, but it’s been mentally draining.

What were your experiences at this age? When did you see an improvement?

Would you consider just nap training now? And did you see an improvement.

I’m mentally exhausted from nap math. Lol

We’ve done 8 nights of TCB with our 5-month-old, and overall things are going really well! Bedtime has improved so much, and nights have honestly gone better than I expected.

The one thing I’m still struggling with is the early mornings. I know they’re often the last thing to improve, but when did they get better for you?

She isn’t waking up for the day. It’s usually a brief cry, her eyes are closed, then back to sleep, or she’ll fuss on and off for a few minutes before settling again. We had one morning where she was on and off trying to fall back asleep for about 20 minutes before she finally gave up, but most mornings are very brief, eyes shut and trying to sleep.

I’ll be honest, I struggle with postpartum anxiety, and sleep is something I tend to try to control. I’m constantly wondering if these early mornings are developmental or if I’m creating them with her schedule. Before she’s even awake for the day, I’m up at all hours thinking about her schedule the next day. And I know the nap transition is the cause because when she was solid on 4 naps I never felt like this - even when she slept poorly at night.

To make things more complicated, we’re also right in the middle of the 4-to-3 nap transition. She seems to max out around 14-14.25 hours of total sleep, but her wake windows aren’t consistently long enough for a true 3-nap schedule yet. On good days she can stretch to about 2.5 hours before bed, if she has 2 longer naps. My issue is that if does a 3 nap day her total wake time is much less, daytime sleep is a little higher and she seems to wake much earlier as a result.

I guess I’m just looking for some encouragement from anyone who remembers this stage. Or any advice?

- When did those early morning wake-ups/fussing finally settle down?

- Did anyone else feel like they were stuck between 3 and 4 naps for a while? Or have any advice here

-Any words of reassurance that this messy transition phase eventually passes?

I know every baby is different. I think I just need to hear from people who have come out the other side because right now it feels like I’m overthinking every nap and every morning before they even begin.

My daughter is 5 months (23 weeks) today.

I’m looking for some experiences with the gentle nap training guide in this group!

We are one week into night training using TCB, and it’s gone much better than I expected. In 7 nights we’ve only needed 3 pop-ins total, and the last couple of nights she’s fallen asleep independently in under 10 minutes with little to no crying.

Naps are still trickier. Before we started, crib naps were 30 minutes almost on the dot. Since night training, we’ve seen some improvement. Those short naps are like 40-45 minutes, and she’s started consolidating her first nap fairly consistently (using the same wake windows).

We are transitioning to 3 naps so when naps are short it makes the day very hard. So I’m so wondering if some nap training will help lengthen these naps make a 3 nap schedule run smoother!

I’m wondering if this is a good time to start the gentle nap training guide since nights are going so well, or if it’s still too soon. I’m more interested in the gentle approach than the TCB nap guide, as it feels like a better fit for us.

I’d love to hear from parents who started around this age:

* Did gentle nap training help your baby settle back to sleep between cycles or lengthen naps more consistently?
* How long did it take before you noticed a difference?

One other thing I’m wondering about

She has never lengthened an on-the-go nap (car seat, stroller, carrier, etc.). Did this improve with age for your baby? I feel a little tied to the house right now because we’re trying to encourage good crib naps during this transition.

I’d also love for her to become more independent with naps in general. Right now she’ll nap in her crib for me (with a little settling), but for grandparents or dad she usually has to be held so it’s hard to ever leave her (she also refuses a bottle lol)

Any experiences or insight is greatly appreciated!

I’m having trouble understanding how much total wake time is needed for my daughter.

She is 5 months old and we started sleep training last week - she is doing phenomenal! No night wakes and falling asleep at bedtime in under 20 mins - and recently less than 10.

I’m having trouble understanding how much total wake time she needs and what the minimum is.

We are stuck on 4 naps right now and struggling with the transition but I have been trying not to force it while we begin sleep training - especially because she is doing well.

This group seems to drive 10 hours of wake time at a minimum of a 2/2.5/2.5/3 schedule - hut she is barely making it past 2 hours - but falling asleep pretty easily for naps and bedtime

I’m in another sleep training group on Facebook that outlines 2 different schedules where the total wake time for the day is 8.5-9.25 hours - and the TCB schedule i was recommended was 9.

Is there a range with total wake time ? And is it expected for that to drop briefly when you first drop a nap?

We have completed 3 nights of TCB with our 5-month-old and she is doing really well.

Night 1 and 2 were about 20 minutes of crying at bedtime. Night 1 had one brief wake-up where she put herself back to sleep. Night 3 had no crying at bedtime, she was asleep within 7 minutes and slept through the night.

I’m noticing since starting, she actually seems more tired, especially in the morning. Before sleep training I was constantly being told to stretch wake windows and work toward a 3-nap schedule. Instead, she seems to be getting tired sooner now since we began.

For example, the last few days I’ve been putting her down around 1h40-1h45 after waking, and she’s falling asleep within 5-10 minutes (usually asleep by around 1h50). She also consistently takes her longest nap of the day as her first nap.

She’s falling asleep easily for all naps, doesn’t seem to be fighting sleep, and is sleeping well overnight. The challenge is that she’s still on 4 naps and I often have to cap naps to fit them all into the day.

Current schedule is roughly:
Bedtime 7:30-7:45 PM
Wake 6:30-7:00 AM (I wake her at 7 if she’s still asleep)
4 naps

Is this normal? Or has anyone else experienced this?

Will she move more towards a 3 nap schedule over the next couple of weeks? She can’t make the wake windows for the total wake time for a 3 nap schedule yet.

We have completed 3 nights of TCB with our 5-month-old and she is doing really well.

Night 1 and 2 were about 20 minutes of crying at bedtime. Night 1 had one brief wake-up where she put herself back to sleep. Night 3 had no crying at bedtime, she was asleep within 7 minutes and slept through the night.

I’m noticing since starting, she actually seems more tired, especially in the morning. Before sleep training I was constantly being told to stretch wake windows and work toward a 3-nap schedule. Instead, she seems to be getting tired sooner now since we began.

For example, the last few days I’ve been putting her down around 1h40-1h45 after waking, and she’s falling asleep within 5-10 minutes (usually asleep by around 1h50). She also consistently takes her longest nap of the day as her first nap.

She’s falling asleep easily for all naps, doesn’t seem to be fighting sleep, and is sleeping well overnight. The challenge is that she’s still on 4 naps and I often have to cap naps to fit them all into the day.

Current schedule is roughly:
Bedtime 7:30-7:45 PM
Wake 6:30-7:00 AM (I wake her at 7 if she’s still asleep)
4 naps

Is this normal? Or has anyone else experienced this?

Will she move more towards a 3 nap schedule over the next couple of weeks? She can’t make the wake windows for the total wake time for a 3 nap schedule yet.

I’m starting to sleep train my almost 5MO(21 weeks) next week.

Currently she wakes between 5-5:30 feeds back to sleep no problem.

I know this is considered nighttime according to TCB (this is the course I’m using to ST) , and we are drawing the line at morning is 6am wake time.

What should I do in this scenario? To me it seems like she just needs help getting back to sleep. But my worry is that she will wake at 5am, and likely cry for an hour until 6am lol. Which if this happens then that’s it.

During this wake goes immediately back to sleep while nursing and it honestly just seems like she needs help getting back to sleep.

However, according to night weaning videos it would be recommended to initiate a feeding earlier and not in response to a cry - but I’m
Worried she will just wake at 5am anyways and then I’ll create a habit of waking for a feed another time too. Especially because that period from 4-7am is the toughest at first

This is new within the last week and she went through the night without needs feeds for 1.5 months or more.

I have watched all the videos in the abcs of sleep but this is my biggest question mark right now, am I overthinking this? Do I just see how the first few nights go?

I’m starting to sleep train my almost 5MO(21 weeks) next week.

Currently she wakes between 5-5:30 feeds back to sleep no problem.

I know this is considered nighttime according to TCB, and we are drawing the line at morning is 6am.

What should I do in this scenario? To me it seems like she just needs help getting back to sleep. But my worry is that she will wake at 5am, and likely cry for an hour until 6am lol. Which if this happens then that’s it.

However, according to night weaning videos it would be recommended to initiate a feeding earlier - but I’m
Worried she will just wake at 5am anyways and then I’ll create a habit of waking for a feed another time.

This is new within the last week and she went through the night without needs feeds for 1.5 months or more.

I have watched all the videos in the abcs of sleep but this is my biggest question mark right now

Looking for some advice on bridge naps.

My daughter is almost 5 months old (20 weeks). She is showing all the signs that she’s moving toward only 3 naps

Prior to this, bedtime was typically around 8:30 PM. Lately, despite capping naps and even waking her in the morning, bedtime has been drifting later and later and is often around 9:00 PM or later (which pushes out morning later and later to get her a minimum of 10.5 hours sleep 😑)
She also wakes every morning at 5:30 and can’t get back to sleep unless I feed her (sleeps until 7:30 when I wake her)

The problem is that her naps haven’t fully consolidated yet. She still often takes 30-minute naps, although some days she’ll give me one longer nap (typically has to be contact nap)

Her wake windows are generally around 2 hours, with about 2.25 hours before bed. The issue is that if she wakes from her third nap around 4:00-4:15 PM bedtime would be like 6:45 which is 2 hours earlier than normal, but a full 30-minute 4th nap often pushes bedtime even later.

I’m starting sleep training next week and have been advised not to make any dramatic schedule changes beforehand. Because of that, I’m trying to make gentle adjustments rather than forcing a 3-nap schedule before she’s ready.

I’m considering replacing the full 30-minute 4th nap with a 15-20 minute bridge nap and then bringing bedtime slightly earlier. My hope is that it could help stop bedtime from drifting later while also acting as a buffer during this transition period until it’s no longer needed.

Ideally, I’d like to gradually move bedtime toward the 7:00-7:30 PM range over time, especially as we prepare for sleep training. I’m wondering if a bridge nap is an effective way to both handle the transition and slowly shift bedtime earlier, or if I’m thinking about this the wrong way?

I’m seeing conflicting information about the wake window after a bridge nap. Some sources say to use the same wake window as after a normal nap, while others suggest shortening it because the nap was only meant to take the edge off rather than function as a true nap?

For example, if she wakes from her third nap around 4:00-4:15 PM and I offer a 15-20 minute bridge nap around 6:15 PM - 6:30 or so what would you consider a reasonable bedtime afterward?

I’m also struggling to picture how this transition actually works in real life. If a bridge nap is the answer, how do you eventually phase it out? Do babies naturally start refusing it? Do you gradually shorten it? How did you know it was time to stop offering it?

For those who used bridge naps or know how to use them
- can this help move bedtime earlier? And help transition to 3 naps
- would it help with 5:30 wake? Sleep consultant seems to think it’s because she can’t put herself back to sleep and simply needs help.
- how do I handle the wake window after the bridge nap?
- How did you eventually phase the bridge nap out?

Would love to hear experiences from anyone who has been through this stage because I feel like we’re stuck between schedules right now. First-time mom here and I’m having a hard time picturing what this transition is actually supposed to look like.

Looking for some advice on bridge naps.

My daughter is almost 5 months old (20 weeks). She is showing all the signs that she’s moving toward only 3 naps

Prior to this, bedtime was typically around 8:30 PM. Lately, despite capping naps and even waking her in the morning, bedtime has been drifting later and later and is often around 9:00 PM or later (which pushes out morning later and later to get her a minimum of 10.5 hours sleep 😑)
She also wakes every morning at 5:30 and can’t get back to sleep unless I feed her (sleeps until 7:30 when I wake her)

The problem is that her naps haven’t fully consolidated yet. She still often takes 30-minute naps, although some days she’ll give me one longer nap (typically has to be contact nap)

Her wake windows are generally around 2 hours, with about 2.25 hours before bed. The issue is that if she wakes from her third nap around 4:00-4:15 PM bedtime would be like 6:45 which is 2 hours earlier than normal, but a full 30-minute 4th nap often pushes bedtime even later.

I’m starting sleep training next week and have been advised not to make any dramatic schedule changes beforehand. Because of that, I’m trying to make gentle adjustments rather than forcing a 3-nap schedule before she’s ready.

I’m considering replacing the full 30-minute 4th nap with a 15-20 minute bridge nap and then bringing bedtime slightly earlier. My hope is that it could help stop bedtime from drifting later while also acting as a buffer during this transition period until it’s no longer needed.

Ideally, I’d like to gradually move bedtime toward the 7:00-7:30 PM range over time, especially as we prepare for sleep training. I’m wondering if a bridge nap is an effective way to both handle the transition and slowly shift bedtime earlier, or if I’m thinking about this the wrong way?

I’m seeing conflicting information about the wake window after a bridge nap. Some sources say to use the same wake window as after a normal nap, while others suggest shortening it because the nap was only meant to take the edge off rather than function as a true nap?

For example, if she wakes from her third nap around 4:00-4:15 PM and I offer a 15-20 minute bridge nap around 6:15 PM - 6:30 or so what would you consider a reasonable bedtime afterward?

I’m also struggling to picture how this transition actually works in real life. If a bridge nap is the answer, how do you eventually phase it out? Do babies naturally start refusing it? Do you gradually shorten it? How did you know it was time to stop offering it?

For those who used bridge naps or know how to use them
- can this help move bedtime earlier? And help transition to 3 naps
- would it help with 5:30 wake? Sleep consultant seems to think it’s because she can’t put herself back to sleep and simply needs help.
- how do I handle the wake window after the bridge nap?
- How did you eventually phase the bridge nap out?

Would love to hear experiences from anyone who has been through this stage because I feel like we’re stuck between schedules right now. First-time mom here and I’m having a hard time picturing what this transition is actually supposed to look like.

Looking for some advice on bridge naps.

My daughter is almost 5 months old (20 weeks). She is showing all the signs that she’s moving toward only 3 naps

Prior to this, bedtime was typically around 8:30 PM. Lately, despite capping naps and even waking her in the morning, bedtime has been drifting later and later and is often around 9:00 PM or later (which pushes out morning later and later to get her a minimum of 10.5 hours sleep 😑)
She also wakes every morning at 5:30 and can’t get back to sleep unless I feed her (sleeps until 7:30 when I wake her)

The problem is that her naps haven’t fully consolidated yet. She still often takes 30-minute naps, although some days she’ll give me one longer nap (typically has to be contact nap)

Her wake windows are generally around 2 hours, with about 2.25 hours before bed. The issue is that if she wakes from her third nap around 4:00-4:15 PM bedtime would be like 6:45 which is 2 hours earlier than normal, but a full 30-minute 4th nap often pushes bedtime even later.

I’m starting sleep training next week and have been advised not to make any dramatic schedule changes beforehand. Because of that, I’m trying to make gentle adjustments rather than forcing a 3-nap schedule before she’s ready.

I’m considering replacing the full 30-minute 4th nap with a 15-20 minute bridge nap and then bringing bedtime slightly earlier. My hope is that it could help stop bedtime from drifting later while also acting as a buffer during this transition period until it’s no longer needed.

Ideally, I’d like to gradually move bedtime toward the 7:00-7:30 PM range over time, especially as we prepare for sleep training. I’m wondering if a bridge nap is an effective way to both handle the transition and slowly shift bedtime earlier, or if I’m thinking about this the wrong way?

I’m seeing conflicting information about the wake window after a bridge nap. Some sources say to use the same wake window as after a normal nap, while others suggest shortening it because the nap was only meant to take the edge off rather than function as a true nap?

For example, if she wakes from her third nap around 4:00-4:15 PM and I offer a 15-20 minute bridge nap around 6:15 PM - 6:30 or so what would you consider a reasonable bedtime afterward?

I’m also struggling to picture how this transition actually works in real life. If a bridge nap is the answer, how do you eventually phase it out? Do babies naturally start refusing it? Do you gradually shorten it? How did you know it was time to stop offering it?

For those who used bridge naps or know how to use them
- can this help move bedtime earlier? And help transition to 3 naps
- would it help with 5:30 wake? Sleep consultant seems to think it’s because she can’t put herself back to sleep and simply needs help.
- how do I handle the wake window after the bridge nap?
- How did you eventually phase the bridge nap out?

Would love to hear experiences from anyone who has been through this stage because I feel like we’re stuck between schedules right now. First-time mom here and I’m having a hard time picturing what this transition is actually supposed to look like.

My daughter is 5MO

I posted here a few days ago about our current struggle of the 3/4 nap transition (stuck in the short nap loop so we still need 4 even when 1 is contact nap)

I’ve been working on extending first 2 wake windows in hopes of getting some longer nap then if we don’t - I contact nap for nap 3 and we do a quick stroller or car nap to get us to bedtime.

We haven’t sleep trained yet - we are starting next week after she turns 5months and we have more nights home.

I know it won’t improve naps right away, but did anyone notice a different once baby learned to self settle at night?

Did you eventually need to nap train? And when did you start after nights ?
When did you notice an improvement in nap length for a more solid 3 nap routine?

My daughter is 5MO

I posted here a few days ago about our current struggle of the 3/4 nap transition (stuck in the short nap loop so we still need 4 even when 1 is contact nap)

I’ve been working on extending first 2 wake windows in hopes of getting some longer nap then if we don’t - I contact nap for nap 3 and we do a quick stroller or car nap to get us to bedtime.

We haven’t sleep trained yet - we are starting next week after she turns 5months and we have more nights home.

I know it won’t improve naps right away, but did anyone notice a different once baby learned to self settle at night?

Did you eventually need to nap train? And when did you start after nights ?
When did you notice an improvement in nap length for a more solid 3 nap routine?

Daughter will be 5 months old on 06/16.

We haven’t sleep trained yet but are planning to start next week using TCB. She’s currently still on 4 naps because naps remain very inconsistent.

Im seeing a lot of conflicting advice around transitioning to 3 naps. Some sources say all wake windows need to be at least 2 hours, while others suggest something more like 1.75/2/2.25.

Our main issue is naps. Most are still 30-35 minutes despite tweaking wake windows. She occasionally connects cycles and gives us one 1.5-hour nap, but that’s not consistent yet.

The awkward part is that she’s already averaging around 9.5 hours of wake time per day, but her naps aren’t consolidated enough to comfortably make a 3-nap schedule work unless I go back to rescuing naps with contact naps - which doesn’t always work unless i do it for the entire nap.

The last 5-6 nights she’s also been waking around 5:30-6:00 AM for a feed, taking a full feed, and then going back to sleep until about 7:30-7:45. I know that technically isn’t considered an early morning wake since she goes back to sleep, but I’m wondering if it’s just the fragile early morning hours or if it could be related to daytime sleep.

Is it still normal for an almost-5-month-old to be stuck between 4 and 3 naps like this if naps haven’t consolidated yet?

For those who sleep trained around this age, did night training first help naps improve at all before you formally nap trained?

Daughter will be 5 months old on 06/16.

We haven’t sleep trained yet but are planning to start next week using TCB. She’s currently still on 4 naps because naps remain very inconsistent.

Im seeing a lot of conflicting advice around transitioning to 3 naps. Some sources say all wake windows need to be at least 2 hours, while others suggest something more like 1.75/2/2.25.

Our main issue is naps. Most are still 30-35 minutes despite tweaking wake windows. She occasionally connects cycles and gives us one 1.5-hour nap, but that’s not consistent yet.

The awkward part is that she’s already averaging around 9.5 hours of wake time per day, but her naps aren’t consolidated enough to comfortably make a 3-nap schedule work unless I go back to rescuing naps with contact naps - which doesn’t always work unless i do it for the entire nap.

The last 5-6 nights she’s also been waking around 5:30-6:00 AM for a feed, taking a full feed, and then going back to sleep until about 7:30-7:45. I know that technically isn’t considered an early morning wake since she goes back to sleep, but I’m wondering if it’s just the fragile early morning hours or if it could be related to daytime sleep.

Is it still normal for an almost-5-month-old to be stuck between 4 and 3 naps like this if naps haven’t consolidated yet?

For those who sleep trained around this age, did night training first help naps improve at all before you formally nap trained?

Daughter will be 5 months old on 06/16.

We haven’t sleep trained yet but are planning to start next week using TCB. She’s currently still on 4 naps because naps remain very inconsistent.

Im seeing a lot of conflicting advice around transitioning to 3 naps. Some sources say all wake windows need to be at least 2 hours, while others suggest something more like 1.75/2/2.25.

Our main issue is naps. Most are still 30-35 minutes despite tweaking wake windows. She occasionally connects cycles and gives us one 1.5-hour nap, but that’s not consistent yet.

The awkward part is that she’s already averaging around 9.5 hours of wake time per day, but her naps aren’t consolidated enough to comfortably make a 3-nap schedule work unless I go back to rescuing naps with contact naps - which doesn’t always work unless i do it for the entire nap.

The last 5-6 nights she’s also been waking around 5:30-6:00 AM for a feed, taking a full feed, and then going back to sleep until about 7:30-7:45. I know that technically isn’t considered an early morning wake since she goes back to sleep, but I’m wondering if it’s just the fragile early morning hours or if it could be related to daytime sleep.

Is it still normal for an almost-5-month-old to be stuck between 4 and 3 naps like this if naps haven’t consolidated yet?

For those who sleep trained around this age, did night training first help naps improve at all before you formally nap trained?

Night feeds advice- starting ST

Baby will be 5 months old in a few days and we’re planning to start sleep training next week.

She is EBF and currently on 4 naps. Day starts around 7:30-8:00 AM and bedtime usually falls around 8:30 PM depending on the last nap and WW.

Right now she consistently wakes between 5:30-6:00 AM for a feed. She takes a full feed, then goes back to sleep within a few minutes and sleeps until her normal wake-up time. This makes me think she’s genuinely hungry, but also genuinely still tired.

My long-term goal is for bedtime to move earlier as naps improve and we transition to 3 naps. At that point, I wouldn’t mind a 6:00 AM wake-up. My concern is that right now a 6:00 AM start to the day would leave her with less than 10 hours overnight, and she really does seem to need that extra sleep after the feed.

I’m using TCB, which recommends initiating feeds rather than feeding in response to crying/waking.
My question is: how would you approach this feed when starting sleep training?

Do I:

Set an alarm and initiate a feed before she typically wakes on her own? If so , what time? And will that just create a habit of her waking twice a night lol

Wait and see what happens once independent sleep is established?

Treat this as a night feed and continue feeding if she’s waking hungry?

My concern is that 4-7 AM is often the hardest part of the night. If she wakes at 6:00 AM, takes a full feed, and then is expected to go back to sleep independently, I’m worried she may not be able to get back to sleep even though she still needs the sleep- and we’ll end up just eventually starting her day
Eventually I would love wean night feeds as she only takes 1 and it is close to morning anyways.

Would love to hear how others handled early morning feeds when starting sleep training around 5 months.

Baby will be 5 months old in a few days and we’re planning to start sleep training next week.

She is EBF and currently on 4 naps. Day starts around 7:30-8:00 AM and bedtime usually falls around 8:30 PM depending on the last nap and WW.

Right now she consistently wakes between 5:30-6:00 AM for a feed. She takes a full feed, then goes back to sleep within a few minutes and sleeps until her normal wake-up time. This makes me think she’s genuinely hungry, but also genuinely still tired.

My long-term goal is for bedtime to move earlier as naps improve and we transition to 3 naps. At that point, I wouldn’t mind a 6:00 AM wake-up. My concern is that right now a 6:00 AM start to the day would leave her with less than 10 hours overnight, and she really does seem to need that extra sleep after the feed.

I’m using TCB, which recommends initiating feeds rather than feeding in response to crying/waking.
My question is: how would you approach this feed when starting sleep training?

Do I:

Set an alarm and initiate a feed before she typically wakes on her own? If so , what time? And will that just create a habit of her waking twice a night lol

Wait and see what happens once independent sleep is established?

Treat this as a night feed and continue feeding if she’s waking hungry?

My concern is that 4-7 AM is often the hardest part of the night. If she wakes at 6:00 AM, takes a full feed, and then is expected to go back to sleep independently, I’m worried she may not be able to get back to sleep even though she still needs the sleep- and we’ll end up just eventually starting her day
Eventually I would love wean night feeds as she only takes 1 and it is close to morning anyways.

Would love to hear how others handled early morning feeds when starting sleep training around 5 months.