What to Expect at 5 to 6 months with your baby

overview of what to expect at 5-6 months with your baby

This is the age when your baby is now developmentally ready to consistently connect sleep cycles during naps.

This means longer, more predictable naps once nap-trained!

Many babies are also able to remove all overnight feeds at this age, which means extra sleep for everyone! 

Developmental milestones at 5-6 months of age

Practice these new skills as much as possible during the daytime so that they are more proficient and less distracted by the skills during sleep times. 

• Rolling- transition out of Magic Merlin suit if still using
• Reaching and grasping- if still using a pacifier your baby may be able to find and replace. Although we recommend removing the pacifier between 4-6 months for best sleep results
• Increased babbling
• Laugh and giggle–THE BEST!
• Sitting with support and transitioning to sitting independently
• Early crawlers at 6 months-Time to Baby Proof! Get our Free Baby Proofing Checklist HERE
• Learning cause and effect-Example: if they drop a toy they know you will pick it up for them and they may do this over and over again!
• Developing object permanence-They learn that you still exist even when they can’t see you

sleep at 5-6 months of age

Your baby needs an average of 12-16 hours of sleep during a 24 hour period. This is usually divided between overnight sleep and 3 naps a day at 5 months or 2-3 naps at 6 months.

Babies thrive on a 12 hour daily schedule. Babies are naturally early risers between 6-8 AM. Bedtime should fall between 6-8 PM.

It’s important to still monitor wake windows and sleep cues vs a set nap schedule. A set nap schedule falls into place once your baby is taking two longer naps during the day

Overnight sleep at 5-6 months:

• 11-12 hours of overnight sleep
• Majority of babies are ready to sleep through the night without an overnight feed

Naps at 5-6 months: 

• Total of 3-3.5 hours of total daytime sleep
• Some babies may be able to have 4 hours of daytime sleep and maintain 11-12 hours of sleep overnight
• Wake windows at 5 months are 2-2.5 hours
• Wake windows at 6 months are 2-3 hours
• Wake windows increase as the day progresses 
• The third nap of the day is usually a shorter cat nap
• The last nap should end between 4-5 pm to keep bedtime on track!

If your baby is still waking frequently overnight or needs lots of assistance from you to settle then it’s time to work on independent sleep. The Well Rested Course includes a customizable step-by-step plan to help your baby fall asleep independently, wean overnight feeds (both breast and bottle), and sleep 11-12 hours overnight.

feeding at 5-6 months of age

• 5-6 full feeds per day every 2.5-3.5 hours
• This helps to avoid a snacking cycle  
• If bottle feeding 6+oz per bottle 
• Most babies are ready to wean all overnight feeds
• Can begin solids after Pediatric provider approves and baby is sitting independently (this milestone helps baby effectively swallow by ensuring all pathways are open with sitting posture)
• Can introduce an open cup and straw cup
• OK to offer small sips of water in a cup when introducing solids
• Water should not replace breastmilk or formula
• Get your highchair, bibs, and spoons ready-Lalo has some of my favorite baby feeding products

Common challenges at 5-6 months of age

• Frequent night wakings, that have persisted after the 4 month sleep regression
• Short/resistance to naps- waking after 1 sleep cycle at 30-45 minutes
• Early morning wakings- anything prior to 6am
• New rolling with sleep
• Onset protest at bedtime & unable to put self to sleep
• Snacking and grazing during the day due to overnight feeds that leads to reverse cycle feeding

support and achievable goals

5-6 months is the perfect time to begin working on nap training and weaning overnight feeds and begin the sleep coaching process. We are here to support both processes! 

Falling asleep and connecting sleep cycles independently is a learned skill that we need to teach them with patience, practice, and a consistent plan that includes more than just the sleep training method. Our goal is to set them up for success by implementing age-appropriate schedules/routines/feeding so they are able to: 

• Sleep 11-12 hours through the night
• Remove overnight feeds
• Fall asleep independently at bedtime and naps
• Start to lengthen naps!

This is the GOLDEN time to work on independent sleep skills and teach your baby to fall asleep without sleep props such as rocking, feeding, or holding to sleep. Babies between 3-6 months are the fastest to adapt to sleep training!

What resources do you have to help me through this time?

If you’re facing multiple wake ups, short naps, and sleep resistance, I have a class for you. The 4-24 Month Well Rested Collection will walk you step-by-step through a completely customizable sleep training experience. In just a few weeks, your baby will be getting 11-12 hours of independent night sleep, AND you’ll have a plan to navigate any future regressions or bumps in your journey. I’ll also help you set up a daytime routine and nap schedule that fits your family’s lifestyle and values. And you’ll get age-specific guidance to meet your baby right where he or she is developmentally at every stage from now until your baby turns 2.

Want daily personalized support? We have 1:1 sleep coaching programs to help! We work with your family for 2 weeks to help your baby with both overnight sleep and nap challenges. You don’t have to navigate your sleep journey alone with our Ultimate Sleep Plan.

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