Let me just preface this post by saying that ALL BABIES ARE DIFFERENT. Please do not think your baby will automatically start sleeping through the night just by implementing these tips and this sleep training schedule. Babies are good at different things and mine just happens to be really good at sleeping.
That being said, my hope is that this does help you tremendously and that you will get more sleep from it.
*Updated to have both Miller and Callen’s schedules. Both were sleeping through the night by 3 months old.
Callen’s Sleep Training Schedule
Callen is on the Moms on Call 3 month sleep training schedule and thriving on it. Unlike Miller, we were very BY THE BOOK when it came to his sleep training. We wake him up every morning at 7 am for his first feed and then his schedule is basically like this:
7am feed, then awake time (sometimes he is awake and talking in his crib and sometimes we have to go in and wake him up)
8:30 back to sleep
10am feed, then awake time
11:30 back to sleep
1pm feed, then awake time
2:30, back to sleep
4pm feed, then awake time
5:30 back to sleep
7pm feed, then to bed for the night
We started sleep training at 4 weeks old and that is how we are now sleeping through the night at 3 months old. I highly suggest started AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE and that includes transferring them to their own room ASAP. Moms on Call teaches you how to stretch them so that they can hold their hunger longer and longer between feeds which results in longer and longer sleep.
We tried putting Callen in a sleep sack right at three months but he was rolling to his tummy and screaming because he couldn’t roll back over so we would have to keep going in throughout the night to flip him back. We put him back in his Merlin and he is back to sleeping through the night. He has not tried rolling over in his Merlin Sleep Suit yet.
He will move to the four month sleep training schedule in just a couple of weeks!
HIGHLY suggest buying the Moms on Call book and trying your best to stick to that schedule. These days Callen doesn’t make a peep all night long from 7:30pm to 7am when we go in and WAKE him up!! It is crazy! I attribute both of my babies being awesome sleepers to 1.moms on call and 2.to us for sticking with it and to it!
*I will say it was a little easier with Callen because he was bottle fed so we knew exactly how many oz he was getting each night! We also have done half formula half breastmilk for his last feed of the day since he was a month old to try to get a longer stretch.
Miller’s Sleep Training Schedule
*Miller was 2 1/2 months old when I wrote this post. She was our first baby so we broke the rules a little bit while sleep training! Both ways worked for us. All babies are different so you will get a feel for which schedule works best for you once you start.
for Miller: We started incorporating the Moms on Call schedule, but we don’t necessarily stick to it. Meaning I do not make sure Miller is awake at 7 am and we do NOT wake Miller up from each nap after an hour and a half. I think being on a schedule is great, but it doesn’t have to be the same one as in the book.
*The most important thing is that you put your baby down for bed by 7:30 PM.
Lately, Miller has been sleeping until 5 or 6, so after I feed her she usually goes back down until around 8:30 am.
If she wakes up at 8:30, this is what her schedule would look like *approximately*-
- 8:30-9:45 feed, then awake time
Daytime Routine: I feed her in my room or in the living room. Bright. When we put her down during the day we always use the Hatch Baby Rest Sound Machine and we open her shutters so that light pours in (not too bright though… just enough so that she knows it is daytime.) She is swaddled for EVERY NAP and at BEDTIME! This is super important.
- 9:45-11:15 sleep (if she goes over this that’s ok, we just don’t let her sleep longer than 2 hours)
- 11:15-12:45 feed, then awake time
- 12:45-2:00 sleep (she starts sleeping less as the day goes on)
- 2:00-3:15 feed, then awake time
- 3:15-4:15 sleep
- 4:15-5:30 feed, then awake time
and this is where it gets wonky
- 5:30-6:15 nap- if we are lucky…. sometimes it is shorter.
- 6:15-7 awake time (we usually cook during this time and put her in the bouncer in the kitchen so she can watch us. It distracts her from wanting to eat or sleep!) Find something that distracts your baby during this witching hour.
Sometimes we bathe her during this time but we definitely don’t bathe her every night like the Moms on Call book suggests. We probably bathe her 2-3 times a week. She does tend to sleep a little better after a bath I think, but we just don’t have time to do it every night.
7pm feed (This is her 6th feed of the day. I let her go to town as long as she wants/needs so that she is completely full for bed!) Milk supply goes down more and more throughout the day. Try pumping one night at 7pm to see what you are producing at that time. You may need to supplement with another ounce or two from reserves or with formula.
in bed by 7:30 *we started this at 8 weeks. I think before that it says ti put them down from 9-9:30. There are completely different schedules for different ages in the book!
Bedtime Routine: This is the only time I feed her in her room. The lights are always off and her Hatch Baby Rest sound machine and nightlight is on. I also rock her while I feed. Then I put her in the crib, change her diaper, put her Owlet sock on, and swaddle her. Then, I turn off the Hatch Baby Rest and turn on the Hushh Portable Sound Machine and put it in her crib with her. I think the change in noise also helps her recognize that it is bedtime.
Oh and we also always put her in a footie (these Magnetic Me footies are the best of the best) to sleep in. I can’t stand the thought of her little feet being cold! We also do not put her in fleece to sleep because we don’t want her getting too warm. Room temps should stay between 68-72. You could try 68 and see how she sleeps and then try 72 and see if she sleeps better. Some babies like it cool and some like it hot! *Callen loves his Kyte Baby onesies as well. So crazy soft!
Please note that sometimes Miller wakes up around 7:30. When this happens we just add another 10 minutes here and there to her awake time and naps! Don’t stress if your baby gets off her schedule. They will have bad days, or you will be out running around town, or you may be traveling. The most important thing is to have your baby in bed NO LATER than 8:30 (but 7:30 is the goal!)
So weird, but the very first time we put Miller down by 7:30 she slept 11 hours! Early bedtime is key!
Taking Cara Babies vs Moms On Call
This is the big question, right? There are so many sleep training methods out there, but these seem to be the two most popular.
This may not be what you want to hear, but you really need to do BOTH.
Taking Cara Babies
Start with Taking Cara Babies. This is an $80 course and it is a MUST WATCH! I suggest watching it the last month of your pregnancy or right when you get home with your baby! They are short videos that you can watch while you are feeding.
There are videos, blog posts, printouts, etc all at your disposal for the $80. You can also call them at ANY TIME and they will help you with whatever you are struggling with. If your baby just won’t sleep they will ask you questions and try to figure out what you can do to get your baby to sleep.
We learned so much through this course.
Before the course, Miller would fuss and cry and we were SURE she was a colicky baby. We laugh about that now! After taking the course we QUICKLY realized nope, she was just tired!
We were letting her fall asleep whenever and wherever she wanted and she never really got good sleep that way. With her little baby reflexes, she would startle awake over and over again. This led her to be overtired and really hard to soothe.
The Taking Cara Babies course taught us how to recognize sleepy cues and taught us when to put her down! She was a completely different baby after that!
The course also taught us how to soothe her to get her to sleep, how to get her to put herself down for a nap, and how to prolong her sleep each night.
Doing these methods we had her sleeping longer and longer each night and napping so long and peacefully during the day! Those two things made life so easy for us and made us much more comfortable with her as new parents.
It really just helps you understand your baby more!
Moms on Call
The Moms on Call book isn’t just a sleep training book. It starts with what you should stock your medicine cabinet with, then talks about rashes, colds, how to bathe them, breastfeeding, formula feeding, and so much more. The back of the book is all about the sleep training. They have different schedules for different ages.
I think just having a schedule to look at and go by helped us immensely. Plus, Taking Cara Babies never put emphasis on when to put the baby down. Putting Miller down at 7 changed everything for us.
The book helps you with what to do if your baby wakes or what to do if your baby takes longer than 15 minutes to go back to sleep after the night feed.
Lastly, the book taught us to let her cry it out. I don’t mean for an hour. I mean for 5 minutes. A lot of you don’t support this, and I thought it was crazy at first too. But it is crazy how much this has helped us. She will cry out in the night for about 3-31/3 minutes and put herself back to sleep for five more hours. Before reading the book I would have gotten up after a minute and soothed her.
Taking Cara Babies only says the let them cry for 20 seconds before intervening. This is a huge difference. The 20 seconds didn’t work (we would have to do it over and over again throughout the night), the five minutes do. And weirdly, when she does cry for five minutes I can still go in and soothe her and she will go back to sleep!
They talk about how to soothe her back to sleep after five minutes in the book as well!
The Moms on Call book is only $20, so also VERY WORTH IT!
Things That Helped Us
Swaddle
Learning how to swaddle correctly SAVED US! It is everything! A good swaddle changes everything. Your baby will immediately sleep longer if they are swaddled right.
What is the right way? Nice and tight with their arms BY THEIR SIDE! We tried swaddling her with her arms up for a while because she loved having her hands up (before Taking Cara Babies) and wondered why she wasn’t sleeping well. After we took the Taking Cara Babies course we realized it wasn’t working because her reflexes could still wake her with her arms up.
We started using the Halo Sleep Swaddle when she was a week old and she immediately started sleeping longer. At 10 weeks we had to start using the Ollie Swaddle because she was getting too strong for the Halo (she would get her hands out, which would wake her, and she would suck on them in the middle of the night.) The Ollie Swaddle is amazing and keeps those arms in tight! She hasn’t been able to get them out yet!! It is worth every penny! You can actually skip the Halo Swaddle (wish we had known) and use the Ollie from the beginning!
*We then moved both kids to the Merlin Sleep Suit before transitioning to a sleep sack.
Night vs Day
*we do not do the below for Callen. For Callen, his room is pitch black for all of his naps and he is napping SO MUCH BETTER! Try both for your babies. If they aren’t napping well, make their room pitch black during the day too.
Make sure your baby knows day naps vs night sleep. Create a bedtime routine whether it’s reading to them, singing to them, rocking them, etc. We also use different noise machines and I think that really helps too! Make it light in their room during the day and pitch black at night (no night lights!)
The Moms on Call book says to bathe them every night. Again, I do not think that is necessary (especially in the Winter!) You can find another way to create a night routine.
Crib Sleeping
Transitioning her to her crib was a game changer as well. We already had her napping in there from a very early age (I think 2 weeks), so it was easy to have her start sleeping in there at night as well- especially with the Owlet sock! So much peace of mind with the sock.
*both kids were in the crib by 4 weeks old.
I know it is hard to put your baby in the crib. But I highly recommend getting the Owlet Sock and making the transition. You will both sleep SOOOO MUCH BETTER. If you are having trouble doing it, try moving the bassinet further and further away from you in the room until they are basically outside the door. Then you will both be ready. Also- start having your baby take naps in their crib asap if you aren’t already! This will get them used to being in their own room.
She slept for 11 hours the first night we put her in her crib!!!!
So many people ask me if the Owlet Sock is worth the money. 100% YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! I don’t think I could do it without it. If I wake up in the middle of the night I usually just check her readings and it calms me! I sleep more soundly knowing it is on her for sure. I think the comfort of knowing it will alert you and the potential of it maybe saving your baby one day is worth everything.
Skipping the Night Feeds
My friend Ashlee told me that as long as I kept pumping in the middle of the night the longer I would have to. Meaning, as soon as I stopped pumping I would gradually be able to go longer without needing to. And she was right!
At first, it really hurt. I would feed her at 7pm, put her down, and pump before I went to bed around 10pm. Then my boobs would wake me up around 4am in pain! I would be awake from 4am until whenever she woke up. But after a couple of days it didn’t hurt so bad and now I can go until around 6 am before they wake me up or start hurting.
My milk supply did go down a little. I thought it went down a lot so I pumped and fed for an entire day a couple of days ago to see what I was producing and it was actually just fine! Just enough! SO WORTH THE SLEEP!
You should definitely try to stop pumping in the middle of the night and see what happens. If your supply drops too low you can pick up the pumping again. You can also try supplements or lactation cookies. I actually make sure I eat alllll the good foods that help with milk production (leafy greens, peas, broccoli, carrots, nuts, mushrooms, avocados, etc!)
I know this was a super long post, so if you have any questions or if something confused you please don’t hesitate to ask me about it! Leave a comment below!
Also, if you got your baby to sleep through the night early on please let us know how below! Every baby is different and what works for Miller may not work for someone else! We mamas need all the help we can get!
PS- If you try these methods above and it works, I would LOOVEEEEE to hear about it!
Love this community!
Want more baby posts? I have so many Baby Tips on my blog!
xox Amanda
Comments
Sleep training babies is so important
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Wow, isn’t Callen’s last nap pretty late? We have similar schedule but everything is a bit later. And it seems to be working, since we have this routine established. We have this book that’ve been a huge help for us – it’s this one: https://www.parental-love.com/shop/baby-sleep-training. And since it’s basically step-by-step guide we just follow it and it’s going great. Can recommend!
Swaddling is definitely one of the best ideas to support sleep. At least for us it was.
But 80$? Wow. I’ve read a lot of good reviews about that but it quite a lot. I’ve used 6$ books form Susan Urban: https://www.parental-love.com/shop/baby-sleep-training and it worked perfectly! Gentle method, tips for newborns as well (like swaddling), simple instruction. I found it as enough. Maybe if we’ve had a problem… But it was a pretty standard I believe.
Yeah we used it every single night for two kids so $80 was totally worth it to us!! Xox A
I think it’s $179 now.
I love parental-love.com books and the fact that these are so cheap and cover everything you need! And the step-by-step book idea is brilliant!
Your baby takes four 90-minute naps per day, as well as sleeps 12 hours at night? resulting in just six hours of awake time in a 24 hour period? am i reading this wrong?
We get him up at 6:30pm to start bedtime routine, feed him at 7pm and put him back to sleep at 7:30 so he’s awake 7 hours a day bc he sleeps through the night! Which is a perfect amount of time for a baby his age that sleeps through the night to be awake!! He’s 4 months old now so his schedule has changed and he’s up a little longer now! Xox A
Thank you so much!! This List SO helpful in so many ways!!!
So happy this was helpful!!
Hi, my baby is about to be three months old – I have been trying the moms on call method. Unfortunately, I can’t get her to take a full feed right before bed. She usually just drinks a couple on ounces and falls asleep in my arms – any suggestions?
About 6 months ago I was struggling to get my baby to sleep and after visits to the doctor, sleepless night countless hours spent online looking for something to help my child nothing worked.
I called and spoke to numerous daycare centers and childcare places to see if anyone knew what could help my child.
It was really hurting me watching my baby go through this night after night not being able to sleep feeling helpless and unable to help.
It was by chance one day that I was ina chemist picking up some medication and I was speaking to the lady behind the counter and she told me about products that her daughter had been using on her granddaughter and she told me to give her my number and she would message it to me.
The product was a lifesaver, within a few days my child was back to normal and sleeping again it was cheaper than everything else I tried.
This video about sleep training helped us a lot https://bit.ly/35oDEiO
I am a huge advocate of this product and I have told all y friends and family about the product and some of my girlfriends have started using it and also swear by it.
I honestly can’t think this lady enough for what she had done for me and my child especially.
I’m sharing this I the hope it also helps someone one day.
Loved this post!!! Taking Cara Babies was a game changer for us. I also wasn’t letting my baby sleep enough and she was so fussy. Then I realized how much a newborn should be sleeping with the course!!
The Ollie swaddle is a game changer. We have two and wash one while we are using the other. Her room is SO dark for night time sleep we can’t see anything when we go in. But putting her down to bed between 7 and 7.30 is CRITICAL. If we go past that she’s waking up through the night. She sometimes wakes up around 5 or 6am wanting her pacifier but after we give it to her she usually goes back to sleep. If she doesn’t, I treat it like she woke up on the night. I don’t let her get up until after 7am (although I’ll allow anything after 6.50). So really she sleeps from 7.30pm to 7am. My MIL says how lucky we are and I politely let her know it took a LOT of work to establish her sleep routine. It was my full time job for about 4 weeks (and still is because she hit her 4 month sleep regression and her naps are suffering..)
I just stopped pumping at 3am and am so glad I did. I stopped when I noticed her wanting more at her 7am first feeding of the day. I noticed she basically drank everything I pumped at 3am even after breast feeding!! I think my 3am pumping was depleting my 7am milk… I also don’t stress in the afternoon and supplement with formula around 2 oz each feeding after noon. Her 5pm feeding is 4oz formula so my boobs are super full for her 7pm feeding right before bed.
Thanks for sharing your experience with sleep patterns!
When did she start going on longer stretches to 7am. My daughter is almost 5months and sleeps 730-5am. I feed her and she goes back down till 8. Just wondering when your daughter started going longer.
Hi, I just read the Moms On Call Book. My baby girl is just over 3 months old. I’ve been swaddling her to sleep and she’s still waking up twice a night to feed. Just have a question regarding if I’m understanding the Moms on Call Book correctly. It says if your baby is 3 months old and over 12lbs and has been waking to feed in the night. It says you should put them to bed without the swaddle at 7pm after a feed, and then to not go in there until 7am. Does this mean no going in to soothe her at all no matter how much she cries for??? It’s ok to let her cry on and off all night? Am I understanding this correctly? I don’t want to do this and this not to be correct. I’m ready to try anything to get my baby to sleep through the night! For my sanity and for her to get more sleep! Thx!
I found Moms on Call through this post after googling how Taking Cara Babies wasn’t working and hoping to find other stories. We’ve seen a huge difference in only a few days!!! Plus I have all my confidence back which is huge. I’m loving their toddler book too. Thanks for sharing!
Loved this post! Thanks so much for sharing it is so informative!! Great suggestions and tips! So much info to process!
This post is SO helpful- thank you!!
What brand gripe water do you use and how often? How early on did you start this?
Thanks again!
Mommy Bliss and we give it to her whenever she has hiccups! xox A
We have the Halo sleeper as well, but our little fights the arms down swaddle. Did Miller ever fight that? If so how did you settle her/transition her from arms up to arms down? Thanks!! xx
Love this post, thank you for sharing! My 9 week old only naps for 45 minutes at a time (I swaddle and use a Hatch sound machine). How do you get Miller to take those longer naps?
I just think we got lucky with a good sleeper!! Be proud of 45 minutes because some babies don’t nap at all!! Yesterday we couldn’t get miller to nap after 2pm! AT ALL! xox A
This is super helpful! I have a seven week old. Does Miller ever wake up in the middle of the night from a wet/dirty diaper or an upset tummy? I feel like my daughter has woken herself up from that and likely could’ve slept longer. I’m definitely going to look into Moms On Call and try the 7:30 pm bedtime after reading this.
No she hasn’t yet! When she wakes up in the night we also let her cry for 5-8 minutes before we go in there and she usually puts herself back to sleep! xox A
Swaddling help me a lot too! This and white noise. Although I used another book: How to teach a baby to fall sleep alone. Guide in a nutshell – just few pages to read and few nights to go through and you’re done. Amazign!
Hi again! When/how did you drop the dream feed at 11pm? Or, did you never have that implemented at all? I am wondering if I want to focus on dropping the dream feed and allowing my baby to still get up at 5:30am, then back down so I have some free time in the morning (this morning she’s slept until 9am). I have been focusing on getting her to drop the 5:30am feed and sleep until 7-7:30pm, but am wondering if I should change it… Thoughts? I hope my question makes sense. Thanks again.
No matter if you put her down at 7:30pm or 11pm she will still wake up around 5:30pm. Have you tried both ways? Have you noticed if she wakes up at the same time? I would drop the dream feed!
xox A
Hi! When Miller goes down at 7:30pm, do you go to sleep until 11pm? I am just so tired and I usually go to sleep and my hubby does the 11pm feed with a bottle, but I am not getting back up to pump. I am thinking I should because I feel as though during the day, my supply is down (soft breasts) and I am having to give her formula mixed with breast milk earlier in the day now (5pm feed instead of 8pm feed). Also, I follow another blog that says that if your baby is waking up at 5am or 6am and you want them to sleep until 7am, do slowly shorten the 5am/6am feed time if you’re breastfeeding and eventually they will transition to sleeping longer and will wake up more hungry in the morning (because my baby doesn’t always feed well during the morning feed – very sleepy, not as hungry as night feed). Are you planning on doing that at all to get her to sleep a bit later? Thanks!
You should stop the 11 pm feed! Your baby actually doesn’t need it and will sleep just as long without it! She sleeps from 7:30 to around 5am now and I feed her and she wakes at 7:30 and I feed her again. As your baby gets older they will wake to feed and won’t be so drowsy. They will start sleeping longer (towards 7am) once they start getting older and putting on more weight! xox A
Oh my gosh yes about letting them cry it out a little!!!! Worked like a charm with both of mine. I found it tires them out and they always slept better. I found with mine that not putting them in their crib in their own room they would smell my milk all night and would wake up more often. So glad you found all this stuff! Makes a world of difference!
We have the Hatch Baby Rest also and I love it. Being able to control it from my phone is fantastic! But now you’ve got me wondering if I should do what you’re doing with two sound machines. Since Hatch has multiple sounds, could you not use one for bedtime routine then turn on the white noise for sleep time? Or does Miller sleep better with the different sound the 2nd machine makes?
Baby boy is 9.5 weeks, 11/17/18, so I absolutely love hearing and reading all you have to say since they’re so close in age. Thanks for keepin’ it real! Mommin’ ain’t easy!
We have just had the other sounds machine much longer than the Rest so we kept using it at night because it was what she was used to/more comfortable with. I am too scared to change it now because the two sound machines are working!! xox A
Hey Amanda! I’ve been following you for years and am currently pregnant so your baby posts are perfect timing for my personal life growth as well haha. I have a question: how many swaddles do you have? I’m debating on the Ollie and was wondering if 2 would be sufficient. Thanks!
I have a lot but I only have 1 Ollie and that is all we use now so I definitely need another one! Two Ollie swaddles would be perfect!
xox A
The only thing I would disagree with is using reserves or supplementing at the 7pm feed if you’re not producing enough. Your body will miss the cue to make more if you go this route. I breastfed for over 2 years and learned that dips happen but that as long as I let my little use me as a pacifier (within reason) when he needed to during those dips, it brought my supply to what he needed. At the end, I could even go days without breastfeeding and was shocked there was still some in there when he’d randomly want it! I always tell moms that for supplementing with reserves/formula (unless medically necessary) is a short term solution if you plan on breastfeeding long term, it’s better to avoid. BUT that’s also what worked for me. Blanket statement advice is never good so hopefully this comment isn’t offensive. Just want other moms to see that there’s another opinion on how to deal with this
Totally agree, but some moms will have to use reserves if they aren’t producing enough because then their baby won’t get enough! I recommend giving them everything you have and if they are still acting hungry to supplement! xox A
What happens between 5:30-6:15?
A nap.. oops did I not put that?
Thanks so much!!
Another question! If y’all were to go for a walk during the day would you do it during the wake time? Mine tends to fall asleep during walks so not sure if I should do it during nap time.
I would do it towards the end of awake time and then put her down when you get home.xox A
Ah love this! Using both as well! How old was she when you transitioned to her own room?
7 weeks but I wish I had started it sooner! xox A
This post is so helpful.. thank you for taking the time to write it! I have a few questions for you..
– Do you know how much Miller weighed at 8weeks when you started the bedtime at 7PM? I’ve heard weight can affect how long babies are able to sleep for.
– How old was she when you started letting her cry it out for 5min? Do you do that for naps as well?
– Did you ever do a dream feed?
Thank you again!!
-Miller was around 10 lbs at 8 weeks and I am not sure that is true because my friend has a baby that weighs 10 pounds at 13 weeks and she is sleeping 12 hours a night!
-She was 8 weeks when I started letting her cry it out
-I used to do dream feeds and they only gave me around 5-6 hours. So I learned there was really no reason to do it!
xox A
So when you say, “in bed by 7:30” does that mean whether she has fallen asleep or not, you lay her down?
YES! She is always awake when I put her down. She puts herself to sleep… FAST! XOX A
Wow, this is amazing. If I put my little one down when she is awake she will cry and won’t stop. Last time it lasted for about 15 minutes and I couldn’t let her cry anymore. 🙁
Is this after an hour and a half of awake time? You could try doing tummy time towards the end of each awake time. That tends to wear them out! xox A
How many weeks when you moved her to her own room?
7 weeks but I wish I had done it sooner! xox A
Are you just pumping in the morning? Are you using the Hakkaa at other feedings?
Love this blog post! Super helpful!
I pump before I go to sleep and then again after I feed her in the morning! Yes, still using the Hakkaa and typically have to feed that milk to her as well. xox A
How many weeks was Miller when she started STTN? And how many pounds?
Did you have trouble keeping her awake for over an hour? What activities did you do with her during a wake time?
Sorry for the overload of questions! Thank you for the post!
8 weeks (because that is when we started Moms on Call) and about 10 pounds I think? Sometimes she is only awake for an hour and 15 and that is ok. We just put her down when she starts looking sleepy! Again, don’t treat that schedule as your bible. Just make sure she goes down at night early! During her awake time we read to her, dangle things in front of her, tummy time, put her in the bouncer and talk to her, put her on her mat and leave her alone haha. xox A
Hi Amanda! I just finished the Taking Cara Babies newborn course and want to look into Moms on Call. I have a 2 year old but feel like I have to re-learn everything (I’m due on Friday). It’s great to hear how much success you’ve had with Miller. A few questions for you: When did you stop feeding on demand and implement a schedule? When did you drop Miller’s overnight feed (even if you were still pumping)? When did you transition from bassinet to crib for nighttime sleep? Thanks in advance 🙂
We transitioned Miller to the crib at 7 weeks but we may have done it sooner (5-7 weeks were during Christmas and we were traveling)! I can’t really remember when I stopped feeding on demand. Probably when she stopped wanting/needing to eat every 2 hours? Wish I could answer that for you! We dropped the overnight feed at 8 weeks as soon as we read Moms on Call!
xox A
Is the 5 minute crying it out during naps as well or just st night? We basically adhere to this schedule anyways, our lo just turned 2 months and I had been waking back bedtime for 930 to 730, but I haven’t read the book so I’m interested in buying now to see what else we’ve missed.
We just do cry it out at night. We let her cry for a few minutes right when we put her down before we try to soothe her, and maybe a minute or two in the middle of the nap. If she cries more than a couple minutes during the day she is ready to get up. xox A
I’ve been doing the Moms on Call schedule for a couple of weeks now, and finally got my little man to sleep thru night last night! And I loved how inexpensive the book was too. I follow Taking Cara Babies on IG, and use some of the tips just from her page.
My LO was sleeping through the night at 8 weeks. She was in our room at the time, and right when I was ready to move her, she got very sick. Neither of us wanted her on the other side of the house while she was having trouble breathing. She’s JUST getting back to sleeping through 2 months later! What worked for her the first time didnt work the second time. For any parents struggling, keep trying different things for a few nights at a time until you find something that works!
The routine that works for us now is similar to yours:
6:30 – feed
7:00 – bath or warm washcloth to wipe face and hands, lavender lotion massage
7:15 – pjs, paci, lovey, sleep sack; book, prayers, snuggles
7:30 – in her crib, drowsy but awake
She’ll let us know if she’s ready sooner, which happens often now that she’s started daycare.
Thanks for sharing your tips, and, as always, being so honest about everything! Motherhood is hard – we’ve gotta stick together and help each other as much as we can!
Love this and yes, sounds so similar! Love your bedtime routine! xox A
My little one is 5 weeks today and I am trying to implement these routines/ schedule. I have taken taking cara babies and have moms on call. Do you have any tips with the short naps and trying to stay on schedule? The short naps seem to mess up hitting our bedtime because our schedule changes with the 2-3 hour windows. Did you find this happened to you, any tips? Maybe it doesn’t matter at this young of an age.
Hmm not really. No matter how long the naps or awake time we always get her to bed between 7:30-8:30! If they are short naps do shorter awake time to try to catch up! xox A
Would you wait until they are 8 weeks to implement the earlier bedtime ? My baby is 6 weeks and we follow MOC, so we put her to bed at 9. We started a week ago, but she will never actually fall asleep at 9. Last night it was 12:45 before she actually went to sleep. It was awful! Wondering if I should try to do an earlier bedtime like maybe she’s overtired by 9 and that’s why she fights the sleep.
Yes start implementing early bedtime for sure! Taking Cara Babies said to aim for 7 as soon as you can! Moms on Call says around 8 weeks, but it is whatever you think will be best for your baby! It sounds like she may be getting overtired, so an earlier bedtime may really help! Just do a little earlier each night! xox A
This is so helpful! My baby will be 8 weeks this week and we’re looking to get her sleep trained before I start back to work. I’ve been casually following some of the rules but had no idea the bedtime was so key. Good to know!
Curious how this works when you’re out and about in the evening. How do you get her to sleep at bedtime when you’re out? And does she easily transition to bed when you get her home?
If you go out you will mess up her schedule and will just have to put her down as soon as you get home! We try to go out early now so that she is in bed no later than 8:30 on those nights! xox A
The owlet is EVERYthing!! I could not sleep before I got it! My pediatrician recommended Gripe Water and it is a miracle! You can buy it at Target and give it to her if she is fussy. My two month old will sleep eight hours after she’s had it. It’s all natural and helps calm their little tummies and promote sleep. I also love our nested bean swaddle. It’s weighted so she sleeps better thinking my hand is on her! I love your blog!!! 💕
We use gripe water daily! It is a miracle worker for hiccups! xox A
Great post!
Are you still doing dream feed around 9pm/10pmish?
NOPE!! 7pm and then done until the morning! Completely dropped the dream feed when I read Moms on Call. xox A
How did you drop the dream feed successfully? We have been trying.
Bed at 7/7:30
then they wake up between 10 and 12 every night hungry & again at 5ish
Wake up at 7
Wish I could help :/ Miller never woke up at 10 for the dream feed we would actually wake her for it thinking it would help her sleep but we stopped waking her and she slept through. Maybe wait about 20 min to see if they will fall back to sleep on their own?
A
This is me!! My 4 month old is doing this exactly. I’m curious what worked for you!!!
My daughter also broke out of the halo sleep sack and started sucking on her fists to soothe herself. It ended up being the best blessing in disguise because it’s now a portable pacifier and she sucks on her two fingers for comfort whenever she needs it. She’s currently 20 months old and has been sleeping 7pm-7am since 3.5 months, we used all the strategies from Taking Cara Babies.
Now we have 12 week old son, sleeping from 10-5am, feeds at 5 then back to sleep until about 730am. I think we’ll try moving bedtime up a little earlier every night until we get to 7pm ish, will also tank him up with cluster feeds and milk before bed. Thank you for sharing you journey with Miller so far, our babies are roughly the same age so it’s been wonderful to follow you and compare milestones and read about your experience.
Thanks so much babe! Sounds like you have some great little sleepers! xox A
This is SO Helpful!! Thank you!! Our baby boy isn’t due until July but I was definitely wondering about Moms on Call vs. Taking Cara Babies We have decided to use a Snoo and I’m wondering how this will affect things vs. crib sleep. We’ll see!
Both sleep training classes will tell you not to use the snoo and to only use the crib. I had a friend who used the snoo and found her baby slept so much better at night in her own crib! I also heard the transition from the snoo to the crib is very difficult! xox A
How have y’all dealt with nap interruptions from running errands. And have you had to give up eating out in order to keep the 7:30 pm time? This is where we have struggled the most with a schedule!
No! It is ok if she misses a nap or sleeps in the carseat. It is also ok if she goes to bed an hour later! It’s just all about trying to get her down at 7:30 ish! Some days are crazy and she gets all off schedule but as long as we put her down at 7:30-8:30 and do her bedtime routine first she is fine. xox A
Loved your post! My baby is almost 5 months old and he sleeps very well at night but he needs around 2 feedings in between. Naps during the day are shorter but we do not have a schedule and by reading your post I feel it is super important to start implementing one. I don’t know when I will change him to his room, but at least we can start being more disciplined with a schedule and both sleep better. Thanks so much for the tips!
This was so helpful to read! Thank you!
Im a new mom due in June – so I’ve been reading all that I can about sleep and the best ways to transition babies!
When did you move Miller out of your room for the full night? It says you started doing naps in her crib at 2 weeks, but did she start sleeping in her room for the night then as well?
Thanks!
No she started sleeping in her crib at 8 weeks. We may have done it sooner but it was Christmas and New Years and we were out of town. As soon as we got back home we put her in her own room! xox A
Same question. My babe is 12 days old. I was told too early to sleep train but sounds like maybe not. Thanks for sharing!!
2 weeks is a great time to start! Just make sure your baby is getting the appropriate amount of milk for his/her age! Your pediatrician’s office can tell you that amount/the number of times you should be feeding a day. I think it is 8 at that age but I am not sure! xox A
Love this post! I have been toying with doing the Taking Cara Babies… question – How many weeks was she when you started implementing the 7:00 bedtime?
8 weeks!! The sleep training courses say 7pm by 8 weeks and before that it’s 9-9:30!
Xox A