Creating the Perfect 5 Month Old Sleep Schedule for Your Baby

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5 Month Old Sleep Schedule 

Your five month old baby is quickly developing his motor skills, as well as his social skills. He’s curious about the world around him, and loves to explore.

A 5 month old schedule is a daily routine to help you plan your day so that your baby gets enough sleep and nourishment for healthy development.

In this post, we’ll refer to the guidelines for how much sleep and food your baby needs at this stage This will help us create up a 5 month old sleep schedule that meets his needs. 

As a bonus, I’ll include an example of a 5 month old sleep schedule for you to use as a guide, and a FREE printable baby schedule template to help you customize your own 5 month old schedule.

Your 5 Month Old Sleep Schedule

Just a reminder: this 5 month old sleep schedule is not meant to be rigid. The goal is to create a flexible but predictable routine for your baby. The idea is for a 5 month old sleep schedule to provide structure for your baby and build confidence for you. 

By now, you’ve become familiar with your baby’s sleep cues, so you can start to predict those times he’s likely to nap. When he shows signs of being sleepy, swaddle him and lay him down to sleep while he is drowsy but still awake. 

This method helps your baby learn to fall asleep on his own without relying on you to rock him to sleep every time. 

 

Things to Consider For Your 5 Month Old Sleep Schedule

How Much Does a 5 Month Old Eat? 

Babies at this age will take about 5-7 ounces per feeding. Likely this will come in 5-6 bottles or breastfeeding sessions per day. Some infants may still need to eat more often depending on their needs. Always check with your pediatrician if you are concerned about your child’s nutrition.

Most pediatricians don’t recommend starting baby foods/ solids until your baby is between 4-6 months of age. Breastmilk or formula is still the primary source of your baby’s nutrition, but if your child has started showing signs of readiness, your pediatrician may recommend starting to try solid foods.

Some signs that your baby may be ready for solid foods include:

1. The ability to sit upright in a high chair or feeding seat
2. Good head control
3. The ability to move food to the back of his mouth and swallow, instead of punching it back out 
4. Opening his mouth when food is offered

If your 5 month old shows signs that she is ready for solid foods, ask your pediatrician if it’s ok to start.

How Much Sleep Does a 5 Month Old Need?

According to babycenter.com, a 5 month old needs about 12-15 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period. Babies this age average about 3-4 naps during the day, lasting between 30 minutes and 1 and a half hours.

Your 5 month old can stay awake for about  2-3 hours at a time. 

During your baby’s wake windows, she will spend lots of time playing, moving, and interacting with you! For ideas of how to play with a 5 month old, see the last section of this post.

Sample 5 Month Old Sleep Schedule 

Remember that this sample 5 month old schedule is meant to serve as a guide not a rigid routine. Your child is unique, and you’ll want to adjust the schedule to fit your baby’s needs. None of my children followed exactly the same schedule, and I had to adjust the schedule as each child grew and changed.

I have a  FREE printable template for your 5 month old schedule here! This way, you can create your own 5 month old sleep schedule that’s perfect for you.

Sample 5 Month Old Sleep Schedule / 5 Month Old Feeding Schedule

 

7:00am	Wake / Feed
8:15am-9:45am	Nap #1
10:45am	Feeding
12:00pm-1:30pm	Nap #2
1:45pm	Feeding
3:30-4:30	Nap #3
5:00pm	Feeding
6:30pm	Start Bath/ Bedtime Routine
7:30pm	Bottle
7:45pm	Bedtime

 

 

Tips For a 5 Month Old Sleep Schedule That Works

These tips may help get your 5 month old to sleep at night:

1. Keep daytime active and bright, and night times dark and calm.

Make sure your days are full of interaction and playtime. Make daytime naps different from nighttime sleep by keeping the room a bit brighter during the day. Keep your daytime nap routine short and sweet.

     2. Keep Stimulation to a Minimum at Night

 Even during late night feedings, keep the room dark and quiet. Don’t play with your baby during nighttime feedings, and only use a nightlight or dim lamp.

    3. Have a Consistent Bedtime Routine 

A simple series of steps that lead to bedtime will help cue your baby that it is time to sleep. My bedtime routine was simply bath, feeding, book, and bed.

   4. Start your Bedtime Routine 30 minutes before you plan to lay your baby down to sleep.

   5. Lay your baby down when she is sleepy but awake.

This will help her learn to get to sleep on her own. Once you begin to recognize her sleepy cues, (rubbing her eyes, big yawns, and mild fussiness for example) you will know the best time to lay her down to sleep.

5 Month Milestones

This is such a fun age to interact with your baby! He’s learning quickly, so giving him lots of opportunities to explore and discover will stimulate his cognitive development.

If your baby isn’t reaching these milestones just yet, don’t be alarmed. Milestones are based on averages, and some infants will reach them earlier, some slightly later. That’s totally normal.

Always consult your pediatrician if you are concerned about your child’s development.

5 Month Milestones:

This month your baby may begin to:

1. Roll from tummy to back and back to tummy ( this skill make take a little longer to master)
2. Play simple games, like peek a boo
3. Grab objects with more control
4. Understand cause and effect, (ex: he pushes a button, the toy makes a sound)
5. Sit with support

Suggested Activities for Playtime

Here are some ideas for how to play with your 5 month old:

1. Nursery Rhymes & Finger Plays

Perform simple finger plays and nursery rhymes with your baby. Over time, she will be able to recognize the motions and the words. Some examples include: This Little Piggy, Where is Thumbkin, Pat-a-Cake, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Baby Bumblebee.

She won’t be able to recite them for a while, but I was surprised by how quickly my babies were able to start imitating some of the movements.

     2. Play Simple Games

My 5 month old was intrigued by peek-a-boo. All it took was a baby blanket and she was hooked! She would laugh hysterically each time I made her “reappear,”

Another game my kids liked was “tickle monster.” I would lay the baby on her back, and raise my hands up over her and wiggle my fingers. Then, I would quickly bring my hands down to tickle her. After a while, she learned what was coming and she would giggle as she anticipated the tickling part.

     3. Read to your baby

Keep reading to your baby. Reading will encourage language development. He will especially love books with textures, crinkle books, and books with high-contrasting colors

     4. Hide a toy

Use a blanket or cup to hide a toy (in a very obvious way), and have your baby “find” it.

     5. Mirrors

Allow your baby to see his own reflection in a mirror. You can do this in a seated position or during tummy time.

If you want more ideas of how to play with your 5 month old, you can try the BabySparks app. This app has activities (with demonstrations) that you can do with your baby. Each activity encourages your baby’s cognitive, emotional, and physical development. It was very useful for me and my baby, and I hope it will be for yours also.