What are babies like at 5-6 months
- Thread starter thomasleonard
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@thomasleonard My daughter (7 months now) was never really a good sleeper so I can't answer that part for you. The 4 month sleep regression is a thing for a lot of babies but she has woken up 3 times a night since birth so in her case nothing changed. Her wake windows were about 3 hours at that age. She is/was a very social baby and loves going places. She doesn't like car rides so we keep those as quick as possible or plan around her nap schedule, but we've been able to go to the beach, go hiking, go on vacation etc with very little issue. We always pack tons of toys, extra bottles, and she started eating solids at 4 months so plenty of food.
Biggest difference is at 5 months she was sitting up on her own, and teething.
Biggest difference is at 5 months she was sitting up on her own, and teething.
@thomasleonard For us I think that by 5-6 months we understood our baby a lot better which made days/nights a bit more predictable. He feeds faster now so feeding doesn’t take up so much time. I would feel comfortable taking him on holiday now but I wasn’t at 2 months.
@thomasleonard This is how it was for us, every baby is different:
Sleep is less but more predictable. Bedtime is now ~7:30ish when it was 10:30 back then. There's 3 naps which are pretty much exactly 2-2.5h after she last woke. There's one feed per wake window and one diaper change (2-4 poops a day, EFF). During the night she sleeps on the crib and needs 1-2 feeds per night, during the day it's contact nap only.
She arm crawls around the whole house. Need to watch her very closely or will hurt herself. Need to baby proof everything.
At 2m she was stationary and annoyed with that. Now she's mobile and super explorative, annoyed When we give boundaries (like, don't put your hand in the cat water bowl).
As she's more mobile she is able to play independently for 10-30 minutes at a time.
6m is as much time consuming as 2m, but you can better predict when it's good to leave the house, when to take a break etc and at least we get some "sit by the sidelines and just watch that she doesn't kill herself" time.
Sleep is less but more predictable. Bedtime is now ~7:30ish when it was 10:30 back then. There's 3 naps which are pretty much exactly 2-2.5h after she last woke. There's one feed per wake window and one diaper change (2-4 poops a day, EFF). During the night she sleeps on the crib and needs 1-2 feeds per night, during the day it's contact nap only.
She arm crawls around the whole house. Need to watch her very closely or will hurt herself. Need to baby proof everything.
At 2m she was stationary and annoyed with that. Now she's mobile and super explorative, annoyed When we give boundaries (like, don't put your hand in the cat water bowl).
As she's more mobile she is able to play independently for 10-30 minutes at a time.
6m is as much time consuming as 2m, but you can better predict when it's good to leave the house, when to take a break etc and at least we get some "sit by the sidelines and just watch that she doesn't kill herself" time.
@thomasleonard My 5mo starts bedtime around 7pm and is usually in the crib by 9pm after contact sleeping and nursing in the glider. He sleeps for a couple hours there, and I bring him to bed at some point overnight. He wakes up every couple hours to nurse, and washes up for the day around 6 or 7am. His first wake window is usually the longest at 2ish hours, but then he's usually alternately awake and asleep for about an hour at a time. He nurses every hour ish — when going to sleep and when waking up. His daytime naps are all either in the glider, in the wrap, or in the car. I haven't at all tried to limit contact sleep, because I don't mind it and I'm lucky enough to have a long leave. But the wake windows can be pushed more easily, a short nap is often okay, and he's able to hold onto toys for long enough that he can stay content in the car when he's awake.
I think he's having a growth spurt, and he's teething — nothing poking through yet, but things are moving around and his gums get sore. He'll often throw away toys until I give him the right one, then he'll happily chew on it. If I get through the list to the frozen teether and he's still upset, it means he's hungry.
He's so engaged! He loves to watch things and people, and he's started reaching for the cat a lot. We're practicing "gentle." He has a few favorite songs, and it's so cool to watch him light up when they come on. Him being more alert means it's nearly impossible to nurse him out in the open because he gets so distracted. He really enjoys books now!
He's rolling back to front pretty reliably, but hasn't quite gotten the hang of front to back. He's happy playing on his tummy for a while unless he's sleepy. He can shriek now, and his happy shriek is the sweetest thing in the world and his unhappy shriek is the worst thing in the world. He LOVES his toes. When he's upset, he cheers up when he sees me putting on the carrier because he knows he'll be scooped up. He doesn't tolerate being held by extended family very much any more.
I think he's having a growth spurt, and he's teething — nothing poking through yet, but things are moving around and his gums get sore. He'll often throw away toys until I give him the right one, then he'll happily chew on it. If I get through the list to the frozen teether and he's still upset, it means he's hungry.
He's so engaged! He loves to watch things and people, and he's started reaching for the cat a lot. We're practicing "gentle." He has a few favorite songs, and it's so cool to watch him light up when they come on. Him being more alert means it's nearly impossible to nurse him out in the open because he gets so distracted. He really enjoys books now!
He's rolling back to front pretty reliably, but hasn't quite gotten the hang of front to back. He's happy playing on his tummy for a while unless he's sleepy. He can shriek now, and his happy shriek is the sweetest thing in the world and his unhappy shriek is the worst thing in the world. He LOVES his toes. When he's upset, he cheers up when he sees me putting on the carrier because he knows he'll be scooped up. He doesn't tolerate being held by extended family very much any more.
triplet347
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@triplet347 He gets so mad because he's hungry but then he just keeps arching his back in attempts to dive out of my arms 
triplet347
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butterflypoette
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@thomasleonard Ours went through sleep regression at 4 months and have not recovered from it since, even though she is 6 months old now. So she's powernapping day and night unfortunately (30-45 min naps).
iamthankful
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@thomasleonard Honestly my favorite age. You just tote them around like a smiley little rotisserie chicken. They’re the cutest.
jessileigh
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@thomasleonard My favourite age started at 6 months. They sleep more and they can actually share a meal with you! They become more fun and playing with them is actually fun 
they cry less! The crying for no reason stops and she only really cried if she was hungry or hurt.
they cry less! The crying for no reason stops and she only really cried if she was hungry or hurt.@thomasleonard Ehh very hard to say. I’m on my third baby, and they’ve all been very similar. Bad sleepers, with no improvement until night weaning. Very needy and clingy, they are often not okay with being put down by themselves. Little boob monsters, nursing frequently even now at 9 months.
But many babies are nothing like mine. Sleeping through the night, napping on their own, feeding only at normal feeding times, totally content to do whatever for a decent length of time at that age.
One thing you can probably count on is having a fairly regular, predictable schedule by then as far as naps, bedtime, and wake time. Even mine did that lol.
You may have an absolutely exhausting time on your trip as I have every time we’ve gone traveling with an infant but hey, it’s still worth it. You deserve to get out there and live your life.
But many babies are nothing like mine. Sleeping through the night, napping on their own, feeding only at normal feeding times, totally content to do whatever for a decent length of time at that age.
One thing you can probably count on is having a fairly regular, predictable schedule by then as far as naps, bedtime, and wake time. Even mine did that lol.
You may have an absolutely exhausting time on your trip as I have every time we’ve gone traveling with an infant but hey, it’s still worth it. You deserve to get out there and live your life.
@thomasleonard Every baby is different. My almost 5 month old baby:
- Naps are consolidating to 2 longer naps/day. I don't want to jinx myself, but her naps have increased to 1.5 - 2.5 hours on average. This has been a *great* relief. Previously, she was taking 3-5 naps/day. Some of those naps were only 20-40 min long. Oftentimes, it would take us 1.5 hours to try to get her down for a 30 min nap.
- Longer wake windows. 2+ hours on average.
- Easier to put down for naps. She still feeds to sleep, and has recently completely rejected all pacifiers, so those are things we still need to work on. For now, we are just super relieved that her napping has gotten so much better.
- Night time routines/sleeping are more or less the same. We do an evening walk in the stroller, bath/lotion, bedtime book, cuddles, a bottle, and then bed. She sleeps from 8pm-7am +/- 1 hour for bedtime/wake up time. She usually wakes up 2-3 times/night, but I suspect this is due to us feeding her to sleep/her wanting a bottle when she wakes up between sleep cycles. She doesn't even really drink milk at night, just wants the bottle in her mouth for comfort when she wakes up.
- She has started purees. Only a few teaspoons at a time. Hasn't really changed her sleeping, but she now looks at us with this, "What are you eating? Why aren't you giving me some?" face whenever we eat.
- I never sleep trained her. I bed-shared and contact napped with her when I needed to. She used to be a velcro baby but now she prefers cuddling and then being put in her crib so she can toss and turn as she pleases. Game changer. We are still working on getting her to fall asleep on her own in her crib, without cuddling or without a bottle, but I am not in a rush.
- She needs more stimulation during her wake windows. Not just rotating her toys or increasing her floor time, but social and environmental stimulation as well. She needs to be taken out every day, at least for a walk. She also loves hanging out in the yard or the park. She loves being outside. She also loves "talking". She babbles and expects you to converse with her. Constant eye contact. Much more interactive and alert.
- More mobile. My baby hit her gross milestones early so far, so she can roll, army crawl, and is doing a regular baby crawl now as well. We got her a baby play pen, gates, etc to keep her safe, but are working on baby proofing the house every weekend.
- Longer times where she can play 'independently'. She can keep herself occupied with her toys for up to 30 min. Usually more like 10-20 minutes.
- Naps are consolidating to 2 longer naps/day. I don't want to jinx myself, but her naps have increased to 1.5 - 2.5 hours on average. This has been a *great* relief. Previously, she was taking 3-5 naps/day. Some of those naps were only 20-40 min long. Oftentimes, it would take us 1.5 hours to try to get her down for a 30 min nap.
- Longer wake windows. 2+ hours on average.
- Easier to put down for naps. She still feeds to sleep, and has recently completely rejected all pacifiers, so those are things we still need to work on. For now, we are just super relieved that her napping has gotten so much better.
- Night time routines/sleeping are more or less the same. We do an evening walk in the stroller, bath/lotion, bedtime book, cuddles, a bottle, and then bed. She sleeps from 8pm-7am +/- 1 hour for bedtime/wake up time. She usually wakes up 2-3 times/night, but I suspect this is due to us feeding her to sleep/her wanting a bottle when she wakes up between sleep cycles. She doesn't even really drink milk at night, just wants the bottle in her mouth for comfort when she wakes up.
- She has started purees. Only a few teaspoons at a time. Hasn't really changed her sleeping, but she now looks at us with this, "What are you eating? Why aren't you giving me some?" face whenever we eat.
- I never sleep trained her. I bed-shared and contact napped with her when I needed to. She used to be a velcro baby but now she prefers cuddling and then being put in her crib so she can toss and turn as she pleases. Game changer. We are still working on getting her to fall asleep on her own in her crib, without cuddling or without a bottle, but I am not in a rush.
- She needs more stimulation during her wake windows. Not just rotating her toys or increasing her floor time, but social and environmental stimulation as well. She needs to be taken out every day, at least for a walk. She also loves hanging out in the yard or the park. She loves being outside. She also loves "talking". She babbles and expects you to converse with her. Constant eye contact. Much more interactive and alert.
- More mobile. My baby hit her gross milestones early so far, so she can roll, army crawl, and is doing a regular baby crawl now as well. We got her a baby play pen, gates, etc to keep her safe, but are working on baby proofing the house every weekend.
- Longer times where she can play 'independently'. She can keep herself occupied with her toys for up to 30 min. Usually more like 10-20 minutes.
eclipsewolfe
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@thomasleonard When my LO was 5 months, we flew to Italy and spent a few weeks on the Almafi Coast/Capri/Sorrento. He had this beautiful phase on sleeping well and loved being popped into his ergobaby carrier to see the sights.
He also had his first solid food in Italy when he grabbed banana and started nomming on it.
He could look around, but still was easy to handle and manage. He's such a chill baby, but the smiles and joy he exhibited at 5 months was way more rewarding than 2 months.
So I think 5 months is the perfect age to plan things!
After 6 months, we hit a 45-day sleep-regression where he woke up every 90 minutes and couldn't self soothe. That was a rough patch
.
The baby will be fine, and my philosophy is that I can be tired anywhere, doing anything. And I'd rather be tired with family and friends than being a hermit sitting in my couch zoned out. Plus, the more you do during the day, the better everyone sleeps (as long as you avoid the overtired over-stimulated territory)
He also had his first solid food in Italy when he grabbed banana and started nomming on it.
He could look around, but still was easy to handle and manage. He's such a chill baby, but the smiles and joy he exhibited at 5 months was way more rewarding than 2 months.
So I think 5 months is the perfect age to plan things!
After 6 months, we hit a 45-day sleep-regression where he woke up every 90 minutes and couldn't self soothe. That was a rough patch
. The baby will be fine, and my philosophy is that I can be tired anywhere, doing anything. And I'd rather be tired with family and friends than being a hermit sitting in my couch zoned out. Plus, the more you do during the day, the better everyone sleeps (as long as you avoid the overtired over-stimulated territory)
@thomasleonard I traveled with my baby at that age- it was perfect. They’re interactive but immobile- she could roll but that was about it, or sit with support. Napped in the car seat and was happy staying up late, could enjoy the pool but was a bit young for coping with heat- they don’t really sweat until 6+ months and sunblock isn’t recommended under 6 months but did it anyway because on bakence it was needed.
I had a great sleeper but you can’t plan for sleep, they regress at 6 months and she did teethe on holiday but didn’t seem bothered.
I had a great sleeper but you can’t plan for sleep, they regress at 6 months and she did teethe on holiday but didn’t seem bothered.
@thomasleonard My baby is 5.5 months old. He wakes every 1-3 hours at night, feeds every 2-4 hours during the day. Wants to be held most of the time, so I get things done mostly while baby-wearing. Generally no time for non-baby related things because he needs a lot of stimulation and napping is usually in contact or motion. He is pretty chill in the car seat - usually passes out for the duration of the trip.
katrina2017
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@katrina2017 LO is 9.5 months old now and night sleep is not better unfortunately. We cosleep which makes it easier because we can sooth him, feed him, etc. while in bed and then we pass out immediately. My husband and I split the wakeups. Although some nights are harder than others, we kind of found our groove and go with it.
During the day LO still contact naps but it’s usually only one nap these days. I use the time for scrolling or tv.
The part that’s easier is that he can crawl now. Although he’s still clingy, he can just follow me around from room to room instead of me holding him all the time! He likes crawling around my feet and playing with toys. This means I can get things done if he’s in a chill enough mood, like make a simple meal or put laundry away. When we’re hanging out in the living room, sometimes he’ll get engrossed in his toys and I can chill out a bit - listen to a podcast or music in the background. He plays independently as long as I’m close by.
Overall, life with LO is gradually getting more manageable and more enjoyable. Hang on there! Before we know it, our kids will be teens and won’t want anything to do with us!
During the day LO still contact naps but it’s usually only one nap these days. I use the time for scrolling or tv.
The part that’s easier is that he can crawl now. Although he’s still clingy, he can just follow me around from room to room instead of me holding him all the time! He likes crawling around my feet and playing with toys. This means I can get things done if he’s in a chill enough mood, like make a simple meal or put laundry away. When we’re hanging out in the living room, sometimes he’ll get engrossed in his toys and I can chill out a bit - listen to a podcast or music in the background. He plays independently as long as I’m close by.
Overall, life with LO is gradually getting more manageable and more enjoyable. Hang on there! Before we know it, our kids will be teens and won’t want anything to do with us!
@thomasleonard With my first by 6 months she was sleeping 12+hrs straight at night, she was down to 2 pretty easily scheduled naps, and she took 3 8-9oz bottles a day. So yes it was pretty easy to do stuff out and about. Especially since she has a nap space at nanas house so we could put her down for nap while there instead of going home.
My second is currently 2 months and will be just under 6 months for the holidays so we shall see how it goes with him. But I know that worse case scenario I can put him in a wrap and wear him for naps so
My second is currently 2 months and will be just under 6 months for the holidays so we shall see how it goes with him. But I know that worse case scenario I can put him in a wrap and wear him for naps so
redeemed4life
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@thomasleonard Our baby at six months was still not a good independent napper (ie contact naps and often time intensive to get her down). Night time sleep super wonky, but bad in general.
Every baby is different, alas.
Every baby is different, alas.