My baby will only sleep 12 hours per day but acts tired all day long, what can I do?

Question

All the books and experts seem to say that the average 5-month old baby needs about 14 hours of sleep per day. My 5-month daughter will only sleep 12 hours per day, no matter what I do. (She sleeps 3 hours of naps and 9 hours at night). Also, she acts sleepy (rubbing her eyes, yawning, fussing) all day long - even within only an hour of waking up from a nap. Is it normal for her to act tired all the time? I try to make her nap more often but she fights it, and if I try to put her to bed earlier she just wakes up earlier and won't go back to sleep.

Right now this is her sleep schedule: 5am, wake up for day. 9-10:30am first nap. 2:30-4pm second nap. 8pm bedtime.

I hate seeing her so tired and trying to keep her going for 4 hours between sleeps, but if I put her down after 3 hours she will fight the nap for another hour anyway. If I put her down after only 3.5 hours she will usually go to sleep but then it throws off the rest of her schedule for the day.

Any suggestions?

I haven't started her on solids yet, do you think she might sleep more after we start her on solids?

Ooops - I meant to put this question in the Newborn & Baby category - sorry! I'll go post it over there instead.

Answer 1

While it is a commonly believed idea that eating solids will help a baby sleep more, there really is no reliable evidence to show this to be true. I think her sleep schedule sounds pretty normal and you must remember that when you read guidelines for milestones that the numbers are just averages. All babies are different and if she won't sleep more or longer than it is not for her right now. The fussiness with yawing and eye rubbing may not have anything to do with sleepiness but may be a sign of boredom or a sign of needing a quiet time. Even if she seems content most of the time in her swing or bouncy seat, move her to the floor more often. Take walks with her either in the stroller or in a snugli or just go outdoors for a bit. Some babies are very social and like to have someone interacting with them a lot, but may fuss, rub their eyes or turn away when they just need a little down time. The same can be true for babies who entertain themselves alone well. Some fussiness and eye rubbing my indicate they are ready for someone to pay attention to them now. It takes a while and requires some detective work, but eventually you'll be able to know what different signs mean from your baby. I would suggest that you try changing her physical location such as holding/rocking her, putting her on the floor, using a swing, carrying her in a sling, going outside - somehow change her position first. If you have been talking a lot to her, stop for a bit or turn on a music CD for babies. If she has been doing something quiet such as looking at her toys, try something more active such as dancing with her, singing interactive baby rhymes such as Insy Winsy Spider, Patty-Cake, or anything that you can help her hands/body do the motions to. Read her lots of books if you don't already do that, she will love the sound of your voice and the bright pictures. It will help her language skills develop plus instill a love or reading. It is also helpful to know that sometimes babies just plain are fussy and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with them. This is OK. There is no need to always try to make your baby happy as it will be impossible to do. If all her basic needs are met and she isn't happy with anything your try, it is fine to let her fuss it out a bit in her crib. You should be able to tell a mad cry from a hungry cry from a scared cry. If not, try listening to her closely, she will have different ways of crying for different things she wants. She may just need to "get it out of her system" with some fussiness for a bit each day, many babies have a fussy time.

Answer 2

Her sleep schedule and sleep patterns will change. My daughters seemed to change every month. For a while there, mine was only sleeping 12 hours a day also. Now she sleeps 14 or 15. When she was about 10-12 months old, she didn't take ANY naps. Now she takes one long one. Your baby may start to take and sleep longer at night. When I started mine on cereal I gave it to her at 7pm and put her to bed at 8pm, she started sleeping 12 hours at night then, because her belly was full. I bet once you start her on cereal her sleep habits change some. I started mine on cereal at 5 months, though the pediatrician said I could at 4 months.

Answer 3

Her schedule sounds pretty right on for a normal 5 month old. My next instinct as a mom would be to get rid of all pets, clean all the ducts and vents in the house, make sure she is getting some fresh outside air a couple of times a day, use only dye free perfume free products for washing and laundry....if she has allergies to pollens molds, dust etc etc, it will cause her to rub her eyes and yawn a lot and be fussy since she may be allergic to one of a zillion things in the house...if she is constantly battling allergies her poor little body is tired even when she is awake. Does she snore sometimes or sleep more on her face/tummy side? Those could be indications that she is being exposed to things she may be allergic to

Answer 4

Her schedule would suggest she gets plenty of sleep. Have you taken her in to see if there's isn't something physically going on? My girlfriend has a three year old that seems to be tired all the time too so she's having a variety of tests done - blood work mainly just to be sure.

Answer 5

You can start solids if she consumes 30 or so oz of milk, can hold and turn her head. etc.
With my baby I noticed that he would look tired when he was thursty. When I gave him milk- he perked up.
Also, when I turned AC on and didnt cover him much - he fell asleep and sleped much better. May be cooler environment can help.

Answer 6

hey!! us parents in the toddler and preschool area have definetly had experience in babies!! rice in the milk might help her sleep harder. maybe she doesn't like her bed? sounds like when she sleeps, she doesn't sleep hard enough. i used to use calming lotion for my girls at night only to make sure they would sleep really good!!