My 5-month old 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.

Any suggestions?

I've putting her down after only 3.5 hours and she will usually go to sleep but then it throws off the rest of her schedule for the day.

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

Answer 1

children tend to sleep a lot more and seem tired when they are having growth spurts and you know that they grow A LOT(out of the womb) around the first year.
yes solids will help to give her the energy her body needs during this time, as well as help with the sleep cycle. my daughter started sleeping really well and had the perfect schedule, 10 hours at night and two 2 hour naps.(of course im one of those moms that refuses to give in to the crying if i know she's tired.)
have you started her on the semi solids yet? the baby cereals i mean...those are wonderful to start off and she will be getting the nutrients she requires from the formula or breast milk as well as having her body learn the process of solid food digestion.
she may also be over stimulated or understimulated during the day which could be tiring her out...
i would suggest you take her to a pediatrician to make sure it isnt something more serious....however my daughter simply had to start eating food more suited to her needs. she perked right up once she started learning to sling her own food around lol...

Answer 2

The books have the average, your baby is a unique little person, and has his own schedule/needs that may not be exactly the same as someonelse's kiddo so dont take the books as hard and fast rules. But by 5 months I would be giving baby cereal. (I started rice cereal at 2 months or so, even though MD's and books said later, I used my best judgement)

Answer 3

its pretty normal, the world is exciting and new and she doesnt want to miss a thing.

However, at this point she is over tired, and thats what makes her fight sleep so much.

Put her down when she first acts tired in the morning and let her cry herself to sleep. She will exhaust herself and eventually fall asleep and sleep a little sounder. IF she wakes right back up, let her cry herself to sleep again. Do the same each time you KNOW she needs to sleep.

Eventually she will go down easier, and actually either put herself down without fussing, or allow you to rock her to sleep.

My son is going through this right now, so i know how hard it is. But it will work out.

Answer 4

All babys vary.Like mine used to stay up all day and sleep 8 hrs at night but she eventually got into her own schedul.You could start our baby on solids(as long as the baby takes it willingly)its not going to hurt the baby as long as its infant cereal(try rice 1st)

Answer 5

Don't worry he's growing. Just a growth spurt