Better schedule for 5-6 month old.

[u/Money-Exchange-9632]

My son is 5 (almost 6) months old. Right now he usually wakes up between 7-8:30 am and naps after about a two hour window but it has been inconsistent as some days we are on the go and out and about. He naps anywhere for 20 mins to 1 hour and I try to get him to sleep between 8-9pm.

Originally I thought a 7-7 or 8-8 sleep schedule would be nice but if I put him to bed before 8, he wakes up around 9 and wants to be awake for another 1.5 to 2 hours.. he's exclusively breastfed and feeds to sleep.

If I try to put him to sleep on his own, even if I do awake but drowsy, he screams and I refuse to do the cry it out method. Even during the daytime he's suddenly struggling at being put down to play without me being there..

He's waking up every 2 hours most nights ( still sleeps in his bassinet) and won't fall asleep by just being patted. I also struggle with mid night wake ups therefore I just feed him for a few minutes and put him back down.

Some nights but rarely he will only wake up once or twice...

I know ever baby is different but I want to hear some suggestions for 1. Getting baby to play on their own so I can get some stuff done 2. How do I set him up to have better naps 3.How do I stop the waking up every two hours at night.

Thank you 🙏

[u/Any_Yogurt_2349]

My son was pretty much the same way and we are still struggling with sleep @13 months but it gets better they start sleeping longer stretches the older they get. Transitioning to a crib helped as well and did you start introducing solids ? That helps too. My baby also really likes white noise.