Harper’s 5 Month Update + Schedule

Harper’s 5 month update is coming a little late, but better late than never, right? At 5 months, we’ve seen the most changes so far. She’s a legit kid now these days. Laughing, squealing, smiling, and talking. Mike and I catch ourselves telling each other how amazing she is and just how darn cute she is ALL THE TIME. How did we get so lucky? Being her mom is so awesome, and although hard at times, I wouldn’t change a thing.

New at 5 Months

The girl is a standing machine. She doesn’t want to sit or lay down, just stand in our arms. We recently got her the Jolly Jumper and she LOVES it. She’ll jump and hang out in it for 45 minutes. Watching her jump is the cutest thing ever. She also started hanging out and walking in her Joovy Spoon. She’ll hangout in it in the mornings while Mike and I have breakfast and coffee. Aside from her new toys, she’s just so much more alert these days. While we’re out and about she will look around and stare. She’s OBSESSED with the dogs. She loves watching Riley and Lola play and screams with excitement when Lola walks up to her while she’s in her jumper. She even reaches for them. It’s the cutest.

It appears little miss is ready for solids, too. She reaches for our food all the time and stares at anything we eat. She salivates, I feel so bad. We’re actually going to try Baby-Led Weaning/Feeding, so we can’t start solids until she’s at least 6 months. I’m probably the one who’s most excited, lol. I’ll be sure to share how it all goes in another post. Harper is also officially out of her SNOO and sleeping in her own room for naps and bedtime. We transitioned her right after our move. She was way too loud in our room and nobody was sleeping well. We put her in her room one night and we never looked back. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made, lol. The other major change that happened at 5 months, the girl stopped napping. She’s always been a great sleeper (naps and bedtime), so it was a bit of shock. It was way worse than her 4 month sleep regression (which happened at 3.5 months for us). I’ll share more about this below.

Naps

As mentioned above, Harper had a rough month with naps. Honestly, I don’t know what happened. She started out going 2-3 days not napping well, then back on track, and then it was every day. She would fall asleep fine, but wake up at the 45 min – 1 hour mark and wouldn’t go back to sleep. She was exhausted and messing up her feeding schedule. We recently enlisted the help of a sleep coach. We haven’t had any progress yet, but I’m hoping this will change soon. I will be sure to share all about it once we’re done / see some results.

Bedtime

Harper officially moved to her crib and we’re all over the moon, including the dogs. I think she outgrew the SNOO, physically. She wanted out of her swaddle – she would bang her feet and make so much noise, waking up frequently from startling herself. Once we moved her into her crib, it all changed. She’s sleeping through the night and so are her parents. At 5 months she was sleeping (naps and bedtime) in her Merlin Sleepsuit (we did recently transition her to a sleepsack. I will touch more on this in her 6 month update). Harper does still wake up at that 5:30am or 6:00am time, but we leave her be in her crib until 7am. She will either fall back asleep, fuss, or cry until then. Something we hope she will get the hang of.

Feeding

Breastfeeding is still going strong over here. We did introduce her to a bottle again and that has gone really well (we’re using these). She will take a bottle every so often at home when I’m busy with work or when we’re out. I must say, it’s so convenient taking a bottle out – anyone can feed her and we don’t have to seclude ourselves from the rest of the party, you know? I’ve also started to pump once a morning. I went a long stretch of not having to pump, but since we wanted to introduce a bottle, I thought it would be helpful to make pumping a regular thing. Plus, I thought it was important to have backup milk in case of any emergencies. This works out perfectly in the mornings as both breasts are super full from the 12 hours of no release. In the morning she will feed on one and I will pump the other. For those asking how much we give her in a bottle – we divide 25 ounces by the number of feedings in a day, which is 4. So, we will give her between 6-7 ounces in a bottle, although she hasn’t ever finished a 7 ounce bottle.

Activity

As mentioned above, this girl is super active these days. Not necessarily mobile, but just wants to be standing and on her own. She loves her Jolly Jumper, Joovy Spoon walker, reading time, and watching the dogs play. She’s not really into sitting these days and laying down can be hit or miss. She does love playing with her feet while she’s on her back. Tummy time isn’t her favorite, never has been. I hope this doesn’t have long term effects… I’m like girl, this is how you learn to crawl. She’s currently up for 2 hours, which is huge progress from our last update. Although, if she didn’t have a great nap prior to that awake time, she will get tired before the 2 hours is up, so we will put her down earlier. Her longer awake time makes it all feel real. She can be up, hang out, and play – it’s the best. Watching her explore and develop is so amazing.

SHOP THE POST

Favorites at 5 Months

Joovy walker – I had seen the Joovy Spoon while pregnant and knew I wanted this type of walker. It’s simple in design, not overly stimulating, and I love the large tray (for all her toys). The lowest level fits Harper right now, so she can easily walk around. She hasn’t mastered that quite yet, but she is able to be semi-mobile. This has been our favorite thing to set her down in if we’re parenting alone, or just need to get stuff done. It also gives her the perfect seat to watch the dogs without being in their line of fire. So far, we love it! 

*for those concerned about the safety of walkers – she is not near any stairs and we are always watching her.

Jolly Jumper – Mike has deemed this the best investment we’ve made so far when it comes to baby gear. That’s how much he likes it. Since Harper has become more independent and active, this was perfect for her. She will jump in it for a good 45 minutes some times. She has the jumping down and will squeal and smile when she’s super proud of herself. It’s the CUTEST thing. It’s great exercise, too. This contraption is quite large, so I would not recommend this if you have a small space. 

Little Nomad Roam Free Play Mat in Silver Lining – We are obsessed with this mat! The rug we had in Harper’s room at the old house wasn’t ideal. It shed and wasn’t soft. I discovered this non-toxic foam mat and knew it would be perfect for us. We all like sitting and laying on it and it’s perfect for tummy time and playtime. The only thing, it doesn’t lay as nice on carper as it does on hardwood floor. Just something to keep in mind. Otherwise, we LOVE it.

Freshly Picked Mocs – I recently remembered I bought her a pair of these mocs and we’ve been wearing them ever since. They’re newborn size, but still fit her with room to spare. I’m wondering if they run big or if Harper has small feet. Anyone else have these? So far, I LOVE them. They stay on her feet and they make any outfit so cute. They’re a nice alternative to socks and give her support when she’s jumping in her jumper or walking in her walker. 

H&M leggings – I’ve noticed myself gravitating toward leggings over pants. Leggings are more fitted and are so much more flattering. We have pants from Baby Gap and they give her grandpa style. I finally ordered a few new pairs in her actual size. Up until last week, she was still wearing size 1-2 in these and they were officially cropped, lol. For reference, I just ordered them in size 4-6. I knew they would be a little big, but I figure she will have room to grow. Keep in mind, Harper is on the small side. She’s wearing the 4-6 in these photos.  

H&M bibs – We get asked about these all the time on Stories. They aren’t super absorbent, but I love the simple design and neutral colors. We use them to hang out in. Lately Harper has been a drool monster and these will get soaked, but we have a ton, so it’s all good. These are also great for the summer. They’re lightweight and not overwhelming. 

Petit Collage Rabbit Wood Stacking Toy – Harper has been obsessed with this toy ever since we got it, but now that she can grab things and hold toys better, she’s even more obsessed. She specifically loves the rabbit head. She grabs it by the ears and sucks on them. Probably not the best thing to put her mouth, but what are you going to do, lol. I love that it can entertain her now, but also later on when she knows how to stack the wood pieces. 

Bubs & Windy Play Mat Hanging Toys – I gushed about this mat in our last update here, but now Harper is obsessed with the hanging toys. We actually took them off the play gym and take them with us everywhere. She loves the scrunchy one (that sounds like a chip bag, kinda?).

Harper’s 5 Month Schedule

7 am – wake and feed

7:30 am – activity

9 am – nap

11 am – wake and feed

11:30 am – activity

1 pm – nap

3 pm – wake and feed

3:30 pm – activity

5 pm – catnap

6 pm – wake and bath

7:30 pm – feed

7 pm – bedtime