1 Month old (2.5/3 hour schedule)
I did not include a schedule from when my son was a month old. I was on a very flexible 2.5/3 hour schedule. I did make sure to follow the eat, wake, sleep cycle. But I allowed a little more flexibility as I was trying to figure him out and he had several growth spurts it seemed. A consistent schedule did not seem to really develop until Cooper was 2.5 months old.
2/3 Months old (3 hour schedule)
8:00 Feed
9:30-10:30/11:00 Nap – if Cooper woke early, I would just entertain him until at least 10:30 or 11:00 and then feed him
11:00 Feed
12:30-2:00 Nap
2:00 Feed
3:30-5:00 Nap
5:00 Feed
6:30-7:15 Cat Nap
7:30 Feed
9:00-10:30 Nap/ Nighttime sleep
10:30 Feed & Put right back to Bed for nighttime sleep
Cooper woke between 4:00 or 6:00 am for a short feeding. He stopped waking up in the early morning hours around 19/20/21 weeks old. Just thought you might want to know this. I stopped feeding him at 18 weeks old in the early morning hours. It was a weaning process. I would only allow him to feed for a few minutes each morning, until we were down to just a minute total. Then I started to let him cry it out. It took until he was 21 weeks old when he no longer cried at the early morning hour consistently.
*** I should also add that Cooper would wake 45 minutes into a nap and cry for 5-15 minutes before falling back to sleep to complete his nap. This continue until he was 4 months old***
4 Month Schedule (3.5/4 hour schedule)
7:00 Feed
8:30-10:30 Nap
10:30 Feed
12:30-2:30 Nap
2:30 Feed
4:30-6:30 Nap *** He stopped taking a good nap here at around 20 weeks old so I began to shorten it to a cat nap
6:30 Feed
9:00 Feed
9:15/ 9:30 Bed
5 Months Schedule #1 (3.5/ 4 hours schedule)
Starting around 21- 22 weeks
7:00 Feed (milk & solids)
8:30- 10:30 Nap (he could only stay up 1.5 hours in the am)
11:00 Feed (milk & solids)
1:00- 3:00 Nap
3:00 Feed (milk only)
5:00-5:45 Cat Nap
5:45 Feed (solids only)
8:30 Feed (milk only)
9:00 Bed
5 Months Schedule #2 (straight 4 hour schedule)
Starting around 23 weeks to current
7:00 Feed (milk & solids)
9:00-11:00 Nap
11:00 Feed (milk & solids)
1:00- 3:00 Nap
3:00 Feed (milk only)
5:00-5:45 Cat Nap
5:45 Feed (solids only)
7:45 Feed (milk only)
8:00 Bed
wake time is 2 hours, except the evening wake time which is 3 hours
6 Month Schedule
(2-3-4 Schedule) for more on this type of schedule read this post: https://blogginaboutbabies.wordpress.com/2009/05/13/2-3-4-nap-schedule-for-older-babies/
7:00 milk & solids
9:00 nap
11:30 milk & solids
2:00/2:30 nap
3:30/4:00 milk
5:30 solids
6:30 bath & milk
7:00 bed
I wait 15-30 minutes in between milk and solid food. This helps Cooper eat better.
Nap= 1.5-2 hours each
Morning wake time is 2 hours, afternoon wake time is 3 hours, evening wake time is 3 hours
(2-3-4 Schedule) for more on this type of schedule read this post: https://blogginaboutbabies.wordpress.com/2009/05/13/2-3-4-nap-schedule-for-older-babies/
7:00 milk & solids
9:00 nap
11:30 milk & solids
2:00/2:30 milk** & nap
3:30/4:00 snack (Gerber puffs 10-20 pieces)
5:00 solids
6:45 bath & milk
7:30/8:00 bed
I wait 15-30 minutes in between milk and solid food. This helps Cooper eat better.
Nap= 1.5-2 hours each
Morning wake time is 2 hours, afternoon wake time is 3 hours, evening wake time is 3 hours
** I started to breastfeed Cooper before his nap because he was waking early out of his naps from hunger. This solved the early waking from his nap.
(2-3-4 Schedule) for more on this type of schedule read this post: https://blogginaboutbabies.wordpress.com/2009/05/13/2-3-4-nap-schedule-for-older-babies/
7:00 milk & solids
9:30 nap
11:30 milk & solids
2:30 nap
4:30 milk (Gerber puffs 10-20 pieces)
5:30 solids
7:45 bath & milk
8:00/8:15 bed
I wait 15-30 minutes in between milk and solid food. This helps Cooper eat better.
Nap= 1.5-2 hours each
Morning wake time is 2.5 hours, afternoon wake time is 3 hours, evening wake time is 3.5 hours
9 months was a very difficult month for having a schedule. We moved, my son cut 4 teeth, and he was dealing with separation anxiety. For a while I thought he was trying to condense to one nap a day. We did only one nap for about 2.5 weeks. (I wrote about the 9 month trouble here.) Towards the end of the 9th month, things improved and we went back to two naps a day. Here is what the schedule looked finally at the end of the 9th month and during 10 months.
7:00 wake up & play in crib
7:45 milk & solids
10:00 nap (1 hour)
11:30 milk & solids
2:00 nap (1.5 hours)
3:30 milk
5:00 solids
6:00 bath & milk
6:45/7:00 bed
I wait 15-30 minutes in between milk and solid food. This helps Cooper eat better.
Naps- I have to wake him up form both naps or he will sleep too long making his afternoon nap near impossible or his bedtime will be very late.
Morning wake time is 3 hours, afternoon wake time is 3 hours, evening wake time is 3.5 hours
10:00- 11:00 nap
11:00 milk
12:00 lunch
2:00- 3:30 nap
3:30 milk
5:00 solids
6:00 bath & milk
6:45/7:00 bed
Naps- I have to wake him up form both naps or he will sleep too long making his afternoon nap near impossible or his bedtime will be very late.
Morning wake time is 3 hours, afternoon wake time is 3 hours, evening wake time is 3.5 hours
8:00 get out of crib & breakfast 10:00 small snack 12:15 lunch 12:45-3:45 Nap 3:45 small snack 6:00/6:30 Dinner 7:00 Bath & Bedtime Routine 8:00 Asleep This month started as two naps, but after 1.5 weeks of not taking a morning nap, I quickly switched to only one nap. 1 Year (15-16 Month) Schedule 7:00/ 7:30 wake-up and play in crib
8:00 get out of crib 8:30/9 Breakfast 12:15 lunch 1:00-3:45 Nap 3:45 small snack 6:00/6:30 Dinner 7:30 Bedtime Routine 8:00 Asleep 17-23 Months Schedule
I had to move his bedtime to 8:30 because he was taking to long to fall asleep.
7:00/ 7:30 wake-up and play in crib
8:00 get out of crib 8:30/9 Breakfast
** I sometimes did a snack around 10:30 if he asked for a snack, but because he ate breakfast so late, he did not always need a snack. 12:15 lunch 1:00-3:45 Nap 3:45 small snack 6:00/6:30 Dinner 8:00 Bedtime Routine 8:30 Asleep2-3 Years Old
At two, my son made the switch to a toddler bed. This was an easy switch, as he asked to sleep in the “big boy bed”. I moved his nap time up because his twins sisters napped at 2pm and I wanted them to all nap at the same time. It worked well. However, taking a later nap, caused him to take a little longer to fall asleep at night, but it was worth it to me to have all the kids napping at the same time. 7:30-8:00 Wake and stay in bed
8:00 get out of crib 8:00 Breakfast
10:00 Snack 12:00 Lunch 1:45-4:00/4:14 Nap 4:00 small snack 6:00 Dinner 8:00 Bedtime Routine
8:30 Bedtime, Lights Out (but normally taking until almost 9pm to fall asleep)3 Years Old
I moved nap time back to 1pm since my twins were now napping at 1pm with one nap a day. I wanted them to all nap at the same time. Because I had to move the nap earlier, I had to make some adjustments to his schedule. He also needed a shorter nap or else he was taking until almost 9:30 or 10pm to fall asleep at night. 7:30-8:00 Wake and stay in bed
8:00 get out of bed 8:00 Breakfast
10:00 Snack 12:00 Lunch 1:00-3:15 Nap 4:00 small snack 6:00 Dinner 8:00 Bedtime Routine
8:30 Bedtime, Lights Out (but normally taking until almost 9pm to fall asleep)
Thanks for this post, it would help me alot with my newborn. Babies are definitely alot more work than I thought, your posts are priceless!
I am glad you found the schedules helpful. I know when my son was first born I found it helpful to see what other parents before me had done with their babies! Best of luck with your newborn and enjoy them while they are still so tiny!
Hi! I had a quick question. My daughter is 7 months, and she takes a nap from 9-11 and 2-4 (ish). I am having a hard time with the feeding schedule before her second nap. I too have to do the same thing you did and feed her right before her afternoon nap to sustain her. I am nervous doing it because I don’t want to create a bad habit of feeding her right before nap time. How long did you feed your son right before his second nap and was it a waeaning process when you decided to stop? I’m just having a hard time with that part of my schedule. Any advice would help a ton!
AnneMarie
AnneMarie, It did not create any bad habits. I think my son was going through a growth spurt during that time and just needed the extra milk. When I felt like he did not need it anymore, I just stopped breastfeeding him before his afternoon nap and he was just fine without it. If you are really worried about creating a bad habit, you could always feed and make sure there is at least 15-30 minutes in between when you stop breastfeeding and when you lay your daughter down for her nap. If you have any other questions, just let me know. And truthfully, she will eventually only need one nap and this will not be an issue anymore. I hope that this helped. If you have any other questions let me know.
Thanks Sue! I am having trouble with my daughters feeding schedule. I try to stick with Babywise, but sometimes it’s just not possible. Here is her schedule:
7a: Milk and Solids
9-11a: Nap
11a: Milk (she is not usually hungry for this, but will drink about 4oz
1p: Solids
2:00-4:00p-Nap
4:30p: Milk and Solids
7:00: Milk and night time.
She just turned 34 weeks and I don’t know if it’s the feeding schedule that is causing her to wake up in the middle of the night and just hang out and talk, or because she is going through a developmental leap. Also, she is waking up at 6a and sometimes she will go back to sleep, but usually she will be awake until I go and get her at 7a. I also find that some days she can sleep through her afternoon nap well with out waking up out of hunger and some days she wakes up early because she’s hungry. I really like your schedule, but I would like for her to eat more at the 4:30p hour since for some reason if she eats later she isn’t hungry for her bottle before bed and then she wakes up in the middle of the night. Any suggestions would help!
Thanks so much! Love your blog!
AnneMarie, why don’t you try offering her the milk at 11:30 instead of 11. She might need 30 minutes to get hungry enough to take it. She does not have to have milk the minute she wakes up. At 7 months of age, around your daughters age, my son started to wake early too, around 6am. I tired everything to get him to sleep in later, but what I found out was that he no longer needed 12 hours of sleep at night anymore. So we bumped up bedtime by 30-60 minutes, and guess what, no more early wake ups in the morning. Also, if you push up bedtime, you can maybe move solids up to 5 or 5:30 and not mess up her nighttime bottle.
Why don’t you try this out:
7a: Milk and Solids
9-11a: Nap
11:30a: Milk
1p: Solids
2:00-4:00p-Nap
4:30p: Milk
5:30p: Solids
7:30/8: Milk and night time
Thanks so much. I am going to definitely try that this week and see if it helps the early morning wake up. The problem, though, is that somtimes she wakes up from her second nap early, at like 3:30p and she is not able to stay up more than 3.5 hours or she is a tired mess so I have no choice but to put her down at 7p. I guess, is there something wrong with just letting her wake up at 6a if she plays okay in her crib? I don’t want to be creating something that might backfire later, but she usually just plays until I go get her at 7a. Obviously, I would rather have her be sleeping. 🙂
[…] To view the schedules I kept with my son, please click on this link: https://blogginaboutbabies.wordpress.com/2009/05/13/infant-schedules-by-month/ […]
I wish I would have stumbled across your blog earlier! We have been doing the babywise method, but it is so helpful to hear more details of what other people have done. I was amazed to read your 8 month schedule and see that it is almost exactly what I am doing with my little girl right now (including the gerber puffs!) I don’t give her any time between milk and solids though… how did this help your baby to eat better?
Hi,
I love love your schedules that you have posted. Do you have a site for your schedules after your little one turned 1? All your information is so helpful and useful.
Thanks,
Caroline
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