5 Month Old- I Need a Schedule

I disagree with Megan's response. Breastmilk/Formula are the main source of nutrition and feeding for the first year of life. Starting foods is simply for fun and practice. There is no need to start them, although recommendations are to start foods at 4-6 months.

That being said, since you want to be sure she doesn't decrease her breastmilk/formula intake. It is best to nurse/feed her the milk, then wait 30-60 mins and offer the food. The other reason for this is that a hungry baby is likely to get frustrated with trying to learn to eat and trying new foods.

Also, there is no need to do the foods in the morning. Try them in the evening as dinner and it may help her to sleep longer periods at night (you've got to be exhausted with that schedule!).

My son is 8 mos and here's his schedule:
6 AM wake up, bottle
7 AM we leave for work (he goes with me)
8 AM yogurt
9:15 bottle
9:30-11:00 nap
12:00 fruit w oatmeal
12:45 bottle
1:00-4:00 nap
4:00 bottle
5:30-6:00 nap (car ride home)
6:30 veggie w rice, and bits of tablefood/fingerfoods
7:00 bath
7:10 bottle, book, brush teeth
7:30 bed

when introducing foods, you should offer them just before your nursing/bottle. So, if she nurses at 8, then offering some food at 7:30 is fine. Also, if you are in a rush in the morning, you don't have to start with the breakfast to start offering foods. Why not start at lunch time when you aren't in a hurry? Offer food at 11 and then nurse at 11:30. Then when she is more into the routine, when you do offer at breakfast, it won't be a time issue.
M.

Hi J., I have 3 children (10, 6, &4). I was blessed with a sitter who became a friend and is now god-mother to my kids. She has 7 of her own. When my son was a month old she put him on a schedule of 10-2-6-10 or 9-1-5-9. Feed your daughter as much as she will eat bottle wise every feeding. Hold off as long as you can between feedings with juice or water. It may take a week to get this going perfectly. It took my sitter 2 weeks. After that we started adding cereal to the bottle for the late night feeding and tried to hold out as long as we could trying to make the feeding later and later. Then we started makeing a cereal and bottle for dinner with just a bottle for bed. It works.... I have done this with all 3 of my children and My friend and I pass this advice on to everyone we know. She got this feeding technique from a midwife. Boy am I glad she did! Hope this helps.
K.

Your baby may not need solids yet. It depends on the child. Some wait until 6 - 8 months before eating solids. If the child is content nursing stick with it. My babies did not start solids in the morning. They ate at supper time with Daddy and me. AF

My pediatrician said for the first 9-12 months of life, that breast milk/formula is the main source of nutrition. Feeding him food is just a way of teaching him to eat for the futre. She said I should nurse him first, and then afterwards, offer him food. If you nurse, and then wait to long, like an hour or so, and then feed them, if they fill up, they won't want to nurse again.

Our office recommends solids at 6 months, unless the baby is not seeming to be full on formula or breast milk alone.
She said food twice a day should be offered. Like you, my mornings are a little busy, so I tend to hit lunch and dinner time.

I would think (and every baby is different) that she should have no need to eat for at least a 6 hour stretch at night. Both of mine were at least 8 hour sleepers by that age. However, I have heard that for bf babies 6 hours is considered "sleeping through the night. Sounds like she should be getting enough during the day!

Mine have always taken two naps a day - 9:30-11:00 and 3-5 ish. Bed time at 8 pm, and sleep until around 7am.

Good luck!

I have a 6 month old who just started cereal. My oldest two started cereal at 4 months but my 3rd and 4th the doctors said wait until 6 months. Anyway, my 6 month old nurses at 7:30, 9:30, cereal at noon, nurses at 12:30, 2:30, cereal at 5, and nurses at 6:30. My other three had cut down to 4 nursings at this point. Hope that helps...