5 Month Old Schedule

W. -

My son just turned 6 months. He doesn't have a regular nap schedule, so I can't advise you on that as every day is different in our house...but I do keep it consistent in terms of feedings. I nurse first thing in the morning (usually around 7). Then around 8:30, he gets cereal and fruit for breakfast. I usually will nurse again around 10:30. Then it's lunch at 12 (veggie and fruit). I'll nurse (or give him a 4 ounce bottle) again around 2:30 or 3. He gets dinner around 5:30 (one stage 2 dinner as well as another fruit if he's still hungry). He gets his last nursing of the day usually around 7:00, right after I've given him a bath. Then it's bedtime around 7:30. Hope this helps you out.

- K. :)

Hi W.,
My twins just turned six months. I found the book Super Baby Foods very helpful. She provides all kinds of information on how to introduce solids, etc. For instance she writes you should introduce a solid in the am. In case there is an allergic reaction you are awake and alert during the day to notice it. She also provides information on schedules, etc. Based on her advice this is what our schedules look like:

At 4 1/2 months our schedule was:
7 am wake & Breast/bottle feed
9 am rice cereal
10 nap
12 pm breast/bottle feed
1 nap
3 breast/bottle feed
4 nap
6 rice cereal (after four days of trying in the am only)
7:30 bedtime

Now the schedule is:
7 wake breast/bottle feeding
9 am fruit or veggie and rice feeding
11 am breast feeding
12 breast/bottle feeding
3 fruit/veggie and rice feeding
5 breast feeding
6:30 breast/bottle feeding
7 Bedtime

I like breast/bottle feeding first in the am so I then have time to prepare for the solid feeding. After their first feeding they are quite playful so I put them in the exersaucers while I prepare for the solid feeding. The naps usually last from 1/2 hours to 1 hour. Occasionally there will be a two hour nap.

Hope this helps. Congrats & good luck.
N.

I also have a 5 mth old. I have not started cereal yet (I waited until 6 mths with my older girls - 7,5 and 3yrs.) Honestly I don't know when I will fit in feeding her with getting the others ready for and taking them to school. Sometimes I wonder how I get her changed and dressed - I can't imagine having twins. I don't think it really matters when you give her the other feeding - what ever works into your schedule would be fine. We are up around 6:30, and she nurses around 7:00. She will fall asleep when I am taking my others to school around 9:00 (I know car sleeping is not good, but what can I do).She wakes up around 10:00 and nurses again. Then we play and she eats around 1:00 and goes in for another nap around 1:30 or 2:00. Then she gets up around 3:30 and nurses around 4:00. Then I try to get another nap around 5:30 or 6:00 when I have to help with homework and cleaning up after supper. She goes to bed for the night around 8:30 or 9:00 and she has been waking up once around 4am for a feeding. Hope this helped. N.

When my son was five months old, he woke up a little earlier than your girls. He also took three naps a day, about 1 hour long each. (I'd put him down every 1.5-2 hours.) He also started getting a second meal around 5 months or so, and I'd usually give that to him after nursing. A month or two later, I switched it to before nursing. (Right around the time I added a 3rd meal in there.) But there's no need to push it right now.

Once your girls start moving more, they may nap longer and/or switch to 2 naps.

So I guess our day was like this (estimating):

6:00 (or so)- wake up and nurse
7:00- cereal and/or fruit
8:00- nap (quick nurse before)
9:00(ish)- nurse
11:00- nap (quick nurse before)
12:00(ish)- nurse
2:00- nap (quick nurse before)
3:00(ish)- nurse
5:00-cereal and/or fruit/veggies
5:30-bath, nurse, bed

Things got stretched out as he got older, though he still goes to bed around 7 (or earlier) now that he's 13 months. And he still naps twice a day, only now it's way longer!

Hi W...
My baby just turned 6 months old....

7:00am Wakeup and Breastfeed
7:45am Solids
9:00am Nap
11:00am Breastfeed
12:00 Solids
1:00pm Nap
3:00pm Breastfeed
5:00pm Solids
7:00pm Bedtime

Ihope this helps... I just got into the schedule last week and it's working. I was told you want to feed your baby solids 30-60mins after breastfeeding or bottle and then at night you can do it one hour before the last feeding...
I do mine at 5 because i have to pick my husband up at the train station at 545....I started feeding my son bfast and lunch ( i started with dinner first) when I noticed he started to cry everytime he saw me eat my bfast and lunch!!! and after I fed him he was super happy... I just started feeding him 3 meals yesterday....
There are times that I do add a 3rd cat nap if his first two naps are short ...