Feeding&napping Schedules/daily Routines

My "baby" is 2, but I'll share what I remember about 6 months old... :)

I nursed her until she was 17 months (the last couple months, morning and evening only). We did not start solids until almost 7 months, so I'll share the nursing/napping first....this was our general routine, although of course every day had slight differences. :)

7 AM - wake-up and nurse, then play, go for a walk, etc.
9 AM - nap for 1 1/2 or 2 hours
11AM - nurse, play etc.
1 PM - nap for 1.5 -2 hours
3 PM - nurse
5 PM - occasional brief nap (30-45 min) - we phased this one out by 8 months
sometimes she'd nurse after this nap, and then I'd do a "top off" nurse before bedtime at about 8 PM
Once the 5 PM nap was eliminated, she'd nurse at about 6:45, and then would go to bed at 7:15 or so, after a bath and stuff.

I don't totally remember the solids...when we started them at 7 months, she was having 4 "nursing meals per day". We introduced a small amount of oatmeal and sweet potatoes at her 3PM feeding, like a couple of teaspoons. When she was tolerating that well, we also started doing solids after she nursed at 11 AM, still just a small amount. We gradually increased to Tablespoons, watching her cues for wanting more or being done. The last solids we introduced were at breakfast. I started with veggies, and then did fruits. I found that certain brands of cereal worked better for my DD, I made all her other solids. I always nursed her first, and then did solids...in the first year, breastmilk or formula is their primary nutrition...the solids are mostly for learning how to eat. We started on yogurt (whole milk organic, plain - sweetened with fruit puree) at about 9 or 10 months. Most books say you can do yogurt at 6 -8 months, but we have a family history of asthma, so waited a little longer. We did egg yolks cooked scrambled with cheese at about 10 months too...this is down the road for you, but it will get here quickly!

As far as introducing solids, my mom told me a good rule of thumb for deciding what to introduce is...do they have teeth to eat that food if it were in solid form? For example, you use your front teeth to eat an apple...so when babies have their front teeth, they are ready for apples. Meat is chewed with molars, so I waited until molars were coming through before doing meats. Now, some babies are totally good with gumming meat all the way down, so clearly, this isn't a perfect rule (is anything with kiddos???), but I did find it to be helpful.

A great book resource for babies through teens is "Complete Book of Baby and Child Care" by Dr. Paul Reisser. Very helpful, practical advice.

Sorry this got a little long! keep what helps, and let the rest flow right out of your mind! ;)

~R.

Hi Y., you really don't need a schedule, feed your baby when he/she is hungry, and let him/her sleep when they are tired. I didn't have mine on schedules, we took each day as it came, and you know what I had so much less stress as some of my friends trying to stay on a schedule. J. L

My so n is 7 months and at has pretty well the same routine he had at 6 months. He usually wakes by 6 AM I give him cereal in thAM and about an hour later 4 oz bottle. He stays up for about 2 hours then naps for 1 1/2 to 2 hours wakes up within an hour has another 4 oz bottle plays then has lunch usually some type of fruit 4 oz jar. He stays up about 3 hours then goes for another nap for about another 1 1/2 hours. Gets up another 4 oz bottle plays has dinner. 4 oz jar..and sometimes will take a 45 min nap but not always and the litttle guy cant keep his eyes open much past 7:30 and at that time has another bottle. He wakes up once between 2-4 AM for a 4 oz feeding Not sure if thats an average routine but it works for Lucas. I certainly will be interested in hearing other routines.

My son just turned 7 months last week but I figured I'd respond to this!

Wakes up - around 5am
Eats (breastfed): 6am
Play: 6-645
Dressed / out the door: 645 am
Daycare from 645-4
*Breakfast (a few tsp cereal and 1/2 - 1 jar of fruit) - around 730am
*Nap - usually only 20 minus around 8am
*Bottle - around 930 (anywhere from 3-5 oz)
*Lunch (1 - 2 jars Stage 2 baby food) / Bottle (3-5 oz) - around 12
*Nap - anywhere from 30 minutes - 2 hours (after lunch)
*Play / another nap - from 230-430 when I get there

Lately he does not nap from the time I pick him up until he goes to bed at 7pm.

We eat dinner between 5-530 then I give him a bottle or breastfeed him again around 645. He's asleep by 7pm and usually wakes up 2-4 times at night but only eats 1x.

My daughter is about 8 1/2 months old but has had pretty much the same schedule since she was about 5 months old, except then she ate 1st foods and I gradually built her up to more and more of it...she started with just a few spoonfuls of it:

7-7:30 a.m.: wakes up and I breastfeed her and then play time and/or bath time if it's bath day and then more play time

9:00 a.m.: she gets half a container of 2nd foods fruit mixed with oatmeal cereal or another cereal and then more play time

9:30 a.m.: I read her a story and sing her a lullaby and put her down for her nap...sleeps anywhere from 1- 2 hours...if she wakes yo after an hour we have more playtime

11:30 a.m.: I breastfeed her

12:00 p.m.: she plays in her high chair while her older sister and I eat lunch

12:30 p.m.: she gets half a container of 2nd foods fruit and a whole container of 2nd foods veggies...and I just started giving her a little yogurt too and then playtime again

1:00 p.m. : I read her a story and sing her a lullaby and then it's nap time...she sleeps anywhere from 1-2 hours

2:30 or 3:00 p.m.: I breastfeed her and then we play more

5:15 p.m.: she gets a whole container of 2nd foods veggies and then gets breastfed if I'm home or the nights I work she gets pumped milk (about 6-7 oz.) in a bottle from my husband and then playtime

6:15-6:30 p.m. We change her into her jammies, read her a story and sing her a lullaby and it's bedtime...she sleep through the night until 7 or 7:30 a.m. the next morning.

I hope that helps...my kids do really well on their schedules and get really crabby and irritated when we have to deviate from them...although of course there are times when we do. But it really helps after a few days of going places for holidays and such to have that schedule in place to fall back into.

My son is 7 months but here is his 6 month schedule (its pretty close to what it is now).

6:30-7am - Wake up
7am - Drink 4-6 oz formula
8am - eat half jar of fruit 2nd foods and some cereal (first son ate 2 jars!)
8:45-9am - Nap between 40min-1 hour
10am - Drink 4-6 oz formula
11-11:30am - eat 1 jar of 2nd foods Veggie
11:45-12n - Nap 1-2 hours
1:30-2pm Drink 4-6 oz formula
3:00-3:30pm - Nap 24-45 mins (sometimes he would fight this nap)
6:30 - bath, Pj's, read books
7pm-7:30pm - Bottle and sleep

We play in between of course and this schedule is if all goes well, weekend may be a little off if we are out and we dont always do a bath every day.

hi,
my son is now 18 months and i still remember 6mo. he was breast fed most of the time with formula 30% and a jar of babyfood at prime meal times. usually lunch (12:ish) n dinner (5:ish). i stopped breast feeding at 8 months so formula became the prime liquid meal. by this time he was eating a jar per meal. bottles whenever he was hungry.
His naps have been pretty steady since i stopped working FT (he was 8mo).
7:am - wake up, feed breakfast first thing cause he only got milk throughout the night. go for a mile walk w/stroller
10:00am -12:00pm - nap time with milk, at 13mo i switched to water in the bottle at naps.
12:ish - lunch, play time, mama errands or he played alone
2:30-4:30 afternoon nap with watter bottle.
5:00pm - dinner. a jar of food and introduction to finger foods, sippy cups with guidance. pick up food from floor.
8:00pm- bedtime, with milk bottle.
12:00am-3:00am- he usually wakes for a diaper change and fresh bottle of milk.

he has always been a picky eater so one jar of chicken dinner would satisfy him. little snacks like goldfish, raisins, salteen crackers, sliced green apples, rice cerial with applesauce, sometimes instant oatmeal breakfast, *activia yogurt*, many attempts of other foods.

hope this helps

I gave my daughter 6 ounces of formula every 3 hours until she was showing signs of still being hungry which was about 8-9 months. Then I started mixing her formula with baby cereal so she would get used to the taste. Then at 9 1/2 months I started spoon feeding her at every other feeding.
As far as naps go, I didn't keep her on a schedule that young. I just kinda let her sleep when she was tired unless it was close to bedtime. I never let her sleep 3-4 hours before bedtime so she won't fight me at bedtime.
Enjoy this time with your child. They grow up so quick!!

Hi. I'm always wondering about the schedule other moms keep for their babies, too. My baby is 7 1/2 months. She was exclusively breastfed for 6 months. I am at home with her Mon/Fri and nurse every 2-3 hrs and she is bottle-fed (breastmilk) with a nanny Tues-Thurs. so it really varies. With me, I find that she doesn't nap as well as she does with the nanny. Probably because they keep a tighter schedule than I do. I'm usually trying to work or get things done around the house at the same time. Also, she falls asleep when I nurse making it harder to quantify all those little naps throughout the day.

I did only cereal for 3 weeks before introducing veggies. She has tried (1 item for several days each) sweet potato, squash, carrots and peas all of which I've prepared at home.

7-8 am: wake up, 1/4 cup cereal with breastmilk and maybe a little banana mashed in if I have a ripe one on hand. Nurse if need be.

9:00-11: walk around the neighborhood and nap for anywhere from 20 min. - 1.5 hrs.

9:30-11:30: 7 oz bottle or nurse

11:45-12:30: Mommy & Me class on Mondays - I hope for at least a little morning nap before we go. Otherwise, she usually nurses and takes a long nap when we get home.

11-2: nap for 30 min. - 2.5 hrs. (depending on morning nap)

1:30-2:30: 7 oz bottle or nurse

1 - 3: nap for 1-2 hrs (depending on morning nap)

4-5: 7 oz bottle. Sometimes with a walk and a 20-45 min. nap.

5:30-6:30 1-2 oz. single veggie and nurse

7:30-8:30: nurse and to bed. We bathe every other day at this point.

If she wakes for a night feeding it is usually around 4 am. I'm able to nurse and put her right back to sleep. Lately, she has been waking earlier (between 12-2 am) and doesn't always need to eat. I think it might be that her top teeth are coming in (she got her bottom two without any problem around 5 months). We also traveled to London for a week just before she turned 7 months so that may still be affecting her schedule.

Mostly, I let her dictate our schedule. There's no set schedule but there are definitely trends/patterns which have developed over time. Lack of a strict schedule makes it hard to plan sometimes, but as long as we read her cues and try to be consistent I think we're doing ok.

In another 1-2 weeks, I will add a third feeding of solids around lunchtime and introduce fruits. After 2-3 weeks of that with no reaction, I will add a protein and start mixed foods.

Good luck.