Babble

I am currently on maternity leave with my 6 month old son.  Thankfully, we have finally reached some sort of schedule to our day!  I'm just not sure if this is a "normal" routine for his age.  This is roughly what goes on each day...

6:30 - Wake up

7:00 - Nursing

8:00 - Breakfast (fruit/cereal)

9:00 - nap (only 1/2 hour to 40 minutes)

10:30, 1:30, 4:30 - Nursing

5:30 - Dinner (fruit/veg./cereal)

7:00 - Bedtime (Nursing, etc.)

He still wakes up once or twice a night to nurse.  His morning nap is pretty consistent each day, but the afternoon is hit or miss.  It would be really helpful to get some advice or to see some other "sample" schedules to see if we're on track.  Is his bedtime to early?  Should I be putting him down for a consistent afternoon nap?  Thank you!  As a first time mom, I can use all the help I can get!

I have a nearly six month old daughter.  Sleep is tough for us, but we're not sleep training (yet?), so I do what I can to help her get better rest--often holding her or napping with her.  At night, she spends the first half in her bed and the second half in mine.  Here's an average day for us...

Around 5:00 AM - nurse

Around 7:00 - up for the day (I never wake her, so sometimes it's earlier, sometimes a little later.)

About 8:00 - breakfast

By 9:00 - nurse and first nap (If I can convince her to sleep at least an hour, we're golden.  Otherwise, she's fussy within the first hour but won't go to sleep for at least two, and our schedule has to be adjusted to get her a nap sooner than if she slept well.)

Around 2:00 - nurse and nap (This time varies by an hour or more based on how successful we were with the morning nap and how sleepy she is.)

6:00 - dinner, bath, massage, song, PJs, books, nurse (She's generally asleep by 7:00.  I always feed her at the same time each day, but then I adjust the duration of the other pre-bed activities based on how sleepy she's getting.)

Around 11:00 PM - nurse

Around 3:00 AM - nurse

I think babies at this age are able to be up 2-3 hours at a time, with an occasional 4 hour stretch.  Setting a consistent schedule has helped my daughter sleep better and lengthen her naps and the hours between feedings at night.  We've also found that a consistent pre-bed routine helps.  Our nap routine is shorter than before bedtime: diaper change, books, and nurse.  A 7:00 bedtime is good based on everything I've read.  Afternoon naps can be tough, but my daughter is miserable without good naps then gets up more frequently at night. 

It sounds like you're doing really well!  Have you done any sleep training, or has your son gone down to 1-2 night feedings on his own? 

 

 

Thanks so much for your advice!  It's so helpful to see that we're on the same sort of track.  Sometimes I second guess myself when I hear that this baby is sleeping through the night, that baby takes 2 hour naps, etc.  You know how it goes!

We haven't done any sort of sleep training yet either.  A few months ago, he was only getting up once a night, but then went back to the two night feedings.  I've heard of a "wake to sleep" idea where if I woke him up at 10 to feed him (before I went to bed), maybe he'd only get up once.  We'll see, maybe I'll try that!

All in all, I read a lot, and sometimes I stress out too much!  I appreciate the time it took to tell me about your schedule! 

 

Hi There,

I have a 5 month old daughter and I always have questions about her schedule.  This is a typical day for us, not sure if she's napping too many times, but she won't stay awake for very long.

 

7:00 Wake Up

7:15 Bottle

9:00 Nap

10 to 10:30. 1:30, 4:30, 7:15 Bottle

12:30 Nap

3:30 Nap

7:00 Bath 

8:00 Bed

Molly sleeps most of the time through the night.  My doctor told me she was old enough to start sleep training her.  We used the Ferber method and it really worked well for us.  She is much happier since she has been sleeping through the night...so are her parents.  I am a first time mom, too, and i know how good it is to see about other babies schedules.  

Take Care! 

 

EllenD--Is your daughter taking very short naps?  My six month old has just begun to stay up longer than 2 hours at a time now that she is taking two hour and a half to two hour long naps.  Previously, she took three or more naps a day with short, 45 minute naps.  She also goes to bed by 7:00, so she's sleeping around 12 hours at night.  (I've read that an earlier bedtime is more conducive to sleeping through the night, and it was an easy transition from a 9:00 bedtime to earlier.) 

Ellen D - I'm glad to hear your daughter is sleeping through the night!  Did the Ferber method take long to implement?  When she was getting up during the night, was she hungry or just waking up out of habit? 

My 61/2 month old still wakes up twice a night, but I'm nervous to try sleep training because I honestly think he's hungry (and I just haven't given it a good shot yet!).

Thanks!

Hi There,

 Molly's first nap is probably the longest, about an hour and a half.  Then the following naps are an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes.  She is still a sleepy head.  I think that over the next month we'll see if she'll consolidate her naps into 2 a day.  How long did it take you to transition to an earlier bedtime?  Molly seems exhausted by 7 anyway, so we're thinking we are going to do that soon.

thanks
 

Hi JMarie,

Yes, it is a big step for my husband and I, now that we can get some sleep.  The Ferber method didn't take long at all.  I think that Molly was a good sleeper to begin with, but she definitely was waking up out of habit.  I first  noticed that she wasn't really eating all that much during the night.  So, I started to give her less and less, eventually I just decided to begin the sleep training.  When she would wake, I'd wait five minutes, go into to her room, pat her on the back and tell her she was ok.  Usually before I could go in again, she was asleep.  It took a few days for her to get into the routine, but it was basically painless.  My doctor told me that Molly weighed enough and was old enough to sleep train and that if I continued to feed her she'd keep waking up.  How much does your son weigh?  How does he sleep during the day?

One day, we decided to try the earlier bedtime.  We started our routine earlier (dinner, bath, PJs, books, and nursing) with the shades closed.  Clara went right to sleep by 7:00.  When she did wake (which is typically very often), we acted like it was the middle of the night.  At the time, that meant nursing her back to sleep immediately.  Within a few days, she was totally used to it and is now ready for bed most days by 6:30.  (I would rather it be 7:00, but she doesn't seem to make it that long anymore!)

Did you start sleep training with putting her down drowsy but awake or did you only let her cry it out for night wakings?  After much deliberation and anxiety, we decided to start tomorrow night.  My husband is taking the lead for the first half of the night since I'm going to be working--which is probably good.  I'll be out of the house so I can't cave in and nurse her to sleep.  I'm very nervous, but it shouldn't be as bad as I'm imagining.

 

I completely understand how nervous this can make you, but I promise, it's really not that bad.  We have always tried putting Molly down drowsy, if possible. And usually she is ready for naps and bedtime without much of a fuss.  There have been a couple of times when we let her really cry it out and that was tough, but it only lasted a couple of days.  Molly seems to thrive on her schedule and having a more predictable one has been great for us, too.  It was very important for my husband and I to have a united front regarding this situation and it made the transition easier with support.  For me, the biggest key to Molly's success with sleeping is being consistent.  I know that Clara will do great.  Try not to worry and know that very soon things will be much easier regarding her sleep.  Good Luck. 

Ellen D - My son weighs close to 19 pounds at this point....he's definitely getting enough to eat (but he is a hungry little guy)!  He does eat once or twice during the night, but I like what you said about gradually giving him less and less...then it wouldn't be cutting him off cold turkey.  He usually goes to bed around 7 or 7:30.  During the day, he usually takes a morning nap (45 minutes) in his crib, but the other naps vary (usually in the carseat, stoller, etc. - I need to be more consistent with those).

BabyCakies - Good luck!  Please let us know how it goes.  I will be next (but I keep putting it off).  Being on the other side with a full night's sleep sounds like a dream!

Your advice really helps.  Thank you both!

I won't repeat what I just posted in the "I need more sleep!" string, but it was a bad night.  None of us got much sleep.  I know she's a strong-willed baby who's slow to warm up and adjust to change (won't take a bottle, won't sleep for anyone but me, often bursts into tears at minor noises and people saying "hello," etc.).  I wasn't shocked, and I fed her often enough to know she wasn't hungry, so we got through the night. 

Tonight has gone better so far.  I'll keep you posted on our progress--and I'm so hopeful there will be progress!  

did you find any ohter schedules?  I've been searching all morning and find your post...

Hello!

Well, my son is a little over seven months now, and I was told by my pediatrician that he doesn't need to be fed during the night anymore due to his weight and his age.  So, the past few nights, I have been cutting out the night feedings.  The first night, I only fed him at 3, and last night, not at all!  He did cry a few times the first two nights, but the crying is getting shorter and shorter.  I am so relieved and I hope this continues!  His schedule is getting better too.  Now that he's taking longer naps, he's eating on a more consistent pattern.  I guess I just got nervous too early.  Just wanted to share some positive news!

JMarie7, I'm so glad to hear about your progress! 

At nearly seven months, we're down to one night feeding at about 10:00.  Clara's still ravenous then, so I'll keep doing it for awhile longer.  She generally goes down with just a few minutes of fussing at 6:00 PM then sleeps until between 6:15 and 6:30 AM.  We're still having trouble with night wakings--about once a night she's awake and crying for an hour or more.  It's too soon to tell for sure, but now that I'm consistent with only visiting to reassure her every 10-15 minutes, she seems to be crying less and better able to get herself back to sleep.  Perhaps it's the beginning of teething; time will tell.  She's starting to take a longer morning nap (one and a half to two hours) with a 45 minute afternoon nap.  It's progress! 

I have another question.  How often are your babies eating?  I'm nursing and feeding her baby food and some table foods.  She's suddenly hungry all the time so that I'm nursing every 3-4 hours and feeding solids in between.  I'd say she's eating something every hour and a half to two hours.  I guess I should trust that if she accepts the food, she is hungry.  Mostly, this sudden increase in food interest took me by surprise.  Does this sound typical to you guys?