Sleeping, Feeding, and Activity Routines for Babies (0–12 Months)

 

So, you brought your newborn baby home, now what? 

 

Having a predictable routine/schedule helps improve sleep, promotes emotional security by building trust and a sense of safety, as well as supports a baby's brain development. As a result, parents and babies experience reduced stress and greater confidence. 

Below you will find sample sleeping/feeding/activity routines for newborns through 12-months of age. Remember, there is no one-size-fits-all. Some babies will need slightly shorter/longer windows. Yet, these examples are a helpful starting point to help guide you in creating a new routine for you and your new baby!  

 

 

Age	Awake Time	Sleep Time	#  of naps / day	Nighttime sleep duration
0 - 6 wks	30 min - 1 hr	15 min - 4 hrs	4 - 8	2 - 4 hrs
6wks - 3 mo.	1 hr - 1.5 hr	30 min - 2 hrs	3 - 6	3 - 6 hrs
4 mo. - 6 mo.	1.5 - 2.5 hrs	30 min - 2 hrs	3 - 4	6 - 8 hrs
6 mo. - 9 mo.	2 - 3 hrs	1 - 3 hrs	2 - 3	8 - 12 hrs
9 mo. - 12 mo.	3 - 4 hrs	1 - 2 hrs	2	10 - 12 hrs
12 mo. +	4 - 6 hrs	1 - 2 hrs	1 - 2	10 - 12 hrs

 

Age	Feeding frequency	# oz milk / feeding	Breastfeeding Time / breast
0 - 6 wks	2 - 3 hrs	1- 3 oz	10 - 20 min.
6wks - 3 mo.	2 - 4 hrs	3 - 5 oz	15 - 20 min.
4 mo. - 6 mo.	3 - 4 hrs	5 - 7 oz	15 - 20 min.
6 mo. - 9 mo.	3 - 5 hrs	7 - 8oz + 1-3 solid meals	10 - 15 min.
9 mo. - 12 mo.	4 - 6 hrs	7 - 8 oz + 3 solid meals	10 - 15 min.
12 mo. +	4 - 6 hrs	4 oz + 3 solid meals	5 - 15 min.

 

Feeding and Sleeping routine for 0 - 3 months old

 

·       7:00 a.m.: Awake – Feed, change and engage 1^st activity. 

·       8:00 a.m.: Nap 1 – Feed

·       10:00 a.m.: Awake – change and engage 2^nd activity.

·       11:00 a.m.: Nap 2 – Feed

 

·       1:00 p.m.: Awake –change and engage 3^rd activity.

·       2:00 p.m.: Nap 3 – Feed

·       4:00 p.m.: Awake –change and engage 4^th activity.

 

·       5:00 p.m.: Nap 4 – Feed

·       7:00 p.m.: Awake –change and engage 5^th activity.

·       8:00 p.m.: Nap 5 – Feed

·       9:00 p.m.: Awake –change and engage 6^th activity.

o   9:30 p.m.: Bedtime routine

·       10:00 p.m.: Nap 6 – Bedtime Feed

 

Feeding and Sleeping routine for 4-6 month old 

 

·       7:00 a.m.: Awake – Feed, change and engage 1^st activity. 

·       8:30 a.m.: Nap 1 – Feed

·       10:00 a.m.: Awake – change and engage 2^nd activity.

·       11:30 a.m.: Nap 2 – Feed

 

·       1:00 p.m.: Awake –change and engage 3^rd activity.

·       2:30 p.m.: Nap 3 – Feed

·       4:00 p.m.: Awake –change and engage 4^th activity.

 

·       5:30 p.m.: Nap 4 – Feed

·       7:00 p.m.: Awake –change and engage 5^th activity.

·       8:30 p.m.: Nap 5 – Feed

o    9:00 p.m.: Awake –change and engage.

o    9:30 p.m.: Bedtime routine

·       10:00 p.m.: Nap 6 –  Bedtime Feed

·       11:30p.m.: Nap 7 – Feed 

Feeding and Sleeping routine for 6-9 month old

 

·       7:00 a.m.: Awake – Feed, change and engage 1^st activity. 

·       9:00 a.m.: Nap 1 – Feed

·       10:00 a.m.: Awake – change and engage 2^nd activity.

·       12:00 a.m.: Nap 2 – Feed

 

·       1:00 p.m.: Awake –change and engage 3^rd activity.

·       3:00 p.m.: Nap 3 – Feed

·       4:00 p.m.: Awake –change and engage 4^th activity.

 

·       6:00 p.m.: Nap 4 – Feed

·       7:00 p.m.: Awake –change and engage 5^th activity.

o    9:00 p.m.: Bedtime routine 

·       9:30 p.m.: Nap 5/Bedtime – Feed

·       11:00 p.m.: Dream feed (optional)

 

Feeding and Sleeping routine for 9-12 month old

 

·       7:00 a.m.: Awake – Feed, change and engage 1^st activity. 

·       10:00 a.m.: Nap 1 – Feed

·       11:00 a.m.: Awake – change and engage 2^nd activity.

 

·       2:00 p.m.: Nap 2 – Feed

·       3:00 p.m.: Awake –change and engage 3^rd activity.

 

·       7:00 p.m.: Bedtime routine 

·       7:30pm: Nap 3/Bedtime-Feed

·       11:00 p.m.: Dream feed (optional)

 

Other things to consider

·       If the baby is cranky, ask yourself: Is he hungry? Tired? Pooped? Bored? Hurting? Hot/Cold?

 

·       If the baby gets cranky before his time to nap, you can feed and nap him. 

 

·       If he wakes up before his time to awake, you can feed and continue to nap him.

 

·       Purple crying: This is a normal, but intense phase of unexpected, prolonged and sometimes inconsolable crying. It typically starts at 2 weeks, peaks at 2 months, and then decreases at 3-5 months.

 

·       Soothing methods: From 0-3 months, you can help calm your baby by imitating the comforting environment of the womb. This can include: swaddling, making gentle “Shh” sounds, holding your baby in a side position, gentle swinging, and/or offering a pacifier for sucking.

 

·      Sleep regression: From 3-5 months of age, baby’s sleep can become lighter and more fragmented for ~2-6 weeks. Thus, leading to shorter naps, and more frequent night wakings. Keeping routines consistent will help baby’s sleep stabilize again. Perhaps incorporating the Ferber method can also help baby practice falling asleep independently.  

 

·      Bedtime routine: Creating a calm routine ~30 minutes before bedtime helps promote healthy sleep, since it can take up to 6 months for babies to have a regular sleep cycle (i.e. bathe, put in pajamas, listen to lullabies, read a story together, and feed well to avoid more than 1-2x of overnight feeding).

 

Activity ideas

·       Cognitive

o   Show black and white flashcards, or books

o   Read a book

o   Learn: Alphabet, colors, numbers, shapes

o   Talk to the baby in a parentese voice. Go around the house and explain what everything is called and/or narrate diaper changes and feedings. 

 

·       Physical

o   Gently massage/exercise/stretch the baby (i.e. bicycle legs, side-lying play)

o   Practice rolling, following and/or holding objects

o   Put on playmat for tummy time (1 minute - 1 hr)

o   Play with toys (i.e. rattles, balls)

o   Skin-to-skin upright on your chest (10 minutes - 1hr)

 

·       Emotional/social

o   Look in the mirror and learn different body parts.

o   Sing to the baby using gentle/soft rhythm/movement.

o   Hold baby 8-12 inches from your face and make different faces/sounds. 

o   Peek-a-boo

 

·       Other

o   Download Pathways.org App to get an activity for the week!

 

 

What do you like to implement in your child’s routine? 

 

 

 

 

Photo source: www.pbs.org

#baby #newborn #feedingroutine #sleepingroutine #schedule #pregnancy #Healthystrongbeautiful  #HSBvibes #HSB #thrive #optimism #lifeperspective #awareness #healthpromotion #diseaseprevention #wholistichealth #healthyliving #nurseselfcare #mentalhealth #physicalhealth #spiritualhealth #Healthandfitness #healthcoach #wellnesscoach #lifestylecoach #healthandwellness #selfcare #takingcareofyourself