Any Suggestions On A Sleeping And Feeding Schedule For A 7 Month Old?

Christina - posted on 12/30/2012

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I used a blend of Babywise and the Ferber method with my daughter (now nearly 7 months). I work from 7:30-4:30 (including my driving times), so I enjoy having time with her outside of my job! We follow a 4-hour feeding schedule and include solids in the middle of feeding times. So for example, DD eats at 7:30 (8-oz bottle) plus oatmeal after 4 oz. She naps 2-3 times a day, depending on how long she naps. One area where I've had to learn to be very flexible is with her napping. She often only naps for 30-45 minutes at a time, and sometimes that only happens 3 times a day. Other days, she will nap for up to 2 hours a time and will only take 2 naps. However, we keep our feeding times mostly set in stone to keep her on somewhat of a schedule. She has always slept very well through the night, usually anywhere from 10-12 hours, and she has a very happy and eager to learn personality. I worry less about her napping than I do about sleeping through the night. We're active ourselves, so when she naps less, we use the time to our advantage to run errands and go shopping with her. When she sleeps longer, I definitely take advantage of that time, too! :) Every baby is different, but giving them a sense of consistency really helps make a difference.

Lianda - posted on 06/01/2012

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I have the same question the problem with my little man is he still wont take to a bottle or a dummy and only settles with me! so now I'm going back to work I dont know what to do to make life easier for him (and his carer)

Erin - posted on 01/07/2009

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Thanks to all who have replied with 7 month old feeding and sleeping schedules! :) It's nice to know I have mothers who can answer my questions! :)

Dawn - posted on 01/07/2009

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Babies and moms also thrive on love and having their needs responded to and I don't feel Babywise addresses that well. I don't agree that a baby requires 'skills' to put themselves on a schedule. Most, but not all, thrive on routine but a baby's routine is changing all the time. I always found in the first year my babies changed about every 2-4 weeks.

There is a lot of reasonable advice on this list already - log the baby's patterns and start working with that. Keep them awake for 2-4 hour periods by interacting with them, keeping them involved, even if it is talking to them while making dinner or running errands while carrying them in a sling so they are up close rather than a car seat where they are passive and could fall asleep. But most of all be aware of how the baby is reacting. If your baby is cranky they need to sleep at that time; if they are crying because you put them down and expect them to sleep when their sleep hormones aren't high you will lose your mind and your baby will start to lose trust in you.

I have 3 kids who all slept very differently and the best thing I can tell you is work with, not against their sleep patterns (which includes being home when you need to be if you have a baby that doesn't sleep well in other places). My first did not sleep for long periods from day 7 but I could go anywhere anytime because when he did take his catnaps (which did progress to 3 one hour naps around 8 months and finally one 3 hour nap around 17 months) he could sleep anywhere. My second slept long stretches from day 1 but had to be in his crib, on his belly with white noise to stay asleep - it was difficult to get out to run errands because I only had short stretches before he was ready to sleep again - so watch what you wish for! :)

Best of luck and happy mothering.

Kevin - posted on 01/07/2009

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Asolutely! All my girlfriends did "babywise" and now our children are 4 & 5 years old and still have great sleep schedules. The thing to remember is.. You making the schedule for your child isn't militant like some would think. Do we really believe a newborn has the skills to put himself on a good schedule? :) Babywise gives you the tools to put a schedule in place. But, you do need to be flexible. Certainly there are times, just like the book says, when you have to throw your schedule out the window because of unforseen events. But it will free you both up so much. The baby learns what to expect - babies and children THRIVE on routine. It's so important. Putting a routine in place now will make you and your baby (and those around you) very happy! Everyone always said to me (and still do) "your children are so happy"!!

Kate - posted on 01/07/2009

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After reading other posts I just wanted to add... my daughter sleeps about 10 hours at night and never more than an hour or so during the day. She usually naps for about 20 minutes at a time, maybe 4 or 5 times a day. Don't want you to think that it's abnormal if yours doesn't sleep long stretches!

Kate - posted on 01/07/2009

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The best thing you can do for a 7 month old feeding and sleeping schedule is let them set their OWN schedule. It will change... my daughter slept different at 4 months than she does now at 7 months. It's a little bit harder if you're working and she is going to daycare, but her body is going to do what it needs to get enough sleep as long as you don't wake her. And as for feeding - my daughter still nurses every 2 hours, sometimes more, sometimes less. Again, it depends on the age and whether or not she's growing. Hope this helps.

Kara - posted on 01/07/2009

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I agree Babywise was an absolute blessing for me and my baby since my husband is overseas and it was just the two of us. That book works miracles! :-)

Dawn - posted on 01/07/2009

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yOU SHOULD KEEP A LOG OF HER SCHEDULE. time she wakes up the times u feed her the time she naps and for how long and her bedtime. after about a month you can see her pattern. thats what i did with my son, he developed his own schedule, i just recorded it everyday so I would know what to do everyday.

Bethany - posted on 01/06/2009

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whoa...I didn't realise how long my suggested 6 to 7 month old feeding schedule was. Sorry! :~D

Bethany - posted on 01/06/2009

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I used Babywise since my son was born and found it really difficult to get a schedule going because the book was kind of vague on what to do if things don't go as planned... but we had a basic routine going but lost it when he got sick at Christmas. I picked up the Baby Whisperer as an alternative to try to get it back and was surprised because it is basically identical to Babywise (which is funny, because I only ever hear people complain about Babywise!). Anyway- that was a long way of saying, I recommend the Baby Whisperer...it goes more into detail of how to handle trouble spots- like short naps etc. But you didn't even ask for all of that so here's the schedule we are working on (you could move it up an hour if you wanted more time with her in the morning):

645/7a: Wake and eat (nurse and solids)

7:30-8:45a: Playtime

8:45-9a: Get ready for nap (sleep sack- story- etc)

9-11a: Nap (doesn't always last 2 full hours but he stays in his crib for at least 1 1/2 or 1 3/4 hours)

11a: Eat (nurse and solids)

11:30- 12:45p: Playtime

12:45- 1p: Wind down

1-3p: Nap- this will often start a little bit early if his morning nap was shorter- but he will usually make up the difference and still sleep until 2:30-3p

3p: Eat (nurse and solids)

3:30-5p: Playtime

5p: Catnap (I'm not sure if you daughter would need this- depending on how long she is able to stay awake you might be able to skip this- it's only a short nap- 30-45min.)

6p-7p: Playtime/bathtime

7p: Eat (just nurse)

7:20-7:30p: Bedtime routine (jammies, story...bath is already done) and into bed for the night.

(I am still waking him up to feed at 10:30 but he is just six months- at closer to 7 months she may not need another feed?)

I just realised that this is very similar to Carrie's post (and probably closer to what Sarah did- you can tell I am using a combo of the books they followed, I guess!)

This would at least give you a couple of hours in the morning and evening. And if she does catnap you could use that time to get supper started and then eat after she goes to bed? Best wishes on setting a sleeping and feeding schedule for your 7 month old...

PS- BabyWhisper.com (that was mentioned above) has tonnes of sample schedules in the forum (and I mean tonnes!)

Sarah - posted on 01/05/2009

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I used babywise for my three children and i know at least a dozen other families that have used it successfully. it's fantastic. there are warnings about it, and in it, but those are just for people lacking in common sense. i will say the schedule posted above with the 7 month old feeding schedule is really good and reminds me of what i did, at that age, except i didn't wait as long in between bottle and 'food'. however, i breastfed, so the 'food' was a small amount.

Dana - posted on 01/05/2009

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she should be in bed by 7:30-8pm and up by 7:30-8am. they need about 12 hours.

try to make a few meals ahead of time like on a sunday and freeze them, so you dont have to cook every nite. also i would wake my daughter up a little early so she could cuddle with me on the couch and drink her juice while i had coffee.

Carrie - posted on 01/05/2009

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hi Erin

My son will be 7 months next week. Here is his 7 month old feeding schedule and sleeping schedule:

6:30/ 7 am wakes up

7:00 am bottle

8/8:30 breakfast (cereal)

9:00 morning nap (about 1-1.5 hours)

11:00 bottle

12:15 lunch

1:00 nap (about 1.5 hours)

3:00 bottle

5:00 dinner

6:00 bath

7:00 last bottle, then bed

he sleeps through the night

If you are looking for a book, I recommend Baby Whisperer. It worked great with both my kids and has an online support network. I caution you about Babywise. The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued warnings against it.

Kerry - posted on 01/05/2009

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Flexibility. :-) Babies have their own schedules and forcing them into anything different is trauma for everyone. Just keep the house busy in the hours that you want her awake and eventually, she'll adapt to that.

Kayte - posted on 01/05/2009

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Another great book (I have it): "What to Expect The First Year"

Kayte - posted on 01/05/2009

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Hi Erin :) I used to babysit for someone who worked 8am-7pm and her baby was a 9 month old and I have a 6 month old, so I might possibly be able to help. My son JUST started sleeping through the night, although now instead of taking naps regularly, he has decided that he only wants to take two or three during the day. The key to scheduling is consistancy. Are you making a schedule for the whole day or just the afternoon so that you can know when to play with her and when to nap her? The general rule is two hours awake, two hours asleep and it may take some time to get used to it because babies set their own schedule (at least mine does). I can give you my son's schedule if you'd like, but I don't work so mine is a lot more open and the schedule is VERY flexible.

Kevin - posted on 01/05/2009

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Buy "Babywise" - paperback in almost any bookstore. It's awesome regarding sleeping and feeding schedules.

Erin - posted on 01/07/2009

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Thanks to all who have replied with 7 month old feeding and sleeping schedules! :) It's nice to know I have mothers who can answer my questions! :)

Kate - posted on 01/07/2009

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The best thing you can do for a 7 month old feeding and sleeping schedule is let them set their OWN schedule. It will change... my daughter slept different at 4 months than she does now at 7 months. It's a little bit harder if you're working and she is going to daycare, but her body is going to do what it needs to get enough sleep as long as you don't wake her. And as for feeding - my daughter still nurses every 2 hours, sometimes more, sometimes less. Again, it depends on the age and whether or not she's growing. Hope this helps.

Bethany - posted on 01/06/2009

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whoa...I didn't realise how long my suggested 6 to 7 month old feeding schedule was. Sorry! :~D

Bethany - posted on 01/06/2009

512

15

I used Babywise since my son was born and found it really difficult to get a schedule going because the book was kind of vague on what to do if things don't go as planned... but we had a basic routine going but lost it when he got sick at Christmas. I picked up the Baby Whisperer as an alternative to try to get it back and was surprised because it is basically identical to Babywise (which is funny, because I only ever hear people complain about Babywise!). Anyway- that was a long way of saying, I recommend the Baby Whisperer...it goes more into detail of how to handle trouble spots- like short naps etc. But you didn't even ask for all of that so here's the schedule we are working on (you could move it up an hour if you wanted more time with her in the morning):

645/7a: Wake and eat (nurse and solids)

7:30-8:45a: Playtime

8:45-9a: Get ready for nap (sleep sack- story- etc)

9-11a: Nap (doesn't always last 2 full hours but he stays in his crib for at least 1 1/2 or 1 3/4 hours)

11a: Eat (nurse and solids)

11:30- 12:45p: Playtime

12:45- 1p: Wind down

1-3p: Nap- this will often start a little bit early if his morning nap was shorter- but he will usually make up the difference and still sleep until 2:30-3p

3p: Eat (nurse and solids)

3:30-5p: Playtime

5p: Catnap (I'm not sure if you daughter would need this- depending on how long she is able to stay awake you might be able to skip this- it's only a short nap- 30-45min.)

6p-7p: Playtime/bathtime

7p: Eat (just nurse)

7:20-7:30p: Bedtime routine (jammies, story...bath is already done) and into bed for the night.

(I am still waking him up to feed at 10:30 but he is just six months- at closer to 7 months she may not need another feed?)

I just realised that this is very similar to Carrie's post (and probably closer to what Sarah did- you can tell I am using a combo of the books they followed, I guess!)

This would at least give you a couple of hours in the morning and evening. And if she does catnap you could use that time to get supper started and then eat after she goes to bed? Best wishes on setting a sleeping and feeding schedule for your 7 month old...

PS- BabyWhisper.com (that was mentioned above) has tonnes of sample schedules in the forum (and I mean tonnes!)

Sarah - posted on 01/05/2009

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I used babywise for my three children and i know at least a dozen other families that have used it successfully. it's fantastic. there are warnings about it, and in it, but those are just for people lacking in common sense. i will say the schedule posted above with the 7 month old feeding schedule is really good and reminds me of what i did, at that age, except i didn't wait as long in between bottle and 'food'. however, i breastfed, so the 'food' was a small amount.

Carrie - posted on 01/05/2009

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hi Erin

My son will be 7 months next week. Here is his 7 month old feeding schedule and sleeping schedule:

6:30/ 7 am wakes up

7:00 am bottle

8/8:30 breakfast (cereal)

9:00 morning nap (about 1-1.5 hours)

11:00 bottle

12:15 lunch

1:00 nap (about 1.5 hours)

3:00 bottle

5:00 dinner

6:00 bath

7:00 last bottle, then bed

he sleeps through the night

If you are looking for a book, I recommend Baby Whisperer. It worked great with both my kids and has an online support network. I caution you about Babywise. The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued warnings against it.