Getting into a routine with your baby is a personal thing. You'll learn to read your baby's cues to develop a pattern of eating, sleeping, and playing that meets your little one's needs and works for your family.
That said, it can be a big help to see what other moms and dads are doing. We asked parents of 7- and 8-month-olds to share their baby's daily schedule, then picked the seven below as a helpful representation. (If you have a baby this age, share your routine in the comments section at the bottom of this page!)
As you're creating a schedule for your baby, keep in mind that at 7 and 8 months most babies need:
• Solid foods two to three times a day, plus about 24 to 32 ounces of breast milk or formula in a 24-hour period. (Get specific tips on how to tell whether your baby is getting enough breast milk or formula.) Now's the time to start increasing the amount and variety of your baby's foods and to introduce finger foods and perhaps a sippy cup.
• About 14 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period — this includes nighttime sleep and naps. Two naps during the day (morning and afternoon) is typical. Read more about sleep needs at this age.
• Time for playing, working on new skills, and interacting with you.
Schedule 1: A breastfeeding stay-at-home mom of an 8-month-old and an older child
Editor's note: This schedule is a parent-led routine
This is for a day when my older daughter doesn't have preschool or a playdate.
7 a.m.: Wake up and nurse for about 20 minutes.
7:30 a.m.: Play on the floor or outside with her sister.
8 a.m.: Breakfast, usually rice cereal or oatmeal and fruit (baby food).
8:30 a.m.: More playtime.
Between 9 and 9:30 a.m.: Nurse for about 15 minutes, then nap.
11 a.m.: Wake up and play.
Noon: Lunch (baby food — a fruit and a veggie).
12:30 p.m.: Play.
1:30 p.m.: Nurse for about 20 minutes, then nap.
3:30 p.m.: Wake up and play.
4 p.m.: Nurse for about 20 minutes.
5 p.m.: Dinner (baby food).
5:30 p.m.: Play, go for a walk.
6:30 p.m.: Bath.
7 p.m.: Nurse for about 20 minutes, then bed
1:30 a.m.: She usually wakes up for a 20-minute nursing session.
Schedule 2: A formula-feeding stay-at-home mom of an 8-month-old and older kids
Editor's note: This schedule is a parent-led routine
Here's what a typical day looks like for Gage:
8 a.m.: Wake up and have an 8-ounce bottle.
8:30 a.m.: Breakfast — baby food — a large jar of fruit.
9 a.m.: Playtime on the floor, crawling, and following his sisters into their playroom.
10 a.m.: 6-ounce bottle and nap time.
Noon: Wake up.
12:30 p.m.: Lunch — baby food — a large jar of meat and veggies.
1 p.m.: Playtime and outside time with his sisters.
2 p.m.: 6-ounce bottle and nap time.
4 p.m.: Wake up, have 4-ounce bottle, story time, and play time.
5:30 p.m.: Sit in highchair watching Mommy make dinner.
6 p.m.: Dinner — baby food — a half jar of veggies and a half jar of fruit.
6:30 p.m.: Playing on the floor or in his sisters' playroom.
7:15 p.m.: Bath time.
7:45 p.m.: 8-ounce bottle and down to bed for the night.
Schedule 3: A formula-feeding working mom of an 8-month-old
Editor's note: This schedule is a parent-led routine
I work out of the home 70 percent of the time and travel 30 percent. We have a full-time, live-out nanny.
6 a.m.: Wake up.
6:30 a.m.: 6-ounce bottle and reflux medicine.
6:45 a.m.: Dress for the day.
7:15 a.m.: Breakfast — a quarter cup oatmeal cereal plus one cube of homemade pureed fruit. Every other day he gets an egg yolk mixed in his cereal and brewer's yeast.
7:45 a.m.: Playtime with Mommy.
8:30 a.m.: Nanny arrives and starts the nap routine — changes diaper, reads a book, sings a lullaby, and puts him in his crib.
9 to 10 a.m.: Nap time.
10 a.m.: Wakes up, gets a fresh diaper. Plays and has time outdoors in the shade.
10:30 a.m.: 5- to 6-ounce bottle.
10:45 a.m.: Playtime.
11:30 a.m.: Lunch — two tablespoons whole-milk yogurt sprinkled with half a teaspoon ground flax seed and a cube of homemade pureed vegetables.
11:50 a.m.: Nap routine — same as above.
Noon to 1:30 p.m.: Nap.
1:30 p.m.: Wake up, gets a fresh diaper.
1:35 p.m.: Playtime.
2 p.m.: 6-ounce bottle.
2:15 p.m.: Playtime.
3 p.m.: Nap routine — same as above.
3:30 to 4:15 p.m.: Nap.
4:15 p.m.: Wakes up, gets a fresh diaper.
4:20 p.m.: Playtime.
5:15 p.m.: 6-ounce bottle (Mommy feeds while talking to nanny about the day).
5:30 p.m.: Nanny leaves, Mommy starts dinner, and Daddy comes home.
5:35 p.m.: Playtime.
6 p.m.: Mommy and Daddy eat dinner. (Baby sits in highchair and eats cereal Os.)
6:20 p.m.: Baby's dinner — two cubes homemade pureed veggies plus one cube homemade pureed fruit.
7 p.m.: Walk.
7:30 p.m.: Bath, baby massage, and pj's.
8 p.m.: 6- to 7-ounce bottle and reflux medicine.
8:15 p.m.: Bedtime routine — brush his teeth, two books, lullaby, put in crib.
9 p.m.: Fast asleep! He usually sleeps through the night except for the past two weeks, when he's been up at 2 a.m., 4 a.m., and 5 a.m. Yikes!
Schedule 4: A formula-feeding and breastfeeding stay-at-home mom of an 8-month-old and older kids
Editor's note: This schedule is a combination (parent-led and baby-led) routine
We don't have things set in stone yet, but this is the way it typically goes. Jacob nurses on demand throughout the day, but I'm trying to wean him to a bottle because I'm going back to work soon. I'd also like for him to start taking formula because I have issues with pumping.
7 to 7:30 a.m.: All the kids wake up, and Jacob nurses.
8 a.m.: Jacob gets cereal and fruit baby food while his older brothers, Zach, Matt, and Josh, eat breakfast. I offer Jacob a bottle of formula.
8:30 a.m.: Jacob gets a quick bath if breakfast was messy. If not, he plays on the floor while his brothers watch cartoons and I eat breakfast.
9 to 9:30 a.m.: All the kids play. Jacob nurses.
Between 9:30 and 10 a.m.: Jacob goes down for a nap.
While Jacob is napping, I try to entertain the older kids and squeeze in some laundry and cleaning.
Between 11:30 a.m. and noon: Jacob wakes up from his nap, and I prepare lunch for the kids. Jacob has meat and veggies baby food and pureed fruit for dessert. He also gets some finger foods to play with and a sippy cup of water while I eat my lunch.
1 p.m.: We go outside for some fresh air and maybe go for a swim.
Between 2 and 2:30 p.m.: We try for our second nap. Jacob nurses before sleeping.
4 p.m.: Jacob is up, and we have a snack.
4 to 5:30 p.m.: The kids all play. Jacob nurses.
5:30 p.m.: We have dinner. Jacob has meat and veggies baby food and pureed fruit. I also offer him a bottle of formula.
6 to 7 p.m.: The kids have quiet playtime.
7 to 7:30 p.m.: Bath time. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, my older two sons get bathed. On Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, my younger two get bathed. On Sunday, everyone has a quick shower.
8 p.m.: Pj's are on all the kids, and Josh goes down.
8:15 p.m.: Matt heads to bed.
8:30 p.m.: Zach heads to bed.
9 p.m.: I nurse Jacob and put him to bed.
3 a.m.: Jacob wakes to nurse and then sleeps until morning.
Schedule 5: A formula-feeding working mom of a 7-month-old
Editor's note: This schedule is a parent-led routine
We have two different schedules — one for daycare during the week and one for when we're home.
Monday through Thursday:
5:45 a.m.: Wake up, get dressed for daycare, and leave.
6:15 a.m.: Drop off at daycare.
6:30 a.m.: 6-ounce bottle.
6:45 a.m.: Playtime.
7:30 a.m.: Breakfast — cereal mixed with a half jar of fruit (stage 2).
8 a.m.: Playtime.
9 to 10 or 10:30 a.m.: Nap.
11:30 a.m.: Lunch — 6-ounce bottle, a half jar of veggies (stage 2), cereal Os.
Noon: Playtime.
12:30 or 1 until 2 or 2:30 p.m.: Nap.
3 p.m.: 6-ounce bottle.
3:15 p.m.: Playtime.
3:45 p.m.: Pick up from daycare (he sleeps on the ride home).
4:30 p.m.: Home from daycare, play with Mommy.
6 p.m.: Dinner — cereal mixed with fruit and a half jar of veggies (stage 2).
6:15 p.m.: Playtime.
7:30 p.m.: Start nighttime routine — bath, massage, 6-ounce bottle, brush his teeth, and to bed.
8 p.m.: Sleeping.
Friday through Sunday:
6:30 a.m.: Wake up and cuddle with Mommy or Daddy.
7 a.m.: 6-ounce bottle.
7:30 a.m.: Breakfast — cereal mixed with a half jar of fruit (stage 2).
7:45 a.m.: Playtime.
8:30 to 10 a.m.: Nap.
10 a.m.: Playtime.
11:30 a.m.: Lunch — 6-ounce bottle, a half jar of veggies (stage 2), cereal Os.
Noon: Playtime.
1 to 2:30 p.m.: Nap.
3 or 3:30 p.m.: 6-ounce bottle.
4 p.m.: Playtime.
6 p.m.: Dinner — cereal mixed with fruit and a half jar of veggies (stage 2).
7:30 p.m.: Start nighttime routine — bath, massage, 6-ounce bottle, brush his teeth, and to bed.
8 p.m.: Sleeping.
Schedule 6: A breastfeeding stay-at-home mom of a 7-month-old
Editor's note: This schedule is a baby-led routine
Lately our days look a little something like this:
8 a.m.: Baby wakes, nurses.
8:15 to 9:30 a.m.: Playtime under mobile while Mom fixes breakfast, reads, gets ready.
Between 9:30 and 10 until around 11 a.m.: Naps (usually for about 45 minutes).
11 a.m.: Nurses, plays, rolls, attempts to crawl around on his blanket with his toys.
11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Naps.
12:30 p.m.: Lunch — 3 tablespoons cereal mixed with 2 ounces breast milk, a jar of fruit (baby food), water in a sippy cup. After lunch, we read a Bible story, dance and sing along with music, hang out with friends.
2 or 2:30 to around 3 p.m.: Naps.
3 p.m.: Nurses.
3:15 to 5 p.m.: Playtime, errands, stroller walk.
5 p.m.: Dinner — 3 tablespoons cereal mixed with 2 ounces milk, a jar of veggies (baby food), water in a sippy cup.
5:30 p.m.: Naps — if I'm lucky — while I try to prepare a simple dinner for myself.
6:30 to 7 p.m.: Bath time. We play "Where's Baby?" with a bath towel, and he giggles hysterically and deliriously.
7:15 p.m.: Nurses.
7:30 p.m.: Bedtime.
10 p.m.: Nurses.
3:30 a.m.: Nurses.
8 a.m.: Wake up, repeat day.
He isn't sleeping through the night yet. He eats best during the night feedings, when he's not as distracted. I don't mind this since he's a petite one and can use the extra feedings. And I'm home, which helps a lot. His third and fourth teeth are coming in now, so this throws off his sleep schedule, too.
Schedule 7: A formula-feeding stay-at-home mom of 7-month-old twins
Editor's note: This schedule is a combination (parent-led and baby-led) routine
This schedule may seem very irresponsible to some of you early birds, but it works for us. My husband works until late and leaves early, and this is the only way he can spend time with the twins.
10 a.m.: Wake up and have 6 ounces formula each.
10:15 a.m.: Play on the floor, crawl around.
11 a.m.: Breakfast — one jar of fruit each (baby food), yogurt, and finger foods.
Between noon and 12:30 p.m.: Go down for a nap.
1:30 p.m.: Wake up, play, read books.
2 to 2:30 p.m.: Lunch — stage 2 veggies (baby food), yogurt, and finger foods. They get 6 ounces of formula afterward.
3 to 4 p.m.: Spend time with Grandma and in the bouncers.
4 p.m.: Nap.
5 p.m.: Wake up, play on the floor with toys.
5:45 p.m.: 6 ounces of formula.
7:30 p.m.: Nap.
8:30 p.m.: Wake up, play, read books.
9:45 p.m.: 6 ounces of formula.
11 p.m.: Bedtime. They sleep until 10 the next morning.
Schedule 8: A breastfeeding and pumping working mom of a 7-month-old
Editor's note: This schedule is a parent-led routine
I'm a breastfeeding working mom (a teacher). Here's our schedule:
5 a.m.: Nurse, change my baby's clothes and diaper, and he goes back down. Mommy and Daddy get ready.
6:45 a.m.: Nurse again, drive to daycare.
7:30 a.m.: Breakfast (at daycare): Cereal mixed with 2 ounces of breast milk and 2 ounces of fruit.
9 to 10 a.m.: Morning nap.
11 a.m. Mommy pumps at work. Baby has lunch: 4 ounces of breast milk, plus baby food — 2 ounces of meat, 2 ounces of veggies, and 4 ounces of fruit.
1 to 2:30 p.m.: Afternoon nap.
3 p.m.: Snack. Finger foods and 2 ounces of fruit.
3:30 p.m.: Mommy picks up the baby and we nurse right away.
Once we get home, we play!
5:45 p.m.: Dinner: Cereal, plus 2 ounces of veggies and 2 to 4 ounces of fruit.
7 p.m.: Bedtime routine: Bath, massage, nurse, book, lullaby, prayers.
7:30 p.m.: Baby is asleep.
He usually wakes up once to nurse between 2 and 3:30 a.m.
source: babycenter
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