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 9- and 10-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 9 and 10 months most babies need:
• Solid foods 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.) By now, your baby will likely be eating a variety of different foods and taking an active role at mealtimes by self-feeding and drinking from 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 formula-feeding work-at-home mom of a 9-month-old
Editor's note: This schedule is a combination (parent-led and baby-led) routine
I work at home, so we don't get out and about in the morning very often (except to the library at 10 a.m. on Friday for the infant playgroup).
6:30 to 7:30 a.m.: Sera wakes and cuddles with Mom and Dad (we co-sleep right now), then she has a 7- to 8-ounce bottle of formula.
8 a.m.: Mom starts working on her laptop. We spend most of the day in the living room/playroom. Sera is a walking pro, so baby gates are my friend!
8:30 to 9 a.m.: Breakfast. I give her small pieces of cheese, ham, fresh fruit, veggies, and cereal Os.
9 to 10 a.m.: Sera plays, watches some cartoons, and "reads" books mostly independently. I join in when I can.
10 a.m.: She has a 7- to 8-ounce bottle, and then naps for an hour and a half to two hours.
Noon: Lunch. She only eats finger foods, so I give her whatever I have in the house: Small pieces of cheese, meat, fresh veggies, fruit, noodles, and so on, followed by a 6- to 7-ounce bottle.
12:45 to 3 p.m.: Play while Mommy works (same as above).
3 p.m.: Mommy done working. We play together, run errands, clean house (rarely!), go shopping — whatever. She either naps in the car if we go out, or we sneak a nap in around 3:30 or 4 p.m. for an hour and a half to two hours — yes, I said "we"! She has another 7- to 8-ounce bottle in there somewhere.
5:30 to 6 p.m.: Dinner for Sera, same as lunch.
6:30 p.m.: My husband comes home, and we eat dinner. He plays with Sera until around 7:30.
7:30 p.m.: She gets a bath and another bottle and we put her down for the night.
Schedule 2: A formula-feeding working mom of a 10-month-old
Editor's note: This schedule is a combination (parent-led and baby-led) routine
Our schedule is different than most — we start and end late. Daddy works a 12-hour night shift every other night, and Mommy works a standard 9-to-5 shift.
11:30 a.m.: Wake up and eat breakfast — a 9-ounce bottle of soy formula, oatmeal mixed with soy milk, small pieces of fruit, and some fruit puffs.
Noon: Play with Daddy, usually inside the house. She likes her flash cards, toy guitar and piano, books, balls, blocks, big plastic snap beads, and lots of noisy toys.
Between 1 and 2 p.m.: She goes down for her nap, which lasts about two hours.
Between 3 and 4 p.m.: She wakes up and has lunch — a bottle, one jar of stage 3 fruit or veggies, and veggie or fruit puffs.
4 p.m.: Play with Daddy
5:30 p.m.: Mommy comes home. The adults eat dinner while the baby snacks on veggie puffs or has small bites of our food. On nights when he works, Daddy leaves around 6:30 p.m.
6:45 p.m.: She naps for about 45 minutes.
7:30 p.m.: She has dinner — another bottle, one jar of stage 3 dinner, and fruit or veggie puffs.
8 p.m.: I usually give her a bath, depending on how the day goes.
9 to 11 p.m.: She plays with Mommy and Daddy (on nights when he's home) until she's tired. Then she gets another bottle, and we brush her teeth and do the bedtime routine. I rock her in my arms while I sing "You Are My Sunshine."
Schedule 3: A breastfeeding stay-at-home mom of a 10-month-old and an older child
Editor's note: This schedule is a combination (parent-led and baby-led) routine
7 to 8 a.m.: Wake up and nurse, have playtime on the floor or in the activity saucer.
Before 9 a.m.: Breakfast, usually cereal or yogurt with small pieces of fruit. Then we have playtime, go outside for an activity, go to the library, or run errands.
10 a.m.: Naptime for 30 minutes to an hour, usually in the car seat or stroller while we're out.
11 a.m.: Nurse.
Between noon and 1 p.m.: Lunch. She likes a wide variety of foods, so it varies daily. I've been giving her small pieces of turkey or chicken, fruits and veggies, and cheese and bites of yogurt.
1 to 2 p.m.: Indoor playtime — we listen to music, dance, play ball, and roll around.
2 p.m.: Naptime in her crib, usually for two or three hours.
Between 4 and 5 p.m.: Nurse. Indoor playtime — she rolls around on the floor, sits and grabs her toys, or plays with her brother.
6 p.m.: Dinner. She eats small pieces of whatever we're eating, plus her pureed veggies and fruit.
Before 7 p.m.: Bath time and playtime with Daddy.
8 p.m.: Story time, rocking, nursing, and bedtime in her crib. She sleeps all night.
Schedule 4: A formula-feeding stay-at-home mom of a 9-month-old
Editor's note: This schedule is a combination (parent-led and baby-led) routine
Here's Danika's schedule on most days:
9 a.m.: Wake up, babble in crib for about 15 minutes "talking" to her gorilla.
9:15 a.m.: Diaper change and head to the living room to play.
9:30 a.m.: Breakfast — cereal, small pieces of fruit, and about 5 ounces of formula.
11 a.m.: Down for an hour-long nap.
Noon: Up and ready to play. Depending on the weather, we go outdoors with toys or stay indoors. She likes to play with blocks and crawl through her tunnels.
1 p.m.: Lunch — two cubes of frozen veggie puree (homemade baby food), a scrambled egg, half a piece of toast, and fruit — maybe a quarter of a plum cut into small pieces
2 p.m.: 5 ounces of formula.
3 p.m.: Down for another hour- or hour-and-a-half-long nap.
5 p.m.: Dinner — small pieces of veggies and chicken, sometimes another portion of cereal, and 5 ounces of formula.
7 p.m.: Playtime to burn off any leftover energy.
8 p.m.: Bath time.
8:30 p.m.: 5 to 6 ounces of formula.
9 p.m.: If she hasn't fallen asleep after her bottle, I rock her to sleep while singing or watching DVDs with her.
Schedule 5: A breastfeeding work-at-home mom of a 10-month-old
Editor's note: This schedule is a parent-led routine
I work out of my home and rely on this schedule to get anything done.
6 a.m.: Kamryn wakes up, nurses for 15 to 20 minutes, gets a diaper change, and says good morning to Shmoopy (our kitty) and goodbye to Daddy.
6:45 a.m.: Breakfast. I give her finger foods to eat while I make coffee and clean up any leftover dishes from dinner the night before. Kamryn is usually still hungry so I'll feed her some pureed fruit and oatmeal while I eat my breakfast.
7 to 8 a.m.: Mommy takes a shower and gets dressed while Kamryn plays with toys in her play yard. I keep the bathroom door open while I shower so I can keep an eye on her. After my shower, I make the bed and pick up the clothes my dear husband has left on the floor. Then I change Kamryn out of her pj's and comb her hair.
8 a.m.: I start my workday, and Kamryn plays alongside me. She's very good at entertaining herself, but I take breaks to get down and play with her too.
9 a.m.: "Morning Milk Snack." I nurse Kamryn for 15 to 20 minutes. After that I put her back down to play, but she's getting tired so it's a bit of a struggle to keep her happy and occupied.
10 a.m.: Morning nap. We go up to Kamryn's room, change her diaper, and read Where Is Baby's Belly Button? Then I lay her down in her crib with her blanket and teddy bear, turn on her mobile, and she falls asleep. During her nap, I get as much work done as I can.
11:30 a.m.: I get Kamryn up and change her diaper, and she plays for a little while. Noon: Lunch time! I feed her veggies and some kind of meat (stage 2). If she's still hungry, she gets some small pieces of fruit and a couple of low-sugar cookies for dessert.
12:30 p.m.: We watch a kids' TV show.
1 p.m.: Kamryn plays and chases the cat around. Sometimes she'll get in her jumper for a change of pace, but she doesn't want to be in there much now that she's more mobile.
2 p.m.: "Afternoon Milk Snack" for 15 to 20 minutes. More playtime.
3 p.m.: Afternoon nap. We follow the exact same routine as with the morning nap.
4:30 p.m.: She wakes up. I'm usually done with work by this time. Kamryn and I play with her toys in the living room or go outside. I think she gets bored with being in the office all the time — even though it's more like a den and has two other rooms that she can explore.
5:15 p.m.: Kamryn nurses for 15 minutes.
5:30 p.m.: I put her in her highchair and give her some finger foods while I prep for dinner.
5:45 p.m.: Dinnertime for Kamryn. I feed her a stage 3 dinner. Daddy comes home and finishes making the meal I started for us.
6 p.m.: My husband and I eat dinner. Kamryn either plays while we eat, or she'll want to eat what we're having so I'll give her little bits of our food.
6:30 p.m.: Clean up the kitchen.
6:45 p.m.: Family playtime. It's the only time we all get to be together to play during the week. Sometimes we go on a walk.
8 p.m.: Bath time! Kamryn loves her baths. She has a lot of hair and likes to grab it while eating, so baths are a nightly necessity. She plays with her bath toys and splashes around in the tub for a good 15 to 20 minutes every night.
8:20 p.m.: Dry her, apply lotion and butt paste, and put her in a fresh diaper, pj's, and her sleeper sack. I comb her hair and then Daddy holds her while I get ready for her last milk snack. I nurse her for 10 to 15 minutes and lay her down for the night. Sometimes she's awake, but most of the time she falls asleep while nursing.
8:40 p.m.: My husband and I relax, watch TV, and talk about our day.
9:30 p.m.: We go to bed.
Schedule 6: A formula-feeding part-time working mom of a 10-month-old and an older child
Editor's note: This schedule is a combination (parent-led and baby-led) routine
Julian's schedule at daycare is very similar to the one below, except that we leave the house around 7:30 a.m. and his naps are shorter and usually start later. On daycare days, he's usually in bed earlier at night and has a mid-morning snack (typically finger foods like pieces of fruit or cereal Os).
6 to 6:30 a.m. (sometimes 5:45ish): Wakes and gets a 6-ounce bottle of formula right away. Then I change his diaper and his clothes.
7 a.m.: Breakfast — usually one jar of baby food or the homemade equivalent, some cereal Os, and small pieces of banana.
7:30 to 8:30 a.m.: Playtime on the floor with big brother Ethan and Mommy.
8:30 or 9 a.m.: Goes down for a nap in his crib, usually one and a half to two hours.
10:30 or 11 a.m.: He wakes up and has a 6-ounce bottle.
After this we have playtime at home or leave for a playdate.
Noon: Lunch — a jar of baby food or homemade puree, finger foods, and water in a sippy cup.
1 p.m.: Nap, usually for two hours.
3 p.m.: A 6-ounce bottle.
After this we have playtime at home or leave for a playdate.
5 to 6 p.m.: Dinner — finger foods, a teething biscuit, and either jarred baby food or homemade.
6 to 6:30 p.m.: He has a bath.
6:30 to 7:15 p.m.: Julian has another 6-ounce bottle, then I brush his teeth, read him a book or two, and get him ready for bed. He sleeps through the night nearly all the time.
Schedule 7: A breastfeeding stay-at-home mom of a 9-month-old
Editor's note: This schedule is a baby-led routine
Matthew has a little bit of a schedule, at least during the daytime. Sundays are off-schedule because we have church and then spend the day at my parents' house. But on most weekdays it goes like this:
Between 6 and 7 a.m.: He wakes up and snuggles in bed with Mommy and Daddy. I nurse him, and then we get up and get dressed. He has playtime — he usually starts off in his activity saucer and has a snack of cereal Os while he plays. Daddy plays with Matthew as much as possible before he leaves for work. Depending on what time my husband has to be to work and how much I need to get done that day (housework, etc.) I may sleep in until he leaves.
Around 8 or so: Breakfast — stage 2 fruit (although he isn't eating much baby food anymore — he would rather feed himself — so most of the time he doesn't finish a whole jar), yogurt, small chunks of fruit, and more cereal Os. More playtime. He likes to play with all sorts of toys on the floor, walk around the house holding Mommy's fingers, jump in the doorway jumper, and have me read him books.
Around 9:30 or 10 a.m.: Nurse and nap. He usually sleeps for about an hour, but it can be anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours. If we have time after he wakes up, we'll run errands or go to the library. Once a week, we have playgroup. When we're out, he has a sippy cup with water. I try to keep a sippy cup around his play area at home, too.
Around noon: Lunch — a jar of stage 2 fruit or veggies (once again, he doesn't usually eat it all) and some peas, corn, or small pieces of carrots or other veggies to feed himself. I give him pieces of whatever I'm eating — maybe some cheese cubes, part of a sandwich, or macaroni and cheese. We're getting into more finger foods, since that's all he wants!
Around 1:30 p.m.: Nurse and nap. This is usually his longer nap of the day — from one to two hours. If I'm really tired, I'll sleep with him, and if he wakes before I'm ready to get up (say, after one hour instead of two), then I'll nurse him back to sleep for a little longer.
Around 3 p.m.: More playtime inside, or we go for a walk. Later, if I'm desperate to get dinner cooked and he's clingy, I'll put one of his DVDs in. But I try to reserve those for true desperation. He used to watch them every day, but I started feeling bad about that, so now it's a few times a week.
Around 3:30 or 4 p.m.: He nurses again.
Around 6 p.m.: Dinner — he gets a stage 2 or 3 meat dinner (he's more likely to finish these, but not always), along with small pieces of veggies, rice, beans, cheese cubes, cereal Os, chicken...whatever we're having that he can have.
Three nights a week — usually Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday — he gets a bath. Depending on when my husband will be home from work, I may try to keep Matthew awake to see Daddy before bed.
I sing songs to Matthew and rub him down with eczema cream before I put his pj's on.
7 to 8 p.m.: Bedtime. His crib is set up like a sidecar — attached to our bed, with one side open — so we lie next to each other and snuggle, watch his mobile (he has one that projects stars and other stuff onto the ceiling), and nurse until he falls asleep.
Matthew still wakes up at least three times a night to nurse — sometimes more like four to six times.
Schedule 8: A breastfeeding and pumping working mom of a 9-month-old
Editor's note: This schedule is a parent-led routine
6:45 a.m.: Our baby wakes up, nurses, and plays on the floor of our room while we get ready for work.
7:30 a.m.: We all have breakfast. The baby has homemade baby food and finger foods.
7:45 a.m. Our nanny arrives and we leave for work. I only have a 15-minute drive. After we leave, our son has playtime with the nanny.
8:30 a.m.: He naps for about an hour and a half.
10 a.m.: He has a 4-ounce bottle of breast milk, then playtime. I pump at work.
12:30 p.m.: I zip home from work and nurse. If I can't make it he gets a bottle of breast milk and I pump. After nursing or a bottle, he has lunch — generally finger foods, like small pieces of veggies, cheese, meats, crackers, and so on. Then he has playtime.
1:30 p.m.: He naps for almost 2 hours.
4 p.m.: He has a 4-ounce bottle of breast milk. I pump at work.
6 p.m.: I get home from work.
6:30 p.m.: We all have dinner. The baby has homemade baby food and small pieces of whatever we're having. Then it's playtime until bed.
8 p.m.: He has a bath and playtime with Dad, then I nurse him (but not to sleep — he falls asleep on his own). He sleeps all night.
source: babycenter
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