For Moms with 5 Month or 6 Month Olds That Stay at Home and Formula Feed

I know someone already suggested BabyCenter, but here is the exact link to the sample schedules for 5-6 month olds: http://www.babycenter.com/0_sample-baby-schedules-for-5-a.... I used their sample schedules to create a routine for my daughter when she was about 5 or 6 months old. I have to say that once she was on a schedule, we were BOTH so much happier! I never knew what a difference a schedule could make, but she really seemed to thrive on one. Not all babies are as particular though. My daughter is now 21 months old, and she has a decent schedule, but I'm not near as strict with it as I was when she was younger because she's more adaptable now. But from about 6 to 18 months I had her on a fairly strict schedule, and I felt like my life was easier because of it. Her schedule changed with age (when she started eating more solid foods, or when she went from 2 naps to 1 nap a day), but she was still on a schedule.

Best of luck to you!

there's a great book out there called "Babywise" they had some good schedules in there. You could rent it at your local library.

when they get up
btw. 7 & 7:30

when they eat and what they eat
6 oz @ 8am
We drop off older sister at school.

when they nap and how long
9 or 9:30 am nap - @ an hour
either 8 oz of formula or solid food

plays by himself
We pick up sister from preschool. He plays with her.

He has another 8 oz. and then an hour later, he may take more solid food.

naps around 1:30 or 2 - longer nap.
gets up and plays more, may have solid food
plays again until dinner (Sometimes he takes a very quick cat nap after dinner if we eat early.)

Eats with us - some solid food @ 6pm.

bedtime routines and bedtime
Takes a bath around 7 pm, has another bottle around 8, and then goes to bed and sleeps through the night.

I scheduled mine but I was not ridged with it as we all sometimes eat earlier or later and the same goes with naps but I was still in a time frame as far as getting up I left mine sleep as long as they wanted they will wake up when they are done I did not schedule play time or holding as some do as I feel a baby needs to be held when they want it if at all possible. Then just go with the flow. Oh just try and see if he wants to eat in two hours if not then try 2\12, if not then 3 and etc. over the next couple of days you will see his pattern. A lot of moms try to feed in their time frame and the baby is going to long or not long enough and then is fussy because of hunger or snacking which can also make them fussy. Hope this helps feel free to call I have three of mine own and the oldest is 4
here is my number. I like to help SAHM.
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Hi A.,

My little boy is now 13 months old, but he has essentially been on the same schedule since he started sleeping through the night. Only difference was the amt of formula and the addition of solids. At 6 months of age, he was on the following schedule:
8am woke up, had breakfast (cereal/fruit), 8 oz bottle
Playtime after breakfast
9:30am got cleaned up and dressed
10am nap
12pm 6 oz bottle; fruit and veggies for lunch
Playtime
2pm Nap
4pm Water and snack if hungry
5pm 8 oz bottle
5:30 dinner, veggies/rice cereal or potatoes/ started meat around 7 months I think
Playtime
He would sit at the table with my husband and me and have Gerber puffs while we ate most nights.
7pm bath and story books
7:30 pm bedtime.

He did really well on this schedule and still follows it for the most part. Of course teething and illness cause the schedule some disruption in terms of sleeping/naps. My little boy is pretty stubborn as well, but does best when he knows what to expect. Hope this helps...but remember, every baby is different!

There's also a cool feature on baby center.com of sample schedules of all ages and sahm/wahm/formula/breast etc. check it out!
:)

6AM - wakes up, 7oz bottle
8AM - cereal and jar of fruit
11:00 - 7 oz bottle
12-2:00 nap
3:00 - 7 oz bottle
4:30-5:00 nap
5:30 cereal and veggie
6:30 bath
7:00 7oz bottle and then bed
He sleeps through the night

It varies on time by an hour each day but he always has four 7oz bottles (he sometimes gets a small 3 oz bottle in midmorning) and 3 naps. (1 in the AM, 1 in the PM, and a short one around dinner)

ETA - He will 6 months old next week.

My son is 7 months but has been on this schedule for the past 3 months:

Wakes btwn 6 and 7; drinks 4 oz bottle; back to sleep
Wakes btwn 9 and 10; 4 oz bottle
11:00 "brunch" (one container of fruit or yogurt w/2 tbs oatmeal)
1:00 4 oz bottle; 2.5-3 hour nap
5:00 4 oz bottle
6:30 dinner (one container of veggie), we've just added in finger foods (one of the following: pieces of hamburger or chicken, gerber puffs, biter biscuit, zweiback toast)
btwn 7 and 7:30 bath time (every other night)
btwn 7:30 and 8:00 bed time
**occasionally, but rarely, Cody will wake overnight. If its before 5:30 AM we try to get him back to sleep without a bottle, if after 30 mins he is fussing/crying and won't go back to sleep, we will offer a bottle

Hi,

I have a daughter about to turn 7 months old and she has been on the same schedule for the last couple of months. My daughter wakes up between 7:00 - 7:30am.
She gets her first bottle at 7:45ish.
Then it is playtime till 9:00.
At 9:00 she has a breakfast of Stage 2 fruit and some cereal.
A bit more of playtime and by 9:30 she is usually ready for a nap. Her naps last about an hour, although sometimes she will sleep up to an hour and a half.
Next bottle is at 11:00.
Playtime till 2:00.
Then another bottle followed by a nap till 3:00 or 3:30. Playtime till 5:30.
Dinner of Stage 2 veggies and cereal at 5:30.
Afterwards we let her play with her sippy cup (she is starting to learn to drink water from it).
Bathtime around 6:00 - 6:15.
Then in PJs and bed around 6:30-6:45.
She gets her last bottle for the day while laying in bed and usually drinks most of it.
Then we give her her pacifier and she generally plays with it and entertains her self by looking at her fingers till she drifts off to sleep by 7:00pm.
She sleeps through the night - 12 hours straight. So that is our schedule and it works for us. Hope it is helpful!
I started her on this schedule at 4 months of age.

Hi A.,
When my daughter was that age (she's now 2+) I kept her on a schedule like this: Sleep, Eat, Play, Sleep, Eat, Play... This was what I read about in a book called Baby Wise and it really worked for us. I made sure that at every feeding she ate in full (no sipping here and there) and that I kept her awake and playing after she ate. This ensured that she tuckered herself out for naps. She was napping about an hour on a 3-4 hour rotation. Up at 7am and down at 8:30pm. She slept through the night with no wakings or feedings. I think this was mostly due to the fact that she had all her nutrients during the day hours because I made sure she had full feedings. It's a hard adjustment getting on a schedule but stick to it and within a week or so you'll have it down. Also, lay him down for naps at the same time every day while he's awake. Best of luck!