What Was/is Your Six Month Old's Routine?

Updated on February 22, 2011
H.W. asks from Albany, NY
6 answers

I want to know what your 6 month old did on an average day?

My baby girl just turned six months old, and I am desperate to drop the night-time feeds, but obviously not so desperate that I will deny her food that she wants!

TO CLARIFY!!!!!!! I play with my daughter. I am interested in feeding and sleeping patterns.

My baby's (rough) routine is waking up around 7-730, feeding about an hour later, feeding right before sleeping around 11, waking up anything from half an hour to over an hour later, feeding on and off during the afternoon, squeezing in a cheeky nap between 1 and 3, feeding, feeding again around 5, wanting to have a sleep (sometimes she will, sometimes I manage to keep her up) feeding again at a time that depends on if she had a late afternoon snooze or not. If she has had an afternoon snooze, she will feed around 8:30 - 9pm and then drop off to sleep. Waking usually at 10 for either a feed or just her dummy, then up around 2 for a feed (I've got no idea how much she eats then because I breastfeed her during the night) then again at 4 maybe again at 6, then it's waking up again!

I breastfeed her all day except for two formula feeds at nighttime.
We've started solids, but not on a strict schedule. She is also cracking her first tooth.

Thank you in advance!

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K.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

It sounds like she is waking a lot to feed at night, like maybe 4 times? My son dropped his second feeding (meaning he didn't want to eat when he woke up) around 4 months, and now he's 9 months and still usually will eat about 5 oz. 1 time at night. Sometimes he doesn't really want the bottle but wakes anyway. Is she finishing a bottle all those times? She's probably waking from habit and just wants comfort, so you could try not feeding her and getting her to go back to sleep. You could also try letting her cry if you feel comfortable. If she's eating like a couple oz. every time she wakes, she doesn't need to eat that often. If she's eating like a whole bottle at every night feeding, you probably need to ask your doc what's up. That said, every baby is different so do whatever seems right for you! :)

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K.M.

answers from Kansas City on

Here is the schedule for our 6mo old:

Baby wakes around 7:30.
Feed at 8:00
Takes a little cat nap 9:30-10ish
Feed at 11:30
Nap from 12-3ish
Feed at 3:30
Cereal/fruit at 5:30
Feed at 7:00
Feed at 9:30
Bed--sleeps until 7-7:30

I'm about to add cereal in the morning, too.

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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

Mine at about that age (at night) typically went like this:

7pm down after nursing
10pm nurse
1am nurse
5 or 6am nurse & awake (ugh)
9-11am nap
afternoon naps varied

Not long after 6mo (7mo? 8mo?) he dropped EITHER his 10pm or 1am wakeup (if he woke up at 10 he'd sleep through if he didn't, he'd be up at 1). Both were fine with me since I went to bed at either 11 or 2... I only had to wake up once.

HOWEVER... when he was cutting teeth his sleep went wacky. Finally figured out that a full or half dose of paracetamol (tylenol) for a few days put his sleep right back the way it was before.

G.T.

answers from Modesto on

I'm pretty sure mine were up about the same time Dad had to get ready for work, so we were all up. You nurse them, change them, and play with them, I did that all day every day. Play bicycle legs, try to get them to crawl after stuff, do things that physically wear them out and build their dexterity. It's a busy job and a constant one. You have to excersize them so they get physically tired, they sleep better. At least that was my experience. I nursed but introduced foods very early, little tastes of this and that to get their taste buds working. You are creating a person, you have to teach them, feed them, exercize them, talk to them, walk around the house and show them stuff. One of the first things mine liked was "light on, light off" and learning that the switch did that, and their little clumsy fingers learned to do it. Putting them in front of a mirror so they can see themselves entertains them. Use your imagination, make each day a new learning experience, they soak it in, they love to learn. Feeding and putting them down for naps all day is not the way to go, keeping them awake and teaching them things makes a much easier to manage toddler.

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E.C.

answers from New York on

By then I had my three girls on a 4 hour feeding schedule. I nursed upon her waking, say around 7am, then at 11, 3, and 7. Maybe I gave her a food snack before bed. Then, sleep through the night. The way to lengthen her times of feeding during the day is to get her in an 'eat, play, sleep' routine. Then you aren't nursing her to sleep, she plays and she wakes up hungry. To lengthen the times, you don't need to go from 2 hours between feeds to 4 hours immediately. Just take her out for a walk in the stroller to hold her off for an extra half hour, etc. She doesn't need to feed at night - sure, I like to eat all the time and I would love to cuddle all night - but I found that while I wanted to give the best to my baby, I had to get my sleep and get housework done, too. They are wonderful, but we are not slaves - and they are not tyrants! Enjoy!

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K.D.

answers from New York on

Sounds like your daughter is hungry - so many feedings and naps. At that age, my daughter was weening from the breast (my personal decision; she was starting to chew - ouch!), and starting solids, and starting to taking fewer naps - a mid norning and an afternoon. She was up early, usually around 6-ish and she was hungry, so I would give her a baby cereal like oatmeal or rice, mixed with formula; also this may have included a few spoons of a strained fruit. She would be up for several hours, very alert and active, usually till 9 or 10AM, then a short breast feed, then down for a mid-morning nap. Lunch again was cereal/formula, this time paired with a few spoons of a strained meat. I started her off with chicken I think. I also introduced water too at lunch. Afternoon nap/breast feeding was usually around 2-ish for an hour and never after 4 (this would mess up dinner, bed time). Dinner was similar to lunch and bed was usually around 7-8 ish. She would wake twice (usually) a night for a feeding, usually midnight and 3-ish. I found that feeding solids on a regular schedule and gradually a wide variety of foods, was paired with the development of more alertness and physical activity, and also a more regular sleep/eating schedule. This was a really a wonderful time and far easier for me than the early infancy days. As another Mom said, their little minds at this age are wonderful to watch, soaking up everything!
Enjoy

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