How To Put Your Newborn On A Schedule

Create A Bedtime Routine

Just as you have a general flow to your day to help your baby know what to expect, so too should you have a bedtime routine.

A bedtime routine doesnt have to be fancythink of it as doing the same things in the same order every day. Maybe that means starting with a soothing bath at 6:45pm, followed by a baby massage and changing into pajamas. Youd then read a few books in bed, feed him milk, and put him down to bed by 7:30pm.

Bath, massage, pajamas, books, feeding, bed. Same order, around the same time, every day. A bedtime routine lets him know which activities are coming up and provides a comforting familiarity.

Get tips on how to establish a baby nighttime routine.

How To Put Your 5 6 Or 7 Month Old Baby On A Schedule

You can start moving to a by-the-clock schedule at this point, if you want to . By 6 months, most babies are eating solid foods, so you can start to carve out more fixed meal times and sleep times. Naps will also start to consolidate, for most babies, around 6 months or so, so it may be easier to have a predictable, timed nap schedule at this age.

As for how to get your 5, 6, or 7 month old baby onto your desired schedule you will simply extend your babys awake time between naps until your babys naps line up with the scheduled times.

Still, plan to be flexible while your babys schedule may become more predictable overall, there will still no doubt be days when your little one throws you for a loop! And often, when you try to force a rigid schedule too soon, you end up focusing on the clock instead of on your babys cues, which leads to a cycle of overtiredness.

See 5 month, 6 month, and 7 month sample sleep and feeding schedules here. Or, consider purchasing a copy of Mastering Naps & Schedules, the e-book designed to solve your persistent nap challenges!

Establish A Bedtime Routine

When your baby is between 2 and 3 months old, it’s time to introduce a bedtime routine, Dr. Traeger says. Sticking to a consistent schedule of eventssuch as a bath, feeding, reading a book, then bedwill signal to your baby that it’s time to go to sleep.

“Even though the baby’s internal clock really doesn’t kick in until about 4 months, it’s a good idea to set a routine now for when that does happen. And this evening practice of relaxing and preparing for bed can really last your child a lifetime,” says Dr. Traeger.

An effective bedtime routine can include anything, including snuggling and rocking. The objective here is to teach your baby to recognize and understand the cues for bedtime and to learn that after certain rituals, it is time to go to sleep.

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Acknowledge That Youre Going To Be Tired

Even before your little one arrives, come to terms with the fact that you wont sleep much those first few weeks, or maybe even months. Dont let the sleepless nights take you by surprise, and remember that this phase will pass. Look on the bright side and enjoy the newborn days as much as possible! Your little one will only be so tiny and delicate for a little while. Bask in that special combination of exhaustion and elation that comes with a brand-new baby. These are the moments youll look back on as your baby grows!That said, if youre concerned about how tired youre becoming, reach out to close friends or family. Having grandma or grandpa around to whisk the little one away for a couple of hours, even if only once a week, makes a big difference!

What Should My 1 Month Old Wear For Sleep#

That depends on the temperature of your home and your climate. Overheating can be dangerous, and cold babies just dont sleep well. We want your one month old to be at a comfortable temperature. The layers will depend on the temperature in your house. For some, a diaper and a swaddle is enough for others, a diaper, onesie, and a swaddle is perfect and for colder homes, perhaps a diaper, footie pajamas, and then a swaddle is just right. My blog on how to dress your baby for comfortable sleep goes into even more detail for you.

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Train Your Baby To Start Sleeping On Their Own

Finally, it is time for your baby to learn to sleep on his or her own, and you have to stop rocking him or her to sleep. That is progress.

If you are totally comfortable to move to that phase, you can introduce a schedule that will work well for both of you. Whether sleep time is after the meal, after taking a bath, after giving your baby a back massage or after reading a book, make sure that you are consistent with the schedule, to avoid leaving room for confusion and resistance.

Also, try to while your baby is still young. The older your baby becomes, the harder it will be to break the habit of falling asleep while eating. Additionally, avoid frequent rocking and swaying your baby to sleep. Replace that habit with holding your baby still until he or she falls asleep. Holding still will have the same effect of laying still in the crib.

What Is A Bedtime Routine For A 1 Month Old#

Its never too early to start a bedtime routine. Even before your baby can recognize the routine, there is value in the calming impact of a bedtime routine. This sets the tone for everyone going into bedtime and avoids overstimulating your baby. For babies who experience the witching hour, this can be such a great tool. Bedtime routines dont have to be complicated, so dont feel like you need to add a lot of steps. A simple bedtime routine at one month old can be as easy as changing a diaper, lotion, pajamas, sing a lullaby, swaddle, lay down in the crib or bassinet.

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Sample Sleep Schedule For A 2

The best sleep schedule for your 2-month-old baby ultimately depends on her own individual needs. While you can’t expect your 2-month-old’s sleep schedule to be predictable or consistent, you may find that a day looks something like this:

• 7:00 a.m.: Awake

At night, your little one may sleep for four- to six-hour stretches.

When To Start A Routine With Your Baby

Experts disagree on when and how to establish a routine and even on whether you need a set schedule for your baby. But many say that babies are ready for a general schedule between 2 and 4 months of age.

Most infants’ sleeping and feeding habits become more consistent and predictable after three or four months. You may want to take this opportunity to encourage your baby to follow a more defined schedule.

Your baby may fall into fairly predictable patterns long before this, however. If that’s the case, you can gently encourage your baby’s emerging routine.

Tracking your baby’s eating, sleeping, and alert times can give you an understanding of their natural rhythms and enable you to pinpoint developing patterns. In the days following delivery, many parents begin to write down or log when their newborn eats, when they poop and pee, when they sleep and for how long, and so on.

When figuring out your baby’s schedule, it’s essential that their well-being comes first. That means following the advice of your baby’s doctor, plus your gut feeling and common sense, to determine what your baby needs when no matter what a particular expert, book, or method says.

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How To Get Your 4 Month Old Baby On A Schedule

Your 4 month old baby will have limited ability to be on a true by-the-clock schedule. Your best way to add predictability and structure to your day is to follow more of a routine, rather than a schedule. Your routine may be something like eat-play-sleep, like Babywise , or something unique you create for your unique baby. Predictability not only helps you plan your day, but for some babies, particularly slow-to-adapt babies, it helps them feel more secure. On the other hand, some parents prefer to simply follow babys cues at this age, and not worry about a clock-based schedule at this point. Find what works for you and, most importantly, your baby.

Whats Important In This Schedule

• Trying to get your baby back to sleep within 1 hour of being awake during the day
• Intentionally feeding both sides every 3 hours during the day
• Trying to feed on wake up rather than putting down to sleep
• Trying to get naps to be 45 minutes or more
• Witching period of fussy baby from 6-10 pm is real
• Baby is tired and your milk supply is lower so you have competing needs of tired and hungry = fussy
• Trying to get 15 – 18 hours of total sleep in 24 hours

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When Putting Your Newborn On A Schedule Remember

I also have one more thing for you My Newborn Sleep Program designed especially for infants aged 0-16 weeks. This incredibly robust program includes both videos, and a written guide to help you navigate everything related to your newborn. Through this affordable program, you can learn not only how to help your newborn get the best daytime and nighttime sleep as possible , but youll also gain guidance on feeding, bedroom environment, crib safety, and more. Use the coupon code NewbornBlog10 at checkout for 10% off The Newborn Sleep Program.

Heres to great sleep and newborn cuddles!!

How To Get Your 5 6 Or 7 Month Old Baby

Around 5, 6 or 7 months old, some babies can begin to get on more of a clock schedule. 6 months in particular is a good age to start working towards a predictable schedule, as this is when your babys sleep will start to consolidate, and naps may start to lengthen. However, its still a good idea to keep a good bit of flexibility build into your babys schedule. For example, a 5 to 7 month old may routinely take her nap around 9 a.m., but on any particular day, when shes possibly working on a Wonder Week developmental leap or more active that day, she may need to go to sleep earlier than normal. It is often best to watch the clock AND your baby, in this age group. To put your 5, 6, or 7 month old on a schedule, you want to move slowly in extending their awake period until your baby can comfortably get to your target nap or sleep schedule. For tips on what ideal wake times look like, between naps, check out our baby nap chart.

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Baby Sleep Schedule: 10

Read 8 Solutions to Get Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night for additional tips on getting your baby to finally sleep all the way through the night and tips for helping baby sleep alone to help your baby become an independent sleeper.

Ultimately, these baby sleep schedules are just suggestions. Every baby is different. We cant stress that enough. So, dont compare your babys sleeping habits to another babys because they WILL be different. Like we said, some babies start sleeping for longer stretches right at six weeks while other babies will take much longer to reach this milestone.

Newborns Are Restless Sleepers

While older children can snooze peacefully for hours, young babies squirm around and actually wake up a lot. That’s because around half of their sleep time is spent in REM mode that light, active sleep during which babies move, dream and maybe wake with a whimper.

Don’t worry. As he matures, his sleeping patterns will too, with fewer REM cycles and more periods of deeper, quieter sleep.

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Adjust Your Baby’s Schedule To Suit Their Age

It may feel like just when you’ve gotten into a predictable groove with your little one, it’s time to change it again. As your baby gets older, they’ll need fewer daytime naps and more playtime and stimulation. They’ll also need to eat solid foods first just once a day, but eventually several times a day. As these developmental shifts happen, your child’s schedule will shift as well.

How To Get Your Newborn On A Great One Month Old Sleep Schedule

The truth is that a 1 month old does not have a set schedule. Set-in-stone one month old sleep schedules can set you up to fail because they assume you can control or predict how long your little one naps for, and that is almost impossible to do in this newborn stage. Naps can vary in length day to day. In addition, what do you do if your little one doesnât nap as long as the schedule says, or naps more? Do you keep them up until the next nap time even though they are tired?

I teach my clients a âflexible scheduleâ or a âdaily flow.â This helps you gather some predictability to your day as you can project ahead to what your baby will need in a few hours. The idea is that every time your baby wakes up, you are projecting out to when the next nap should fall. Every time your baby eats during the day you are projecting out to the next 3 hours to when the next feed needs to be.

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The Overnight Newborn Sleep Schedule

Once shes down for the evening, dont wake her unless its been longer than 3-4 hours. At this young age, you dont want her to sleep through the night. Its not healthy for her.

When she starts stirring for a meal, probably around 1 am , feed her in near darkness with little sound or movement.

Unless shes got a poopy diaper, has leaked, or has a bad diaper rash, lay her back down to sleeping without a diaper change. Theres nothing like cold air on a cute bum to overstimulate and ruin your sleeping chances!

How To Get Your Baby On A Schedule

by Emily DeJeuin Schedules Last Updated: December 21, 2021

Scheduling is a hot topic on The Baby Sleep Site®! We have a variety of sample baby sleep and feeding schedules, but how do you get your baby on a sleep or nap schedule, anyway? Having the template in front of you is one thing getting your baby to follow it is quite another!

In this article, well lay out tips for how to get your baby on a schedule, and break them down by age. Thats simply because your strategy for implementing your babys nap schedule will be highly dependent your babys age.

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Establishing A Baby Bedtime Routine

You may feel ready to introduce a bedtime routine when your baby is around 3 months old. Getting them into a simple, soothing bedtime routine can be a great opportunity to have 1-to-1 time with your baby.

The routine could consist of:

• changing into night clothes and a fresh nappy
• putting them to bed
• reading a bedtime story
• dimming the lights in the room to create a calm atmosphere
• giving a goodnight kiss and cuddle
• singing a lullaby or having a wind-up musical mobile you can turn on when you’ve put your baby to bed
• brushing their teeth

As your child gets older, it can be helpful to keep to a similar bedtime routine. Too much excitement and stimulation just before bedtime can wake your child up again. Spend some time winding down and doing some calmer activities, like reading.

How To Put Your 8 9 Or 10 Month Old Baby On A Schedule

For this stage, youll do the same thing you did above youll gradually increase your babys awake time until it lines up with the 2-nap schedule youre working towards. In general, it becomes easier to achieve a clock-based schedule at this age, simply because by this time, your baby is most likely down to just 2 naps per day, and youre out of that hamster wheel of constant nap transitions that you experienced in your babys first 6 months of life. From here on out, your baby will have 2 naps per day for quite awhile, until she transitions to 1 nap in early toddlerhood.

Do keep in mind, though, that your baby will go through the 8/9/10 month sleep regression during this time, and that will likely mean set-backs with any schedule progress you make.

See sample 8 month, 9 month, and 10 month sleep and feeding schedules here. Or, if youre continuing to struggle with getting your baby on a predictable schedule, you may want to consider a personalized sleep consultation with one of our expert consultants.

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