Inside: Find a simple, flexible sample baby schedule routine for babies newborn to 12 months!
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If you’re looking for a simple, flexible routine for your baby, you’ve come to the right place!
These sample baby schedule routines are perfectly designed to meet your baby where they are developmentally and help your baby transition through the milestones they will soon undergo.
Routines will also give you the confidence you need to understand your baby’s communication cues, offer them what they need when they need it, and ultimately help you care for your baby in the best way possible…full of mom-fidece!
If you’ve ever wondered to yourself…
What is my baby supposed to do all day long?
How long are they supposed to sleep?
Is my baby full?
How do I know what they need?
These routines will help!
Below you will find a sample baby routine categorized by age:
- Newborn (0-4 weeks)
- 1-4 Months Old
- 5-8 Months Old
- 9-12 months Old
Let’s dive in…
3 Things Every Baby Routine Needs
No matter the age, every sample routine will have 3 key components.
- Full feedings: Feeding your baby until full to prevent “snacking” throughout the day. Learn all about how to make sure your baby is getting a full feeding and the signs to watch for.
- Wake windows: The amount of time baby is up in between naps.
- Sleep: Consists of daytime and nighttime sleep. Naptime routines and bedtime routines will help your little one sleep better and longer.
These 3 key components are the solid foundation for every baby routine.
When you can confidently track your baby’s naps, full feedings, and wake windows you’ll be able to see your baby’s natural routine. Then you can use your baby’s natural routine to create your own daily flow that helps you, your baby, and your family thrives.
Every family has different needs. And the good news is, you CAN create an easy, flexible routine for your baby that helps you meet your baby’s needs while establishing a healthy structure that will enable you to fulfill your personal responsibilities as well.
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Sample Baby Schedule Routine for Sleep and Feedings
Here is a breakdown of a sample baby schedule routine for babies ages newborn to 12 months old. Including the approximate amount of daytime sleep, number of naps, average wake windows, and feedings.
Remember, no sample schedule will be “perfect” for your baby.
This is an overall guide to help you form your own routine and also help you understand your baby’s actions throughout the day.
Each daily routine begins with the time your baby wakes in the morning from their nighttime sleep. From there, you begin tracking the time in between feedings, naps, and activities during awake time.
Throughout the week, times may change or shift based on your baby’s morning wake time, but the overall routine will remain consistent. This is perfectly normal.
Our goal is to follow a routine based on your baby’s patterns of what they need, not follow the clock minute for minute based on a schedule.
Newborn / 0-4 Weeks
Read the detailed newborn and 1-4 Week Old Routine Here!
The warm cuddles, the sweet “baby smell”, the feeling of their curled body fitting perfectly into your chest—oh the precious newborn stage!
Newborns do not have “schedules”.
During this stage, feed your baby on demand, let them sleep as they need, and get in all of those kisses on their little button nose.
Use this time to get to know your baby and his/her needs. Try to learn their tired cues and hunger cues because those cues will be the way they are communicating with you (along with crying- but that’s okay, babies cry…it’s what they do!).
Begin to lay the foundation to help your baby understand daytime is light and nighttime is dark, so your baby easily starts to learn the difference between days and night. (So she isn’t up all night and sleeping all day—trust me!)
But don’t worry, you can still take some steps to set your newborn up for terrific sleep and full feeding success by doing simple things throughout the day.
1-4 Months Old
As your little one enters the 1-2 month old stage, don’t worry too much about a “detailed schedule”. You will see your baby fall into a routine that best suits them. Take this time to continue to learn your baby’s communication cues.
As your baby approaches the 3-4 month old stage, you will see a routine being formed that meets your baby where they are developmentally. Follow their cues to ensure optimal naps and full feedings.
Read the FULL detailed, step by step 1-4 Month Old Routine Schedule here.
Routine Based on Wake Windows and Nap Lengths:
At this age, babies are napping after only being awake for a short amount of time. Babies 1-2 months will nap after being awake for about 30 minutes and babies 3-4 months will nap approximately 45 minutes after waking.
After every waking, there is a full feeding, a couple of minutes of playtime and then baby usually goes back down for a nap.
As your baby gets older, their wake windows will lengthen and their naps will decrease.
Overall 1-4 Month Schedule Routine
Daytime Sleep: 4-5 hours (depending on age, nap lengths, bedtime, and night sleep)
Number of Naps: 4
Wake Window: 30-60min
Bedtime: 7:30-8:30
Full Feedings: Every 2.5-3 hours (cluster feeding is still common at this age)
5-8 Months Old
Routine Based on Wake Windows and Nap Lengths:
Nap 1 is usually 2 hours after morning waking and nap 2 is usually 2.5 to 3 hours after waking from nap 1. Bedtime is 3-3.5 hours from waking after nap 2. The morning wake time is usually the shortest, follow your baby’s tired cues to know when they are ready for the first nap.
Overall 5-8 Month Schedule Routine
Daytime Sleep: 3-4 hours
Number of Naps: 3
Wake Window: 2-3 hours
Bedtime: 7-8pm
Full Feedings: Every 2.5 to 3 hours (follow pediatrician’s recommendations for introducing solids)
The third nap of the day is usually a “cat nap” ranging from 30-45 minutes, sometimes an hour. This nap helps push your baby to bedtime, so bedtime isn’t super early and then your baby begins to become an early riser (ultimately waking you up at 5am—yikes!).
Bedtime might have to be pushed up or back some days depending on when your baby wakes up from this nap.
This nap is dropped somewhere between 7-9 months. Every baby’s “sleep needs” are different so if your little one is still catnapping for the third nap and nighttime sleep is not affected, go for it.
If your little one is still too young to drop this nap but you begin to see the third nap is a struggle, try to get creative with helping your little one fall asleep for this nap so you can hold on to it a little longer. Most babies who are too little for only 2 naps a day can’t make it the 3-4 hour wake window until bedtime.
Related Reading:
9-12 Months Old
Routine Based on Wake Windows and Nap Lengths
Nap 1 is usually 2.5-3 hours after waking in the morning and nap 2 is 3 hours after waking from nap 1. Bedtime is usually 3-3.5 hours from waking after nap 2. Bedtime can shift a bit depending on when your little one woke up from nap 2.
No wake time is perfect…always follow your baby’s cues so you prevent them from being overtired but are also not putting them down too early for a nap when they aren’t tired yet.
Read the full, detailed 9-12 Month Old Routine Here!
Overall 9-12 Month Old Schedule Routine
Daytime Sleep: 2.5-3.5 hours
Number of Naps: 2
Wake Window: 2.5-3.5 hours
Bedtime: 7-8pm
Full Feedings: Every 2.5-3.5 hours mix of breastmilk/formula and solids
0-12 Month Sample Baby Schedule Overview
Want this sample schedule in bit-size form? Yay for charts! Here you can see the breakdown of naps, wake windows, and full feedings for each age group.
| AGE | DAYTIME SLEEP | NUMBER OF NAPS | WAKE WINDOW | BEDTIME | FULL FEEDINGS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-4 Month Old: | 4-5 hours | 4 | 30-60 minutes | 7:30-8:30 pm | Every 2-3 hours |
| 5-8 Month Old: | 3-4 hours | 3 | 2-3 hours | 7-8 pm | Every 2.5-3 hours |
| 9-12 Month Old: | 2.5-3.5 hours | 2 | 2.5-2.5 hours | 7-8 pm | Every 3-3.5 hours |
My Baby’s Routine is Suddenly Changing? Now what!
Whenever your baby’s normal routine starts to waiver, such as short naps or early morning wakings, or unusual fussiness, you’ll be able to compare and contrast your baby’s behavior based on their routine and pinpoint what could be causing it.
Maybe your little one is teething or is getting sick or is in a state of transition to longer wake windows and dropping a nap.
Having a solid but flexible baby routine will give you the confidence you need to know when something is “off” and give you the assurance you need to help you guide your baby through whatever they are experiencing.
When you see your “normal routine” starting to fall apart or change, then you can begin to cross off different possibilities of what your baby is experiencing. If it’s not something temporary, like teething or illness, then maybe it’s time to pivot your routine.
Testing Routines for Wake Windows and Optimum Naps
If you see your baby is not thriving on a routine, always use your instincts.
If your baby is napping too short, always ask yourself “were they tired enough?”. If your baby is taking a long time to fall asleep and is overly fussy, ask yourself “was he/she overtired?”. By learning your baby’s tired cues, you can know when they are ready for sleep and by doing this you are ensuring they are getting the optimum amount of comfortable sleep.
Once you see how long your baby needs to stay up and then nap, you begin to create a routine based on YOUR baby’s wake windows that allow you to meet your baby where they are developmentally. Don’t be afraid to shift times if you see your baby is miserable (and you’re miserable too!)
When baby is happy, mama is happy 🙂
FREE Mommy & Me Mini Planner Printable Downloads!
The BEST way to create your baby’s own schedule routine is to begin to track your baby’s activities. By first getting an understanding of what your baby is already doing, you can see what direction you need to go.
To help you EASILY track your baby’s sleep, naps, feedings, and playtime, I created a Mommy & Me Mini Planner!
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Includes:
- Daily Baby Journal
- Mommy & Me Daily Planner (side by side view of your and baby’s routine)
- Master Baby Schedule Template
- Weekly Planning Tameplate
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Sample Baby Schedule Routine 1-12 Month Recap
Flexible routines offer your little one the predictability and stability they need to grow and also help you confidently learn your baby’s cues. From feedings to naps to playtime, these routines can bring a thriving structure to your day!
In this post there was a sample baby schedule routine categorized by age:
- Newborn (0-4 weeks)
- 1-4 Months Old
- 5-8 Months Old
- 9-12 months Old
Be sure to save this post so you can easily find it again as your baby continues to grow!
Remember, you’re the best mama for your little one—YOU know your baby best.
You got this, mama!
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