If you landed on this post, you’re probably asking: Should my 6 month old be on a schedule? How long should my 6 month old go between naps? While I’m not a doctor and can’t give you specific/professional advice, I’m sharing what we’re doing and what our 6 month old’s schedule looks like. I’m also sharing some of our favorite things for our 6 month old, and some of his favorite things too.
How do I have a 6 month old! I cannot believe my baby boy is already 6 months old. They say, “Blink and you’ll miss it,” and while it sometimes feels like those newborn days never end, now it’s such a blur thinking back. He still wakes at night 2-3 times, but his sleep has definitely gotten better since we started solids.
Here’s our current schedule:
7:30-8am up for the day! Head downstairs for breakfast with the family and playtime
9:45/10am Nap 1 can last an hour or two
12:30pm lunchtime. Bottle and solids
2pm Nap 2 is usually around an hour (depends on the day, sometimes he doesn’t take this nap if his morning nap starts later)
3:30pm Bottle
4-5pm Nap 3 is around 45 minutes to an hour and can start any time from 4pm to 5pm
5:30pm-6pm dinnertime for the family. Bottle followed by veggies
7pm-7:30pm Bedtime routine (depends on what time the last nap was)
Midnight Bottle with Dad
4am wake Mom up for a feed
Night wake ups right now are usually 10pm, 4am, and then a 6am “never mind I’m going back to sleep” wake up.
Sleep training a 6 month old
With our daughter we didn’t do sleep training until 11 months, at which point she was STILL waking up 2-3 times per night, and it would take up to an hour to get her down for the night. With our son, we’re at 6 months old right now and not planning to sleep train. We have a sleep routine, but we aren’t looking at doing “cry it out” or another sleep training program right now. My general feeling on the subject is that if he needs me, he needs me! That may change in a few months, but for now it’s fine, especially where we both are working from home and aren’t having to get up as early as we used to.
Bedtime Routine
While I don’t want to be on a rigid schedule, I think we have created a bedtime routine that’s helpful for everyone. We do a bath, followed by lotion and pajamas. Sound machine on (we have this brand for both kids), into the transition swaddle (aka arms up swaddle), and then a book before bottle and sleep. I’ve been using these fleece crib sheets since it became cold out, and they’re extra cozy for bedtime.
Favorite Toys
The most-used baby things in our house right now are:
- the rainforest jumper
- this teether, which is easy for Baby B to grab and hold
- a black-and-white book
- a mirror and flash cards for tummy time
- the Boppy, which transitioned from a breastfeeding pillow to now a tummy time pillow
- this bath seat which works in the sink or in the tub
- this favorite book that can be chewed on and then thrown in the wash
- this bouncer chair (with the toy bar!)
Leave a Reply