This very helpful feeding table is summarized from The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems by Tracy Hogg. It is designed for a baby who weighs 6-6 1/2 lbs. or more at birth, and assumes your baby doesn’t have any digestive or neurological problems. For preemies, use their developmental age.
The First 3 Days
- Bottle-feeding: 2 oz. every 2 hours (between 16 and 18 oz. total)
- Breast-feeding: 1st day – 5 min. at each breast (all day, whenever baby wants); 2nd day – 10 min. at each breast (every 2 hrs); 3rd day – 15 min. at each breast (every 2 1/2 hrs); 4th day or once milk comes in – Hogg recommends emptying one breast before switching (every 2 1/2 hrs).
- Breast-feeding moms should feed more often to get the milk flowing at this time.
Up to 6 weeks
- Bottle-feeding: 2-5 oz. per feed (7 or 8 feeds per day; 18-24 oz. total)
- Breast-feeding: Up to 45 minutes
- Feed every 2 1/2 – 3 hrs during the day; cluster feed in the early evening (feed at two-hour intervals in the early evening, at 5 and 7 or 6 and 8)
- “Dream Feed” your baby somewhere between 10 and 11 pm. This means you feed your baby while she’s asleep. Not talking, turning on the lights, or changing diaper. Just feed and plop baby back in the crib.
- Babies are capable of going 4-5 hours during the night, depending on weight and temperament.
6 weeks-4 months
- Bottle-feeding: 4-6 oz. per feed (6 feeds + dream feed; typical range is 24-32 oz.)
- Breast-feeding: Up to 30 minutes
- Feed every 3 – 3 1/2 hrs; by 16 weeks, should be able to go 6-8 hrs during the night. Don’t continue cluster feeding past 8 weeks.
- Goal should be to extend the time between feedings during the day, so that at 4 months, your baby lasts around 4 hrs between feeds. Exception for babies going through a growth spurt.
4 – 6 months
- Bottle-feeding: 5-8 oz. per feed (5 feeds + dream feed; typical range is 26-38 oz.)
- Breast-feeding: Up to 20 minutes
- Feed every 4 hrs; should be able to go 10 hrs during the night.
- Between 4 and 6 months, some babies’ appetites are affected by teething and their newfound mobility. So, they may consume less.
6 – 9 months
- Bottle-feeding: 5 feeds a day, including solids. Liquid intake is typically 32-48 oz. Liquid consumption declines by the number of oz. of solids baby is eating. (A baby who once took 40 oz. of liquid now takes 15 oz. of solids and 25 oz. of liquid, totaling 40 oz.)
- Breast-feeding: Give food first and then the bottle or 10 min. on breast. Since they can gulp liquids quickly at this age, it will probably only take 10 min. (versus the 30 minutes).
- Typical routine: 7:00 – Liquid; 8:30 – Solids “breakfast”; 11:00 – Liquid; 12:30 – Solids “lunch”; 3:00 – Liquid; 5:30 – Solids “dinner”; 7:30 – breast or bottle before bed.
You might also want to check out this Solids Feeding Guide that goes up to 15 months.
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Hi! I feel like a fool, but I am having such a hard time understanding the 6-9mo schedule for solids! It’s says 5 feeds, including solids… But the schedule listed there has 7 feeds which includes the solids… So is it 5 or 7? And it also says to nurse or bottle after solids… So I nurse at 7 am then give solids at 8:30am and nurse after that? If that is correct, I’ll feel like I’m nursing her all the time! Please help me understand!
Hello! My baby is 3 month and he breastfeeds every 4 hours. We’ve been trying the EASY routine for a week, but he is not sleeping through the night. I normally start the cluster feed at 6, then at 8( he doesn’t eat much at this time) and finishing at 11. He will then wake around 3… What should I do differently?
Hi there, I have T. Hogg’s book and am trying hard to incorporate the newborn routine but am having challenges. My LO is 4 wks old. He eats well during the day every 2 hrs and I tried the cluster feeding and the dream feed but he continues to wake every 2 -2.5 hr for food at night. I don’t understand how it is possible that he should be able to sleep 4 -5 hrs after a dream feed. Plus, the dream feed is not really a dream feed; he is already awake asking for more. Please advise. I am running on empty!
I stubbled onto your site after endlessly searching for something to help my little man sleep. He is a beautiful and healthy 6 month old but will not sleep for more than 2-3 hours at a time. He was sleeping great eat 3 months but that changed (that’s another story).
I started this schedule on Saturday and he slept for 5 hours Saturday night, Sunday night he woke up every 2 hrs and Monday night I put him down at 6:30, gave him a dream feeding at 9 and he didn’t wake up until 1 and then again around 4. Huge improvement!
My question is on his feedings. He drinks about 3 ounces each feeding and normally doesn’t reach 5 ounces. We are currently introducing solids 3 times a day.. should I try to increase his milk intake?
Hi I wanted to know if its normal for my 11 week old to be feeding every 2 -1/2 hours on 150 ml each feed, ive been told to stretch it out every 4 hours but my daughter is crying cause shes hungry?
any advice would be helpfull
Hiya! What a wonderful resource you are 🙂
My little girl is 12 weeks and absolutely hates her crib (which is in our room) but she would sleep on the couch, rocker and carseat with ease. She would not fall asleep on her own – I have to feed, walk and then nurse her before she’s out. 99% of the time she wants to nurse to fall asleep.
She feeds every 3 hours (4oz – 5oz) and she naps 2 – 3 times a day for an hour and some on average. She bathes at 12:15pm and at 6pm. I try putting her to bed at 7pm but this girl resists! She will not sleep in her crib at all. If she falls asleep in the rocker and I try to transition her to the crib, she will get up and cry. I have tried the crying method and that did not work at all. Poor thing had red puffy eyes and was sobbing uncontrollably. What I did notice though, when I put a pillow in her crib and had her elevated, she slept sooo much better! Could it be that she got so accustomed to the rocker that she needs that elevation to sleep?
At night, she feeds every 3 hours. I did notice a lot of spit up but then someone mentioned I should burp her in between a feeding..that works, but she screams bloody murder as she feels I am taking her feed away! She still spits up occasionally.
Please help! Daddy is working and needs his sleep to function properly, so basically, it’s me alone dealing with this. I return to work in 2 weeks and my sister is coming to stay to help us out, but it’s been 12 years since her baby!!! I am so concerned.
Can you help me out with a feeding/bedtime schedule. I would so appreciate it. I look like such a hot mess right now because of the lack of sleep!!
Thanks! *hugs*
HI! So..what if my 1 month old is already eating every 4 hours? Should I allow her to go this long w/o eating or keep her eating at 3 hours per the schedule? As of right now, I am waking her up from her nap to feed her, otherwise she would take a 2hr and 45min nap instead of a 1hr 45min nap. Thoughts?
Hi! I have 8 week old baby, and im trying to follow this routine. I was having trouble because he sleeps all day and awake all night. Im confuse im following the 3 hour routine if it comes to E and he is still asleep should i wake him up? Or feed him while hes still sleeping. Im afraid it would just make his nap longer. Please in having trouble any suggestion?
Hi noob mom. I’m a first time mom and My baby boy will be eight weeks in a few days and he is still waking up every two t three hours for feeding at night. The longest stretch we have gotten in little over three hours. I just switch formula. it seem to help with his gas but he is still up. I’m about to use the easy schedule and hopefully this will help. I would just love a five hour sleep. I am giving him over three oz a feeding but he ends up eating about 2.5 and sometimes three. He use to drink it all and I tried to up his feeding but then all the sudden he is eating less. Could you help please? What can I do to change this bad habit? And what can I do to get him to sleep some what through the night?
LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BLOG!!! Thank you so much for putting the time into this site to help all us New Moms looking for guidance!! Just have one question….. During the dream feed do you try to burp them or do you literally just put them right back down?? This concerns me because sometimes she’ll be fine and others she ends up miserable in the middle of night with gas! Typically if you pick her up she burps instantly and is right back to sleep but which is better?? Ok I guess I have one more question should I give her a normal size bottle at dream feed or cut it in half? She won’t drink a full at that time and sometimes I’m lucky to get her to take a full oz… What do I do in ths case cuz either way she’s still up at 3am or 4am no matter what and even at that time she won’t take a full bottle. I just feel like I’m wasting so much formula on trial and error! I’d sure appreciate any advice you can give!!
O yes I forgot to mention she’s 6wks old and we are absolutely blessed with a baby that barely cries and sleeps wonderfully! Up only once a night was something I was not expecting so in my eyes we got EXTREMELY lucky!
Kayla – Dreamfeed: You can gently burp or just set her down w/o and see how she responds. If you notice her not sleeping well without a burp, then go ahead. The idea is to have them continue sleeping without any disturbance, so play it by ear and see which gets the best results. Also, if you find that she’s not drinking much at the dreamfeed AND it’s not extending her nighttime sleep, then you can just cut it out. It’s not something that works for everyone. In fact, NB didn’t really need a dreamfeed whereas NB2.0 did well with one. I’d say if she’s not really filling up and she’s still waking up as usual, then you may want to scrap it for a bit and/or bring it back when you know there’s a growth spurt happening. Good luck!
thank you for the website!! we used the EASY cheat routine and my little one now sleeps for longer stretches, however he is now eating considerably less breastfeeding for a maximum of 10 minutes usually about 5 mins he is now 15 weeks, he would rather suck on his thumb than eat and i have somewhat started feeding him anytime he is willing to suck and not struggle for his thumb.he sleeps by 7;30 pm also has a dream feed at 12;30 and another between 5 and 6am any idea why this is happening ? do i stick to the 3 hours or increase he seems to be gaining weight but I’m
My 3 month old has been on the easy schedule and it works great for her. She has been eating 4-5oz. every 3 hours, however she has been spitting up soo much. She doesn’t show like she is pain but it didn’t seem normal since she was soaking a bib every feeding. The pediatrician suggested to switch her formula from Gerber gentle to Gerber soothe and also feed every 2 hours 3 oz. of formula. My baby weighs 16 lbs. so she is gaining weight. I’m just not sure how to work in her nap schedule with having to feed more often and she naps every 3 hours for 1 1/2 – 2 hours. Also she has been sleeping through night between 4-6 am. Any suggestions?
Sharon – I’m not an expert on baby reflux, but what your pediatrician recommended is something I’ve read. For those of us (myself included) who tend to get indigestion easily, it is recommended to have smaller more frequent meals. While cutting into her sleep time isn’t ideal (and you can probably skip this during the evening), you may want to feed her every 2-2.5 hours like your ped suggested (so that may mean right after she wakes up from her naps). Give it a try and see if the more frequent feeding of smaller amounts of formula helps your little one! I’m sorry, I can imagine that the massive amounts of spit up is very frustrating! Also, I’m sure you already know… but try and keep her propped up after her feedings, give her some breaks during her bottle, burp her in between the bottle. My close friend had a little girl who spit up A LOT. She eventually outgrew it before her 1st birthday, but she was a happy camper and didn’t seem to mind. Poor Mommy had to literally mop up after her wherever they went! Good luck to you!
Your website has been very helpful and my little girl has been great with following her schedule. She is 4 months old and I pump about 20 oz a day and substitute between 10-15 oz of formula a day – offering her between 4 and 5 oz every bottle. Right now she’s eating every 3 – 31/2 hours but I really want to move her to 4 hours. Is it a gradual thing? Or do I just offer 6 oz every time and hope she makes it 4 hours??
My 8 month old baby has been on a pretty regular EASY type schedule with three meals of solid foods per day. I don’t specifically know/follow this program but my patterns are similar. However in the last couple weeks she has been unwilling to go down for her naps without an additional nursing session before hand. Then she still wants to nurse when she wakes up from the nap too, most of the time. I am concerned that we are taking a step back here since she is now basically nursing to sleep for naps because of this.
So to be clear, the schedule that was previously working and that I’d like to get back to is
Wake up/nurse
Breakfast solids
Nap
Nurse
Lunch solids
Nap
Nurse
Dinner solids
Nurse
Bed
Nurse twice at night
This coincides with some developmental changes, she’s started crawling. So I wonder if she is just using more energy, and is more hungry. When she has her solid food meals, she does not have any breastmilk or formula, just food. I have always been unsure on whether I am supposed to offer that along with her solid food. I let her eat as much solids as she is up for, until she seems content and satisfied, and she is a good eater, eating pretty much all appropriate table food at this point , so I didn’t think the additional boob was necessary at this meal. Is this where I am going wrong? Even if she is “full” from solids, might she still be hungry for some milk? And would this help her last through nap time without another snack? Thanks!
Question to Megan – your above mentioned schedule looks very handy, but can you please tell me at what time each meal/nap takes place?
Wake up/nurse – 7 AM?
Breakfast solids – what time?
Nap – 9 AM ? how long
Nurse
Lunch solids
Nap
Nurse
Dinner solids
Nurse
Bed
My baby was on 4 hour routine from 4 to 6 months (cereal since 5 months), but when I started adding veggies & fruits, everything went sideways. Between 5 and 6 months she used to eat cereal 2 – 3 times a day 30-45 min after drinking her bottle (ex. bottle at 10.30 cereal 11.15). Now after the bottle I take her to eat solids, and she starts rubbing her eyes, gets cranky and does not eat.
The sleeping issues are short naps (45 min most of the time) and early wakeups (4 – 5 am, trying for an hour to get back to sleep, sometimes sleeps 1-1.5 hour more). So I want to put together a reasonable schedule and stick to it.
Question to Noon Mommy – where are the naps in this routine mentioned in your post:
•Typical routine:
7:00 – Liquid;
8:30 – Solids “breakfast”;
11:00 – Liquid;
12:30 – Solids “lunch”;
3:00 – Liquid;
5:30 – Solids “dinner”;
7:30 – breast or bottle before bed.
Thank you very much for all the useful information and funny remarks in the website, it helps A LOT!
Lana
Hey there, my little one is 10 weeks old, and she nurses almost every hour during the day if we are home, but if we are out and about in the car or stroller she goes for 3ish hours without feeding and then again from around 6pm to 11pm she nurses constantly, I’ve tried giving her formula to try to satisfy her hunger & also a pacifier, which shes not at all interested in,but she still wants to nurse constantly even after that, it’s so tiring & draining!!she has been know to nurse pretty much for 5 hours in the evening! She finally goes to sleep between 11 & 12 pm & gets a good night sleep, so I can’t complain, can you tell me what I can do about the evening time feeding frenzie.thank you
Anaya- I feel your frustration, and I can tell you must be so drained after all that feeding frenzy! At about 2 months +, your little one should be eating fairly regularly and finally setting into a somewhat consistent routine during the day. If she is feeding literally every hour during the day, I’m wondering if she’s getting enough milk when nursing? When you give her a bottle with formula, does she seem fuller and more satisfied afterward? Are you keeping up with the amounts suggested by your pediatrician? Have you tried pumping to see how much milk you are in fact producing? If all feedings are normal and she is gaining weight well, then another issue may be that she is just used to snacking. Try and make sure you are draining each breast (so that she gets the fattier hind milk) before moving on to the second breast. Again, this shouldn’t be a problem if you are trying formula to see how much she is consuming. You also said she goes to sleep between 11 & 12 pm? Do you mean 11 pm and 12 am? Is that her bedtime? Not sure if that’s a typo, but her bedtime should be around 7-8pm at night so that she’s not overtired and wired. Lastly, at 2 months, it’s not unusual to be nursing every 2-3 hours still. You can try to incorporate the tanking up technique at 5pm then 7pm and then dreamfeed at 10 or 11pm to see if that’ll tide her over during the night. Good luck to you! I hope that some of your concerns were addressed.
Hello!
I have used EASY with my three older children and love Tracy’s methods. I now have a six week old. Using EASY during the day is working out fine, but my nights are difficult. He, as my other children did, sleeps well on his belly (which I know is a no-no). So, I let him sleep on his belly during the day while checking him every five minutes. At night the longest he will go between feedings is two hours. He is swaddled on his back. Any advice? He can roll from his belly to his back but not yet from back to belly. This is when I felt more comfortable letting the babies sleep on their belly because they seemed to get there when I’d place them on their backs anyway.
Please help! I’m going back to work soon. Should I let him cry at night and for how long if I do? He does cry during the day to sleep but not for long – 10 minutes maximum.
Thank you!!!!
Hi my baby is 19 weeks and will only eat about 4 oz per feed he usually feeds 5 times per day I have had him at the drs and they say he looks fine but isn’t putting on much weight he is now 13lbs and was 7.10lbs when born, he used to really enjoy breastfeeding did combination feeding and now on bottle full time any ideas on how we can get him to eat more, thanks very worried new mum :0)
Have you switched to a faster nipple? For the longest time my bany would only take 3oz per feeding. The faster nipple helped us a little. My son is 7.5 months…. I would say around 6 months he finally started to eat a bigger meal and around 7 months can last around 4 hours between bottle feeds….even without solids in between. I was so caught up in what he was “supposed” to be eating according to every website! Doctor said he was gaining weight and was healthy! Every baby is different! If he is content and gaining then don’t worry!
Hi Noob Mummy
I read that Tracy Hogg advocates single breast feeding. And you mentioned that ‘Hogg recommends emptying one breast before switching’. Did she mean that I should only use 1 breast in each feed? E.g. Feed with right breast at 7pm and then feed with left breast at 9pm. Is this right?
I want to be sure I understand this correctly as I was told to ensure that I feed with both breasts in one feed.
SheDragon – Hogg does recommend emptying one breast before switching as you said. So, that could be in one sitting… have baby feed till full on one breast, then offer the other. Next time start with the other breast. It doesn’t mean you have to only use one breast. Whether or not you want to use this technique is up to you… the idea behind it is to make sure your little one gets to the fatty, filling hindmilk at the end. I think she primarily doesn’t want moms to switch based on what the clock says (like after exactly 10 minutes), just in case baby hasn’t got to the “good stuff.” Hope this helps!
Hi! A friend of mine (with 6 kids) told me about her routine which turns out to be the EASY routine. I was nursing my son and he was eating every hour, so I didn’t being this routine until we started supplementing and now he is strictly on formula. He is eating every two hours like clockwork but is only taking in about 3 oz. Occasionally he will take 4-5 oz. He is now 14 weeks old and we are running on a 2 hours EASY routine. I would love for him to at least be on the 3 hours routine considering he is almost 4 months old. I try to hold off feeding but after just a few minutes of him screaming I feel bad and I always put 5 oz in his bottle and try to burp him, tickle his feet, etc. to try to get him to eat more. He sometimes is ready for a nap just before an hour of being awake. Any advice on how to try to get him on the 3 hour routine?
Also… since he eats so little at a time he sometimes (not always) needs an ounce before he can nap. I would love to break him of this totally!
I wanted to apologize for the grammar mistakes in my message, you can see I wrote it very late at night and in a tired state. I love your EASY feeding and sleeping schedule, I started it today and of my two babies one followed it at perfection.
Thank you for all this great information and guidance! I never thought I would be on set schudule but it works and I feel more happy and confident.
I am still afraid to sue the Cry it out method for them to sleep longer stretches and maybe even the whole night. I see though that it works ; I hope I have the courage to do it.
With two babies crying I think it might be harder. DO you have any advice on twin sleep training? Should I maybe divide them for a few nights to see what happens if I let them cry a bit? Sometimes I think the other is wakened by the cries of the other. I use a white sound machine and it seems to work a bit.
Thank you.
HI, I have twins, a boy and a girlMatthew and Isabel they are now 5 and half months.
They are still waking up in the night many times, I am trying to soothe them back to sleep with a pacifier and it works, but they still wake up several times, especially after 12 am (they are in bed by 8 pm). Sometimes they wake up every hour up until 6 am. shouldn’t they be sleeping longer stretches now? even after I soothe them back to sleep around midnight? I have stopped feeding them in the night a couple of weeks ago because they were not eating well in the day. and now they eat very well int the day!
I have started solids two weeks ago.
their schedule is the following.
7.30/8 am formula (usually 5 to 6 oz)
nap around 9/9.30 am
solids (veggie with cereal) 12/12.30 pm
nap around 1 pm
3.30/4 pm formula 5 to 6 oz
cat nap around 4.30 or 5 pm
5.30/6 pm fruit with milk or cereal
7.30 pm 7 to 8 oz formula
It is hard to keep them on a precise schedule, now Matthew wakes up earlier around 6 and wants to have his formula so then at 8 am (when I wanted to give them their first bottle he only has a few oz).
please let me know if I should modify something?
I am wanting to let them cry a bit in the night (as my pediatrician as advised me to do) to see if they can fall asleep on their own but two babies crying is hard ! Also I would like to sleep train them maybe in amore delicate way!
thank you!!!!
I
Hi I love your site and have been glued to it for the past days =D My 4 week old follows the easy schedule without having to train her. It’s pretty cool how she is on it at the exact same times too, the trouble though comes at night when she cant seem to fall asleep as easy. My questions are, she usually bottle feeds at 4pm but then I am not sure what the cluster feed is. Do I wake her up at 6 to give her 2 ounces and then take her a bath then 2 more ounces when I am done and off to sleep she goes? Also, since I don’t want to take her a bath every day, what do I do on days I do not take her a bath? Will wiping her down and putting on her lavender lotion throw her off schedule? Thanks again for your site!!
I’m really enjoying your website! Thank you! I need some advice about what to do about feedings. My 7 week old still wants to nurse every 2 hours. At night she will go up to 5 without, but that isn’t regular. She does suffer from horrible gas and I think sometimes she wants to nurse so because she thinks she’s hungry when she is actually gassy. Her hunger cues are not just sucking on her hands, she has always gone straight into crying at the 2 hour mark, even in the hospital.
Please give me some advice about what to do! Should I let her cry until 3 hours between feedings? Or keep doing every 2 hours.
Katie- You don’t really get into a routine until about 3 months. Until then, you really should be feeding her whenever she’s hungry. Every 2 – 2 1/2 hours at 2 months of age sounds perfectly normal! After 2 months, you can sort of experiment and see if she can be tied over with a pacifier for a little bit, just to extend the duration in between feedings a few minutes longer … which may eventually become every 2 1/2 – 3 hours. You can sort of play around with that a bit, but in the end, it’s most important at this age that she gets the feeding and sucking time she needs!
Hi, thanks for this site! You really are doing a great job with it. I need some hep with my LO. She is 4 and a half and we started her on solids slowly a couple weeks ago. She is doing really well with them, but I am having a hard time integrating them into her daily schedule. I am winding up having a different schedule every day and it is starting to take a toll on my little girl and me. I am wanting to follow the schedule outlined above, feeding alternating with solids, but am confused as to where the naps fit in. Usually my LO sleeps about 30 minutes after she is done her bottle. She sleeps for one hour, usually to the minute. Any suggestions? Thanks for your help! And thanks for this site!
Hollie- Thanks for commenting and I’m glad you’ve found my blog. Please subscribe for the latest updates! As far as solids go… it’s a trial and error process that’s for sure. On the one hand, you’re trying to get the new routine adjusted. On the other, your little one will be experimenting with new foods approx 1 each week (maybe as she gets closer to the 6 month mark). By the way, just making sure you’ve got the go-ahead from your ped to start solids at 4 1/2? Usually peds like to recommend they wait till 6 months at least in case of allergies, etc. When you’re feeding solids, I’d do that first then follow with milk so that she doesn’t get sleepy right away. Also, the feeding process is messy and slow, so it does take patience and you may have to just go slowly and add a little more food every couple of days. Try and feed a bit, then give her milk soon after … keep her awake if possible and then let her nap. Remember that solids at this early stage is just to get them used to trying solids, swallowing, playing with the textures. Primary nutrition will still be from milk. The one hour naps are really great! Most of us get stuck in the 45 minute naps. Be flexible and play around till you find a consistent routine that works for your little one. If she is a really impatient eater or gets hungry right after waking, then you can switch and do milk first … just adjust the amount a little less so she’ll still have room to try her solids! Good luck.
hi! my lil girl is 6 months old and im trying to figure out a new routine for her with her solids/bottle. she eats really well, 8 oz in a bottle, or 3.5 oz baby food combined with 4oz bottle. i LOVE the baby whisperer, but am confused about this schedule…it just feels like i am doing a LOT of feedings throughout the day. what do you recommend doing…should i feed her every 2 hrs alternating liquid/solid like the baby whisperer routine or just make each 4 hr feeding a combo of liquid and solid? its interesting, i was SO prepared when i was pregnant and knew exactly what i was going to do for a routine/schedule when she was born…but this whole solids thing has thrown me for a loop:) any help would be WONDERFUL…i am really stressing bc i hate not being sure of what would be best for her! thanks so much:)
Hey babyh! The transition to solids is a lot of experimenting to find out what works best for you and baby. I’d say that while combining all the eating into one sitting is much more efficient, it could be too much for your little one to handle and digest at once. I think that’s why it sort of ends up being that you wait a bit and offer milk afterwards. Again, play around with the combination and see what works best for your little one. If she’s getting too full with everything at once… she may start to spit up or drink just a little (which may not be enough nutrient wise). Remember that at this age, milk is still the number one source of nutrients. Solids are fun and just an introduction to the whole food thing at this point.
Hi, started trying to put baby on a routine 2 days ago and my baby just started her 6th week. I know it should be eat, activity and sleep but sometimes my baby falls asleep during her meal and right back asleep after her diaper change. Should I be waking her up to do some sort of activity or just let her go back to sleep? The schedules estimate about 30-45 mins per feeding but she only fed for 10 mins and then diaper change lasted about 2 mins. I know I should still be flexible based on my daughter’s needs but if she keeps this up then not sure how her schedule will change.
Hi Maybaby! Does your noob snack throughout the day? If so, the 10 minutes of feeding may mean that she’s not getting all the milk she needs before she dozes off. This is a topic I’m going to cover soon, but it happened with us which caused lots of disruption and frequent snacking/nursing. If she’s eating at the appropriate times and getting her fill, then she may be doing fine. I think after about a month or two, it’s a good idea to try and keep them up for a little while for some mild “activity” just so they don’t get in the habit of nursing to sleep. You’ll have to assess based on your own situation. Good luck!
Thank you so much for this schedule, it has allowed me to find my sanity! I needed a schedule, but couldn’t figure anything out with everyone’s opinions interfering regarding my 8 week old son! I was worried I was over-feeding him, that I was somehow a bad mom for letting him sleep 8 hours straight each night, and that ‘scheduling’ was a bad thing! Thank you for outlining the steps from The Baby Whisper, so even I could understand in my sleep-deprived state! We’re using the 4 hour schedule, and it’s a lifesaver!! Thanks again, NM!!
Hi Jenni! Thank you so much for your lovely comment. Congrats to you on your noob 🙂 I hope you’ll stay in touch, subscribe to my blog and keep reading. Best to you on your mommyhood journey!
NM: Maybe you can help me out with this one. My almost 7 month old still only eats between 4-6 oz at a feeding…here is what our schedule is like:
7:am – 4 oz formula (I make a 6 oz bottle, but he usually only eats 4oz)
10:15am – 4 oz formula
11am – 3.5oz fruit
2:15 pm- 4oz formula(sometimes will have 6 oz here)
6:15pm – 3.5oz vegetable, 4 oz formula
8pm – 4oz formula then bed
Does this look okay to you? My doc was surprised that he wasn’t wanting to eat more at each feeding, but he is not interested in more usually…Thanks for your help!
My baby has bad reflux and is 6 weeks. The nurse told me to only feed him 3 ounces every 3 hours. He weighs 10 pounds and I just think this is enough for him. Is it? I did have him on 5 ounces every 4 hours because that what he wanted. And I had asked another nurse and she said feed on demand. I am so confused because of this reflux it seems like no one knows what they are talking about. Is there any advice you can give? Thanks.
Jackie – Congrats on your new little one! I’m sorry to hear about the reflux, and I’m sure you are feeling frustrated as I’m sure it is a challenging predicament you’re in. Unfortunately, I don’t have too much knowledge about infant reflux. But just based on the Baby Whisperer’s feeding schedule, it sounds like at 6 weeks … anywhere between 2-5 oz around every 3 hrs is perfectly normal. So, both what you are doing and what the nurse is suggesting sound right. But this may not be addressing your concerns with the reflux. In this situation, I would certainly talk to the pediatrician and follow his/her guidelines. I’m sorry my advice isn’t much help, but since there are some extra concerns in play, it’s better to work with your Ped to find the right combination that works for your noob. Best of luck!
Hi my baby is now 4 days old and is doing wonderfully, I was just reading and was a little confused as to what age I can start dream feeding her is it now or at 6 weeks???? Please let me know that would be great!!!!
Anon – I went back and reread some of Baby Whisperer's thoughts on babies at this age. First, she reminds readers that babies will drink more efficiently at around 6 months… meaning, he will be able to drink more in just 10 minutes than before. So that's one thing to keep in mind. Secondly, as he eats more solids, remember to deduct 2 ozs of liquid for each 2 oz of solids. Less liquid intake for more solid intake. Do you have any idea how many oz he is getting overall? If you bottle feed/pump etc, you can estimate better. I would definitely compare the oz in to the table provided and see where he fits in. Another suggestion is to feed him dinner at 5:30, then only milk at 7ish (before bedtime). He may be getting quite full from the solids at 4 and then at 7. I'd say at 6 months, 3 meals a day is pretty sufficient so as not to take away from the milk. Lastly, at 6 months you can start thinking about different types of sleep training. It doesn't have to be CIO/Ferber, but try to think of a technique that is comfortable for you. But the 3 middle of the night wake ups is probably habitual at this point rather than necessary. Additionally, the milk at night may be throwing off his milk intake during the day. Try using a paci or other soothing technique to get him back to bed. Hope those ideas help! I'm curious what your Pediatrician thinks about the drop from 75% to 50%… is it a concern for your Ped?
My 6.5 month old prefers solids to liquids. He wont nurse or take it from a bottle when he wants solids.
7 am – Nurse him for about 5-10 min
9 am – 1 Stage 2 fruits (short nap)
10.30 am – Nurse him for 10 min
11.30 am – 3 oz of cereals( he takes his longer nap after this)
3 pm – Nurse for 10 min
4 pm – 1 Stage 2 Veggie(short nap)
5.30 – Nurse for 10 min
7 pm – 3 oz of cereals (bed time after this)
He wakes up atleast thrice during the night & I nurse him back to sleep.
His weight has dropped from 75 to 50 percentile. I think he needs more milk, but cant make him drink. Please share your ideas to get his intake better. Thanks.
J's Mom – I'd try to ease into the longer stretches slowly. First add a little bit more (or nurse a little longer) for a couple days. Then continue this gradually so your LO is consuming just a tad more than 3 oz over the course of a week or so. You can also try giving a paci between meals to see if that satiates his sucking need. If both these don't seem to work, I'd consider just going with what he's capable of consuming happily. It may be that he has a tiny tummy. Which is no fun for mommy, I know. As they get older, their tummies get bigger and are capable of holding more calories between meals. Be careful though, if he's throwing up..don't want to push too hard. Good luck!
My baby is 9 weeks old going on 10 weeks and he's taking 2-3 oz every 2 hours. I want to get him on the 3 hour baby whisperer schedule but he will not take more than 3 oz at a time. He will gag and throw up when I try to feed him more than that. What should I do? Help!
Wow. I feel lucky. I feed my 6 month old only 4 times a day. She is BIG (93rd percentile!)…
6:30 am: bottle (7 oz)
11 am: 1 Tbsp yellow veggie, 2 Tbsp Single grain cereal, bottle (6 oz)
3 pm: bottle (7 oz)
7 pm: 3 Tbsp single grain cereal, bottle (7 oz).
She does eat less than guidelines I have seen, but my girl is 19 lbs, so I don't think I am under feeding her!
Laura – Looks goood! Sounds like you have a good routine going. Good luck with first day of Daycare 🙂
This makes me feel much more confident about what I've been doing for my almost-6-months baby. As we start daycare next Monday (OMG the world may come to an end on this day), I've been trying the following schedule:
7 am Bottle (6 oz)
11 am Bottle (5 oz)
1 pm Solids (vegie w/ cereal)
3 pm Bottle (5 oz)
5 pm Solids (vegie w/ cereal)
7 pm Bottle (6 oz)
8 pm LIGHTS OUT!
The baby seems happy. May need to squeeze in another solids in the morning, though…
This is the routine I have my 7month old on withou the solids. I’m going to introduce them this week. Had to hold off because she has eczema. Where do you fit in the naps? Still 3 a day?
Susan – Yep, 2-3 naps a day is still average. The 3rd catnap may or may not be needed. You’ll have to evaluate your little one and see if she needs it or not. I found that the end of the day was always where they start to meltdown (the afternoon to bedtime stretch is very long!).