Please help! I need schedule for 8 month old!?

Question

I DESPERATELY NEED HELP SETTING A SCHEDULE FOR MY 8 MONTH OLD! I AM A STAY AT HOME MOM. I AM NURSING HIM. RIGHT NOW I AM ASHAMED TO SAY I AM AT HIS MERCY. PLEASE SHARE WHAT WORKS FOR YOU. I NEED EVERYTHING FROM WHEN THEY SLEEP,PLAY, HAVE A BATH HOW MUCH THEY EAT WHAT THEY EAT AND WHEN. I AM DESPERATE! THIS IS URGENT!!! I WOULD APPRECIATE AS MUCH FEEDBACK AS POSSIBLE!

Answer 1

How often are you nursing him and feeding him solids?
How is his sleep schedule?

Believe it or not they make their own schedule. It's a matter of learning to read them.

I'm also a stay at home mom, nursing, and my baby boy just turned 9 months. It's challenging being a first time mom trying to figure things out and keep your sanity.

When he first started solid at 6 months he wanted to eat but wouldn't drink much from me so I nursed him first then feed him solids. Now he doesn't do that anymore, so now I feed him solids and then nurse him. You have to learn to read your baby and what he needs, which can be difficult when everyones opinion seems to be different. Trust yourself.

I also know when he is tired because he is usually whiney and I put him down. He still likes being wrapped, it helps him sleep longer and he also uses a pacifier. (I'm including all this information just so you know how my baby is like. All babys are different in their own ways, so this may or may not work for yours.)


This is his schudule:
6:00am or 7:00am Nurse (his eyes are usually still closed so I know he is still tired)

I put him right back to sleep

9:00 Wakes up
Breakfast: 4 tbsp cereal, 2 tbsp fruit
Nurse

Plays, We take a walk

11:00-1 Nap

1:00 Lunch 3 tbsp veg (usually yellow or orange veg), 1-2 tbsp of meat
Nurse

Play
Read

4:00-5 or 5:30 Nap

5:00 or 5:30 depending on when he wakes up
Nurse
Snack 2 tbsp cereal, fruit

Bath
play
read

6:30/7:00 Dinner 3 tbsp veg (green veg), 1-2 tbsp meat, 1-2 tbsp fruit

Play
Walk

9:00 nurse, 2 tbsp cereal
read
9:30 in bed

He is not big on fruit so sometimes he eats a little less.
I feed him cereal at night just to make sure he is full. There were nights he would wake up so I wanted to make sure he wasn't hungry. He would wake up because of teething. I bath him early before my husband gets home so they can bond more when he is home. Just a personal decision. I have friends that bathe their babies before bedtime and also early in the morning. It all depends on what is good for them and you. Just be consistent as possible it helps.

FYI my baby is 18 pounds, he has always been in the 10th pecentile.

Most days he runs on this schedule but sometimes it changes. I've learned to be flexible. Sometimes it all depends on what time he wakes up in the morning. This is a schedule he has created for the most part. I also know how long he can be up for before he gets tired again. Remember that your baby is going through changes so somedays it will just be different. They may go through teething and wake up so often that they don't get enough sleep at night. Some babies may be crabby during the day because of their teeth. I have a friend and her baby takes multiple short naps a day ranging from 30 min- hour, hour and a half. Her baby is 8months old.

Answer 2

Why do you think you need a schedule? Has somebody told you that a young baby needs to be on a schedule?

It's not true. As long as you're a stay-at-home mom, you can do whatever you want. And he's such a young child, it's perfectly okay to feed him when he's hungry and put him down for a nap when he is tired.

When he gets older, toddler or maybe preschooler, he will probably feel more comfortable with a schedule because it helps kids that little deal with the fact that the world is pretty much chaos. But for now, there's nothing to worry about.

Babies this age should still be getting 14-16 hours of sleep in a given day. This is probably consisting of a morning nap, an afternoon nap and several periods of sleep at night, separated by one or two feedings. (Breast milk digests faster, so you're probably feeding him 2x a night in a 12-hour time period of sleep...maybe 3 or even more if he's going through a growth spurt).

I usually give my kids baths before bed because the warm water is calming...and because they're going to sleep, so they aren't going to be getting dirty. :-)

When they were babies, it was usually wake up, change, feed and then play until naptime. Then change, feed, sleep. Then wake up, see if they needed a change, feed and play until the next naptime. Etc. What you do, when you do it is really up to you.

At 8 months, my kids were eating baby food. Depending on their appetite, this was usually cereal (oats or rice) for breakfast (mixed with my milk) and 1/2 to 1 jar of baby fruit (stage 1 or 2, depending on the kid). Lunch was cereal and 1/2 to 1 jar of baby veggies. Dinner was always rice cereal and 1/2 to 1 jar of baby veggies, plus maybe a 1/2 jar of baby fruit if they were still hungry.

I always nursed on demand.

If you are worried about getting things done around the house, then you might needs some equipment, like a pac-and-play to hold baby safe for a few minutes while you dust or something, or one of those exersaucers or something. Tummy time is, of course, important. If he's not mobile yet, put some toys just out of reach to encourage him to move for him. You can also get a baby carrier or sling that lets you "wear" the baby while you do household chores.

You're probably JUST FINE.

Answer 3

Most of all, You need time to yourself so you can keep going. It sounds like you are exhausted. Have someone keep the baby once a week or every couple of weeks and take some time for yourself. Even if it is for grocery shopping. Plug in your ipod if you have one, and go up and down the aisles. Get some of your sanity back.

I would try to get your child to start eating at three to four hour intervals during the day. 7,11,3, etc.
Naps are hard - you can do one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Depending on what she/he is doing now, this may be hard to do. You will have to have alot of patience and an iron will. Be very consistent when you put him down and make him stay there for at least an hour, no matter what. You can pick him up to comfort him for a second, but put him back. I just patted my baby on her back when I did this instead of picking her up. She screamed even louder because I wasn't holding her..but after a weekend of doing this with both napping periods, she slept for 1-2 hours in the morning and afternoon.

Give him a bath at night before bed, feed him and then put him down. As far as his sleeping schedule at night, well my 11 1/2 mo. old daughter still gets two bottles a night, so I can't help you there. I finally started turning my monitor down so I could only hear her if she really cried, and that is helping her sleep longer at night.

Good luck! And most of all, seriously try to get some time to yourself. You need it.

Answer 4

His pediatrician will have a lot of great info on feeding and sleeping. When my son was that age, he nursed first thing, had a nap around 9 am for about an hr, woke up nursed, we played for awhile. He'd nap again in the afternoon. Nurse again. He was also eating baby food and cereal at this point too for regular 3 to 4 times a day meals. :-) I didnt always bathe him everyday, more like every other day. But, i like giving my kids baths before bed, because it calms them down. (We use Johnsons and Johnsons calming lavender baby bath) And take it easy when he's napping, so when he wakes up you have your energy. Chin up! You'll sleep again, and he'll be just fine! Use the resources at the Pediatricians office, and connect with other moms. It will be sooo rewarding! Hang in there! Hope it helps.

Answer 5

At 8 months, my daughter woke up around 7 am, breastfed for about 30 minutes, and I let her "play", or I read her stories and I ate or cleaned up. I put her down for a nap (always in the same place to sleep, day or night, someplace kinda dark), around 9:30 or 10, she slept for 1.5-2 hours, woke up, I fed her something out of a jar, LOL, and we might leave the house to do some errands, but I made sure to limit the time to 2 hours or so.. I fed her again (milk)..She would be ready for another nap 2 to 2.5 hours after she woke up from her last one, and would sleep for another 1.5-2 hours, sometimes even 3.

Once she woke from her afternoon nap, we could do more running around, if need be, or just chill and spend time together. She would eat some more baby food, and take a bath at about 7 pm. Her baths usually lasted about 30-45 minutes!!

After bath, I gave her another breastfeed or a warm bottle (by 8 months she was starting to wean), and read her a story while she drank her bottle. Then it was off to bed. Quiet and dark, and always sleeping in the same place.

One I figured out that I had to schedule my outings (i.e. lunch with my grandma, visiting friends, going to Target or whatever), Things went so much smoother... she never fell asleep in the car, and I think her getting enough sleep allowed her to develop very quickly. She is now 32 months and has the vocabluary and intelligence of a 3.5 year old. Not bragging, but I think allowing her to get enough un-interrupted sleep gave her the opportunity to soak up knowledge like a sponge.

BTW, at 8 months, she still had a pacifier that she used only at nap time.

After I laid her down, she might cry for a minute, but I would not go back in until she had cried for 5 minutes, if need be, again in another 5, just to pat her back and tell her it was OK, not to pick her up or play, or turn the light on.

Oh, I almost forgot, sometimes she would wake up at 5 or so (as soon as the sun was coming up) and I would bring her in bed with me and feed her (breast), and she would go right back to sleep until 7 or 8... OK that's all :) Good Luck!!

Once you get it down, you will be able to get more things done during her long nap times!! Joyous!

Peace.

Answer 6

i have a one year old we had to ferberize when he was 7 months old. he was keeping everyone zombified and at his mercy, and he was merciless. ferber method is tough for parents, but it works. if you can express your milk and give it to him in a bottle that should help free you up a bit. also try setting a routine, you have to condition your baby. we did the following. 730-8pm- bathe time, massage time, last feeding, soothing music. 8-pm, put him down and close door. check on him in five minute intervals. he will eventually succumb. it takes about three- four days to see results. dont give up and hang in there. it is very tough. our baby now sleeps from 8-7. when he gets up. brush his gums/teeth, feeding time, play time. sing, count, play with shapes and sizes, or watch some educational videos. babies are like sponges they soak everything in, even if you dont think so. after about every three hours baby put baby down for a nap. as long as baby is not ill or wet or hungry, or uncomfortable due to teething or what not, dont feel bad about the crying. a child will not cry blood. especially if you keep checking on them. it is just conditioning. once you see an improvement you wont have to use it anymore, baby will. just make sure it becomes routine you and your lifestyle and baby can commit to.dont let the cute face suck you in. good luck and god bless

Answer 7

UM well my son gets up around 6am eats a bottle, plays with me for about an hour to an hour and a half then goes back down for a nap around 7:30- 8am. He gets back up around 9 and he eats baby food for breakfast. We play some more then in about 2 hours he has another bottle and back down for a nap around 11am. He sleeps (if lucky) for an hour and gets back up around 12-12:30. Then we have baby food for lunch. Then once again around 2 hours later he is getting sleepy and will take an afternoon nap around 2-:2:30 for about 2 hours. So he gets up around 4ish. Then we have a bottle(if he wants it...sometimes he waits until around 5), play then he eats baby food for dinner around 5:30 to 6pm. After dinner he plays with daddy and I until about 7 when I take him in and give him a Johnson & Johnson's lavender baby bath and that takes about 15 minutes. Then I get him ready for bed, maybe read a book if he isn't too tired, then he has a bottle while I rock him and off to bed he goes. He generally sleeps all night but his teeth bother him some nights and he wakes but it only lasts a couple of nights. I hope this helps. Good luck!