Routine for a 6 month old?

**lil monkey** · 20-08-2005 12:34

Hi there,

What sort of routine do you have or did you have for a 6 month old? Tayla is just over 6 months now but we have no set routine as it changes daily! Should I start forcing a routing on her to ensure consistency? The only routine we have that is constant is her bath, feed and bed routing that starts at 630pm every night.

It is so hard to plan ahead when I can't predict her behaviour!!!

Lu

**BJelly** · 20-08-2005 21:21

Hi,

Like you, we really only have an evening routine - the day just happens.

During the day I try to follow the sleep, feed, play, sleep routine ... but sometimes it ends up being the sleep, feed, play, feed, sleep routine

(bad mummy)

**Chickadee** · 20-08-2005 21:59

I didn't have a set routine with strict times, since dd would often wake up early or late, or have naps of varying lengths etc. But we did follow a general structure for sleeps and meals. Generally she'd have a bottle on waking, short play (my breakfast/walking the dogs), cereal, play (or going out), sleep... repeat. Bottles might be either before or after naps, depending on how times worked out. I found Chloe would be more interested in solids if I waited an hour or so after bottles. As she got older and more interested in solids this gap decreased.

**jamb** · 21-08-2005 07:15

Our routine is pretty much the same each day but he seems to do this on his own.

I try to maintain some kind of rhythm to the day as he seems more content and sleeps better at night.

That said, he sleeps when he wants to and lets me know when he is hungry. I offer solids around 11am and 5pm and sleeps tends to happen round 9am, 1pm, 4pm but these are only 20 minutes in length.

Bed is about 7pm, and we have just started a dream feed before we go to bed (learnt from bubhub!). Morning feed between 4.30am and 5am then big bed with mum and dad and wake up 7am.

Some days sleeps wont happen or solids are refused- I just go with it as I figure he knows what he wants. That said some days sleeps are a must (ie stroppy/cranky pants are on) but we cuddle to sleep so usually he nods off pretty quickly.

Hope that makes sense

**ThomasMum** · 21-08-2005 20:27

Hi there,

Thomas's routines during the day varies. Some day he has 2 naps, some 3 but at night his routine is spot on and hasn't changed since he was around 4 months old which is 1 feed at night at around 1 am.

**wattle** · 21-08-2005 23:09

Please excuse my ignorance, what is a dream feed?

**flower** · 22-08-2005 10:13

Originally Posted by wattle

Please excuse my ignorance, what is a dream feed?

Robyn Barkers book "Baby Love" talk about a 'dream feed' from about 10-11pm at night. Its basically when the baby is staring to rouse but not quite fully awake and so you pop it on the boob or the bottle, let it feed and all the while it is still asleep to a point as your not waking it (he/she..you know what I mean) by changing a nappy or 'stimulating' it as such. Therefore you feed the little one and s/he drifts back off to sleep like nothing even happened.
Does that make sense??
As for 'routine'..R. Barker doesnt use the word (unlike the Baby whisperer woman) and calls it a loose schedule..or something similar.
I find if you look at her suggested schedules it kind of helps you guage what to do, when.
For eg: O is on a 4 hour cycle more or less for feeds. So Barker suggests feed then activity followed by sleep. So if Baby feeds at 7am..activity usually here lasts for about an hour and a half..leaving anywhere from an hour to 2 for sleeping, a little play, followed by another feed (11am) and so the cycle goes.
Hope that helps??
O's mom.

**red crayon** · 22-08-2005 12:40

Hi Taylasmum, Spencer has just turned 7 months and his routine is changing a bit but for the month just been, our day generally had the same rhythm:

5.30am - wake - breastfeed
6.00-7.00am - short nap
7.00am - breakfast then play
8.30 - 10.00 - sleep
play
11.00 - morning tea breastfeed
11.30-1.00 - sleep
1.00 - lunch then play
2.30 - afternoon tea breastfeed
3.00-4.30pm - sleep
5.30 dinner then bath
6.00 - breastfeed
6.30pm - night time
Two feeds at ngith - 1am and 4am

We now seem to be moving to two sleeps during the day. Still having 2 night feeds but I'm working on that

**jembelina** · 23-08-2005 18:52

my DS is 6.5 months and is just falling into a predictable

routine now and it goes like this...

5.30am - wake
play
6.30/7am - bf
7am -8am sleep (40 min - 1 hr)
breakfast
play
9.30 - bf
10/10.30-11.30/12 sleep (1 1/2 hrs)
lunch
play
1.30pm - bf
2pm - 3.30pm sleep (1 1/2 hrs)
4/4.30 - dinner
bath
bf
6pm - sleep
10/11pm - bf

roughly!!! we used to do dinner bath bed later but were running into problems so MCHN suggested doing it all a little earlier and everything has kind of fallen into place since ( we also have done cc, but that's another story!). i am also pushing for 2 hr sleeps but we have only just upgraded from 40 min naps so one thing at a time!!

**lil monkey** · 23-08-2005 20:02

Hi Jembelina,

tayla was born exactly one week before your bub !

Did you find that when his solid's increased that he was less interested in the bottle/breast feed??

Tayla has skipped a bottle feed today and is drinking less and less as her rice cereal and pear increases!!