4 Month Old Baby Schedule
Posted by Nicole on January 20th, 2009
This article outlines the average 4 month old baby schedule, including feedings, solids, naps and night sleep.
4 month old baby’s sleep
Pediatricians disagree high and low about when a baby is capable of sleeping through the night and only a handful of parents who reach this page will have a 4 month old that sleeps all night without even a single feeding (those that do are LUCKY!).
At this age, if you are not lucky enough to have a baby who sleeps through the night, many 4 month olds are still waking 1-3 times to eat at night and many will continue to eat 1-2 times until 9 months old. Anything more and likely you have a sleep association problem. If your baby has recently started sleeping worse, you may want to read my article about 4 month old baby sleep. If you’re having trouble with naps, you might be interested in helping your baby nap.
Obviously, all babies vary, but here are some sample (loose) schedules you can use to make your own for your unique baby. Most babies, at this age, can’t be on a strict schedule because many babies are still taking shorter naps while their brain matures and they simply can not stay up very long to get to the next scheduled nap-time, so at this age, it’s likely naps are still on the short side, but come frequently and every day will still likely be different. Don’t worry, that will change! Most babies can get down to just 3 naps around 6 months or 7 months.
I should warn you that I am in the camp that breast milk or formula should be the primary nutrition for the first year and solids come secondary. I did not start my boys on solids until close to 6 months old. If you have or want to start solids at 4 months (some pediatricians do recommend or agree with this), below are the amounts recommended from Super Baby Food, the book I use for reference (as a guide, not as the end-all-be-all because I don’t give my kids nuts before a year or follow other things in the book, but it’s a good reference guide). Another useful reference is Wholesome Baby Food. Although I work full time, I did make most of my baby food (I’d make 1 or 2 big batches of something each weekend in 1-2 hours), but even if you don’t, the website is useful as a guide when to introduce what food and other meal ideas.
Amounts per day:
• At least 5-6 breastfeeding sessions per day or 2 1/2 ounces formula for each pound of weight (approx. 20-30 ounces) (decrease solids if your baby is not taking in at least this much)
• Water is unnecessary (breast milk and formula have plenty of water in them). If your baby has any constipation issues, focus on “P†foods (pears, prunes, etc.)
• 1-2 servings baby cereal (1 serving = 1-2 Tablespoons dry)
• 1-2 servings fruit (1 serving = 1-2 Tablespoons)
• 1-2 servings vegetable (1 serving = 1-2 Tablespoons)
Note: Don’t worry about feeding this much right away! You will start with just 1 teaspoon of dry cereal (before mixing w/ breast milk or formula) and work your way up. Don’t forget to wait at least 3-4 days before introducing a new food for food allergy reasons.
Sample 4 month old schedule
This schedule assumes baby can stay up 1 hour 15 minutes before needing to sleep again. At this age, wake-time should be 1-2 hours TOPS, to avoid baby getting overtired.
6:30 – Wake and Breast milk or Formula
7:15 – Breakfast
7:45 – Nap
8:15-8:45 – Breast milk or Formula
9:45 – 10:00 – Nap
10:45 – 11:15 – Breast milk or Formula
11:45 – 12:00 – Nap
1:15 – 1:45 – Breast milk or Formula
2:00 – Nap
3:45 – 4:15 – Breast milk or Formula
4:45 – Nap
5:45 – Begin bedtime routine
6:00 – Breast milk or Formula
6:15 – Bedtime (Goal to be asleep at this time)
+Plus probably 1-3 nighttime feedings
Note: This schedule follows the eat-play-sleep routine, however, it is sometimes hard to do at this age when the amount of time between naps is not long enough and your baby wakes too early from his nap because of a feeding.
You may also be interested in tracking your baby’s sleep and schedule, feedings, medication doses, immunizations, etc. using online baby software. You can even use it on your mobile device for when you’re on the go!
If you’re looking for ways to get your baby or toddler into a healthy sleeping routine during the day, I encourage you to explore Mastering Naps and Schedules, a comprehensive guide to napping routines, nap transitions, and all the other important “how-tos” of good baby sleep. With over 40 sample sleep schedules and planning worksheets, Mastering Naps and Schedules is a hands-on tool ideal for any parenting style. For those persistent nighttime struggles, check out Help Your Child Sleep, a Step-by-Step Guide. Using the same unique approach and practical tools for success, this e-book helps you and your baby sleep through the night. Or, join our Members Area packed with premium content and resources: e-Books, assessments, detailed case studies, peer support, and more. It actually costs less to join than buying products separately! For those looking for a more customized solution for your unique situation with support along the way, please consider one-on-one baby and toddler sleep consultations.
What is your 4-month old’s routine?
Tags: 4 month old schedule, 4 month old sleep, baby nap schedule, baby sleep schedule
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January 21st, 2009
my 4 month old’s schedule is
8:00 come off continuous feed / play with mom / therapy
11:00 bolus tube feed 85 cc breastmilk
11:30 nap 30 mins
12:00 play with mom / dad
2:00 bolus feed 85 cc breastmilk
2:30 nap 30 mins
3:00 play with mom / dad / hands
5:00 bolus feed 85 cc breastmilk
5:30-6:00 play
6:30 out like a light til morning
8:00 bolus feed 85 cc breastmilk while sound asleep
11:00 bolus feed while sound asleep
11 pm – 8 pm sleeps consistantly (has since birth) while on continuous tube feed of 34 ml / hr of breastmilk
wakes sometime around 6 I think, but plays quietly by herself!
January 22nd, 2009
6:15 wake in crib, then nurse laying in bed with mom
7:15 awake with mom / play
8:30 nap in crib
9:15 awake, play
9:45 nurse
10:15 play
11:15 nap in crib
12:00 awake, play
12:45 nurse
1:15 play
2:15 nap in crib
3:00 awake, play
3:45 nurse
4:15 play
5:30 change into pj’s, start bedtime bottle (EBM)
6:00 asleep for night in crib
wakes twice during night, around 12:00am and 4:00am for diaper change and nursing (on good nights, wakes only once around 3-4am)
January 24th, 2009
My son is actually 5 months old in a few days, but we have really had trouble with his sleep/schedule more in the past 3 weeks.
7:30 am wake-up
8:00 am nurse
8:00 – 10:00 am play
10:00 am nurse, then nap (45minutes to 1 hour)
11:00 am play
12:30 am nurse
1 pm nap for one hour, then wake up and wants to nurse again! But will go back to sleep for 2 hrs more if I do nurse him a bit more….
4 pm wake up and play
5 pm nurse then play
6:30 pm starting 2-4 tbsp cereal/fruit/breastmilk–he loves it!
7:30 pm nurse and to bed in his crib
usually he wakes up at least 2 times–once around 12 midnight or so, and once around 3-4am. But the last few nights it has been more and more. For example last night, he woke at 11, 2, 3, 3:30, 4, 5:30 and then finally at 7:30. I know I should not be a pacifier for him or go in to comfort quite so much, but letting him cry much is not an option. I have a 2.5 yr old right across the hall and a husband who travels most weeks, so he is not there for support if my other child is awakened….
My older son was a fabulous sleeper right from the beginning, and this is the same basic schedule I followed for him and he was sleeping 12-13 hours (plus 2 2-hr naps) with one waking by 5 months and straight through by 6 months. So this is all very foreign to me. I am going to take your advice about sleep association and try to limit the use of the breast as a pacifier, but it will be tough. I mean, I cannot just let him cry for an hour in the middle of the night….Sigh. Thanks for letting me vent about this at least.
January 30th, 2009
I have a question…..
My 17 week old son will not eat after he wakes up. He will only eat before going to sleep……and he will only go to sleep by sucking =/ is there anything i can do to break this?? he won’t take a paci.
January 31st, 2009
@Jen @Kim @Melissa Thank you for sharing your schedules!
@Danielle Please read my article on sleep associations for more information. http://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-association
February 18th, 2009
how do i begin dropping the 3am feeding? i heard water and decreasing the amt of food..
February 20th, 2009
Malcolm’s naps are 30-45 minutes and I put him down every 90-120 minutes or so.
8:30am wake, nurse
10:00am nap
11:00am nurse
12:00pm nap
1:30pm nurse
2:30pm nap
3:30pm nurse
4:30pm nap
5:30pm nurse
6/6:30 bedtime
12:00am nurse
4:00am nurse
February 20th, 2009
@Gloria Replacing a feeding with water can still keep a waking going. I have some night-weaning information in my e-Book, http://www.babysleepsite.com/ebook and I hope to make it into it’s own pamphlet sometime, too. It’s too much to type here. Good luck!
September 2nd, 2009
If i put my 4 month old to be at 6:30, i would be feeding at midnight, then 4 am to. he goes to bed around 10, and sleeps until 6 or so. i like that schedule much more!
September 13th, 2009
My daughter will be 4 months in 10 days.
Every time it says “wake” I physically go and wake her up from her crib. I have tried to teach her to sleep until I wake her…
8:30 Morning wake and feed
9-10 Play
10:00 Nap
11:30 wake and feed
12-1 Play
1:00 Nap
2:30 wake and feed
3-4 Play
4:00 Nap
5:30 wake and feed
6-7 Play
7:00 Put her to bed for the night
8:30 wake and feed, then right back to bed (not followed by a playtime)
5:00 am Wake and feed (I do this to ensure I’m getting enough stimulation to produce breast milk… I will eventually drop this feeding).
September 18th, 2009
@Lisa We all find the schedule that works for our families. Just make sure your 4 month old is getting enough sleep in 24 hours. At this age, they typically sleep 11-12 hours at night and 3-4 hours during the day.
September 25th, 2009
@Hailey Thank you for sharing your routine and schedule. You’re so lucky that your daughter is not cranky being woken up. My sons would be cranky, I’m sure.
Looks like she’s a great sleeper. Congrats!
October 24th, 2009
Bedtime bath is around 8:00pm
Asleep by 8:30pm (most days)
Diaper check around 10:30pm + a nursing
Usually eat just for a second to put her back to bed
Then another diaper check around 12:30am
Along with the nursing (she’ll really eat this time)
Back to sleep until around 2:30am for diaper check/nursing
Then again around 4:30am diaper check/nursing
6:30am diaper check/nursing
Then it’s already 8:30am Goodmorning time!
This time it’s nurse then the diaper change
Awake snacking, playing, tummy time, watching tv with grandma until around 10:30am
Diaper change/nurse then nap around 30mins (1hr on a good day)
Wake jumperoo time/swing time/play time
1:00pm nap for 30mins (1hr on a good day) up to 2hrs if we nap together
Wake change then eat baby food/watch tv
Around 3:30pm change then play in walker or go in swing
5:30 change/nurse then nap 30mins
change around 7-7:30 then bathe then Goodnight!
*I did not make this schedule, my baby did! Works great for us so we follow it. Everynight bedtime bath is with the calming bedtime wash.
October 24th, 2009
My daughter is 2 months old, but I have been working with kids for a long time. I will put her on a schedule when she reaches 4 months old when she starts eating cereal. I work full time- and she goes to school so What I will do for her is..
6:00am- if she wakes up to eat.. Bottle
play a little
nap
next feeding
1 tablespoon of rice cereal then a bottle after
play for a little
nap
bottle
play time
nap
1 tablespoon of rice cereal then bottle
play
bath
bed
Hope that helps some of you moms!
November 13th, 2009
@Thalia You might want to read my article about sleep associations as your baby is waking every 2 hours to breastfeed. Here is the article: http://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-association/ Good luck!
@Robin Thanks for sharing your routine!
December 27th, 2009
my baby is 41/2 months and she has been in a very good routine since 6 weeks wert i have woken her up for a feed ..we found this to be better as if we left her to wake up when she wanted then she wouldnt sleep through the nite now she wakes up about 7.30 am
7.30- 8 am wake feed and change 6-7 ounces
9 -10 am play
10 -11 nap time
11.30-12 feed (now solids)
12.30 – 1.30 play
2-3 nap
3.30 feed 4ounce bottle
6.00-6.30 solid feed
7-8 play
8.30 bath time
9pm feed and 9.30 bed
she usually sleeps through with the odd nite she will wake up and just want her dummy and go back off although she does not need her dummy to fall asleep with
January 7th, 2010
My son
Wake 7:00 breastfeed
breakfast 7:45
Nap 9:30
Wake 11:15 breastfeed
nap 1:30
Wake 3:15
breastfeed
nap 5:30
wake 6:45 daddy gives bottle
breastfeed at 8:30
bedtime routine starts at 9 with jammies then a story, no feeding or pacifying
Asleep at 9:30
I am a HUGE fan of Ferber. Worked with my older daughter also.
January 22nd, 2010
@Rachael Thank you for sharing your schedule!
January 29th, 2010
@Catherine Thank you for sharing your schedule!
February 18th, 2010
My almost 4 month old follows this schedule almost everyday
6:30 wakeup and change
7:00 eat (breastfeed)
7:30-9 play
9-11 nap
11 eat
11:30-1 play
1-2:30 nap
2:30 eat
4-5 nap
5:30 eat
6:00 play
7:45 start bedtime routine..music…eat..change
put to bed awake around 8:15.
he sometimes wakes up at 1am..but has slept through the night until 6am a handful of times I am debating whether I should be feeding him at that 1 am time if he has been able to go through the night already?
February 18th, 2010
My almost 4 month old follows this schedule almost everyday
6:30 wakeup and change
7:00 eat (breastfeed)
7:30-9 play
9-11 nap
11 eat
11:30-1 play
1-2:30 nap
2:30 eat
3-4 play
4-5 nap
5:30 eat
6:00 play
7:45 start bedtime routine..music…eat..change
put to bed awake around 8:15.
he sometimes wakes up at 1am..but has slept through the night until 6am a handful of times I am debating whether I should be feeding him at that 1 am time if he has been able to go through the night already?
February 18th, 2010
Hi Mom’s! My peanut’s is as follows…he was 4 mths on the 11th…
8:00 wakes and breastfeed
play
10:00 eats and then naps
12:00 wakes, breastfeeds and eats 2 tsp of oatmeal and plays for an hour or so, then naps
2:00 eat, play, and nap
4:00 eat, play
5:00 eats 2 tsp of rice cereal
6:00 eat, takes a small nap
7:00 ready for bed, falls asleep at breast
9:30 I will pick him up for a “dreamfeed” – when offered the breast, he will eat on one side and fall back asleep
4-5am will wake again for another feeding and go right back to sleep
This is his schedule, he is such a ahppay and healthy baby!
March 26th, 2010
My baby is 4 months old, hasn’t started in solids yet but thinking in moving up to baby rice sometime this month, currently on Aptamil level 2 Hungry babies formula, healthy weight and size.
6:30 Wakes up and has 6-7 oz of formula
she plays until
9:30 nap
11:00 feed time and awake
1:30 nap
2:00 feed time and awake
plays until
6:00 feed time
9:00 bath time
9:30 last feed and bed time
That’s a whole day, she goes to sleep late, but at least I don’t got to wake up at 4am to feed her or whatever, sorta glad but not any free time all day long. Sometimes she wakes up around 5 or so but just falls back asleep with dummy. Great thing.
March 28th, 2010
Can someone post their feeding and sleep schedule for a four month old and please put how many ounces you feed ur baby.?? Thanks.
April 2nd, 2010
Hi Kayla,
The amounts each baby eats can vary quite a bit. If you have concerns about how much your baby is eating, you might check with your doctor. You can also post this question in our forum where other mothers might also chime in. http://community.babysleepsite.com/
May 6th, 2010
My guy will be 4 months next week and here is his schedule. He plays (bouncy, floor gym, rattles, etc.) in between his naps.
7-7:30am – Wake and Play
8-8:30am – Bottle 7 oz.
9:00am -11am – Nap
11:30-12:00pm – Bottle 7 oz.
1pm – 3pm – Nap
3:30pm – Bottle 7 oz.
5-6pm – Nap
6:30pm – Bottle 7 oz.
7:45pm – 1 tablespoon cereal
8:00pm – Bath, Play, Bottle 7 oz.
8:30pm – Asleep in crib
He will wake anytime between 4am-6am for a 7 oz. bottle and then go back to sleep until wake time.
June 7th, 2010
my baby is going to be 4 months in a week, but drives me crazy he seems to be ready for nap 50 -60 min after he woke up, yawning. i have a 2 year old boy so its been hard to keep the baby on specific schedule. i guess he is used t be rocked to sleep. but 95 % of the times he cries to sleep
June 11th, 2010
I imagine it is difficult to keep a specific schedule with another toddler in the house. Some babies do get tired that early after waking and just need that early morning nap. It’s good that you are noticing that pattern and hopefully, you are able to try and fit it into the schedule as the day (and your 2 yr old!) allow.
July 15th, 2010
my four and a half month old is an eater and a sleeper!!!
anytime between 7-8am:: wake up
8-8:30:: eat 2-3 icecubes (thawed) of pear or 1/2 smashed banana and oatmeal
8:30-8:45:: 4-5 oz. of formula
8:45-9:30ish:: play
9:30ish:: nap
11:00:: wake up and 5 oz. of formula, play time after
1:00pm:: nap time (this is our big nap!!!!)
3:00ish:: up and ready to have a snack! sometimes puffs or yogurt melts
3:30:: 4-5oz bottle
3:45-4:30:: play time
4:30:: starts to get crankyyyyyy! ready for dinner (3-4 thawed icecubes of a veggie and oatmeal if still hungry)
5:00:: bath time and final 5 oz bottle then off to her crib!
amelia sleeps all night, some nights she gets cranky a little early so we skip bathtime and she is in bed before 5. it has progressively been getting earlier. she is consistently gaining weight and having plenty of wet and dirty diapers (believe me! we cloth diaper… so i KNOW there are plenty hehe!) so i don’t worry about how much she sleeps.
she has also been in the 95th percentile until this last month where she is closer to 75th for weight. my girl is totally food motivated, but just so sweet and cute!
July 18th, 2010
My 4 month girl
bath around 8:30pm with change and feed falls asleep by 9:30
sleeps through the night wakes up @ 9-10 in morning
she’s on 6 ounces of formula now
9:30am feed change and nap for an hour or so
10:30 wakes n play
she plays for couple hours
12:00 feed change n play
every 4-5 hours feed and change naps approx half hour couple times in day until bath time. I’ve not started solids yet will start baby rice n solids at 5 months. She’s always slept well and is healthy n fine
August 11th, 2010
My baby will turn 5 months 21 August. I donot have an established schedule yet. He sleeps between 6 and 7, wakes to feed between 1 and 2 and then at 4 to feed and make noise till 6.
Then he takes naps from 9 and through out the day. This makes me to be sleepy at work. How do I make him go back to sleep at 4 in the mornings.
Thanks.
August 13th, 2010
Tyna,
Depending on his daytime schedule, he could need more naps or longer naps during the day and this could help with extending the nighttime sleep. At this age, if he’s waking for the day at 6 or early, then his first nap really should be before 9 am. You don’t mention what time he goes to bed, but this could also be a factor.
August 19th, 2010
My little man is breastfed and 15 weeks old
6:30am wakes to feed
7:00 back to sleep
9:30am wakes to feed, then play time
11:30 nap
12:00 wake and play
12:30 feed, then play time
3:00 nap
3:30 wakes to feed
4:00 playtime with daddy
6:00 nap
6:30 wakes to feed, then play time
8:15 bathtime
8:30 feed
9:00 bedtime
My boy has been sleeping through the night since about 6 weeks. He slowly eliminated his night feed on his own now typically sleeps straight through from 9pm to 6:30am.
August 20th, 2010
Thanks,
It is unbelievable, last saturday or so my boy also started to kind of sleep through the night. It is not exactly sleep but he wakes only to feed between 1 and 2 midnight, then go back to sleep. And finally wakes up at 6 in the morning.
We are both resting nice now!
Thanks so much for The Baby Sleep Site.
August 23rd, 2010
My baby is now 18 weeks but has been sleeping 12 hours every night since she was 10 weeks old. Right now she is fed every 4 hours, though she does have a top-up feed at 5.15pm. This will eventually become tea-time in a few weeks time. Her current schedule is as follows:
7am wake, change into day clothes, feed
7.30am play
9am nap to 10.30am
10.30am wake and play
11am feed followed by more play
12pm nap to 2.30pm
2.30pm wake and play
3pm feed followed by more play
4.30pm nap to 5.15pm
5.15pm wake, small feed followed by more play
6.30pm bath time
6.45pm final feed and bed
September 2nd, 2010
At 4-5 weeks my 4 month old would eat 9 or 10, go to bed at 10 or 11 and sleep until 3 or 4 am for a feed (she was exclusively breast fed at this point) and then sleep until 7 or 8am.
At 3 months she began waking up at 2 and then again at 4 or 5 to nurse. She now takes formula and breast milk (I’m back at work and she’s at day care). She goes to bed between 6 and 7, we dream feed her (when we can) at around 10 or 11 but she still wakes up at 2 or 3 to nurse. We thought that she might not be taking enough formula during the day (she doesn’t like it as much as breast milk) so we upped the amount to 6oz and asked the day care people to be more vigilant about getting her to take more of it. Then I feed her another 6 oz of breast milk right before she goest down. Regardless, she continues to wake up around 2 and then again at 4 or 5 and then her wake up time is 6:30-7. Thoughts? I realize she may just be growing and need two feedings. Is there something else I should be doing?