Comments on: 6 Month Old Baby Schedule http://www.babysleepsite.com/schedules/6-month-old-baby-schedule/ Offering baby sleep and toddler sleep help with free articles and guides and easy to read sleep books with custom baby / toddler sleep consulting services included. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:30:32 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Sara http://www.babysleepsite.com/schedules/6-month-old-baby-schedule/comment-page-1/#comment-5224 Sara Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:36:18 +0000 http://www.babysleepsite.com/?p=160#comment-5224 @Danielle: your lo probably isn't satisfied by just milk anymore. It is definitely time to start solids. @Priya: I know it's hard having a baby that doesn't sleep. Lord knows you are both exhausted. Unfortunately I don't have a definite answer for you. I'd start solids immediately. If you haven't done so already, I'd also start your daughter on a strict schedule. Put her to bed no later than 8. Create a bedtime routine, something short and precise. I bathe my son at 7, nurse him at 7:15, read a book at 7:25 and he is in bed by 7:30. Also allow her to cry. I know it's hard but it is necessary for her to wind down and learn to go to sleep on her own. What is her daytime schedule like? What is the longest she has ever gone without nursing? @Danielle: your lo probably isn’t satisfied by just milk anymore. It is definitely time to start solids. @Priya: I know it’s hard having a baby that doesn’t sleep. Lord knows you are both exhausted. Unfortunately I don’t have a definite answer for you. I’d start solids immediately. If you haven’t done so already, I’d also start your daughter on a strict schedule. Put her to bed no later than 8. Create a bedtime routine, something short and precise. I bathe my son at 7, nurse him at 7:15, read a book at 7:25 and he is in bed by 7:30. Also allow her to cry. I know it’s hard but it is necessary for her to wind down and learn to go to sleep on her own. What is her daytime schedule like? What is the longest she has ever gone without nursing?

]]> By: priya http://www.babysleepsite.com/schedules/6-month-old-baby-schedule/comment-page-1/#comment-5219 priya Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:41:32 +0000 http://www.babysleepsite.com/?p=160#comment-5219 my baby is 5 1/2 months old.she will be 6 months old on 18 march.. my prb is that she sleeps hardly 8 hrs in night. but in that 8 hrs she wake up at every hr means if she sleep at 10 pm then she wake up at 11pm then she want milk after that she again go to sleep she takes 15 min for drinking. then again 12:15 am she wake up.she is not sleeping 8 hrs continously.2nd prb is she wants breastmilk at every hr. i did not start solid food. so plz give me suggestion. my baby is 5 1/2 months old.she will be 6 months old on 18 march..
my prb is that she sleeps hardly 8 hrs in night. but in that 8 hrs she wake up at every hr means if she sleep at 10 pm then she wake up at 11pm then she want milk after that she again go to sleep she takes 15 min for drinking. then again 12:15 am she wake up.she is not sleeping 8 hrs continously.2nd prb is she wants breastmilk at every hr. i did not start solid food. so plz give me suggestion.

]]> By: Danielle http://www.babysleepsite.com/schedules/6-month-old-baby-schedule/comment-page-1/#comment-4942 Danielle Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:49:08 +0000 http://www.babysleepsite.com/?p=160#comment-4942 I have a baby that is 6 months old and 21lbs and I am feeding on demand but the thing is that he will eat ALLLL day long and then the next day hardly eat at all and then the next ALLLL day long, i am so confussed about the schedule and im not too fond of his Ped. I am currently looking for a new one. any suggestions???? I dont know if they should eat so many calories or what?? It is getting very frustrating.... He also has acid reflux so Im not sure if that has something to do with it... I just worry that he is not growing good every doc. visit goes good but i havent had to start the solids.... PLEASE HELP I have a baby that is 6 months old and 21lbs and I am feeding on demand but the thing is that he will eat ALLLL day long and then the next day hardly eat at all and then the next ALLLL day long, i am so confussed about the schedule and im not too fond of his Ped. I am currently looking for a new one. any suggestions???? I dont know if they should eat so many calories or what?? It is getting very frustrating…. He also has acid reflux so Im not sure if that has something to do with it… I just worry that he is not growing good every doc. visit goes good but i havent had to start the solids…. PLEASE HELP

]]> By: Sara http://www.babysleepsite.com/schedules/6-month-old-baby-schedule/comment-page-1/#comment-4713 Sara Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:47:41 +0000 http://www.babysleepsite.com/?p=160#comment-4713 My son, Jason, is 6 and a half months old. At 5 and a half months I started reading several books on how to encourage my son to self soothe. I was strongly against any cry-it-out method, I didn't think I was strong enough. I do not subscribe to a cio plan myself. I do however allow my son "controlled crying". I allow him to cry by himself for about 5 minutes before "rescuing" him. But when I do go to him I do not pick him up. I give the paci, lay him back down and cover him up. Quietly shushing, and getting progressively quieter, he goes back to sleep. This allowings him to try to work out what is bothering him by himself. I found I was creating my son's sleep problems. I wouldn't let him cry at all. He would wake up in the night, cry out and I would rush to him and pick him up, trying to soothe him. I wasn't allowing him to learn to put himself back to sleep. I did this because my husband works and I don't. I wanted to allow him to sleep without disturbances as much as possible. Little did I know babies need to cry. There is a huge difference in cio and allowing your baby to self soothe. Sometimes babies just need to get it out. They cannot talk about their day, or express their feelings other than to cry. Crying is a form of release for them. I read Nighttime Parenting by Dr. Sears and The 90-Minute Sleep Program by Polly Moore. The one that really helped me create a schedule for Jason was Good Night, Sleep Tight by Kim West. It details how to help your child nap and sleep better by strict scheduling. She says that babies should not need to feed at night, once they have slept through the night once. If you child sleeps 12 hours straight in 1 night, that is the longest s/he can go without a feeding. Start training at night first. Naps are much harder. Here is an example of Jason's schedule. 7:30 Wake up, Nurse, change diaper and clothes 8:00 Eat Breakfast.(Oatmeal cereal and a jar of breakfast food) 8:30-9:30 Play time 10:00 Nap time (usually about 1.5 hours) 11:30 Wake up, nurse, change diaper 12:00 Eat Lunch. ( Oatmeal cereal, fruit-1/2 jar, and veggie-1/2 jar) 12:30-2:00 Play time 2:30-4:30 Nap time (can vary. ranges from 2-3 hours) 5:00 Change diaper 5:15 Dinner (Meat veggie combo jar and fruit for dessert) 5:30-7 Playtime 7-7:30 bedtime routine(bath, nurse, books, bed) 7:30-8:00 Asleep (normally falls asleep alone, little help. Maybe 1-2 paci runs and laying him back down-my son is pulling up and standing on his own at 6.5 months) He sleep straight through until morning. I also found naps shorter than 45 minutes are what I call "suicide naps". Anything less than 45 minutes is less than 1 sleep cycle for a baby. If they do not sleep at least 1 full sleep cycle they will be more tired than when the went to sleep. Most babies will wake in between sleep cycles and go back to sleep. Any child that has slept the night through can put themselves back to sleep. Teaching them consistency is the key. Be consistent in all you do! I hope this helps some of you out there. I know I was at wits end with my son and his lack of naps. He is a much happier baby now, he needed the strict schedule. Some babies are harder to deal with. Just because your child fights sleep does not mean s/he does not need just as much sleep. Babies do need at least 3 hours of naps a day. The main thing you have to learn is sleep is not something babies are born to do. Like most skills they must be taught. Naps are harder to get down. Like adults, babies have a hard time going to sleep during the daylight hours. Teaching sleep is not easy, but very rewarding. I definitely recommend reading all there is to read and making an informed decision that is best for you and your little one. My son, Jason, is 6 and a half months old. At 5 and a half months I started reading several books on how to encourage my son to self soothe.

I was strongly against any cry-it-out method, I didn’t think I was strong enough. I do not subscribe to a cio plan myself. I do however allow my son “controlled crying”. I allow him to cry by himself for about 5 minutes before “rescuing” him. But when I do go to him I do not pick him up. I give the paci, lay him back down and cover him up. Quietly shushing, and getting progressively quieter, he goes back to sleep. This allowings him to try to work out what is bothering him by himself. I found I was creating my son’s sleep problems. I wouldn’t let him cry at all. He would wake up in the night, cry out and I would rush to him and pick him up, trying to soothe him. I wasn’t allowing him to learn to put himself back to sleep. I did this because my husband works and I don’t. I wanted to allow him to sleep without disturbances as much as possible. Little did I know babies need to cry. There is a huge difference in cio and allowing your baby to self soothe. Sometimes babies just need to get it out. They cannot talk about their day, or express their feelings other than to cry. Crying is a form of release for them.

I read Nighttime Parenting by Dr. Sears and The 90-Minute Sleep Program by Polly Moore. The one that really helped me create a schedule for Jason was Good Night, Sleep Tight by Kim West. It details how to help your child nap and sleep better by strict scheduling. She says that babies should not need to feed at night, once they have slept through the night once. If you child sleeps 12 hours straight in 1 night, that is the longest s/he can go without a feeding. Start training at night first. Naps are much harder. Here is an example of Jason’s schedule.

7:30 Wake up, Nurse, change diaper and clothes
8:00 Eat Breakfast.(Oatmeal cereal and a jar of breakfast food)
8:30-9:30 Play time
10:00 Nap time (usually about 1.5 hours)
11:30 Wake up, nurse, change diaper
12:00 Eat Lunch. ( Oatmeal cereal, fruit-1/2 jar, and veggie-1/2 jar)
12:30-2:00 Play time
2:30-4:30 Nap time (can vary. ranges from 2-3 hours)
5:00 Change diaper
5:15 Dinner (Meat veggie combo jar and fruit for dessert)
5:30-7 Playtime
7-7:30 bedtime routine(bath, nurse, books, bed)
7:30-8:00 Asleep (normally falls asleep alone, little help. Maybe 1-2 paci runs and laying him back down-my son is pulling up and standing on his own at 6.5 months) He sleep straight through until morning.

I also found naps shorter than 45 minutes are what I call “suicide naps”. Anything less than 45 minutes is less than 1 sleep cycle for a baby. If they do not sleep at least 1 full sleep cycle they will be more tired than when the went to sleep. Most babies will wake in between sleep cycles and go back to sleep. Any child that has slept the night through can put themselves back to sleep. Teaching them consistency is the key. Be consistent in all you do!

I hope this helps some of you out there. I know I was at wits end with my son and his lack of naps. He is a much happier baby now, he needed the strict schedule. Some babies are harder to deal with. Just because your child fights sleep does not mean s/he does not need just as much sleep. Babies do need at least 3 hours of naps a day. The main thing you have to learn is sleep is not something babies are born to do. Like most skills they must be taught. Naps are harder to get down. Like adults, babies have a hard time going to sleep during the daylight hours.

Teaching sleep is not easy, but very rewarding. I definitely recommend reading all there is to read and making an informed decision that is best for you and your little one.

]]> By: claudia http://www.babysleepsite.com/schedules/6-month-old-baby-schedule/comment-page-1/#comment-4611 claudia Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:21:06 +0000 http://www.babysleepsite.com/?p=160#comment-4611 my son doesnt have a schedule! sometimes i find it so frustrating.. and he doesnt take more than 30 minute naps.. the odd time he will surprise me, but not really.. and never in his crib (maybe if he's in carseat and we're out) i look at the sample schedule above with the 30-45 minute naps and i feel a little bit better because everywhere else i've read says that babies should take at least one hour naps! i say, what babies.. definitely not mine!! and as much as i've tried to 'extend' the naps.. really? how? can we as adults extend our naps? i just dont get it! i actually stress about his sleep (or lack thereof) and i try so hard to watch his sleepy cues and put him down at the right time, etc.. and i just somehow 99% of the time get it wrong ! :( its so frustrating.. and lately he even fights when i put him down. (is he just becoming too attached to me) he's a fairly good baby for night sleep in the sense that he can put himself to sleep easier than naptimes.. he sleeps ok.. there are a number of times we may need to replace the pacifier or if he's growing through a milestone things are different of course, but its not ever really consolidated uninterrupted sleep.. (and i'm not too much of a fan of the cry it out method.. i think its mean) anyhow, its nice to see your sample schedule.. its somewhat similar to my sons (well, the way it is with being in bed within two hours again) and it something i can follow.. however, what do i do if he wakes early (ie:5 or 5:30am) .. i'm definitely not ready to start my day at that time.. but i dont know what to do either, with him.. and the thing is.. i have to say he must be 'overtired' most of the time because he yawns frequently :( anyhow. i dont know anymore.. there are times that i just feel defeated! :( my son doesnt have a schedule! sometimes i find it so frustrating.. and he doesnt take more than 30 minute naps.. the odd time he will surprise me, but not really.. and never in his crib (maybe if he’s in carseat and we’re out)
i look at the sample schedule above with the 30-45 minute naps and i feel a little bit better because everywhere else i’ve read says that babies should take at least one hour naps! i say, what babies.. definitely not mine!! and as much as i’ve tried to ‘extend’ the naps.. really? how? can we as adults extend our naps? i just dont get it!

i actually stress about his sleep (or lack thereof) and i try so hard to watch his sleepy cues and put him down at the right time, etc.. and i just somehow 99% of the time get it wrong ! :( its so frustrating.. and lately he even fights when i put him down. (is he just becoming too attached to me)
he’s a fairly good baby for night sleep in the sense that he can put himself to sleep easier than naptimes.. he sleeps ok.. there are a number of times we may need to replace the pacifier or if he’s growing through a milestone things are different of course, but its not ever really consolidated uninterrupted sleep.. (and i’m not too much of a fan of the cry it out method.. i think its mean)

anyhow, its nice to see your sample schedule.. its somewhat similar to my sons (well, the way it is with being in bed within two hours again) and it something i can follow..
however, what do i do if he wakes early (ie:5 or 5:30am) .. i’m definitely not ready to start my day at that time.. but i dont know what to do either, with him..
and the thing is.. i have to say he must be ‘overtired’ most of the time because he yawns frequently :(
anyhow. i dont know anymore.. there are times that i just feel defeated! :(

]]> By: Anna D http://www.babysleepsite.com/schedules/6-month-old-baby-schedule/comment-page-1/#comment-4591 Anna D Sun, 24 Jan 2010 21:15:03 +0000 http://www.babysleepsite.com/?p=160#comment-4591 Thanks for the words of advice Nicole and Emma. I have been trying something new for the last week and things seem to be going better. Here is what I have done: I have stopped feeding Maya heavy solids in the evenings (usually this would be veggies), replacing with light fruits instead, and I have been making sure she sleeps either three 1 hour naps or two 1.5 hour naps throughout the day. And now I am also going to try putting her down when she is really drowsy and almost asleep... but not letting her cry herself to sleep.... lets see how it goes. On another note, my husband, baby and I went to the Caribbean for a week about a month ago and baby slept so well! One night she even slept for almost 7 hours straight with NO interruptions! It was beatiful. However, once we got back to Toronto she got back to her old routine of waking up often. I think I'm going to go away again. LOL. Thanks again for the tips! Thanks for the words of advice Nicole and Emma. I have been trying something new for the last week and things seem to be going better. Here is what I have done:
I have stopped feeding Maya heavy solids in the evenings (usually this would be veggies), replacing with light fruits instead, and I have been making sure she sleeps either three 1 hour naps or two 1.5 hour naps throughout the day. And now I am also going to try putting her down when she is really drowsy and almost asleep… but not letting her cry herself to sleep…. lets see how it goes.
On another note, my husband, baby and I went to the Caribbean for a week about a month ago and baby slept so well! One night she even slept for almost 7 hours straight with NO interruptions! It was beatiful. However, once we got back to Toronto she got back to her old routine of waking up often. I think I’m going to go away again. LOL.
Thanks again for the tips!

]]> By: Nicole http://www.babysleepsite.com/schedules/6-month-old-baby-schedule/comment-page-1/#comment-4578 Nicole Sat, 23 Jan 2010 04:02:22 +0000 http://www.babysleepsite.com/?p=160#comment-4578 @Emma Thank you for sharing your schedule! @Emma Thank you for sharing your schedule!

]]> By: Nicole http://www.babysleepsite.com/schedules/6-month-old-baby-schedule/comment-page-1/#comment-4576 Nicole Sat, 23 Jan 2010 03:58:07 +0000 http://www.babysleepsite.com/?p=160#comment-4576 @Jackee Wow! I have not read Dr. Spock's book about leaving a baby in his or her vomit. I personally would not recommend that. I would at least clean them up and make sure they go back in their crib awake to let them fall asleep on their own. It is true that a baby can learn to vomit on command, but typically that's a toddler, not a baby, from what I understand. I typically recommend a slower approach and not cry it out for a baby who vomits a lot. There ARE other options. I can not in good conscience recommend leaving a baby in vomit, especially when many babies simply have an immature gag reflex. I am glad it worked for you in a short amount of time, though. We all have to find our own way. Good luck and thanks for commenting! @Jackee Wow! I have not read Dr. Spock’s book about leaving a baby in his or her vomit. I personally would not recommend that. I would at least clean them up and make sure they go back in their crib awake to let them fall asleep on their own. It is true that a baby can learn to vomit on command, but typically that’s a toddler, not a baby, from what I understand. I typically recommend a slower approach and not cry it out for a baby who vomits a lot. There ARE other options. I can not in good conscience recommend leaving a baby in vomit, especially when many babies simply have an immature gag reflex. I am glad it worked for you in a short amount of time, though. We all have to find our own way. Good luck and thanks for commenting!

]]> By: Nicole http://www.babysleepsite.com/schedules/6-month-old-baby-schedule/comment-page-1/#comment-4573 Nicole Sat, 23 Jan 2010 03:50:19 +0000 http://www.babysleepsite.com/?p=160#comment-4573 @Anna There is a lot between sleep deprivation and cry it out. Have you tried staying with your daughter to have her fall asleep but without rocking her? That would be a start. The key is to come up with a step-by-step or day-by-day plan to follow that makes progress over a period of a couple of weeks. That's what I generally help tired parents do, but you can also come up with one yourself, too. Good luck! @Anna There is a lot between sleep deprivation and cry it out. Have you tried staying with your daughter to have her fall asleep but without rocking her? That would be a start. The key is to come up with a step-by-step or day-by-day plan to follow that makes progress over a period of a couple of weeks. That’s what I generally help tired parents do, but you can also come up with one yourself, too. Good luck!

]]> By: Nicole http://www.babysleepsite.com/schedules/6-month-old-baby-schedule/comment-page-1/#comment-4569 Nicole Sat, 23 Jan 2010 03:24:46 +0000 http://www.babysleepsite.com/?p=160#comment-4569 @Meghan How sweet he falls asleep holding your hand! :) 4-6 a.m. is the lightest sleep of the whole night (for all of us), so you are NOT ALONE! A lot of people have this problem. The more your son can learn to re-settle himself at this hour, the faster at it he will become. Try to let him fall back to sleep on his own, so he can master this skill. Pushing him longer to get to a 6 p.m. bedtime could also be causing the early morning wake-up. Have you tried giving him a late evening nap around 5 or 5:30 and putting him to bed at 7, instead? Just a thought. Good luck! @Meghan How sweet he falls asleep holding your hand! :) 4-6 a.m. is the lightest sleep of the whole night (for all of us), so you are NOT ALONE! A lot of people have this problem. The more your son can learn to re-settle himself at this hour, the faster at it he will become. Try to let him fall back to sleep on his own, so he can master this skill. Pushing him longer to get to a 6 p.m. bedtime could also be causing the early morning wake-up. Have you tried giving him a late evening nap around 5 or 5:30 and putting him to bed at 7, instead? Just a thought. Good luck!

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