This article outlines the average 9-month-old baby schedule, including milk feedings for breastfeeding and formula-feeding babies, solids, naps, and nighttime sleep.
9 month old’s sleep
At this age, if you are not lucky enough to have a baby who sleeps through the night, most 9-month-olds can sleep all night without a feeding and take two naps. However, some babies, in my experience, do better with one feeding after 4 or 5 a.m. and sleep longer than not feed and get an early wake-time. I would need to know your specific situation to make a recommendation, but just recognize that all babies are different, but by this age, I would not expect more than 1 feeding, typically, if any at all. Your 9-month-old should be taking 2 naps per day for a total of about 2-3 hours per day plus 11-12 hours at night. If you’re having trouble with naps, you might be interested in helping your baby nap.
All babies vary, but here are some rough schedules you can use to make your own for your unique baby.
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. Below are the amounts we recommend. For more information on starting your baby on solid food, we have a series of blog posts dedicated to the subject. We include recommendations about how and when to start solids, as well as helpful information on food allergies, recommended products, baby-friendly recipes, and more.
Amounts per day:
• At least 3-4 nursing sessions per day or 26-32 ounces formula or combination of both
• 2 servings (1 serving = 1-2 Tablespoons dry) baby cereal
• 1-2 servings grain (1 serving = 1/2 slice bread, 2 crackers, 1/2 cup Cheerios, or 1/2 cup whole grain pasta)
• 2 servings (1 serving = 2-4 Tablespoons) fruit
• 2 servings (1 serving = 2-4 Tablespoons) vegetable
• 2-3 servings (1 serving = 1-2 Tablespoons) protein
• 1 serving Dairy (1 serving = 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/3 cup cottage cheese or 1 oz grated cheese)
• You can also offer cooked egg yolk (but possibly no egg whites until 12 months old due to allergens — check with your doctor)
The first schedule is what I call a “staggered” approach. My first son did better nursing fully and then having solids a bit in between nursing sessions. He was a little hungry but not famished. He just didn’t do well with stopping nursing mid-way to eat solids.
Sample 9 month old schedules
7:00 – Wake and Breast milk or Formula
9:00 – Breakfast
10:00 – Morning Nap (at least 1 hour)
11:00 – Breast milk or Formula
1:00 – Lunch
2:00 – Early Afternoon Nap (at least 1 hour)
3:00 – Breast milk or Formula plus snack
5:00 – Dinner
6:15 – Begin bedtime routine
7:00 – Breastmilk or Formula and Bedtime (goal to be asleep at this time)
If your baby doesn’t mind a more “consolidated” approach to eating, like my second son, here is another type of schedule:
Schedule 2
7:00 – Wake, 1/2 Breast milk / Formula feeding, breakfast and other 1/2 BM / Formula
10:00 – Morning Nap (at least 1 hour)
11:00 – 1/2 BM/Formula, Lunch, and other 1/2 BM/Formula
2:00 – Afternoon Nap (at least 1 hour)
3:00 – BM or Formula Feeding plus snack
5:00 – Dinner and 1/2 BM / Formula feeding
6:15 – Begin bedtime routine
7:00 – Small BM/Formula feeding and Bedtime (goal to be asleep at this time)
Note: When giving any feedings during your bedtime routine, be careful not to create sleep associations.
Want more information about how to help your 9 month old sleep well? Check out our detailed case study about Carrie, Ben, Elliot, and Andrew.
Read how Carrie and Ben helped 8-month-old Elliot learn to sleep longer stretches at night (and, eventually, to sleep through the night completely!) and take better naps – and how they helped to change those sleep associations that were keeping Elliot awake!
Just join our Members Area, and access the case study instantly. And that’s not all – our Members Area is packed with additional premium content and resources: e-Books, assessments, more case studies, peer support, and more. It actually costs less to join than buying products separately! Best of all, members receive 20% of all consultation services – that savings alone can actually pay for the cost of the membership!
Looking for more sample 9-month schedules?
We have over 40 sample schedules for all ages in our e-Book, Mastering Naps and Schedules. Banish naptime battles and regain control of your day (and your sanity) starting today!
You Might Also Like:
- The 8/9/10 Month Sleep Regression Explained
- The 8-10 Month Sleep Regression Survival Guide: EXPANDED EDITION (Members Area article)
- Custom Schedule Maker (for members only)
- Mastering Naps and Schedules (Members Area digital e-Book)
- Chat Live with a Sleep Consultant (for members only)
- Night Weaning Quiz: Is Your Baby Ready To Night Wean?
- 8 Month Baby Sleep Coaching Case Study (Members Area case study)
- How To Put Your Baby On A Schedule (Members Area audio tele-seminar recording with founder)
- How to Nap Train (chapter in Mastering Naps & Schedules)
- Day-by-Day Nap Training Plan (Members Area article)
Want FREE sleep help that you can put to use right away? Download a copy of our free guide, 7 Common Napping Mistakes! The guide is available to download instantly, which means you can start using the techniques in it as early as today. So download now, and learn why your baby is not napping – and what you can do about it.
Click here to learn more about how to get your free guide.
A better daytime schedule could be just a few clicks away. So don’t wait – download now, and start your journey to better napping today!
What is your 9-month old baby’s schedule? Share below!
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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 45 sample sleep schedules and planning worksheets, Mastering Naps and Schedules is a hands-on tool ideal for any parenting style.
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We have to be out the door at 6:15 AM to get my daughter to daycare and then me to work by 8:00 AM. She also doesn’t go to sleep until 8:30/9PM depending on her mood. We’ve tried putting her down earlier but she just plays and fusses.
She even doesn’t nap much during the day, either. I worry because she’s not sleeping as much as most sites tell you they should at 9 months but she seems okay
Hi @Kendra – Thanks for writing! There is a wide range of typical sleep, and the schedules that we post are averages. So, she may be getting enough sleep for her needs, if she is well rested and content! If you suspect she is not getting enough sleep, she may be over-tired by bedtime, especially if she is not napping! Keep offering those naps, and don’t give up on testing out good bedtimes for her!
Good luck!
Hiya
I’d love brief advice on why my baby might be waking at 4am-5am all of a sudden after sleeping 7pm til 6.30am consistently no feed, and naps being on schedule too. i worked so hard for This schedule and now This has put me in a circle of having an over tired baby and trying to get it back on track. Also the first few times he did it was so out of character (since the 4 month sleep hell) i made the mistake of trying to feed and taking him downstairs. Only to find he didn’t want the bottle anyway!
@Jade – Thank you for reading our post and for sharing with us. Early waking can be a beast! There are so many things that contribute to him waking early, though. I’m assuming he’s 9 months old (or somewhere roundabout based on the title of the post). His daily sleep schedule, how he falls asleep, his environment, his development (a sleep regression is common around this age), his daily feedings, sleep associations, etc – all or some or just one of these could be the culprit. If you haven’t thought about keeping a log of sleep and activities to better pinpoint the issue, that’d be a great first step. You could also consider connecting with one of our sleep consultants for more troubleshooting. You can read more about our team here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/about/ Hang in there, Jade!
8AM-wake up time, BF
8.45- breakfast
10AM- brest feeding
11AM-1PM – nap time
1PM- Brest feeding
1.45PM- lunch
3PM- brest feeding
4.30PM-snack time
5PM – 6PM- Nap time
6PM – brest feed
7PM-Dinner
9Pm brest feed and goes to sleep
Hi Hema,
Thanks so much for adding your schedule to the post! Many families love to know what others are doing, so I’m sure they’ll find another 9 month-old schedule very helpful. We appreciate your support of The Baby Sleep Site!