Breastfeeding 6 months schedule

6-month-old feeding schedule: Timetable

A baby’s 6-month birthday marks an important transition as many infants are ready to start trying solids at this point.

While breast milk or formula should still form the core of a 6-month-old’s diet, some caregivers find that a child’s feeding schedule shifts as they begin eating purees and other solids.

Babies typically need to eat every 2–3 hours, five to six times during the day.

It is normal for a baby’s schedule to change from day to day, or for babies to eat different amounts of food each day.

Caregivers can follow a baby’s cues, even if they have established a schedule already. A parent or caregiver does not need to deny food to a baby just because it has already eaten.

Introducing solids

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advise that parents exclusively breastfeed infants for about 6 months if possible. By the time a baby hits their half birthday, they may be ready to try solids.

A baby may be ready for solids at 6 months if:

• they have good head control
• they can hold their head up for extended periods
• they can sit up with no or very little assistance
• they no longer have the tongue thrust reflect to push food out of the mouth with the tongue
• they show interest at mealtime and lean toward food if a caregiver offers it

At this age, breast milk or formula is still a baby’s most important form of nutrition and solids are an addition.

Not all 6-month-olds are ready for solids. If a baby shows no interest, a caregiver can wait a few weeks and try again.

Giving a baby 1–2 tablespoons of iron fortified cereal or fruit or vegetable purees per feeding can be a good place to start.

Gradually increasing this as the baby’s interest and appetite increase can follow.

To ensure a baby eats sufficient food, the adult can breastfeed or give a bottle before offering solids.

Caregivers can give solid food as a supplement each time they nurse the baby or give a bottle. Or, they can include the baby in family meals by giving solids at mealtime.

At 6 months of age, when an infant may begin to want solids, a caregiver can offer these just once per day.

Choosing a time of day when the caregiver is relaxed and not pressed for time, and the baby is not overly hungry, fussy, or tired often works best.

Once a baby is enjoying their once-a-day solids, the frequency can increase to two and then three times a day.

There is no “right” schedule, but caregivers should plan to increase the number of solids babies get gradually.

At 6 months, the goal is not to introduce new foods and eating habits. Similarly, there is no need to force a baby to eat solids or restrict new food if a baby indicates they want more.

Regardless of their size and eating habits, babies need access to an expanding variety of solid foods.

Most babies will need to try new foods several times before they feel comfortable eating them. It is fine to let a child eat at their own pace, in the way that feels right to them.

It is acceptable at this age for a baby to play with their food since this is a way of exploring new things.

Breast milk and formula

Breast milk or formula remains the most important food at 6 months of age. The easiest way to ensure a baby eats enough is to nurse or formula feed them on demand when they show signs of hunger.

Research supports the value of feeding on demand.

A longitudinal study of 10,419 children found better academic achievement and a four-point Intelligent Quotient (IQ) advantage at 8 years old among children whose caregivers fed them on demand.

However, the caregivers of these children got less sleep and had lower overall well-being.

These results may point to adults finding a happy medium, such as steadily shaping the baby’s preferred schedule into one that works for them.

In general, caregivers should plan to breastfeed babies 3 to 5 times per day, and sometimes more. However, babies vary greatly and every 3–4 hours is common, which can amount to up to eight times in 24 hours.

Some babies prefer cluster feedings, during which they nurse several times in a short period. Growing or sick babies may also nurse more frequently.

If a baby has formula, giving 24–32 ounces of iron fortified formula spread over five or six feeds per day is typical. While some babies sleep through the night at 6 months, others will still wake or want to feed.

A nighttime “dream feed” around the time caregivers retire for the evening may help babies sleep longer.

Other liquids

Babies do not need juice at 6 months. The extra calories can decrease a baby’s appetite, and the sugar may damage a child’s developing teeth. Soda and other drinks are not healthful for babies.

Babies can have water beginning at 6 months, or when caregivers introduce solids, whichever is later. Introducing a cup of water along with solid meals may be helpful.

Around 6 months old, some babies begin transitioning from three or four daily naps to two. The baby might take a midmorning nap and a midafternoon nap. At this age, most babies need 12–15 hours of sleep per day, and naps usually last 1–3 hours.

Caregivers are best finding a schedule that works for them and the child. Some children are used to falling asleep by nursing or with a bottle. Others happily doze off on their own.

A caregiver can follow the baby’s cues and work to adapt their needs to the family’s schedule slowly.

These feeding tips may help:

• Babies may be hungrier after waking from a long nap. This can be a good time to try solids after offering formula or breast milk to ease their initial hunger.
• There is no evidence that adding cereal to a bottle helps babies sleep longer. Doing so can increase their risk of choking.
• Babies must never have food without close supervision. nor have solids, even very thin purees, in bed.

Deciding what, when, and how to feed a baby can be challenging, especially during the transition to solids. As long as babies get regular breast milk or formula, caregivers do not need to rush the transition to solids or worry that babies are not eating enough.

Some babies take longer than others to embrace solids, while some will eagerly eat anything. The right schedule is one that works for the baby and family. This schedule may change over time which is also fine.

Example 6 Month Old Feeding Schedule

As you make the transition to introducing solid foods around six months, life starts to change! 

The thought of introducing new foods on top of breast milk or formula and naps can leave even the calmest of new parents apprehensive. 

Here are some things to keep in mind as you start to introduce those first foods to your baby, and a sample schedule to help you wrap your head around what to do!

More: For more help with baby led weaning and how to help your baby succeed with eating, be sure to check out this article with a comprehensive guide to baby led weaning and first baby foods!

6 month old baby’s feeding schedule pointers

Before we get to the actual schedule, here are a few things to keep in mind.  

When to Start Solid Foods With Baby

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends starting solid foods around 6 months. In this case solid food means traditional baby food or baby led weaning style finger foods. Really, anything other than breast milk or infant formula!

The best way to tell if your baby is ready to start solid foods is by following their developmental signs of readiness. 

Once they are ready for foods, grab a good high chair, take a look at the schedule below, and you can start them with some modified table foods or a baby cereal and pureed foods.

Learn How to Set The Best Foundation For Feeding Your Baby!

Learning what to feed your baby is helpful. But what about all the rest?! Things like how they should be positioned for eating, what you should say at meals, and how to set up an environment that fosters a positive feeding relationship-for life!

These are the things your parents and friends don't have the answers for, and they're the things that make the biggest difference!

Grab the Foundations course where I walk you through it all.

Breast Milk or Formula Is Still Their Primary Source of Nutrition

A 6 month old baby’s main source of nutrition is still going to be breast milk or formula. Introducing food is to help them get used to it, form a positive association with food, and to start getting some additional nutrients that they start to need right around that 6-month mark.

But your baby’s needs don’t all of a sudden change to where they need an additional three meals a day and a ton of food and eating opportunities! 

The idea is to start slowly and follow your baby’s cues as you introduce more food and eating opportunities. 

Keep giving breast milk or formula as you were before. That can mean on demand if you’re breastfeeding, or following the same general schedule you were before for formula-fed babies and breastfed babies. 

Their amount of formula or breastmilk won’t necessarily change. The average baby at this time is usually going to be nursing 5-6 times a day, or taking 24-32 ounces of formula. In many cases, it might actually increase because they are having growth spurts and will start to need more!

After you give them their breast milk or formula, add in a meal 30-60 minutes later. This doesn’t need to be set in stone, as what works for your baby might differ from someone else’s!

The general idea is to offer breast milk or formula first, give them a bit of a break, and then offer them solid foods.

Your 6 Month Old Baby Won’t Eat That Much!

At the beginning, babies take time to learn how to eat. Most babies will need to get the handle of how to get food to their mouth and down their throat. They won’t really be eating solid meals for several weeks in most cases. 

Don’t panic if you’re a few weeks in and they still aren’t getting much solid food down. Give it some time. Remember, their primary source of nutrition is still their breast milk or formula!

 And if you aren’t sure what to expect when it comes to solid foods, make sure to grab the Starting Solids course to help prepare you and give you confidence in feeding and to help you set up a great foundation for your feeding relationship with them.

Sample Feeding Schedule For A 6-Month-Old Baby

The biggest thing to keep in mind is that every baby is going to be different. I generally shy away from giving out specific schedules, because different things work for different babies. 

But after many parents have asked consistently for it, here is an example schedule for your 6 month old to help you with a place to start for your daily routines. 

I’m giving specific times to help you visualize it, but think of this more as a spacing example for your day than an exact example of when you should be doing these things.

A Note On Your Baby’s Sleep Schedule

All babies will have different sleep schedules. This is especially true for the first year of your baby’s life. Some babies will have a short nap in the morning, while others will take a long nap.

Sometimes that happens no matter how hard you try to maximize the hours of sleep your baby gets!

The best thing you can do is to be consistent in your wake windows. Meaning if your baby gets up at 7 am, you want to be consistent with something like a 2 hour wake window. This means that they will go back down for their first nap 2 hours after waking up.

Follow this same pattern for their later naps and plan to put them down based on when they woke up, not necessarily the time the clock says.

As the day goes on, their wake window might get slightly longer. And as they grow, they will generally start to take longer naps and lengthen their wake time between naps.

Sample 6 Month Old Feeding Schedule With Breakfast

Here is an example of how I might space my day if I was planning to feed my baby solid foods at breakfast time. When they are first starting to eat and for the first several weeks of solid foods, they really do only need one meal a day.

Daily Schedule With Breakfast

• 6:30 am: Wake-up, then nurse or bottle
• 7:30-8:00 am: Breakfast (Head to this article for specific help with what to serve your baby at meals. )
• 8:30 am: First morning nap
• 10:30 am: Nurse or bottle
• 12:00 pm: Second nap
• 1:30 pm: Nurse or bottle
• 4:00 pm: Third nap
• 5:00 pm: Nurse or bottle
• 6:30 pm: Nurse or bottle, then bedtime routine and sleep

Sample Feeding Schedule With Dinner

Here is a sample feeding schedule with dinner as your meal for the day. Again, this is just an example. To serve a different meal, simply aim to have the food 30-60 minutes after you have given them breast milk or formula.

You do not need to serve food at the same meal every day, or exactly at the same time. If your baby sleeps through your normal lunch time when you were planning to feed them, just plan to feed them at dinner.

I do recommend aiming to get in at least one meal a day once you start giving them solid foods to help them get in the practice that they need.

Daily Schedule With Dinner

• 6:30 am: Wake-up, then nurse or bottle
• 8:30 am: First morning nap
• 10:30 am: Nurse or bottle
• 12:00 pm: Second nap
• 1:30 pm: Nurse or bottle
• 4:00 pm: Third nap
• 5:00 pm: Nurse or bottle
• 5:30 pm: Dinner (Here are some dinner ideas for babies)
• 6:30 pm: Nurse or bottle, then bedtime routine and sleep

These Schedules Are Just Starting Places!

This is just a final reminder for you that these really are just places for you to start. Every baby and family will find a different flow that works for them.

Being consistent in wake windows is the most important thing at this age. Sleeping really is primary!

A tired baby isn’t going to want to sit at the table and focus on learning how to eat. So do your best to let sleeping and breast milk or formula be the main concerns, and add in meals in between those.

As your baby gets older, the feeding schedule for 7 month olds really doesn’t change much. 

They might drop a nap, have longer wake windows, and will likely start wanting to have more meals. 

To increase meals to 2 a day, simply keep the same things in mind and add a meal 30-60 minutes after breast milk or formula when they are awake.

Looking for help on a feeding schedule for your toddler or 1-year-old? Check out this article with a sample 1 year old feeding schedule!

Child's daily routine, nutrition, development at 6 months

04/19/2019

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Approximate daily routine for a child

6 months

Daily routine for a 6 month old child is becoming more and more stable:

daytime sleep.

Some babies are comfortable with two naps during the day, others sleep three times a day until 8-9 months.

It is worth paying attention to the duration of daytime sleep - morning and afternoon sleep should be at least 1-1.5 hours long so that the child's body has a good rest. The third dream may remain short, it is better to start it between 15.00-16.00. Make sure that it does not end too late, otherwise the time for evening bedtime will shift. Morning and afternoon naps are recommended to be done at home, the third nap can be spent outside in a stroller. nine0003

When going to bed early, the best time to wake up in the morning is 06.30-07.00.

• Regular bedtime appears

A six-month-old baby is already physiologically ready for early bedtime. The optimal time for leaving at night will be between 18.00-20.00. You will have a clear bedtime ritual that will help the child relax and make the process of bedtime easier. The ritual must be repeated daily. It takes 20-30 minutes to complete it. nine0003

• The period of wakefulness of the child increases

Now, when forming the daily routine, one should focus primarily on the recommended waking time - in six months it increases to 2.5 hours with an established regimen with three daytime sleeps. Signs of fatigue in a child are already harder to notice, so you can miss the moment when the baby is ready for bed.

Total amount of sleep

Now the child needs to sleep 13-14 hours a day. Night sleep is 11-12 hours with awakenings for 2-3 feedings while breastfeeding. The number of night awakenings in formula-fed babies will be less. The total duration of daytime sleep at this age is about 2.5-4 hours. nine0003

Monitor your baby's condition and follow the main recommendations of the table to understand how many hours of sleep he needs and correctly build a daily routine that will suit your six-month-old baby.

A table on the sleep and wakefulness of a child at 6 months will help you with this:

You can adjust the regime and adapt it as your baby grows in the Club MODE FROM A TO Z - read more.

What affects baby's sleep:

1. By 6 months, your baby has already learned to roll over from back to stomach and back. Now he is gradually mastering new skills: he learns to pull himself up at the support, get on all fours, sit on his own and actively prepare for crawling. The baby can continue to practice new skills both during the day and in the crib during sleep. At such moments, he often wakes up and sleeps restlessly. This is part of the natural development of the child. nine0003

To help him get used to the new possibilities of his body, practice new skills while you are awake. Show how you can lie back down from a sitting position. And if before the child did not mind spending a lot of time in the stroller, now he needs time and space for active play during wakefulness. After 7-14 days, the child’s sleep will improve.

2. Skipping naps and going to bed too late at this age can lead to overtiredness, protests before bed and frequent nighttime awakenings. To prevent this from happening, try to follow a clear daily routine. nine0003

3. At six months, the baby may show the first signs of separation anxiety. Having become more independent, he realizes that he is not one with her. And the baby develops fear and anxiety that the mother will leave and will not return. If you find your baby won't let go of you during bedtime, extend the ritual to include carrying, massages, hugs, and kisses. Offer your child a sleep toy that smells like you and "guards" their sleep. It is also worth spending more time with the child one on one, without being distracted by other things. nine0003

4. Teething is another factor that affects the sleep of children of this age. In the acute period, help the baby in every possible way, use teething toys and anesthetic gel as recommended by your pediatrician. As soon as the acute period passes, return to the previous sleep conditions and daily routine.

Watch the free workshop MY BABY SLEEPING BADLY AT NIGHT: 3 SOLUTIONS if your child is having trouble sleeping at night.

Child's diet

6 months

Breast milk and infant formula are still your baby's main complete food, from which he gets important nutrients.

But at 5-6 months you will notice that he has begun to show interest in adult food - watching you eat, following the spoon with his eyes, opening his mouth and smacking his lips. At six months, it is important to maintain this food interest in him, gradually expanding the child's nutrition. For this purpose, complementary foods are introduced. It is from the age of six months that WHO recommends including adult food in the diet of a breastfed child. nine0003

Complementary foods can be started with vegetable puree. Choose zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli. Then gluten-free cereals are introduced. If the child is not gaining weight, then complementary foods usually begin with cereals.

Water is also added to the diet from 6 months. But modern pediatricians do not recommend giving juices to a child in the first year of life.

The volume of complementary foods is small - in the first days, half a teaspoon of puree is enough for a baby, then the serving volume gradually increases over 10 days to the required norm. Feed one food and see how your baby reacts. The best feeding time is the first half of the day. nine0003

By the age of 6 months, the feeding regimen is formed. The child eats on awakening and shortly before bedtime up to 5-6 times a day. Attachments to the breast are short, as the child is often distracted during feeding. The most frequent feedings are in the evening and active sucking is shifted to the last 2-3 hours before waking up.

The amount and frequency of feedings should be discussed with the pediatrician.

Development of the child

Thinking

The baby now distinguishes well between friends and strangers and can show his displeasure, being left without a mother. nine0003

Be prepared that the child will not want to let you go if you want to leave him with his grandparents.⠀

Communication

The baby is already turning around at his name, listening to the voice of an adult and pronouncing syllables in response to your voice.

Say his name as often as possible and name toys when communicating with your baby to develop his vocabulary.⠀

Physical development

Most likely your baby has already learned to roll over, master the skill of sitting and getting ready to crawl. Also, the child begins to transfer weight to the legs and can stand with the support of both hands. He stretches both hands to his mother, expressing a desire that she take him to her. You may also notice that during feeding, the child rests on you with his arms and pushes away. This behavior is normal - he is testing his new bodily capabilities. nine0003

While playing with your baby, clap your hands, squeeze toys, use taps. He will repeat after you and improve motor skills, wielding a toy.

Share in the comments, what questions and difficulties did you encounter when organizing a baby regimen at 6 months?

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Breastfeeding patterns - what to choose

nine0110 - Polina Aleksandrovna, what is the difference between breastfeeding, mixed and artificial feeding?

- The differences between breastfeeding from artificial and mixed clearly explain why feeding regimens differ.

- Normally, by what month should the feeding regimen be established?

- The diet is constantly changing. The older the child becomes, the larger portion of milk he eats, the smaller the frequency of feeding. nine0003

After childbirth, when the mother is lactating, the child also develops its own diet. In the first weeks, everything is quite chaotic and there is no regime as such, and the mother makes sure that the interval between breastfeedings is not more than 2.5 hours (it can be half an hour or two hours) and the child does not remain hungry. From about the second or third week, the baby has more or less regular intervals between feedings. We can say that the regime has been established. But this mode gradually changes as the baby gets older. nine0003

- What is the benefit - and what harm can be from feeding by the clock?

pros

• The child knows when it's time to eat - the body adapts initially. It's no secret: certain enzymes are needed to digest food. When food enters the child's body regularly, his enzyme system and gastrointestinal tract adjust to the regime, and it is much easier for the child to digest food. nine0014
• The mode of wakefulness and sleep is being formed - at every minute of time the child understands what will happen to him.
• Parents are not "hostage" to the baby, they have the opportunity to plan their free time - especially mothers, who always do not have enough time. The feeding regime and the regime of wakefulness and sleep make the situation very easy - at every moment the mother knows what awaits her. nine0014

Minuses

• Mom keeps a feeding schedule, but doesn't stick to a sleeping schedule - and sets herself a trap. She can get into a situation where the baby is sleeping, and it's time to feed him. And it is not clear whether to wake the baby or let him sleep. If you choose a regimen, then it must be observed both in feeding and in laying down.
• There are situations when it is difficult to feed the baby on time (for example, you are far from home and you do not have formula). But it is worth foreseeing everything, and there will be no problems. You just need to be able to plan everything correctly. nine0014

— How to painlessly accustom a child to an hourly feeding schedule?

For a child, the regimen is not something painful, and if we build a clear daily routine, then, believe me, it becomes comfortable not only for the mother, but also for the baby. This is absolutely normal. But in order to build a regimen, you need to understand what it should ideally be - you must plan what intervals between feedings you want to come to. nine0003

The next step is to evaluate where you are right now. For example, you would like to make the interval between feedings three hours, but the baby eats every hour and a half. Of course, if you just suddenly start to pause between feedings at three hours, nothing good will come of it - it will be very stressful for the child.

Therefore, you need to act smoothly:

• determine point A, from which you are going, and point B, which you must come to; nine0014
• gradually adjust to the mode that we would like to have ideally.

Transition diagram

Now the breaks between feedings are 1.5 hours, and we want 3 hours. We add five minutes each time so as not to injure the child, and at some point we take a break not at 1.5 hours, but at 1 hour 35 minutes, then at 1 hour 40 minutes and so on. The amount of food will also change a little.

nine0110 - If we talk about night feeding with an hourly schedule, is it necessary to wake the baby when it's time to eat?

- Night feedings are normal for a child up to a year old.

The newborn has no division of the day into day and night - there are approximate three-hour cycles. He woke up - ate - slept, woke up - ate - slept. And so every day. For a newborn baby, night feedings are the absolute norm.

For 1 year old child Feeding 1-2 times a night is normal. But a child of a year may not eat at night.

In order to understand whether it is worth waking up and feeding the baby, you need to know how much he eats per day. Each child at each age has a certain norm - the amount of food that he should eat per day (we always count not per day, but per day).

• If a child has eaten his norm during the day and sleeps at night, then he does not need to be awakened.
• If child for day ate about 70% of his norm , then at night it is advisable to wake him up and feed him.

We always evaluate nutritional adequacy by weight gain.

• If in one month a child gains weight and height within the norm for his age, then he receives enough nutrition.
• If a child does not gain weight and height , then he needs to be offered food more often at night so that he fits into the norm. nine0014

- If there are too many nighttime feeds on an hourly or on-demand basis, what should I do about it?

- Night "snacks" do not always indicate the child's need for food. When a child asks for a breast at night, mothers mistakenly think that this is only hunger and nothing more. In fact, a child may worry at night due to a violation of the regime or the so-called negative association for sleep (when he can only fall asleep with a breast). nine0003

When there is no regime, the child "does not get enough sleep" of the daily norm and there is a so-called accumulated fatigue, his nervous system is in a very strong excitation. In such a situation, nightly feedings every hour often indicate that the baby has a violation of the regime - it is difficult for him to get up, his nervous system is overexcited, he physically cannot fall asleep without his mother's breast.

Such night feedings can be identified easily:

• the child wakes up every 40 minutes - 1 hour at night and asks for food, and during the day he usually eats every 3-4 hours - which means that he is unlikely to experience hunger; nine0014
• the child eats very little at night - he kissed the breast or a bottle, ate 10-20 g and fell asleep. This means that the baby performed a certain ritual: he waited for his mother, satisfied the sucking reflex, and thanks to this he fell asleep - in such a case, he did not have a goal to eat.

With these night feeds, you need to pay attention to two factors:

1. Sufficiency of nutrition - it is worth making sure that the child receives the required amount of food during the day, does not starve during the day and does not get at night the amount of food that should have been received in the daytime . nine0014
2. Correct regimen - you need to make sure that the child is all right with the regimen, there is no accumulated fatigue and a negative association with sleep.

Is it normal for a child not to eat at night or to eat very little?

“This reverse situation may or may not be the norm. It all depends on the age of the baby and on whether he receives enough food in the daytime feeding.

Newborn

It is not normal for a newborn child not to eat at night, he must eat every 2. 5-3 hours. When breastfeeding, this is critically important - for the mother to establish lactation, and for the baby to replenish the reserves that he needs.

An unpleasant situation can happen in the first couple of months - the mother is glad that the baby sleeps well and does not wake up at night, and on weighing it is clear that the child not only gained a little, but did not add at all in one month, that is, he is clearly starving. nine0003

Newborn babies have this feature: if they receive very little food, they do not have the strength to ask. Therefore, it is extremely important to ensure that a newborn baby eats both day and night!

Infant

A child older than 1.5-2 months adds weight and height within the normal range, eats all the amount of food he needs during the day, feels great, is not crying or irritated, and at the same time sleeps at night - let him sleep to his health. The most important thing is that he gains weight and height - these are the main indicators by which we can assess that the child has enough nutrition. nine0003

— If a mother prefers on-demand feeding, what is the most gentle way for her to organize it?

It is important to understand that one should not go to extremes.

First extreme:

the child sleeps for a very long time, the intervals between feedings are 5-6 hours. It seems to mom that everything is fine, but weighing shows that the child is underweight. Mom waited too long and missed the moment when the child simply stopped asking for food due to exhaustion. nine0003

Second extreme:

A 7-month-old baby eats every hour, that is, about 20 times a day. This is, of course, an abnormal situation.

When we talk about feeding on demand, we mean that there is a certain interval between feedings. It varies depending on age:

• for a newborn baby it is about 2 hours;
• for a child older than 1 month - approximately 3 hours;
nine0013 closer to 4 months - 3-3. 5 or 3.5-4 hours, each baby individually.

NORM - from 2 to 4 hours during the first year of a child's life, and you can deviate from this norm by +/- for half an hour. If the intervals between feedings become very short (every hour) or very long (5-6 hours), we adjust them in order to stick to the norm and not go to extremes.

- If a child eats little, but often enough, then what regimen is more relevant for him? nine0111