Schedule Overview: 13 weeks (3-6 Months)

This post outlines what to expect from 3-6 months old. There are sample schedules and information on what is common for this age range.

Schedule Overview: 13 weeks (3-6 Months)

In many ways, things calm down a bit by three months old. You start to figure your baby out–likes and dislikes. You know better how your baby prefers things to be. You are getting better at reading cues and sleep is getting better.

But the thing with babies is life is ever-changing. The schedule changes as quickly as you can figure it out. That is why it is so helpful to see samples from other people and have an idea of where the benchmark is for a baby the age of your baby so you can get to the perfect schedule before it jumps away from you. I did this with the newborn weeks and today want to hit 3-6 months. If you want a look at the full first year, see my comprehensive first year overview that includes what to expect in eating, sleeping, and playing.

Week 13

Kaitlyn:

7:30–nurse
8:30–nap
10:30–nurse
11:30–nap
1:00–nurse
2:00–nap
4:00–nurse
5:00–nap
6:30–nurse
7:30–bed
10:00–nurse then bed (dreamfeed)

At this age, her night feeding was in those early morning hours, usually around 6 AM. I believe she dropped that feeding around 4 months.

 

McKenna:

8:00–eat
8:50–nap
11:00–eat
12:00–nap
2:00–eat
3:00–nap
4:30–eat
5:30–nap
6:30 or 7:00–eat then down to bed
10:00–dreamfeed

Every other night, she ate between 5:30 AM and 6:00 AM. Those days, we started at 8 AM. The other days, she at between 7:00 AM and 7:30 AM. She still slept until about 11:00 AM.

 

Brinley:

8:10–feed

9:10–nap

11:30–feed

12:20–nap

3:00–feed

3:50–nap

6:00–feed

7:00–nap

8:00–feed, then bedtime

10:15–dreamfeed

 

Week 14

McKenna

8:00 AM–eat
8:50 AM–nap
11:00 AM–eat
12:00 PM–nap
2:00 PM–eat (sometimes this was at 1:30 PM)
3:00 PM–nap
4:30 PM–eat
5:40-5:50 PM–nap
6:30 PM–sometimes woke. She is starting to usually take a shorter nap at this time of day. If she woke at 6:30, I got her and held her until starting to feed her at 7:00 PM. If she didn’t wake at 6:30, I got her up at 7:00 to eat.
7:00 PM–eat then right back to bed.
7:30 PM–in bed
10:00-10:30 PM–dreamfeed
5:30ish AM–eat from one side

 

Brinley

NOTE: There was a time change between week 13 and 14, hence the dramatic change in schedules

7:30–feed

8:30–nap

11:00–feed

12:00–nap

2:00 or 2:30–feed

3:00–nap (one hour after waking)

5:00 or 5:30–feed

6:30–nap (one hour after waking–sometimes she does one hour ten minutes here)

7:30–feed, then bedtime

9:45–dreamfeed

 

Week 15

McKenna:

It is a bit different this week since she is extending nights. I will just say she is waking at seven even though it ranged from 6:45-7:15. 7:00 is a happy medium.

7:00 AM–eat
7:50 AM–nap
10:30 AM–eat
11:30-11:35 AM–nap
1:30 PM–eat
2:35 PM–nap
4:00 or 4:30 PM–eat
5:15-5:45 PM–nap
6:30-6:45 PM–wake up
7:00 PM–eat then straight to bed
10:00 PM–dreamfeed

 

Brinley:

7:30–feed

8:30–nap

11:00–feed

12:00–nap

2:00 or 2:30–feed

3:00–nap (one hour after waking)

5:00 or 5:30–feed

6:30–nap (one hour after waking–sometimes she does one hour ten minutes here)

7:30–feed, then bedtime

9:45–dreamfeed

 

Week 16

McKenna:

5:30-6:00 AM–eat from one side
8:00 AM–wake and eat
8:50 AM–nap
11:00 AM–eat
12:00 AM–nap
2:00 PM–eat
3:00 PM–nap
4:30 PM–eat
5:45 PM–nap
7:00 PM–eat and straight to bed
10:00 PM–dreamfeed

 

Brinley:

7:30–feed

8:30–nap

11:00–feed

12:00–nap

2:00 or 2:30–feed

3:00–nap (one hour after waking)

5:00 or 5:30–feed

6:30–nap (one hour after waking–sometimes she does one hour ten minutes here)

7:30–feed, then bedtime

9:45–dreamfeed

 

Week 17 {Four Months Old}:

  • 4 Months: Baby is usually at 3 naps. If not, by 5 months baby should be at 3 naps in a day.
  • 4 Months: Baby might be ready for 10-12 hours of sleep at night. Some will not be ready for this until 6 months, and the normal range is always 10-12, so some babies might just be 10 hour a night people.
  • 4 Months: Often a rough age for sleep.
  • 4 Months: Baby will move to 4-6 feedings in a day.
  • 4 Montths: Baby might be ready for blanket time.

Kaitlyn:

7:30–nurse + solids
8:30–nap
10:30–nurse
11:30–nap
1:30–nurse + solids
2:30–nap
4:30–nurse
6:30–nurse + solids then bed
9:45–nurse the bed (dreamfeed). I was starting to move it back in preparation for dropping it.

 

McKenna:

5:30-6:00 AM–eat from one side
8:00 AM–wake and eat
8:50 AM–nap
11:00 AM–eat
12:00 AM–nap
2:00 PM–eat
3:00 PM–nap
4:30 PM–eat
5:45 PM–nap
7:00 PM–eat and straight to bed
10:00 PM–dreamfeed

 

Brinley:

7:30–feed

8:35–nap

11:30–feed

12:45–nap

2:30–feed

3:45–nap

5:00 or 5:30–feed

6:30–nap (80 minutes after waking)

7:30–feed, then bedtime

9:45–dreamfeed

Schedule Overview: 13 weeks (3-6 Months)

Week 18:

McKenna:

5:00-6:00 AM–eat from one side
8:00 AM–wake and eat
8:55 AM–nap
11:00 AM–eat
12:05 AM–nap
2:00 PM–eat
3:30 PM–nap
5:00 PM–eat
6:30 PM–nap
7:00-7:00 PM–eat and straight to bed
10:00-10:30 PM–dreamfeed

 

Brinley:

7:30–feed

8:35–nap

11:30–feed

12:45–nap

2:30 or 3:00–feed

3:45–nap (75 minutes later)

5:00 or 5:30–feed

6:30–nap (80 minutes after waking)

7:30–feed, then bedtime

9:45–dreamfeed–until it was dropped during this week

 

Week 19:

McKenna:

For this week, our day started a bit earlier than I would prefer, but late enough to make me happy 🙂

6:30-7:00 AM–nurse
55 minutes later–nap
10:00 AM–nurse (if she ate closer to 7, she will often go until 10:30)
60-65 minutes later–nap
1:00-1:30–nurse
60-90 minutes later–nap (I try to watch for cues for this nap
4:30–nurse
6:00–usually a nap
7:00–nurse then bed
10-10:30–dreamfeed (there is no real reason for my dreamfeed to be any later other than I just didn’t get around to getting her until later sometimes 😉 ).

 

Brinley:

7:30–feed

8:35–nap

11:30–feed

12:45–nap

3:00–feed

4:15–nap

5:00 or 5:30–feed

6:30–nap (80 minutes after waking) until it was dropped

7:30–feed, then bedtime

 

Week 20:

McKenna:

7:15 AM–wake and nurse
8:10 AM–nap
10:30 AM–nurse and rice
11:30 AM–nap
1:30-2:00 PM–nurse
2:40-3:10 (70-90 minutes later) PM–nap
4:40-5:00 PM–nurse and sweet potatoes
7:00-7:20 PM–nurse then straight to bed
10:30 PM–dreamfeed

 

Brinley:

7:30–feed with solids

8:45–nap

11:30–feed with solids

1:00–nap

3:30–feed

5:00–nap

5:30–feed with solids

7:30–feed, then bedtime

 

Week 21 {Five Months Old}

  • 5 Months: You might want to start teaching sign language to baby. This can be done at any point forward.
  • 5 Months: Teething can start to impact sleep.

McKenna:

7:30 AM–wake, nurse, solids (1 T rice. I will add 1 T peaches this next week)
8:30 AM–nap
11:00 OR 11:30 AM–nurse, solids (at least 4 T bananas)
12:00 OR 12:30 PM–nap
2:00 OR 2:30 PM–nurse
3:15-3:45 (75-90 minutes later) PM–nap
4:30 OR 5:00 PM–nurse and solids (2-4 T sweet potatoes)
7:00 PM–nurse and straight to bed

Sometimes she ate after only two hours in the evening since she was extending her day out. This was a temporary situation.I find that preferable to having a fourth nap and eating at a 3 hour interval, and thus having a later bedtime. I want bedtime consistent.

 

Brinley:

7:30–feed with solids–half of a banana and 2 T of oatmeal mixed in

8:45–nap

11:30–feed with solids–4 T of pears and 2 T of oatmeal mixed in

1:00–nap

3:30–feed

5:00–nap

5:30–feed with solids–half a banana mixed with 2 T oatmeal and sweet potatoes (1-2 T)

7:30–feed, then bedtime

 

Week 22

McKenna:

8:00 AM–wake her up, nurse, eat 2 T oatmeal and 2 T fruit (she doesn’t always finish this much)
9:00 AM–nap
11:30 AM–wake her up, nurse, eat 2 T veggie and 2 T fruit
12:30 PM–nap
3:00 PM–wake her up (sometimes she wakes on her own), nurse
4:30 PM–nap
5:30 PM–wake her up or she wakes up, nurse, 2 T fruit, 2-4 T veggie, 2 T oatmeal
7:30 PM–nurse then bed
10:20 PM–dreamfeed

 

Brinley:

7:30–feed with solids–half of a banana and 2 T of oatmeal mixed in

8:45–nap

11:30–feed with solids–4 T of pears and 2 T of oatmeal mixed in

1:00–nap

3:30–feed

5:00–nap

5:30–feed with solids–half a banana mixed with 2 T oatmeal and sweet potatoes (1-2 T) OR butternut squash (1-2 T)–we alternate every other day with squash and sweet potatoes.

7:30–feed, then bedtime. In bed by 8:00-8:10

 

Week 23

McKenna:

8:00 AM–wake her up, nurse, eat 2 T oatmeal and 2 T prunes. She now usually does eat all of her oatmeal. Some days, she loves her prunes. Others, she hates it.
9:00 AM–nap
11:30 AM–wake her up, nurse, eat 2-4 T veggie and 2 T bananas
12:35 PM–nap
3:00 PM–wake her up, nurse
4:30 PM–nap
5:30 PM–wake her up and she is mad to be woken up, nurse, 2 T oatmeal mixed with 1 T peaches, 2-4 T veggie
7:30 PM–nurse then bed
10:15 PM–dreamfeed

 

Brinley

7:30–feed with solids–2-4 T prunes and 2 T of oatmeal mixed in

8:45–nap

11:30–feed with solids–4 T of pears and 2 T of oatmeal mixed in and 2 T of green beans with 1 T oatmeal mixed in

1:00–nap

3:30–feed

5:00–nap

5:30–feed with solids–half a banana mixed with 2 T oatmeal and sweet potatoes (1-2 T) OR butternut squash (1-2 T)–we alternate every other day with squash and sweet potatoes.

7:30–feed, then bedtime. In bed by 8:00-8:10

 

Week 24

McKenna:

  • 8:00 AM: I wake her. Nurse. 2 T fruit (prunes or peaches) and 3 T oatmeal. This is followed by bath and then independent playtime.
  • 9:00 AM: Nap
  • 12:00 PM: I wake her (yes, she takes a 3 hour nap). Nurse. 2-4 T peas and 2-4 T of bananas. This is followed by some time with siblings and some tummy time/floor play.
  • 1:15-1:30 PM: Nap. Almost every day this week, she took this nap at my parent’s house.
  • 4:00 PM: I wake her. Nurse. 4 T yellow veggie, 2 T fruit (usually peaches), and 4 T oatmeal. This is followed by us going to our new house to work on it. I would put her in the front carrier or in the bouncer. Some days, she and I would drive to pick up food for the workers.
  • 6:00 PM: Nap. This was taken in my new neighbors master bedroom closet in her bassinet.
  • 8:00 PM: I wake her. Some nights she woke on her own. She sleeps so well! I never expected her to sleep well there. They have six kids, so you know things just get really loud sometimes. The girl can sleep. Nurse and then back to bed at home.
  • 10:20 or 10:30 PM: Dreamfeed.

 

Brinley:

7:30–feed with solids–2-4 T prunes and 2 T of oatmeal mixed in

8:45–nap

11:30–feed with solids–4 T of pears and 2 T of oatmeal mixed in and 2 T of green beans with 1 T oatmeal mixed in

1:00–nap

3:30–feed

5:00–nap

6:00–feed with solids–half a banana mixed with 2 T oatmeal OR 3-4 T applesauce mixed with 2 T oatmeal and sweet potatoes (1-2 T) OR butternut squash (1-2 T)

7:30–feed, then bedtime. In bed by 8:00-8:10

 

Week 25

McKenna:

8:00 AM–wake, nurse, eat 2-3 T prunes and 1 T peaches mixed with 3 T oatmeal (3 T dry before mixed with water).

9:00-9:10 AM–nap

12:00 PM–wake, nurse, eat about 4 T green veggie and 4-8 T banana (she will eat an entire banana. She loves them).

1:15-1:30 PM–nap

4:00 PM–wake, nurse, eat about 4 T yellow veggie and 4 T pears. I then offer 2 T oatmeal and let her eat until full. She usually doesn’t eat much oatmeal, but I offer it to see if she is still hungry.

6:00 PM–(sometimes she is tired between 5:30 and 6:00, in which case I put her down) nap

8:00 PM–wake, nurse, change into PJs, story, bed

10:15 PM–dreamfeed

 

Brinley:

7:30–feed with solids–2-4 T prunes and 2 T of oatmeal mixed in

8:45–nap

11:30–feed with solids–4 T of pears and 2 T of oatmeal mixed in and 2 T of green beans OR peas with 1 T oatmeal mixed in and some fruit

1:00–nap

3:30–feed

5:00–nap

6:00–feed with solids–half a banana mixed with 2 T oatmeal OR 3-4 T applesauce mixed with 2 T oatmeal and sweet potatoes (1-2 T) OR butternut squash (1-2 T) and some fruit

7:30–feed, then bedtime. In bed by 8:00-8:10

 

Week 26 {6 Months Old!}

  • 6 Months: Baby will likely be ready to start solid foods. Consult with your doctor.
  • 6 Months: Baby might be ready to move to two naps. Some are not ready until older. Average is 8 months.
  • 6 Months: Have 4-5 nursings in a day.
  • 6 Months: Naps will be 1.5-2.5 hours each. The third nap can be short (about 45 minutes).
  • 6 Months: Independent play will be 15-30 minutes in length once baby can sit independently.
  • 6 Months: Discipline will be needed if it hasn’t been already. Discipline means to guide and correct, not to hurt.

Kaitlyn:

I finally relinquished the dreamfeed. Kaitlyn basically started to refuse to wake up and eat, so I consented and dropped it. Her waketime had also started to extend a bit, and she started to need to go longer in the morning between feedings.

7:30–nurse + solids
8:45–nap
11:00–nurse
12:15–nap
2:00–nurse + solids
3:15–nap
5:00–nurse
7:00–nurse + solids then bed

 

McKenna:

8:00 AM–wake, nurse, eat 2-3 T prunes and 1 T peaches mixed with 3 T oatmeal
9:10 AM–nap
12:00 PM–wake, nurse, eat about 4 T green veggie and about 4 T banana
1:30 PM–nap
4:00 PM–wake, nurse, eat about 4 T yellow veggie, 4 T peaches or pears, and then 1-2 T oatmeal (sometimes she eats one bite only of oatmeal).
6:00 PM–nap
8:00 PM–wake, nurse, change into PJs, story, bed

10:10 PM–dreamfeed

 

Brinley:

7:30–feed with solids–2-4 T prunes and 2 T of oatmeal mixed in

8:45–nap

11:30–feed with solids–4 T of pears OR peaches and 2 T of oatmeal mixed in and 2 T of green beans OR peas with 1 T oatmeal mixed in and some fruit

1:00–nap

3:45–feed

5:15–nap

6:00–solids–half a banana mixed with 2 T oatmeal OR 3-4 T applesauce mixed with 2 T oatmeal and sweet potatoes (1-2 T) OR butternut squash (1-2 T) and some fruit

7:30–feed, then bedtime. In bed by 8:00-8:10

 

Week 27

McKenna:

8:15 AM–wake, nurse, eat 2-3 T prunes and 1 T peaches mixed with 3 T oatmeal
9:20 AM–nap
12:15 AM–wake, nurse, eat about 4 T green veggies and 4 T banana
2:00 PM–nap
4:30 PM–wake, nurse, eat about 4 T yellow/orange veggie, 4 T peaches or pears, and then 1-2 T oatmeal
6:00-6:30 PM–nap
7:45 PM–wake, nurse, change into PJs, story, bed
10:00 PM–dreamfeed

 

Brinley:

8:00–feed with solids–2-4 T prunes and 2 T of oatmeal mixed in–a few days we did 2 T yogurt here

9:15–nap

12:00–feed with solids–4 T of pears OR peaches and 2 T of oatmeal mixed in and 2 T of green beans OR peas with 1 T oatmeal mixed in and some fruit

1:30–nap

4:00–feed

5:30–nap

6:15–solids–half a banana mixed with 2 T oatmeal OR 3-4 T applesauce mixed with 2 T oatmeal and sweet potatoes (1-2 T) OR butternut squash (1-2 T) and some fruit

7:30–feed, then bedtime. In bed by 8:00-8:10

 

Week 28

McKenna:

8:15 AM–wake, nurse, eat 2-3 T prunes, 2 T peaches mixed with 4 T oatmeal
9:25 AM–nap (some days, she was up until 9:30, but her nap was disrupted. She would go back to sleep after talking for a few minutes, but that is unusual for her to wake and talk).
12:15 PM–wake, nurse, eat about 4 T green veggies and 4-8 T applesauce
2:00 PM–nap
4:30 PM–wake, nurse, eat about 2 T squash, 2 T carrots or sweet potatoes, 4 T bananas or pears. If she still seemed hungry, I would offer 1-2 T oatmeal
6:00-6:30 PM–nap
7:00-8:00 PM– wake
7:50-8:00 PM– eat, pjs, story, bed
10:00 PM– dreamfeed for half of the week

 

Brinley:

8:00–feed with solids–2-4 T prunes and 2 T of oatmeal mixed in–a few days we did 2 T yogurt here

9:15–nap

12:00–feed with solids–4 T of pears OR peaches and 2 T of oatmeal mixed in and 2 T of green beans OR peas with 1 T oatmeal mixed in and some fruit

1:30–nap

4:00–feed

5:30–nap

6:15–solids–half a banana mixed with 2 T oatmeal OR 3-4 T applesauce mixed with 2 T oatmeal and sweet potatoes (1-2 T) OR butternut squash (1-2 T) and some fruit

7:30–feed, then bedtime. In bed by 8:00.

 

Week 29

McKenna:

I am continuing to move things back slowly before the time change, but I can’t change her much more than she is since it would conflict with the other children too much. I am also going to stop posting how much of each food she eats. I think too many people are worrying over it :):

8:20–wake, nurse, eat (prunes or peaches and oatmeal)
9:30–nap
12:20–wake, nurse, eat (green veggie and applesauce. I was also doing avocado here, but have since stopped it. I will start again if the rash is attributed to something else)

2:00–nap
4:30–wake, nurse, eat (orange/yellow veggie, bananas or pears)
6:00–nap
7:50–wake, nurse, pjs, story, bed

 

Brinley:

8:00–feed with solids–2-4 T prunes and 2 T of oatmeal mixed in–a few days we did 2 T yogurt here

9:20–nap

12:00–feed with solids–4 T of pears OR peaches and 2 T of oatmeal mixed in and 2 T of green beans OR peas with 1 T oatmeal mixed in and some fruit

1:30–nap

4:00–feed with solids half a banana mixed with 2 T oatmeal OR 3-4 T applesauce mixed with 2 T oatmeal and sweet potatoes (2 T) OR butternut squash (2 T) and some fruit OR 2 T carrots

5:30–nap

7:30–feed, then bedtime. In bed by 8:00.

 

Related Posts/Blog Labels:

 Babywise Sample Schedules 0-12 Months

2 thoughts on “Schedule Overview: 13 weeks (3-6 Months)”

  1. Hello! Did you ever encounter any issues with not having a full wake window before bed? We usually have 75-90 min wake windows during the day for my 13-week old, but then before bedtime, I’ll wake up at 7pm, nurse/bedtime routine, then put him down and dream feed at 10pm. A lot of other advice seems to say to wake him up at, say, 6pm, feed at 7pm, then down for bed at 7:30pm

    Reply
    • We never had issues at all! Some babies will take shorter evening naps so they have some wake time before that last feeding. I would just follow your baby and do what seems best for him. He might need the sleep right until 7 now, but will wake earlier in a few weeks.

      Reply

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