Sample infant schedules
Every baby is different—there’s no way around that. But one thing consistent across all babies (and really humans in general), is that they thrive off of a predictable routine. That does not mean you’re a slave to the clock or never deviate from your normal schedule, but it is helpful for both you and your baby to have some predictability during your day. A normal routine encourages better eating, sleeping, and alert playing and learning for your baby, and gives you the freedom to take a shower, cook dinner, or call a friend at a (relatively) predictable time.
I’ve provided Miss F’s schedules from birth through our transition to one nap at 14.5 months. When she was younger, her sleep was often negatively affected by getting overtired, so we strove to keep consistent nap and bed times. As she has gotten older, she is much more flexible and our schedule is more of a guideline.
Tips for modifying these schedules to work for you:
I know I’m beating a dead horse, but always, always, always remember that every baby is different. Your baby may sleep, eat, or play more than Miss F. Or your baby may sleep, eat, or play less than Miss F. Your baby may drop naps earlier or later. Your baby may sleep through the night at a younger or older age. Your baby may need to be soothed differently, or more or less. Don’t feel like a failure if your baby needs a different routine!
When something isn’t working, start with modifying your baby’s wake windows (the amount of time in between sleep sessions). Usually sleeping or eating difficulties are caused by being either under- or over-tired and can be solved by tweaking this awake time, even by just a few minutes.
Never let yourself become a slave to your routine. I decided early on that it was important to me that Miss F ate at very similar times during the day (or more, if she was hungry), so I could ensure she got enough calories during the daytime. But I also decided that it wasn’t as important to me that she had super consistent naps in the early days. We did a lot of naps on-the-go which allowed me to not feel like I was in “nap prison.”
Before diving into the schedules, I highly recommend reading the infant routines blog post. A lot of the research behind and terminology in the schedules will make more sense if you start there!
P.S. This article contains affiliate links. I may earn commissions on qualifying purchases made directly through these links at no additional cost to you. All of these products were selected based on my own independent research, not gifts or sponsorships, so you can trust that they are genuine.
I know reading all the details of a schedule can get overwhelming, especially if your baby is not quite at that stage yet. Here’s a broad overview of when Miss F dropped naps to give you a bird’s eye view of what you may be able to expect.
Dropped to three naps at 19 weeks (approx. 4.5 months)
Dropped to two naps at 26 weeks (approx. 6 months)
Dropped to one nap at 14.5 months
Miss F’s Daily Schedule
0-7 Weeks
Note: We intentionally did not have a schedule for the earliest weeks, so this “schedule” will look different than the older weeks
Weeks 0-2:
Survival mode
Focused on full feedings every time (i.e. tried to encourage her to not just “snack” when she nursed)
Always fed on hunger cues, but tried to space every 3 hours (unless cluster-feeding at night, which typically was from about 8pm-11pm)
Woke her up every 3 hours at night as well
After night wakings, frequently took some rocking to fall back asleep
Changed diaper before every feeding to help wake up
Did not worry about sleep location or duration (often slept being held during the day; in bassinet at night)
Weeks 3-4:
Focused on full feedings every time (i.e. tried to encourage her to not just “snack” when she nursed)
Began always waking her up and feeding at DWT (daily wake time—the time you want the day to start), no matter the time of the previous feeding, and that allowed a schedule to fall into place
Was quickly on the Babywise schedule after doing this
2 MOTN (middle of the night) feeds
Always fed on hunger cues, but tried to space every 3 hours during the day (unless cluster-feeding at night, which typically was from about 8pm-11pm)
At 4 weeks, began to space MOTN feeds by 4 hours (1 hour extra per week)
After night wakings, frequently took some rocking to fall back asleep
Changed diaper before every feeding to help wake up
Did not worry too much about sleep location or duration, but began trying 1 nap per day in crib (usually was unsuccessful)
Weeks 5-7:
Focused on full feedings every time
Always woke at DWT
Followed Babywise schedule closely
1 MOTN feed (2 feeds merged)
Always fed on hunger cues, but tried to space every 3 hours during the day (unless cluster-feeding at night, which typically was from about 8pm-11pm)
Continued to wake at night for MOTN feed, but it kept sliding later (closer to DWT)
Typically did not need to be rocked or soothed after any night wakings to fall back asleep
Changed diaper before every feeding to help wake up
At 6.5 weeks, did not wake up for MOTN feed any more → slept until DWT at 7am
Began aiming for 2 naps/day in crib (typically the first two naps of the day); typically would bounce her until really drowsy, then lay in crib and gently rock back and forth with hand while “shushing,” until her eyes were almost closed
Schedule:
7:00/7:30am DWT, feed, down for nap
Nap
9:30am feed, play, down for nap
Nap
12:30pm feed, play or errands
Nap (usually in car seat)
3:30pm feed, walk
Cat nap (usually doze on walk)
6:00pm feed
Sometimes cat nap (doze in swing while we ate)
8:30pm feed, straight to bed
10:30/11:00pm dreamfeed
Notes:
Focused on full feedings (took baby about 20 mins total; note that this is very fast)
Starting at 3 weeks, always woke Miss F to feed in the morning—did not let sleep in; typically also woke from naps to ensure she would eat enough during the day
Changed diaper upon waking, before feeding, to help wake up a bit
Did not track wake times; just followed sleep cues. As soon as there was one yawn, I knew it was nap time (usually probably around 60-65 mins of wake time)
Goal was to get 2 naps/day in the crib; these normally were the two morning naps
Miss F’s Daily Schedule
7-12 Weeks
Schedule:
7:00/7:30am DTW, feed, down for nap
Nap
*10:00am feed, play, down for nap
Nap
*1:00pm feed, play or errands
Nap (usually in car seat)
3:30pm feed, walk
Cat nap (usually doze on walk)
6:00pm feed
Sometimes cat nap (doze in swing while we ate)
8:30pm feed, straight to bed
10:30/11:00pm dreamfeed
*7-10 week schedule was 9:30a/12:30a, but naps kept extending so pushed these times back
Notes:
Focused on full feedings (took baby about 20 mins total; note that this is very fast)
Always woke baby to feed in the morning—did not let sleep in; typically also woke from naps to ensure she would eat enough during the day
Changed diaper upon waking, before feeding, to help wake up a bit
Did not track wake times; just followed sleep cues. As soon as there was one yawn, I knew it was nap time (usually probably around 60-65 mins of wake time). Note that it probably would have been wise to start tracking wake times at this time, not to necessarily modify the schedule, but to just have an idea of how much time was good for her
Goal was to get 2 naps/day in the crib; these normally were the two morning naps
Around 12 weeks, hit a growth spurt and woke up 1x/night to eat. After growth spurt, was still waking (likely developmental leap/4-month sleep regression), and began to have to adjust schedule. Toyed with wake times, nap times, bed times, dreamfeed, extra feeds, etc.
Miss F’s Daily Schedule
12-19 Weeks
Schedule:
7:00/7:30am DTW, feed, down for nap
Nap
10:00am feed, play, down for nap
Nap
1:00pm feed, play, down for nap or errands
Nap (usually in crib but sometimes car seat)
4:00pm feed, walk
6:30pm bath then feed, then Bible, prayers, swaddle/sleep sack and song, in bed by 7/7:30
10:00/10:30pm dream feed
Notes:
Around 12 weeks, hit a growth spurt and woke up 1x/night to eat. After growth spurt, was still waking (likely developmental leap/4-month sleep regression), and began to have to adjust schedule. Toyed with wake times, nap times, bed times, dreamfeed, extra feeds, etc.
Also started waking early (6am-ish) most days—perhaps because of the sun coming up earlier
At 16 weeks, began being extremely distracted while eating. Began feeding in dark nursery with no interaction immediately after waking. Was often sleepy during feedings and they took longer (often 30-40 mins). Note that it is normal for babies to become very distracted at this point. I didn’t love feeding her while she was drowsy, but my priority was making sure she got enough calories
Transitioned from full swaddle to arms out to the ZipadeeZip starting at 16.5 weeks (note that this is a little late but she hadn’t shown signs of rolling prior to this)
Moved to crib for nighttime at 17 weeks (note that the AAP recommends to wait until at least 6 months, but this was the best decision for our family)
Changed diaper after feeding
Began to track wake times in conjunction with sleep cues; by 19 weeks wake windows were typically around 90 minutes
Goal was to get all 3 naps in the crib, and aimed for 4 total hours of naps
Evening wake time was probably too long, but Miss F always refused last cat nap
Did great with falling asleep at night, but still often woke hungry around 4am, and woke early in morning. Also struggled more with naps starting around 16 weeks. All of this was likely developmental
Miss F’s Daily Schedule
19-26 Weeks
Schedule:
7:00am DTW, feed, down for nap (1.5 hours of wake time)
8:30am Nap (1.5 hours)
10:00am Feed, play, down for nap (2 hours of wake time)
12:00pm Nap (1.5 hours)
1:30pm Feed, play, down for nap or errands (2 hours of wake time)
3:30pm Nap (1 hour)
4:30pm Feed, walk (2.5 hours of wake time)
6:15pm Bath
6:30pm Feed, Bible, prayers, swaddle/sleep sack and song
7:00pm Bedtime
9:30pm Dreamfeed
Total nap time: 4 hours
Total nighttime: 12 hours
Total sleep: 16 hours
Wake times: 1.5 / 2 / 2 / 2.5
# of feeds: 5 + dreamfeed
Notes:
Feedings in dark nursery with no interaction immediately after waking to help prevent distraction. Was often sleepy during feedings and they took longer (often 30-40 mins)
Changed diaper after feeding
All sleep in ZipadeeZip
All sleep in crib
By 19 weeks wake windows were typically around 90 minutes (shorter in morning and longer in evening)
Wake times consisted of lots of tummy time, play mat time, interacting with our dog, and “touring” the house
Goal was to get all 3 naps in the crib, and aimed for 4 hours of naps
Evening wake time was probably too long, but Miss F always refused cat nap
Did great with falling asleep at night, but still often woke hungry around 4am, and woke early in morning. Also struggled more with naps starting around 16 weeks. All of this was likely developmental
Miss F’s Daily Schedule
26-35 Weeks
Schedule:
7:00am DTW, nurse 2x (7am, 9am), down for nap (2.5 hours of wake time)
9:30am Nap (2 hours)
11:30am Play, nurse (12pm), BLW (12:30pm), play, down for nap (3 hours of wake time)
2:30pm Nap (1.5 hours)
4:00pm Nurse, play, (3.25-3.5 hours of wake time)
6:15pm Bath
6:30pm Nurse and bottle, Bible, prayers, sleep sack, and song
7:15/30pm Bedtime
10:30pm Dreamfeed
Total nap time: 3.5 hours
Total nighttime: 11.5 hours
Total sleep: 14.5 hours
Wake times: 2.5 / 3 / 3.25-3.5
# of feeds: 5 + dreamfeed
Notes:
Started feeding with curtains open
Nursing time dramatically decreased—much more efficient
Sometimes would give bottle at bedtime after nursing to ensure she was full
Typically changed diaper after feeding
All sleep in ZipadeeZip
All sleep in crib
Wake times consisted of lots of mat time, interacting with our dog, independent play, walks/runs (in stroller), errands, lots of play dates and community activities
Sometimes woke for 1 MOTN feeding, but dropped this consistently pretty soon after dreamfeed dropped (likely kept dreamfeed too long and it was interrupting her sleep cycles)
Early waking (5:30am-ish) common - hardly ever cried,, though, so would just let fuss in crib til 7:00am DWT (typically would fall back asleep)
Miss F’s Daily Schedule
35-52 Weeks
Schedule:
7:00am DTW, nurse
Walk/run
9:00am BLW
9:30am optional nurse
(3 hrs wake time; started with 2.5 and worked up)
10:00am Nap (1.5 hours)
11:30am Wake up, play/chores
12:00pm nurse
12:45pm BLW
Bath, play
2:20pm optional nurse
(3 hrs 15 mins wake time; started with 3 and worked up)
2:45pm Nap (1 hour)
3:45pm Wake up, nurse
Play/errands, bath
6:30pm Bottle (3 oz) and nurse, Bible, prayers, sleep sack, and song
(3 hrs 15 mins wake time; started with 3 and worked up)
7:00pm Bedtime
At 50 weeks, schedule slightly changed to:
7:00am DWT
(3 hr wake time)
10:00-11:00am Nap (1 hour)
(3 hr wake time)
2:00-3:30pm Nap (1.5 hours)
(3.5 hr wake time)
7:00pm Bedtime
Total nap time: 2.5 hours
Total nighttime: 12 hours
Total sleep: 14.5 hours
Wake times: 3 / 3.25 / 3.25
# of feeds: 4 + 2 optional nursing “snacks”
Notes:
Nursing time dramatically decreased—much more efficient; usually 5-7 mins total per session
Did top-off bottle before nursing (instead of after) at bedtime feed
Phased out nursing slowly starting at 11 months; dropped to bottles only (4 per day) by 11.5 months. Bottles were bigger in the morning and decreased as the day went on
All sleep in ZipadeeZip
All sleep in crib
Wake times consisted of lots exploring, interacting with our dog, independent play, walks/runs (in stroller), errands, reading books, baths, lots of play dates and community activities
Consistently quit waking for MOTN feeding (after 1 night of 2 hrs worth of Sleep Wave technique from The Happy Sleeper) → never wakes MOTN any more
EMWs (early morning wakings) more rare; occasionally 15 minutes before DWT but was typically ok hanging out in crib
Initially could not handle longer time between feeds, hence the two snack nursings; slowly decreased these
Miss F’s Daily Schedule
12-14.5 Months
Schedule:
7:00am DTW, breakfast and straw cup with milk
Walk/run (usually had small snack like Cascade Organic O’s or Annie’s cheddar bunnies while on the go)
(3-3.5 hrs wake time)
10:15am Nap (1.25 hours) (sometimes 10:30am)
11:30am Wake up, lunch and straw cup with milk
Play/chores/errands
2:20pm optional nurse
(3-3.5 hrs wake time)
2:45pm Nap (1 hour)
3:45pm Wake up, snack and straw cup with milk (snack was more substantial, such as cheese and fruit)
Play/chores/errands
6:30pm Bottle of milk (switched to straw cup around 14 months), Bible, prayers, sleep sack, and song
(3 hrs 15 mins wake time)
7:00pm Bedtime
Total nap time: 2.25 hours
Total nighttime: 12 hours
Total sleep: 14.25 hours
Wake times: 3-3.5 / 3-3.5 / 3.25
# of feeds: 3 meals, 2 snacks, 4 cups of milk
Notes:
Completely dropped evening bottle at 14 months and only. used straw cups for milk
Primarily did goat milk as cow milk caused gas (we did want to keep some form of milk for the calories and calcium, though)
All sleep in ZipadeeZip
All sleep in crib
Wake times consisted of lots exploring, interacting with our dog, independent play, walks/runs (in stroller), errands, reading books, lots of play outside, lots of play dates and community activities
Tried switching to 1 nap around 13 months because naps kept shortening and she started consistently refusing her second nap, and it worked really well for about 3 weeks (great 2.5-3 hr nap, great nighttime sleep and sometimes would even sleep in til 7:30), then she got sick for a bit and after that seemed to hit a regression. She started waking up nearly every hour of naps and started having severe EMWs almost every day. We decided she was likely overtired, and switched back to 2 naps for a couple weeks. The second nap she often fought, but once she fell asleep we always had to wake her up. At about 14.5 months we switched back to one nap with success (see next schedule)
Miss F’s Daily Schedule
14.5 Months +
Schedule:
7:00am DTW, breakfast and straw cup with milk
Wake time w/ small snack (usually had small snack Cascade Organic O’s or Annie’s cheddar bunnies while on the go)
Lunch
(5 hrs wake time)
12pm Nap (2.5 hours) (sometimes 11:30am if woke up early or very tired)
2:30pm Wake up, snack and straw cup with milk
Wake time
Dinner
6:30pm straw cup of milk in the bathtub, Bible, prayers, sleep sack, and song
(4.5 hrs wake time)
7:00pm Bedtime (when we first switched to this schedule, pulled earlier to 6:30pm for a couple weeks)
Total nap time: 2.5 hours
Total nighttime: 12 hours
Total sleep: 14.5 hours
Wake times: 5 hrs / 4.5 hrs
# of feeds: 3 meals, 2 snacks, 4 cups of milk
Notes:
All sleep in ZipadeeZip, until she started to get annoyed with her hands being covered, then we switched to Burt’s Bees Sleep Sacks around 20 months
All sleep in crib
Wake times consisted of lots exploring, interacting with our dog, independent play, walks/runs (in stroller), errands, reading books, lots of play outside, lots of play dates and community activities
When we switched back to one nap, we pulled bedtime earlier to 6:30pm for a couple weeks, and it made a huge difference with MOTN wake-ups and EMWs. Still struggle with some EMWs sometimes, but typically around 6:30am and was fine in crib til 7am
We are still keeping this general structure of a schedule past 2 years. As she has gotten older, all times have slowly pushed later, but she still gets about the same amount of sleep. For example, she usually goes to bed between 7:30-8:00pm and wakes up between 7:45-8:00am, and she still naps for 1.5-3 hours. She never wakes up in the middle of the night or early. She is much more flexible now; if we have events or are traveling, she can stay up much later, have much shorter naps, etc., and it doesn’t affect her