A Good Feeding Schedule for a 7 Month Old
Here is a tried and true (and adapatable) 7 month old feeding schedule that'll help your little one nap well during the day, sleep well at night, and have peaceful days.
I have long said that the 6 to 12 month time is one of my absolute favorites.
Baby is sitting up.
Smiling.
Napping a tad less.
And usually sleeping through the night.
It can also be a time of adjustment.
Baby is finally eating solids and it's likely time to drop that third nap and probably drop the dream feed if you haven't already. Baby is getting a little chunkier and wants more food.
Actually, this is a precious time with baby.
Before the 7 month old feeding schedule… KNOW THIS
Before I give you what has worked for me as a 7 month old feeding schedule, know this.
Babies at this age need to eat as many solids as they can.
They will be hungry and breast milk alone will no longer be enough. Or, if it is, you'll be cluster feeding like your 7 month old was a newborn.
➡️ Pediatricians used to recommend introducing purees or solids at 4 months of age. They now suggest 6 months.
➡️ So the 5 to 7 month mark generally means that unless baby is getting a lot of breast milk and whatever solids you offer, they will be hungry.
And this will affect their sleeping and their moods.
7 Month Old Sample Feeding Schedule
7:00 am – Wake up, milk, solids for breakfast
8:00 am – Free play (floor time, cuddle time with mom, sibling play)
9:00 am – Nap time
10:45 or 11:00 am – Wake up, milk, solids
12:00 pm –Free play (floor time, practicing sitting, standing, pulling up, sibling play)
1:00 pm – Nap time
3:00 pm – Wake up, milk, solids
3:45 pm – Free play (errands, play with siblings, floor time, etc.)
5:00 pm – Short nap
5:30 pm – Wake up, milk, solids
6:15 pm – Bedtime routine habits and ideas (bath, singing, cuddling, putting on lotion, lights, curtains, etc.)
7:00 pm – Quick feed (milk), and down to bed (you may want to add cluster feeding here too if it fits)
And… if baby isn't sleeping through the night yet.
10:00 pm – Dreamfeed
Note:
- Daily baby logs are a great thing to have on hand if you are noticing a lot of changes you can't make heads or tails of.
- If your baby wakes up earlier or later than this routine, you can simply adjust based on your baby's wake time. The wake time is actually very important in a baby's day to day routine.
- If baby wakes early from a nap, yet is content, don't push up the feeding. Leave it until normal time unless baby is clearly hungry.
- Get down familiar rhythms and routines throughout your day. These cannot be understated for babies. (here is more on family rhythms and routines)
Weaning From Nighttime Feeds
If your baby is still not sleeping through the night, then this is a great time to start helping them do so.
Solids and milk throughout the day will help them to fill their tummies.
And… get in the necessary nutrients that'll allow them to sleep peacefully throughout the night.
It is actually one of the best times to begin sleep training since baby is naturally a lot less likely to wake if hunger was their primary reason for waking.
Imagine baby needs 10 cups (to make things even) of milk and/or food a day. We know all babies are different, but go with me here.
If you are currently giving your baby 5 cups of milk and 2 cups of food during the day, that leaves a 3 cup deficit.
This means baby will likely wake up at night to get in the full 10 cups he needs.
The best way to wean?
To give them all they need during the day so they don't need to wake for it at night.
Watch this short video to learn why babies at this age can get quite whiny and what you can do to avoid this.
A Dream Feed Might Work For You
If your baby is still feeding a few times per night then you may want to start doing something called a Dream Feed.
Now, we don't typically add IN a night feed at this age, we are trying to eliminate them, but it may help you get a few more hours in.
Dream Feed: A feed given between 10 and 11 ish at night that should help baby sleep a longer stretch, eventually until the morning wake time.
Try feeding baby as much as possible during this feed and weaning baby from other nighttime feeds until eventually the dream feed is the only feed left.
After baby has slept until the morning with only the dream feed for a few weeks, then it's safe to drop the dream feed.
At that point, baby should be sleeping all through the night.
7 Month Old Schedule Interesting Tidbits
Here are some interesting things to note or keep in mind during this 7 month period.
- Babies will likely be able to sleep through the night at this age if they're eating well enough. Not only are they getting breast milk they are getting solids.
- Here's where you'll discover if your baby didn't sleep through the night out of hunger, or if they have some sleep props you need to work on.
- Baby might act uninterested in solids, that's fine. Still, continue offering them and be sure to give them veggies or fruits they like so they will get the nutrients needed.
- Introduce solids slowly so you can monitor the baby's reaction to them. Don't introduce too many new foods at once.
- Give a top up bedtime snack. Right before bed, give baby milk and some yogurt or applesauce, etc. to help fill baby's tummy before they go down for the night.
7 Month Old Schedule Printable
Print his, tweak to fit your family, and feel more confident and in control of your days.
Want Printables to hang up?
If you want routines and schedules for not only the 6 to 9 month age, but for the 12 month, 18 month, and on I've got great news. I've created a book chock full of routines that work.
Routines that keep babies well rested, happy, and content. Routines that account for all the things you need to do and they are mom tested. The best part?
The book comes with printable routines (3 choices for each age) that you can hang up and use!
So instead of having to reinvent the wheel every few months, you'll have tried and true mom tested routines right at your fingertips.
Rhythms, Routines, & Schedules Pack
Easy to implement routines, rhythms and schedules from birth through school-aged kids to help you streamline day-to-day life with kids, including a step-by-step guide for getting started.
Learn More
FAQs about 7 month olds
What time should a 7 month old go to bed?
7-month-olds should go to bed by 8 p.m. at the latest, and on average go to bed around 7:00 p.m.
If your baby is still taking a late afternoon or early evening cat nap, this will be easy to manage. Contrary to what you might think, the earlier a baby goes to bed the better they sleep all night.
What should my 7 month old wear to bed?
By 7 months of age babies should no longer be swaddled to sleep. Since they can roll over and move, you want them to be able to do so.
However, you don't want them to attempting crawling out of the crib, so appropriate to the season layers are good, plus a sleeping bag on top to keep their legs in!
Is my 7 month old hungry at night?
7 months of age can bring about some sleep regressions. One main cause of this is that 7-month-olds are hungry and in need of ample solids to keep their tummies filled.
If they aren't yet eating enough solids or don't have enough appropriate protein in their diet, they'll be genuinely hungry at night. They will need more milk feeds to get them through. Answer? Feed more during the day!
Can you let a 7 month old cry it out?
Cry it out is a form of sleep training that quickly helps. Babies learn to self-soothe, settle, and re-settle on their own. It is age appropriate by 7 months if you choose to use it.
Family Routines Reboot
Take our 3 day challenge to create life-giving family, child, and self-care routines.
Learn More
::
Source: https://amotherfarfromhome.com/7-month-old-feeding-schedule/
0 Response to "A Good Feeding Schedule for a 7 Month Old"
Post a Comment