Newborn Schedule by Age – Importance, Sample & More
- June 1, 2024
- Health & Wellness
Want to know how to establish a daily schedule for a newborn? We’re sharing everything you need to know about baby daily schedules, including sleeping & feeding schedules to basic playtime routines and more.
Newborn Schedule: Baby Sleep, Feed & Playtime Routines Simplified
Life with a newborn is an amazing yet challenging time for any parent. Your day-to-day life has turned upside down because of this beautiful (and confusing) person without a schedule. However, it’s all worth it at the end of the day because of all the priceless, magical moments you experience as a parent.
Though, a modern concept, scheduling newborns can save yourself a lot of stress in the long run. So, if you are looking for an infant daily schedule, we’ve broken down a sample sleep routine from birth all the way through your baby’s first year.
Read through this article to find about how much sleep does your babies need at different ages, how important it is to establish a typical newborn schedule and how to get through it smoothly.
Do Babies Need A Schedule?
Your newborn just spent nine whole months tightly packed in your cozy, dark, womb. Of course, it is now difficult for them to adjust in the “real” world. After all, they cannot differentiate between daytime or nighttime for the first few weeks of life.
So, putting them to a schedule is important so that they feed and sleep at the right time while also making your life much easier as a parent. When your baby’s life revolves around a “flexible” schedule, it is easy for parents to get into their regular routine without any hassles.
Following a newborn baby schedule that works around approximate time scales definitely works. When your baby follows a good routine for feeding, sleep, and more, they are calm, happy and more relaxed.
Keeping Newborn Routine Flexible Is Important
Following an eating and sleeping schedule for babies is super useful for parents but remember, it should be “flexible”. Of course, you cannot be rigid and ignore your baby’s cries, feeding or changing needs and strictly put them to sleep when the clock ticks as per your “timetable”.
If you’ve specified an 11:30 am nap but your little munchkin is exhausted at 11:00 am, it’s okay to bend the “rules” and put them to sleep early. Similarly, if your baby is fussy and not eating or sleeping on their “scheduled” time, it’s okay to stop following the routine for a bit and try half an hour later.
Remember to stay calm, patient and not be strict with your little one. Respond with promptness and love but don’t stop reinforcing their schedule later.
How much sleep does a newborn need?
Newborns need around 14 to 17 hours of sleep in a day, with each sleep cycle lasting for two to three hours at a time. The cycle gradually increases, making your baby sleep for three to four hours at a stretch. However, if your baby is consistently sleeping for four or more hours at a time, you must meet their health care provider to check if everything is okay.
When to Start a Baby Schedule?
A baby’s internal clock becomes more predictable and stable when they are six weeks or older. Moreover, their playtime, bedtime, naptime and wake times usually happen around the same times each day between two to three months. Hence, 2 to 3 months is the perfect time to try implementing a daily schedule for a newborn.
However, trying to implement a sample newborn schedule before this is pointless. After all, your baby is just getting used to life outside of the womb and still craving the sensations they experience inside your tummy.
Why is a baby’s sleep routine important?
A newborn schedule when set comforts babies in the “outside” world and makes it easy for them to go to sleep from their busy daytime to the snoozy nighttime. Moreover, when training your baby to sleep on their own, the process of transitioning them to their nursery also becomes easier.
Babies who follow an established sleep routine learn to fall asleep on their own much faster and usually sleep through the night.
A Newborn Daily Schedule Is All About “Eat, Play & Sleep”
Although we’re sharing a sample schedule for newborn below, you don’t have to create an exact one. You can create your own newborn schedule and remember, the key is to create an “eat, play, sleep” baby schedule.
Basically, when your kiddo wakes up from their night sleep, you should not just feed them but also play with them. And guess what? It’s time for a nap again. You can go with the same pattern throughout the day.
The idea behind having a little play time between each feeding and sleeping session is that your little one will learn to fall asleep without a feeding. Trust us, this is a life saver for midnight waking sessions.
What’s The Best Baby Newborn Daily Routine?
Since each baby is different, there’s no one-size-fits-all newborn baby schedule. Baby daily schedules are different for each household.
Your little one might be a naturally early riser who wakes up before the sun and feed right away. Or, if you are lucky, your baby may sleep a bit later and wake up with or after you.
As time passes by, you’ll soon be familiar with their sleep patterns and hunger cues to develop a liberating feeding and sleep newborn daily routine that works for you and your family.
Sample Schedule For Newborn: 0 to 2 Months Old
While a newborn daily schedule can’t be strict – mostly due to their many development spurts in the early months of life – a sample newborn schedule can help you navigate these stages and make sure your baby is getting the sleep and nutrients they need. You can only try establishing a good infant daily schedule when your baby is two months or older.
Here’s a sample newborn routine for babies 0 to 2 months age.
Baby Sleep Schedule By Age: 2 Months & Older
For babies aged 2 months and above, we have mentioned a few more detailed sample daily routines.
Sample Sleep Schedule for a 2-Month-Old
When your baby is two months old, you start getting a fair idea about your baby’s rhythm. You get pretty familiar with when they tend to be awake and playful, how they like to feed and when they prefer to snooze.
A 2-month-old’s daily schedule looks something like this:
This typical newborn schedule is predicated on babies staying awake for 90 minutes and taking one-hour long naps all day long. To keep the plan flexible, it’s important to remember that your baby might stay awake from 60 to 90 minutes whereas nap for anywhere between 30 minutes to as long as two hours.
Sample Sleep Schedule for a 3-Month-Old
Your 3-month-old’s habits are constantly changing and evolving. Their daily routine will still be quite unpredictable but here’s a sample schedule for a 3-month-old.
This sample schedule also assumes your little one’s wake times to be 90 minutes each and naps for one-hour each. Wakes time can, however, be 60 to 90 minutes long whereas naps can be 30 to 120 minutes long.
Sample Sleep Schedule for a 4-Month-Old
By 4 months, your baby has started getting more active and interested in exploring the world around them. As a result, they don’t sleep quite as much as they did before. This is also the ideal time to transition a baby from their bassinet to crib.
Their daily routine might become slightly predictable now. We have two sample schedules for 4-month-olds – depending on whether they take four or three naps a day.
Four Naps Daily Schedule
Here’s a sample daily routine for a 4-month-old taking four naps during the day.
This schedule assumes your baby remains awake for 75 minutes to 120 minutes at a time and takes four naps throughout the day.
Three Naps Daily Schedule
If your four-month-old takes three naps a day, here’s a sample daily routine you can follow.
This schedule assumes your baby remains awake for 75 minutes to 120 minutes at a time and takes three naps throughout the day.
Sample Sleep Schedule for a 5-Month-Old
By the 5-month mark, your baby is now becoming more engaged in their environment and finding playtime to be more enjoyable. At this age, daily schedules might vary considerably depending on your little one’s sleep habits, developmental stage, temperament, and rhythm, but in general, they should be taking three naps daily and getting a minimum of 10 to 11 hours of sleep at night.
A 5-month-old’s daily schedule looks something like this:
This schedule assumes your baby remains awake for up to 2 hours at a time and takes three naps throughout the day.
Sample Sleep Schedule for a 6-Month-Old
At this age, your 6-month-old is making eye contact with everyone around her and finding their playtime to be more and more interactive. Your six-month-old might either take three or two naps during the day.
Three Naps Daily Schedule
Here’s a sample daily routine for a 6-month-old taking three naps during the day.
Two Naps Daily Schedule
Here’s a sample daily routine for a 6-month-old taking two naps during the day.
Sample Sleep Schedule for a 7-Month-Old
Independent and more confident than ever, your 7-month-old is a super energetic crawler by now. They may or may not need a short third nap during the day – but two naps are still a must.
A 7-month-old’s daily schedule looks something like this:
This baby schedule is predicated for babies who remain awake for up to 2 hours at a time and have three naps per day.
Sample Sleep Schedule for a 8-Month-Old
By now, your 8-month-old is likely staying awake for much longer, taking two naps (mid-morning & mid-afternoon) and sleeping for nine to 11 hours at night.
A 8-month-old’s daily schedule looks something like this:
This sample baby schedule assumes that your curious 8-month-old takes two naps a day, each ranging between one and two hours long.
Sample Sleep Schedule for a 9-Month-Old
At 9 months, your baby should have a fairly established routine with predictable nap times and might be sleeping most of the time through the night.
Here’s an example of what your 9-month-old’s daily schedule might look like:
This sample baby schedule assumes that your little one takes a morning and an afternoon nap, each ranging between one and two hours long and sleeps for 10 to 12 hours at night.
10–12-month-old sleep schedule
By this age, your baby is likely to fall asleep independently throughout the night and takes one or two naps per day.
A 10-12 month-old’s daily schedule looks something like this:
This sample baby routine is predicated for babies who take one morning and one afternoon nap, each ranging between one and two hours long and logs a sleep of 10 to 12 hours through the night.
The Bottom Line
We hope you found these sample baby daily routines useful. Routines are a blessing for babies and reinforce natural circadian rhythms in them. Moreover, when you try to establish a daily routine for your baby, they get assured and comforted by the structure of their day.
Remember to start early but not too soon and try to be flexible at all times. Moreover, try to keep track of your baby’s sleep patterns and “wake windows” to utilise the time for their playtime and other activities. Most importantly, allow them to self sleep and self soothe for a few minutes before picking them up if they are fussy during the night or during naps.
Last but not least, adjust as needed and understand the fact that baby routines evolve with time.
Last but not least, adjust as needed and understand the fact that baby routines evolve with time.
Here are our answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about following an infant daily schedule.
How do I set a routine for my newborn?
You must wait for your baby to be at least two months or older to establish a successful daily routine for them. Moreover, you should be patient and flexible at all times. Be consistent, adjust to their requirements, and positively reinforce their schedules without being too rigid.
Should a 2 week old be on a schedule?
It is practically impossible for a 2 weeks old baby to have an established daily schedule. The ideal time to try following one is once they are at least two months old.
Should I feed or change diaper first?
You should change your little munchkin’s diaper before you feed them. Leaving them in soiled diapers for any longer can increase the risks of getting diaper rashes. Furthermore, if your baby is falling asleep while feeding and you decide to change the diaper later, you risk completely waking them up again.