How Much Sleep/food for My 7Mo?

Updated on August 22, 2010
K.B. asks from Woburn, MA
4 answers

I'm curious to see food/sleep schedules for other 7 mo. Mine is starting PT day care next week and I'm worried about getting him on a good schedule.

My son sleeps from roughly 7:30 PM - 5:30 AM. I would love to extend that wake-up time. I've tried to put him to bed earlier and later with no improvements. He plays for 30-45 minutes in his bed before I get him up and dress and feed him so he isn't waking because he is starving. He started sleeping through the night around July 4. I had a couple of weeks where he would sleep 7:30 PM to 7:00 AM but that is no more :-( Any suggestions?

His nap schedule is based on his awake time/wake-up time and how long the last nap was rather than napping at set times each day. I try to watch his sleepy cues but I'd be putting him to nap after only 1:45 of wake-up time. He get's fussy after about 1:45 and then gets a second wind. After that I feel like he might never nap but he does go down with his binkie and fav. blankie. Right now I am trying to keep him awake for three hours before his nap. Is three hours too much for a 7 mo? This was a suggestion by our pediatrician to get him to nap longer than 30 minutes which had been a problem. I admit, he is now typically napping longer than 30 minutes at a time but I wonder if he is overtired at night and therefore not sleeping well. I also notice (we have a video monitor - a blessing and a curse) that he is awake a lot at night rolling all over the crib and some times playing in the middle of the night.

He nurses (or will take a bottle at day care) about every 4 hours and has breakfast/ lunch or dinner about an hour after having milk. For meals he eats about the equivalent of one of those Stage 1 Gerber jars. Is that enough? It seems like our meals go on forever and he never show signs of wanting to stop but he doesn't fuss (as if he were hungry) when I end a meal. Do other babies self regulate or do you control the food amount? How much milk do other babies drink? When I offer 8 oz he will drink the whole thing and spit up A LOT. I switched to 6 oz and give him 2 oz with his lunch an hour or so later. Right now he nurses 3/4 times and takes one bottle a day.

Thanks for any advice,
K.

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R.H.

answers from Boston on

I used to put my DS down for a nap after only being awake for 2 hours or less in the morning. My mom used to constantly criticize me for it but seriously, it worked out for the best. Instead of trying to stretch her awake time I tried to stretch out one of her naps a little longer by letting her fuss and fall back to sleep, or singing her back to sleep, if possible. It didn't always work, but after a while she did beging to take a longer nap in the morning (after only being awake for 2 hrs) and then 2 shorter naps in the afternoon. Eventually she slept in a little later (even an hour makes a HUGE difference!) and skipped the am nap, but then her afternoon nap had to be moved up a bit. WE have the video monitor too, and I remember getting very upset seeing her play in the middle of the night. Then it dawned on me, how many kids do that and their parents don't even know because they don't have the video? Maybe it's normal? I don't know. But it would be interesting to see if a change in sleep schedules made a difference.

I wish I could remember more about her eating habits at that age. I DO remember meal times taking FOREVER! I wouldnt' stress too much about giving her 1 jar versus 2 jars because she is still getting most of her nutrition from breastmilk.

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M.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

my daughter did the same thing with the 30 min naps around 7 months. It was almost 30 minutes to the second!!! It only lasted about a month. Now she naps 2 times a day for about an hour and a half and sleeps from 8 to 8. So he will grow out of it. As far as eating, sorry, I am still confused about that myself and my baby is 11 months. LOL

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A.C.

answers from Cincinnati on

Hi~
here are my responses to your questions above.
Formula: I use Earths Best organic formula (~$29 a 25 ounce can – use currently Babies r us on-line has a can with 20% free so it is a 31.75 ounce can for $29). If you use similac advance (non-organic) CostCo on line has 34 ounce can for $31.

Napping:
By 6 months, your baby will probably be taking two or three naps a day: one in the morning, one in the early afternoon, and another later in the afternoon. (http://www.babycenter.com/0_naps-the-basics_###-###-####.bc).

http://www.parenting.com/article/Baby/Health/Ask-Dr-Sears... (7 month old who refuses to nap)
http://www.babycenter.com/0_naps-the-basics_###-###-####.bc (nap basics)

Schedule: As you're creating a schedule for your baby, keep in mind that at 7 and 8 months most babies need:

• Solid foods two to three times a day, plus about 24 to 32 ounces of breast milk or formula in a 24-hour period. (Get specific tips on how to tell whether your baby is getting enough breast milk or formula.) Now's the time to start increasing the amount and variety of your baby's foods and to introduce finger foods and perhaps a sippy cup.

• About 14 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period — this includes nighttime sleep and naps. Two naps during the day (morning and afternoon) is typical. Read more about sleep needs at this age.

• Time for playing, working on new skills, and interacting with you.
(more info see http://www.babycenter.com/0_sample-baby-schedules-for-7-a...)

Feeding: http://www.babycenter.com/0_age-by-age-guide-to-feeding-y...
Age: 6 to 8 months
Signs of readiness for solid food
• Same as 4 to 6 months

What to feed
• Breast milk or formula, PLUS
• Iron-fortified cereals (rice, barley, oats)
• Pureed or strained fruits (banana, pears, applesauce, peaches)
• Pureed or strained vegetables (avocado, well-cooked carrots, squash, and sweet potato) How much per day
• 3 to 9 tablespoons cereal, in 2 to 3 feedings
• 1 teaspoon fruit, gradually increased to ¼ to ½ cup in 2 to 3 feedings
• 1 teaspoon vegetables, gradually increased to ¼ to ½ cup in 2 to 3 feedings
Feeding tips
• Introduce new foods one at a time, with at least three days in between to make sure your baby's not allergic.
• Get more detailed tips on how to introduce solids.

hope that helps! :)

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