Schedules & Milestones

The following was taken from:
http://www.babywisemom.com/2008/05/helpful-routine-information.html

Phase One: 1 – 2 months (Stabilization Period)

0-2 weeks

* 2.5-3 hour cycle

* 7-8 feedings (however, in Babywise it says 8-10 feedings in a 24 hour period)

* 6-8 naps (though I think it can be 5-8 naps)

* Nap are 1 hour -1.5 hours long

* Waketime is 15-30 minutes long (I am not sure if this included feeding time; I find it to be more like 15-45 minutes long--many two week olds will stay awake only long enough to eat, which is why there is the 15 minute length)

* Sample schedule from this age:
7:00 am
10:00 am
1:00 pm
4:00 pm
7:00 pm
10:00 pm (no waketime after feeding)
1:00 am (no waketime after feeding)
4:00 am (no waketime after feeding)
(If it were me, I would have 2.5 time intervals in the day so there are at most 2 night feedings...I consider 10 pm to be night feeding).

3-8 weeks

* 3-3.5 hour feeding cycle (However, in Babywise it says between weeks 5-8, your baby might be ready to eat every 2.5-3.5 hours. So I would say 2.5-3 hour until 5 weeks, then maybe 2.5-3.5 if baby is ready)

* 6-8 feedings (However, in Babywise it says between weeks 5-8, your baby might be able to go down to 7 feedings in a 24 hour period--but only after she starts sleeping 7-8 hours at night. It also says not to go down to 6 feedings until after 8 weeks old)

* 5-6 naps (though the exact number is going to depend on how many feedings you have in the daytime)

* Naps are 1.5-2 hours long (though I would add that they can be as short as 1 hour if you are still on a 2.5 hour cycle)

* Waketime is 30-45 minutes (though I think some might be able to go as long as one hour)

* Sample schedule from this age: *=no waketime after feeding
7:00 am
10:00 am
1:00 pm
4:00 pm
7:00 pm
10:00 pm (no waketime after feeding)
1:00 to 3:00 am (no waketime after feeding)
*Additional am [possible]

Phase Two: 3-4 months (Extended Night Period)
9-15 Weeks

* 3-4 hour feeding cycle (though Babywise says this shouldn't happen until weeks 12-15 at the earliest. So I would say anywhere from 2.5-3.5 hour cycle, moving possibly toward 4 hour cycle at the end of this phase)

* 5-6 feedings in a 24 hour period (Though Babywise says starting at 13 weeks, your baby should be at 5-7 feedings a day)

* 4-5 naps (though exact number does depend on number of daytime feedings)

* Naps are 1.5-2 hours long (though Babywise does say 1.5 hours)

* Waketime is 30-60 minutes long (some babies might be able to move up to 1.5 hour waketime, and most should be able to do 60 minutes total at least)

* Sample schedule for this period:
7:00 am
10:30 am
2:00 pm
5:30 pm
9:00 pm (no waketime after feeding)
11:30 pm (no waketime after feeding)

Sleeping through the night!!!! The goal! (STTN means Baby can gradually move to 9-10 hours of continuous sleep if breastfed, 11 hours if bottlefed. I will also add, you don't want to extend your routine until baby is sleeping through the night. You also don't want to extend it until that dreamfeed is dropped, so that 11:30 feeding would be gone before you dropped daytime feedings. You want long, continuous sleep at night for optimal development. So, if this were me, I would have a 7:30 feeding right before bed. I also wouldn't have that 9 and 11:30 feedings. If baby needed an extra feeding, I would shorten the daytime schedule back to three hours to work the right number of feedings in).

Phase Three: 4-5 Months (Extended Day Period)
16-24 Weeks

* 4 hour feeding cycle (though I will point out that not all babies are there yet, so don't stress if yours isn't)

* 4-5 feedings (though Babywise says 4-6 liquid feedings)

* 3 naps

* Naps are 1.5-2 hours in length

* Waketime is 45-75 minutes (could possibly be 1.5 and maybe even two hours--but be aware if longer waketimes start creating shorter naps--I also think babies this age will be able t do at least 60 minutes of waketime)

* Sample Schedule for this age:
8:00 am
12:00 pm
4:00 pm
8:00 pm (no waketime after feeding)

Phase Four: 5 Months and Older (Extended Routine Period)
25 weeks and older

* Family Cycle (this means baby will align meals with the family. Be aware that you need 4-5 liquid feedings. Most babies will stick with that 4 hour routine until close to a year)

* 2 naps a day (however, this doesn't happen until 6 months at the earliest. By 6 months, Babywise says most babies can drop that third nap. Babywise II says a 6 month old will need 2 naps and a catnap (short nap). I have found Babywise II to be more accurate for my children. Both Babywise II and Toddlerwise say that by 8 months, most babies will be able to drop that 3rd nap (catnap). Remember, you are the parent. If you have a big sleeper and she is still sleeping well at night, you don't need to eliminate that nap.)

* Waketime of 60-90 minutes (though baby will be able to move to at least 2 hours and longer during this time period)

* Sample Schedule for this age:
8:00 am + solids
12:00 pm + solids
5:00 pm + solids
8:00 pm

~~~
http://www.babywisemom.com/2008/03/sample-schedules.html

Birth:
Kaitlyn was a born sleeper and I had to wake her for every feeding at first. Also, we gradually included waketimes. She was so sleepy I could only force one waketime out of her at first (beyond feeding). We added one waketime per week. So some naps started immediately following a feeding, so I will just list feeding on this list:

7:30--nurse
10:30--nurse
1:00--nurse
4:00--nurse
6:30--nurse
9:00--nurse

I went to bed after the 9:00 nursing. She then woke twice in the night to nurse.

McKenna also seems to be a born sleeper. She does have a short waketime after feedings, but not long. Her total waketime (including feeding) varies from 30-45 minutes. She then sleeps until her next feeding. Here is her actual schedule as a newborn:

7:45--nurse. My goal is for a 7:30 waketime, but 7:45 works quite well for us. At some point in the future I will shoot for 7:30, but for now we are typically at 7:45-8:00.
10:30--nurse
1:00--nurse
4:00--nurse
7:00--nurse
9:30--nurse. This actually can vary from 9:30-10:00 PM.

I then go to bed. She typically wakes on her own somewhere around 2 AM. I then wake her around 5:30 AM so she will be hungry enough to eat at our first feeding in the morning. Once she is old enough to go to 7 feedings a day, I will let her drop one of these night feedings.

4 Weeks:
Around four weeks, the schedule I had created for Kaitlyn started to change. She had different plans :). At four weeks, we were still working on waketimes, but had all but one or two down.

7:30--nurse
8:30--nap
10:00--nurse
11:00--nap
1:00--nurse
2:00--nap
4:00--nurse
5:00--nap
6:30--nurse
7:30--nap
8:30--nurse then bed

She continued with the two night nursings. This schedule continued for a while. Some days, the 10 AM nursing would be 10:30. Also, some days the 4 PM nursing would be 3:30. Around 8 weeks, she dropped one night nursing. Around 9 weeks, I tried to force a dreamfeed at 10:30, but she would not wake up.

For McKenna, her schedule stayed pretty much the same. I had noticed by then that McKenna didn't eat well if it was sooner than 3 hours:

7:45--nurse
10:30--nurse
1:30--nurse
4:30--nurse
7:00--nurse
10:00--nurse

I still woke her twice in the night.

6 Weeks
Kaitlyn's schedule stayed pretty much the same. Here is McKenna's six week schedule:

7:15-7:45--nurse. I changed our 30 minute window to this.
10:30--nurse
1:30--nurse
4:30--nurse
7:00--nurse
10:00--nurse

She woke twice in the night for the first half of 6 weeks old, then went down to once a night.

3 Months:
At this age, the schedule for Kaitlyn moved more toward my original plan.

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.

FOR MCKENNA
Things did vary week to week, but here is a typical day:

8:00--nurse
8:50--nap
11:00--nurse
12:00--nap
2:00--nurse
3:00--nap
4:30--nurse
5:40--nap
7:00--nurse then straight to bed
10:00--dreamfeed

There would then be a feeding on one side around 5:30 AM. During this month, she extended her night feedings so that she started to make it to 7-7:15 in the morning. On those days, we started the day then and then she had a long nap in the morning. Those days looked like:

7:00--nurse
7:50--nap
10:30--nurse
11:30--nap
2:00--nurse
3:00--nap
4:30--nurse
5:40--nap
7:00--nurse then straight to bed
10:00--dreamfeed

4 Months:
Kaitlyn's schedule didn't change much, but she did drop a nap. We also started solids at 4 months, so solid feeding times are listed as they were once we had all three.

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.

FOR MCKENNA
The first couple of week of 4 months old were a bit unpredictable due to early morning feeds. Once she hit 19 weeks, though, things smoothed out.

7:00--nurse
7:50--nap
10:30--nurse and cereal
11:30--nap
1:30--nurse
3:00--nap
4:30--nurse and sweet potatoes toward the end of the month
6:00--nap
6:30--she would wake, or I would wake her. Some days, she didn't take this nap
7:00--nurse then straight to bed
10:30ish--dreamfeed

6 Months:
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

FOR MCKENNA
8:00--nurse + solids
9:10--nap
12:00--nurse+ solids
1:15--nap
4:15--nurse + solids
6:00--nap
8:00--nurse then bed
10:00--dreamfeed

7 Months:
About a week before Kaitlyn turned 7 months, I finally moved her to the 4 hour schedule.

7:30--nurse + solids
8:50--nap
11:30--nurse + solids
1:00--nap
3:30--nurse
5:00--nap
7:00--nurse + solids then bed (I woke her up earlier than 4 hours because I wanted her in bed for the night to get 12 hours of sleep)

FOR MCKENNA
8:00--nurse + solids
9:30--nap
12:00--nurse + solids
1:30--nap
4:15--nurse + solids
6:00--nap
7:45--nurse + solids then bed

9 Months:
At 9 months, I started trying to drop the third nap. It was a weaning process. We started by shortening it over time. It got down to the point of being only 1 hour long, then 45 minutes. Then she would have some days she wouldn't need the nap. Those days, I would feed her at 6:30 if needed so we could get her in bed earlier.

11 Months:
7:30--nurse + solids
9:15--nap
11:30--nurse + solids
1:15--nap
3:45--nurse
7:00--nurse + solids then bed

Other Items
These sample schedules only include eating and sleeping, not other activities (like independent play).

~~

http://www.babywisemom.com/2008/02/babywise-milestones.html

Babywise Milestones
In this post, I list the different "milestones" you can reach through Babywise. I list this with the caution that many of these are averages. To create an average, you add together a lot of numbers. The average is a number that was created out of smaller and larger numbers. Remember, you are the parent. Look at the averages and asses where your baby falls in the spectrum of expectation. She may be higher and she may be lower.

I also want to remind you that these are numbers based on babies who did BW from birth. If you started late, you might be behind on some for a while. I was behind with Brayden until he was 6 months old (we started at 9 weeks). Also, if you don't follow all BW principles, you might not receive all BW benefits. You are the parent, so you get to decide what to do, but don't expect all benefits unless you practice all principles.

BIRTH TO 8 WEEKS
This is called the stabilization period. I found that to be so true with Kaitlyn. One night when she was 8-9 weeks old, I told my husband that she seemed to just be in her niche, and that it seemed she was just stabilized. Then it hit me that the time period had already been dubbed as stabilization. Also, many things need to be followed closely in this period, such as feeding intervals and number of feedings.

* Feed every 2.5-3 hours

* Have 8-10 feedings in a 24 hour period

* Do not let baby sleep more than 5 hours if you are breastfeeding until 5 weeks of age

* There will be about 6-8 naps a day, depending on the number of feedings

* Naps will be 1-1.5 hours long

* Between weeks 5-8, your baby might be ready to eat every 2.5-3.5 hours

* Between weeks 5-8, your baby might be able to go down to 7 feedings in a 24 hour period (but only after she starts sleeping 7-8 hours at night)

* By 8 weeks old, your baby most likely will be sleeping 7-8 hours consistently

* 15% of babies don't start sleeping 7-8 hours until they are 10-12 weeks old

* After 8 weeks old, your baby might be able to move to 6 feedings in 24 hours

WEEKS 9-15

* Baby can gradually move to 9-10 hours of continuous sleep if breastfed, 11 hours if bottlefed

* Remember that 15% of BW babies don't start sleeping 7-8 hours until they are 10-12 weeks old

* Baby's naps should be about 1.5 hours long

* Most babies drop the late night feeding in this period (aka Dreamfeed)

* Between weeks 12-15, your baby might be able to move to a combination 3-4 hour schedule

* Starting at 13 weeks, your baby should be at 5-7 feedings a day

* This is also the age where many babies begin their early morning talking (waking in 5 or 6 AM hour). This can last longer than one month. See page 132 in Babywise for more information.

WEEKS 16-24

* 4-6 liquid feedings a day

* Baby moves to 10-12 hours at night

* Baby will need 3 naps of 1.5-2 hours in length--but remember that some will take a 45 minute nap for the 3rd, and that is just fine

WEEKS 25-52 (6 months to 1 year)

* Feedings stay pretty close to the same as they are at 24 weeks (6 months), assuming you were eating 4-5 times a day

* You want 4-5 nursings

* By the end of this time period, you move to 3 feedings, with the exception of 4th and maybe 5th nursings to maintain milk supply

* Naps are 1.5-2.5 hours long

* By 6 months, Babywise says most babies can drop that third nap. Babywise II says a 6 month old will need 2 naps and a catnap (short nap). I have found Babywise II to be more accurate for my children

* Both Babywise II and Toddlerwise say that by 8 months, most babies will be able to drop that 3rd nap (catnap). Remember, you are the parent. If you have a big sleeper and she is still sleeping well at night, you don't need to eliminate that nap. At nearly 10 months old, Kaitlyn still needs it some nights

* Once the third nap is dropped, waketime increases, and often the length of the other two naps increase also. Instead, you might increase nighttime sleep if baby wasn't sleeping 12 hours. Decide what is best for your baby

16-20 MONTHS

* Babywise says the morning nap will be dropped between 16-20 months old. Babywise II says between 18-20 months old the morning nap will be dropped

* Toddlerwise describes our nap change experience better. Between 16-18 months old, the two naps get shorter. I believe Brayden was 15 months old when it began for him. Then between 18-20 months, you transition to one longer afternoon nap. We made the move at 17 months old.

* Toddlerwise says that the crib to bed transition typically happens between the ages of 18-24 months old.

Hopefully this quick reference can aide you when you want to know what you can expect your baby to be ready for in the near future.