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motherhood: all about owen’s schedule

2 · Feb 3, 2019 · 2 Comments

Back with another post about Owen (if you missed my feeding post, you can read it here).  Many of you asked for information about his schedule and what his day to day looks like.  

Let me preface this by saying that no day is exactly the same.  Even now one day can vary quite a bit from the next depending on teething, growth spurts, illness, etc.  

I found that stressing about trying to keep Owen on a specific schedule just wasn’t worth it for me.  I didn’t (and still don’t) let him fully lead the day, but I do take his cues.  If he seems hungry early for lunch, I’ll feed him.  If he seems like he needs a bedtime on the earlier side, I’ll start the bedtime routine early.  

I DO try to keep nap time consistent day to day (and for the most part it is).  He doesn’t alway nap (or nap the whole time), but I’ll put him in his crib regardless and if he wakes early, I let him quietly play or look at books in his crib until he’s been up there at least an hour.  This gives me time to eat a quick lunch or do a quick run and allows him some down time, even if he’s not asleep.

Okay, so let’s take a step back now and go through his schedule from the start!

0-4 MONTHS SCHEDULE:

For the first probably 3-4 months of Owen’s life there really was no schedule. He took a really long time to sleep through the night (I think it was like 4 or 5 months when we finally got longer stretches at night and that only increased and became more consistent once we started supplementing with formula…poor thing was probably hungry & couldn’t sleep!).  For months 0-4 my husband and I were basically zombies just doing whatever we could to survive day to day.  

5 – 8 MONTHS SCHEDULE

By 5 months we were getting a lot more full nights of sleep and by 6 months he was consistently sleeping through the night (again, I believe thanks to the supplementation).  It was really by 6 months that we were able to get more on a schedule because everything else became more consistent once he stopped waking/feeding during the night.  

If you’re familiar, you’ll notice our schedule was pretty consistent with the Moms on Call recommendations (though not exactly).  I got their book on my Kindle app and found it to be really helpful (though a bit more rigid than my personal parenting style in some aspects).

6:15 – 6:45 am: Wake up & bottle (6-8 ounces)

7 – 8am: Playtime/books/walk in the stroller

8 – 8:10 am: Snack (fruit pouch, puffs, etc.)

8:15/8:20am: Started nap time routine (books, songs, in the crib)

8:30/9am: Nap (on a good day, about 1 – 1.5 hours, on a bad day, 30-40 minutes)

10/10:30am: Breakfast (see my feeding post for more detail).  Beginning around 6 months, I also offered him a sippy cup containing about 2 oz. of formula, just to try to get him used to it (he rarely took much from it), which I think I forgot to mention in my 9 month post that I wrote!

10:45 – 11am: Playtime

11am: Bottle (6-8 ounces)

11:20 – 12/12:30: Playtime/books/walk or run in the jogging stroller

12 – 12:30pm: Nap time routine (books, songs, in the crib) & nap (2 hours on a good day; 45 minutes on a bad day)

2pm: Lunch (see my feeding post for more detail) + sippy cup starting at 6 months

3pm: Bottle (6-8 ounces)

3:30-5pm: Playtime/books/walk or run in the jogging stroller

5pm: Dinner (see my feeding post for more detail) + a sippy cup starting at 6 months

6pm: Bath time (we do bath every night as part of the bedtime routine.  3 nights a week it’s a full bath with soap; the other 4 nights are just a hot water soak just to start to set the calm tone before sleep)

6:30-7pm: Bottle (8 ounces) – we did this in the rocking chair in his nursery

7-7:30pm: Bedtime routine (books, song, in the crib) & bed if he didn’t fall asleep with his last bottle

9 – 11 MONTHS SCHEDULE

Around 9 months I wrote a post on Owen’s schedule. You can read that here. 

We followed that same schedule until around 10 or 11 months when we cut back on bottles. Rather than 4 feedings a day we did 3 (the goal our pediatrician set for us was a max of 20 ounces of milk per day since Owen was eating solids really well). 

I started this around 10 months and cut the 11am and 3pm bottles to a consistent 6 ounces, increased the morning bottle to 8 ounces and kept the night bottle at 8 ounces. Once he did okay with that (I also noticed his solid food intake increased when this happened), I cut the 11am bottle back to 4 ounces, keeping the 3pm bottle at 6 ounces and the morning and evening bottles at 8 ounces. I noticed a big uptick in his solid food intake at this point and finally cut out the 11am bottle and decreased the 3pm bottle to about 4 ounces. Once that bottle was cut out, his schedule shifted to the following:

6:15 – 6:45 am: Wake up & bottle (8 ounces) – we started to introduce the sippy cup in lieu of the bottle at this point but it was met with a lot of resistance!

7 – 8am: Playtime/books/walk in the stroller

8am: Breakfast (see my feeding post for more detail)

8:30/9am: Nap time routine & nap (on a good day, about 1 – 1.5 hours, on a bad day, 30-40 minutes; on a terrible day, no sleep at all!)

10/10:30am: Snack (puffs, finger foods, fruit pouch)

11am – 12pm: Playtime/books/walk or run in the jogging stroller

12 – 12:30pm: Lunch (see my feeding post for more detail)

12-1:30pm: Playtime/books/walk or run in the jogging stroller

1:30 – 2:30/3pm: Nap time routine & nap (on a good day, about 1 – 1.5 hours, on a bad day, 30-40 minutes)

3pm: Bottle/sippy cup (4 ounces)

4pm: Snack (puffs, finger foods, fruit pouch)

4 – 5pm: Playtime/books/walk or run in the jogging stroller

5/5:30pm: Dinner (see my feeding post for more detail)

6pm: Bath time (we do bath every night as part of the bedtime routine.  3 nights a week it’s a full bath with soap; the other 4 nights are just a hot water soak to start to set the calm tone before sleep)

6:30pm: Bottle/sippy cup (8 ounces) – around 10 or 11 months we made a concerted effort to give his last feed downstairs so that he would not be dependent on it to fall asleep, but would rather associate the bedtime routine with sleep. He did great with the transition!

6:30-7/7:30pm: Playtime as a family

7-7:30pm: Bedtime routine (books, song, rocking, in the crib) & bed

12 MONTHS – PRESENT DAY

Around 12 months is when Owen started consistently only taking about a 15-30 minute nap in the morning so we cut back to one nap per day.

We also switched from formula to whole cow’s milk and took away bottles completely and replaced with sippy cups. Here’s what his schedule looked like by 12 months (and what it continues to be today):

7 – 7:30am: Wake up & sippy cup of cow’s milk (8 ounces)

7 – 8am: Playtime

8am: Breakfast (see my feeding post for more detail)

8:30 – 11am: Playtime/activity (we go to The Little Gym and my try swimming lessons in the spring. Otherwise we play in the backyard, go to the park, take walks or just read books & play with toys inside)

11am: Lunch (see my feeding post for more detail)

11:30am – 12pm: Anywhere between 11:30am and 12pm we go upstairs and start the nap time routine (books & songs). I go with how he’s seeming. When we transitioned to one nap I had to WORK to keep him awake. He wanted to go to sleep every day around 10:30 (a couple days I did actually just put him down but it was a 30 minute nap only and then the rest of the day would be thrown off). I read that it takes some adjustment when switching to one nap, and it turned out to be true for us. About 2 weeks in, he adjusted and now easily makes it until 11:30/12 every day.

12 – 2:30pm: Nap (2-3 hours on a good day, 1.5 hours on an okay day and 45 minutes on a really bad day)

2:30pm: Snack (just something small – a slice of bread with hummus, cream cheese, nut butter or some fruit or cheerios)

3pm: Sippy cup if he didn’t have a dairy-based snack at 2:30 (4 ounces max)

3:30 – 5/5:30pm: Playtime/walk

5/5:30pm: Dinner (see my feeding post for more detail)

6pm: Bath time (we still do bath every night as part of the bedtime routine.  3 nights a week it’s a full bath with soap; the other 4 nights are just a hot water soak to start to set the calm tone before sleep)

6:30pm: Sippy cup (8 ounces)

6:30-7/7:30pm: Playtime as a family

7-7:30pm: Bedtime routine (books, song, rocking & in the crib) & bed

I hope this helps give some clarity to all you moms and moms to be out there! My biggest piece of advice would be not to be too hard on yourself about a schedule. A schedule is SO nice to have, and it will come with time but in my experience, you can’t force it and trying to do so only makes you even more stressed out! And don’t compare yourself to me or other mom friends/kids. Every kid is so different and requires something a little different. I provide this only because it was requested and because seeing how others structured their days helped me a lot during the first year!

Happy to answer any and all questions that you may have (I’m sure I’ve left out some details)!

2

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Comments

  1. Shanaynay says

    Feb. 3rd, 2019 at 10:34 am

    Don’t you mean “I let him duh in his crib until he’s been up there at least an hour”?!?!?!

    Reply
    • Cait says

      Feb. 3rd, 2019 at 10:31 pm

      Hahah yes, exactly!

      Reply

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hear me out. I know we've been taught to celebrat hear me out.  I know we've been taught to celebrate things like weight loss, toned muscles, beauty procedures that help us look younger...but here's why I always caution against putting so much focus on appearance:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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bodies change.  weight fluctuates. skin sags and wrinkles.  hair grays.  these are all part of the natural process (& privilege) of aging.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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we live in a society that promotes this backward idea that our appearance should remain stable despite years passing.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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rather than internalizing the false idea that we need always be reaching backward and working to re-obtain what once was, allow your body to showcase the beautiful signs that you were given yet another day to walk this earth.  another chance to pursue your passion and purpose...both of which are so much more important than how you look.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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to anyone that needs this reminder today: you are not your body.  your worth and well-being is not dependent on your appearance.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#caitsplatenutrition #caitsplate #antidietculture #nondietapproach #antidietdietitian #intuitiveeatingjourney #youareworthy
tweaked my slow cooker turkey, bean & veggie chili tweaked my slow cooker turkey, bean & veggie chili this past week to make it meatless and it was 🙌🏼⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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here’s how I did it:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 1/2 red onion, finely chopped⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 1 cup diced bell peppers (I used a mixture)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 3 cloves garlic, minced⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 1  15-oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 1 1/2 cups veggie broth⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 3 teaspoons chili powder (+/- as desired)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 1-2 sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into 2 inch cubes⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- Salt & pepper, to taste⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 2-4 tbsp. olive oil⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 2 cups cooked quinoa⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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place everything but the quinoa into a slow cooker & place on HIGH for 4 hours.  Stir in cooked quinoa & add additional salt / pepper / spices to taste.  top with your favorite toppings (I love cheese, avocado, yogurt & hot sauce).⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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this chili is great right away (even better after a day to marinate in the fridge) and is an easy make-ahead meal you can enjoy all week!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#caitsplatefood #caitsplate #chilirecipe #vegetarianrecipe #vegetrianmeal #vegetarianmealprep #slowcooker #slowercookermeals #crockpotrecipes
what's a diet culture rule you've never quite unde what's a diet culture rule you've never quite understood?
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for me it was definitely the "don't eat after 6pm" rule 🤔
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hunger and digestion are not run by the clock.  there are so many factors that can go into why we feel hungry from one moment to the next, and that feeling of hunger is always valid and should be honored, regardless of the time of day.
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similarly, there are no 'right' or 'wrong' times to eat a meal.  breakfast, lunch and dinner are not bound to specific windows of time.  each can be eaten whenever you & your body deem it appropriate.
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hope this reaches anyone who might need these reminders today ❤️
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#caitsplatenutrition #caitsplate #antidietdietitian #mindsetmatters #allfoodsfit #edwarriors #rdchat #dietitiansofinstagram #healthateverysize #dietculturedropout #nondietdietitian #antidietculture #antidietrevolution #intuitiveeatingjourney
these greek spinach & feta turkey meatballs make f these greek spinach & feta turkey meatballs make for a super simple weeknight meal.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I'm partial to serving them over some couscous or quinoa, slathering them in tzatziki sauce then adding some fresh cucumbers, red onions, tomatoes & pita bread.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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but you can really serve them up in whatever way you like best!  done in 35 minutes and makes enough to eat for several meals 🙌🏼⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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grab the recipe on @caitsplate (link in bio): https://caitsplate.com/greek-spinach-feta-turkey-meatballs/⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#caitsplatefood #caitsplate #dinnerrecipes #dinnerathome #easydinner #easymeals #thefeedfeed #f52community #huffposttaste #recipeideas
just to add a little perspective around the messag just to add a little perspective around the messaging that’s out there telling us all how to “lose the COVID 15...”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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let's reframe the fear mongering language around weight gain during this pandemic as a sign of privilege.  having enough, at a time where so many have lost so much, should be looked at as nothing but a positive.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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our bodies are meant to shift and change with different seasons of life.  using food as one way to cope with hard emotions is completely common and part of a peaceful relationship with food.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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we are in unprecedented times.  seeking self-comfort and care in whatever way works for you is OKAY.  having gained weight during this pandemic is OKAY and not something you need to be jumping to 'fix' or 'correct.' and most importantly, it's okay to reframe comfort eating to something you can be grateful for, a coping skill you have the privilege and opportunity to enjoy, rather than berating yourself for it.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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sending everyone a great big virtual hug today 🤍⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#caitsplatenutrition #caitsplate #nondietapproach #antidietdietitian #antidietculture #intuitiveeatingjourney #intuitiveeating #nondietdietitian #youareenough #youareworthy
another favorite from the archives!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ another favorite from the archives!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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this veggie sushi grain bowl takes all your favorite flavors from a veggie sushi roll and deconstructs it into an easy lunch.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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finished off with an Asian ginger vinaigrette, it will definitely be a meal you make time and time again.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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here’s what you need: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
for the grain bowl:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 2 cups cooked rice⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 1 cup steamed shelled edamame⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 2 cups carrots, peeled & cut into ribbons (you can also shredded or thinly slice them)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 1/2 cup cucumbers, thinly sliced⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 1 avocado, sliced⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- Optional: black sesame seeds⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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for the dressing (recipe from all recipes):⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 3 cloves garlic, minced⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger root, peeled & minced⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 3/4 cup olive oil⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 1/3 cup soy sauce⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 3 tablespoons honey⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 1/4 cup water⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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full recipe details on @caitsplate (link in profile): https://caitsplate.com/veggie-sushi-grain-bowl/⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#caitsplatefood #caitsplate #vegetarianrecipe #vegetarianeats #vegetarianlunch #huffposttaste #thefeedfeed #f52community #lunchtoday

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