By 8 months of age, your baby’s schedule is becoming more consistent with 2 naps per day. At this age your baby needs 2-3 hours of daytime nap hours total and 11-12 hours of overnight sleep.
I don’t love sharing “sample schedules” because I feel they can set a gal up to fail when things don’t follow the schedule exactly. In my private consultations and online classes I teach a “flexible schedule” using awake times to guide you through the day.
Fixed schedules where 9 am means nap time everyday can set you up to fail because they make the assumption that you can control how long your baby naps for. In many cases you cannot. What do you do when your baby wakes up mid nap because she pooped herself awake? Do you keep your tired baby up until the next set nap time or do you put her down early? When you learn to implement a flexible schedule, you learn parenting skills that help you manage when things don’t go smoothly. Fixed schedules can start to come into play once your baby is consistently taking 2 naps which can occur anytime between 7 and 10 months of age.
8 Month Baby Sleep Schedule – Sample Schedule
Sample Schedule On 2 Naps
6:30 am – Wake up and feed
7:30 am – Breakfast – Solid 1
9:15 am – Nap 1 – 1 hour to 1.5 hours
10:15 am – Wake up
10:30 am – Feed
11:30 am – Lunch – Solid 2
1:15 pm – Nap 2 – 1 to 2 hours
3:15 pm – Wake up – 2 hour nap
3:15 pm – Feed
4:30 pm – Optional Dinner – Solid #3
5:40 pm – Last feed
6:05 pm – Put down in crib
6:15 pm – Asleep
Many formula fed babies drinking 25 to 30 oz during the day are sleeping through the night without feeding. Some EBF are sleeping 11 hours without eating, many still take 1 night feed.
Are you struggling with sleep beyond simple schedule tweaks? Does your 8 month old still wake up in the night? 1 time in the night over 11 hours is not uncommon. More than that though you probably have a sleep association problem where you're baby is looking for you to help them fall back to sleep. If that's cool with you, that's cool with me, but if you want to sleep through the night again, I can help! My best selling book with step by step instructions is available on Amazon or Audible. The Helping Babies Sleep Method; The Art and Science of Teaching Your Baby to Sleep for babies 4 weeks to 24 is a great reference throughout these first two years.
One other helpful thing I've found is darkening the room. I don't nap well in a bright room, so why would I expect my baby to? I love these Sleepout Curtains. You can use my code helpingbabiessleep for 10% off.
Ever wonder how much sleep your baby needs and when? Worried you're not getting nap hours in? Download my free sleep timing and quantity chart and see exactly how much sleep your baby should be getting for their age.
