When a child is born into a family, parents are little concerned about his daily routine. The main task of mom and dad at this moment is the following: organize proper nutrition for the baby, protect the baby, make his life as comfortable as possible, and so on. In most cases, newborn babies do not have a specific routine. They sleep for 18-20 hours in essence and wake up only to feed. This article will tell you about what the daily routine should be for a 7-month-old baby.
Is consistency necessary?
The daily routine of a child at 7 months is very important for parents and the baby. Komarovsky (a famous pediatrician) says that following a certain sequence allows the baby to be more confident. Also, the baby, knowing his approximate schedule, will develop faster and feel much better. The established daily routine also has an important impact on family members. The baby's mother knows exactly when she needs to feed the baby, and at what moment she has a free minute.
If you weigh the pros and cons, figuring out whether a daily routine is needed for a 7-month-old child, then all the arguments will point to the need to organize a schedule. Your pediatrician, neurologist and other pediatric specialists will also tell you about this.
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Drawing up a daily routine for a 7-month-old breastfed child should not involve particular rigor. During this period, the baby’s body adapts to new food, active physical games, and restructuring of the daytime sleep schedule. The duration of rest during the day is reduced, and the child strives to stay awake as long as possible in order to absorb more and more incoming information. How to properly organize a daily routine, what you can do for your baby, how to carry out hygiene procedures and training sessions - we will tell you today.
Baby's daily routine at 7 months
At this age, the baby becomes more and more inquisitive. By this time, most children are already sitting up on their own and starting to crawl. Don't be upset if your baby hasn't acquired these skills yet. Most likely, a breakthrough in development will occur in the coming weeks.
A 7 month old baby's daily routine is as follows. A baby needs from 9 to 11 hours to sleep at night. In this case, the baby may wake up to eat. During the day, the baby's waking hours increase. The child sleeps from 2 to 4 times. However, the rest time may vary. The average duration of one daytime nap is 1-2 hours. It’s also worth mentioning the baby’s nutrition. The daily routine of a 7-month-old breastfed baby is somewhat different from that of babies who eat formula. If you give your baby breast milk, he can do without adult food (complementary foods) altogether. So, let's look at the daily routine of a 7-month-old child by the hour.
7 month old baby's daily routine by the hour
Our child's daily routine at 7 months
What is the approximate daily regimen of a 7-month-old child?
On the table above, for your convenience, I have briefly outlined our routine, and below you can read details about our everyday life
08:30 — We wake up at the same time as before. We hug, kiss, air our butts, wash ourselves and go play in bed while mom prepares breakfast, brushes her teeth, etc. Let's go feed. By the way, we have finally started complementary feeding!
09:30 — After breakfast, I try to do something around the house if the child is in the mood. When my daughter gets tired of sitting in a high chair, we go crawling - my daughter is already actively exploring the space, crawling out into the corridor, as soon as I leave the room for a minute.
10:30 — Our baby gets tired quite quickly, so after two hours she still starts being capricious = asking to sleep. It goes under the chest and sweetly dozes for 1-1.5 hours. A great opportunity for me to relax or blog!
12:00 — We’ll have lunch and get ready to go outside. For everything about everything, two hours after which you need to return home to sleep, otherwise a capricious and tired child is guaranteed. We are now walking, making a circle around the area around picturesque ponds, ending the promenade at one of the children's playgrounds, where we look at the slides, swings, children on our hands, touch the trees, etc.))
14:00 - Time for second nap. In 90% of cases it lasts two hours. If mom “couldn’t sleep” at night, mom sleeps too. And it's great, I tell you! Since after such a rest a new day begins for me - energy is replenished, my mood improves, and productivity increases. Imagine: two days in one! In the evening, I can’t even believe that it was all one day. Does this happen to you?
16:00 — If there are no urgent matters, we go for a second walk. If there is, the child goes to crawl, and the mother fusses somewhere nearby. But in the evening I still try to pay more attention to the baby.
18:00 - Last daytime (or evening?) nap.
Some will say it’s too late... But it turned out to be best for us. We tried to stay awake until bedtime and either got a capricious child, or the daughter fell asleep perfectly at 8-9 and woke up an hour later, intending to go for a walk. No, I was not happy with this state of affairs! Therefore, after 2-2.5 hours, when the baby begins to get overexcited, I take her in my arms, sing a lullaby, stroke her - and she soon closes her eyes, which proves the need for evening sleep. After 40-60 minutes we have a cheerful child again, and at this time the mother can read a book. It is very important for a blogger to constantly improve himself!
19:00 — We meet dad from work, play, crawl (you can throw the little one off for dad). Don’t forget to spend at least half an hour every day for yourself and replenish your energy. Otherwise, you can get emotional burnout, or even fall into depression... It’s good when the husband understands this and gives the opportunity to be alone with himself, and he himself will make up for the lack of communication with the child.
20:30 - Approximate time for taking a bath. Sometimes at 8 pm, sometimes at 9, but I don’t recommend deviating too much from the schedule. Since we started bathing our daughter at the same time, she began to fall asleep much easier and faster ! And before that there was even a guard shout, I wrote about this in the article the daily routine of a child at 5 months. After a bath, the baby is usually very hungry, so we quickly do all the hygiene procedures and feed the baby.
21:30-22:00 - To the side! As always with breasts, and that suits me (read my article How to put a baby to sleep without motion sickness. The lazy mother’s method). While going to bed, there is an opportunity to read a book; in the evening I read something lighter and more artistic. It takes 20-30-40 minutes to completely fall asleep, when I can “escape” to a date with my husband. Or blog. Or watch the series. Or just drink tea in silence. In general, enjoy your freedom! To be honest, an hour in the evening is enough to recharge for the next day, but somehow I don’t want to return to complete freedom.
Morning time
The baby wakes up at approximately 7 o'clock in the morning. It is worth starting the day with energetic exercise. Of course, the baby should not be circled or thrown up. Stretch his arms and legs, let the baby stretch sweetly. The allotted time for exercises should be no more than 10-15 minutes. Next you need to carry out water procedures. Wash your baby and change his diaper.
At 8 o'clock it is time for the first meal. If you are already giving your baby complementary foods, you can prepare baby porridge. After exercise and water procedures, the child eats the treat with pleasure.
From 9 to 10 o'clock it's game time. Entertain your child. Perhaps he has certain favorite toys. If the weather is good outside, then you should give preference to a walk. Take your baby to a park or square to get some fresh air.
At about 10 o'clock the baby will want to sleep. He had been awake for more than three hours and was already very tired. Give him the opportunity to rest. When breastfeeding, you should feed your baby milk. If the child eats the formula, then give him a bottle. The baby will sleep until about 11-12 o'clock. If you are outdoors at this time, your rest time may increase.
Caring for a 7 month old baby
Bathing
A 7-month-old child needs to be bathed every day or every other day, and the duration of water procedures can be up to 20-25 minutes. Water in the bath (preferably a large one) must be filled in such a way that the baby can sit in it and calmly play with toys. For a seven-month-old baby, the best toys for bathing are a fish, a fishing rod, a boat, a watering can, a bucket, as well as wind-up toys that float in the water. At 7 months, a child will be interested in everything that can move, shimmer and pour out. Every bath should turn into an exciting game, in which case he can fall in love with it for life. For swimming, the ideal temperature should be +36-37 degrees, while the room temperature should not be lower than +22.
Entertainment
At this age, you can play with your child in the following way: read rhythmic poems to him, with special emphasis, focusing on those syllables that he can pronounce best. You will be able to notice how he repeats the syllables after you with great pleasure. You can also play a game with him called “In Which Hand?” The principle of the game is as follows: hide a toy that is interesting to him in your hand. Open your palm, show the object and close it again. Hide the toy in your other hand and let your baby try to find it. If the child correctly determines its place, then congratulate him by cheerfully clapping his hands.
Child care at 8 months
What does a child do during the day?
The daily routine of a 7-month-old child should be structured so that after each awakening the baby receives a portion of healthy food. The baby wakes up from his first sleep at about 12 noon. If he is hungry, offer him breast milk or formula. Children who are bottle-fed can already eat vegetable dishes during this period. However, even after such a lunch it is worth giving the child the opportunity to drink a dairy product.
Between 13:00 and 14:00 the time for active games begins. This can include massage, swimming or any other hobby of yours. Perhaps you reserve this time for playing with blocks or pyramids. Remember that all toys should be as safe as possible for the child.
Around 3 p.m., the baby will want to sleep again. It is better to organize this vacation at home. In the near future, your baby will switch to one nap during the day, which should take place in his own crib. Teach your child to this pattern, and it will be much easier for you later. The baby sleeps for about 1 hour. Already at 16:00 the baby will wake up and ask to eat.
During the afternoon snack, you can give your child cottage cheese or yogurt. With established breastfeeding, you can completely get by with breast milk.
At 5 p.m., take your baby for an evening walk. Don't forget to bring some water and some snacks for your child. Surely the baby will want to eat something on the road. An evening walk should be active. In this case, the baby will sleep well at night. You need to be in the fresh air for at least two hours, which means that you will return home around 19:00.
7 month old baby's evening schedule
Immediately after returning from the street you need to feed the baby. This will be dinner. If you already eat adult food well, then you can offer your baby a vegetable stew. Pediatricians do not yet recommend meat at this age. The only exceptions are those children who are underweight.
It is better to bathe your baby between 20:30 and 21:00. After that, change your baby into his favorite pajamas and offer him milk. The baby falls asleep around 21:30-22:00. During the night, the baby can wake up from one to three times in order to eat.
What should a 7 month old baby be able to do?
- Doesn't sit quietly. The baby simply cannot sit in one place. He is actively trying to “escape” somewhere from his mother, exploring everything he encounters on his way.
- Throws toys. They just fly in different directions from the arena. The baby really wants his mother to pick him up and show him attention.
- Recalled. When the baby is called by name, he turns his head towards the person calling him.
- Requires physical sensation. The child passionately wants physical closeness with his mother: sitting on top, feeding with his hands, pulling his hair.
- Plays with the mirror. The baby can sit in front of the mirror for a long time, looking at its reflection. He touches him, talks to him and even kisses him.
- Repeats actions. Imitating adults is one of my favorite pastimes. He repeats after his parents, grandparents.
- Takes the toy in any position. The toddler can carry out actions to lift the toy from any position: lying on his stomach, side, back, or sitting.
- He eats himself. The first eating skills are improved. He eats a piece of bread on his own, taking it in his hand. Learns to drink from a mug that his mother holds.
