Home Baby Routines 6 to 8 Months

Baby Awake Windows & Routines 6 to 8 Months

Example: 6 to 8 Month Old Awake Windows and Routines

This is a guide only and can be adapted to your baby's sleep needs and your own activities. The average awake window for a 6 - 8 month old is 2 - 3 hours. Once solid food is established, a 7 or 8 month old may have a milk feed every 4 hours and have 2 daytime naps lasting 2 - 3 hours in total.

1

FEED: Your baby may still wake at sunrise and have an early morning milk feed. This is when they may start the day or return to sleep for a little while.
2

FEED: Breakfast solids and a milk feed. This is the age when your baby will like to start holding their spoon or bottle.

PLAY: Playtime

SLEEP: Carefully watch your baby's tired signs. When they're ready, put them down for a nap of 1-2 hours.
3

FEED: Lunch solids and milk feed.

PLAY: Another playtime.

SLEEP: Carefully watch your baby's tired signs. When they're ready, put them down for a nap of 1-1.5 hours.
4

PLAY: Playtime.

DINNER: Dinner solids and a milk feed.

Quiet winddown, bath and bedtime routine

SLEEP: Two longer sleeps at night of about 6 hours each with 1 - 3 brief awakenings overnight. Your baby may need a milk feed overnight.

A 6 to 8 month old baby sleep routine

By this age, your baby’s clock is set by the environment and regular daily activities. As they mature, their awake windows during the day increase and night sleeps lengthen.

Some babies will have 2 - 3 longer sleeps per day, while others only need short sleeps.

Their night time sleep periods will stretch for about 10 - 12 hours with one prolonged sleep of about 6 hours. Many will still wake for a feed overnight.

Learn more about sleep for 3 to 6 month olds and 7 to 12 month olds.

A 6 - 8 month old baby feeding

Your baby will be ready for some solid food and will begin to have breakfast, lunch and dinner with their milk feed. They're slowly moving towards fitting in with the family's mealtime structure.

You could start to give your baby cooled boiled water from a cup and think about buying a sturdy high chair with straps to keep them safe.

Learn more about feeding your 6 - 8 month old baby, and get some baby food ideas and recipes

A 6 to 8 month old baby playtime

Your baby will probably be more interested in toys at this age and will enjoy looking at the toys you show them. They might not play a game with you yet but they will look at the toy carefully, investigate it and might put it in their mouth.

Your baby will enjoy playing with toys that move, make sounds and vary in texture.

Some other ideas for playtime include: