Palmer’s Schedule: 7 – 16 Months

It’s crazy to think we’re leaving this schedule behind after almost nine months! I honestly loved the two nap days because it gave me a ton of flexibility to get things done during two significant chunks of the day. Luckily, Palmer has always been a good sleeper and we never had any issues with her napping two plus hours 2x day and still sleeping through the night. I know that’s not the case for everyone so you may choose to transition sooner and if your child is in daycare, I’m pretty sure they move to one nap at 15 months. Regardless, it’s important to listen and understand each child so you can do what’s best for them.

Similar to my last schedule update, I’m sharing an exact write up I did for my parents when they watched Palmer while Kevin and I were in Oregon this past September celebrating our anniversary. You’ll notice that I added a bunch of comments and tips to help them navigate different scenarios. Hopefully this is all helpful!

7:30 AM: Wake for Day

She often wakes earlier and just hangs out in her crib. If she’s content, feel free to wait until 7:30AM before going in to get her. If she’s crying [not typical], go ahead and get her. Just remember that the earlier you get her up, the earlier she’ll want to nap/eat throughout the rest of the day. You may be able to course correct throughout the day but she’ll let you know when she’s tired/hungry.
Change her diaper. [Sometimes I wait until after breakfast to change her. Just depends on the day.]

8:00 AM: Breakfast

She can have 4 oz. whole milk* in her sippy cup while you prepare her breakfast or during breakfast.
Breakfast ideas: oatmeal w/mashed banana & cinnamon [to sweeten]; two scrambled eggs [no seasoning]; avocado toast; plain greek yogurt w/mashed berries [to sweeten].
We always give her fruit in addition to an item above [she’s usually not picky on the variety].
Please wash her hands before breakfast.

8:30 AM: Change Clothes

Sometimes I wait to change her diaper when I change her clothes. You can do either whenever you feel most comfortable but she does tend to soil her clothes during mealtimes so I wouldn’t suggest changing her before breakfast.

8:40 AM – 10:00 AM: Play Time

At home, she just plays with her toys/books or follows me around. On the weekends, we usually take a morning walk after her breakfast.
Offer her water throughout in case she is thirsty.

10:00 AM: Morning Nap

Depending on how warm/cool it is, she should wear her sleep sack to nap.
Turn on the sound machine.
Close blinds/curtains.
Lately she likes to bring toys/books into her crib. That is fine and may even help get her down more easily.

11:30 AM – 12:00 PM: Wake

She may not nap the full two hours and that’s okay. If she wakes up super early, I would consider giving her whole milk in her sippy cup or a snack to tide her over until lunch.
Change her diaper.

12:15 PM: Lunch

She can have 4 oz. whole milk* in her sippy cup with lunch.
For lunch we try to give her: protein + veggie + fruit
Lunch ideas: peanut butter toast w/crushed fruit [strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, bananas]; chicken nuggets [cut into very small pieces]; veggie burger; turkey meatballs; string cheese; goldfish; steamed veggies; hummus; Bamba puffs [from Trader Joes]; fresh fruit [whatever you have]; leftovers [sometimes I just pull what we ate the night before and warm it up for her].
Please wash her hands before lunch.

12:45 PM – 2:00 PM: Play Time

See notes above.

2:00 PM: Afternoon Nap

See notes above.

12:30 PM: Nap

Depending on how late she woke up from her morning nap or how long her lunch was, this nap can get pushed out if needed.
See notes above.

4:00 PM: Wake

She may not nap the full two hours and that’s okay. She may sleep longer than 4PM and that’s okay too. I wouldn’t let her sleep past 5PM though as it could impact her night sleep.
Change her diaper.

4:15 PM: Snack

You can give her a snack and 4 oz. of whole milk* when she wakes up.
Snack ideas: goldfish, string cheese, Bamba puffs, fresh fruit, raisins, Cheerios.

4:15 PM – 6:15PM: Play Time

We take a family walk every evening during this time so her and Gus are pretty accustomed to going out around 5PM.
See notes above.

6:30 PM: Dinner

For Dinner we try to give her: protein + veggie + starch + fruit.
Generally she can eat whatever you’re already making for dinner but I’ve listed a few alternative ideas below just in case.
Dinner ideas: veggie burgers; turkey burgers; turkey meatballs; sweet potatoes; steamed vegetables; pasta; shredded chicken; bolognese cubes; leftovers [sometimes I just pull what we ate the night before and warm it up for her].
She can have water with her dinner.
Please wash her hands before dinner.

7:00 PM: Bath (Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday or as needed)

Wash her hair.
Wash her body using a washcloth.
She can splash around and play with some of her toys for a bit too.
Post bath please clean her ears and brush her hair.

7:15 PM: Bed Prep

Wipe her down [from dinner] or dry her off [from bath], put on a fresh diaper, brush her teeth, put on her Owlet sock and put her in PJs.
Read stories with her [She LOVES storytime. Don’t be surprised if she doesn’t want it to end or gets fussy when you try to put her to bed.]

7:30 PM: Bed

Aim to put her down for the night around 7:30PM. If it’s a little later though, that is okay.
Put her in her sleep sack.
Turn on the sound machine/night light.
Close blinds/curtains.
Let her fall asleep on her own. She may cry out but it should only last a minute or two. If she continues to cry, I would wait about 5 minutes before intervening.
If she brings toys/books into the crib, I recommend sneaking in later to pull them out so she doesn’t accidentally roll onto them and wake up.
She may cry out mid-sleep. Do not intervene [assuming everything is normal] because she will fall back asleep.
Turn on Owlet base station and check on her periodically via the Owlet app.

****We transitioned Palmer off of the bottle around 14 months. Prior to that [7 months – 14 months], she received ~6 ounces of breastmilk or formula immediately after waking up in the morning, after both naps and after dinner before bed.****

Feel free to also check out Palmer’s 0 – 3 Month Schedule and 3 – 7 Month Schedule for more details on how her sleep has evolved. As I mention in one of my previous posts, we followed Baby Wise for the first few months and then ultimately let her natural circadian rhythms dictate her schedule.

xo,

Kara