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Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
Schedule for my 12 month old
Help... My daughter just turned 1. We had our schedule down pat. She seemed to be prefectly happy with feeding and napping times.
So, we go to the doctor last week and are now supposed to change everything. We are going from 5 bottles a day to 4 bottles a day, plus drop the baby food and only eat regular food. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but for some reason it has totally messed us up. So, I'm stretching the bottles to every 4 hours. She's been really fussy and I can't figure out why. So, I assume she's hungry and offer her more food. Which she eats. So, I feel like all we do is eat. And now she wants to nap earlier than before. We were napping at 9:30 and 2:30. I put her down at 1:30 today because she was sooooo fussy. She grabbed her lovey and fell right asleep. I think she would take 3 naps again.
What does your little one's schedule look like?
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Re: Schedule for my 12 month old
Why is your doctor, who sees your kid maybe a few minutes every few months, setting her schedule? How can he/she know what your baby needs better than your baby does?
Stick with what's working and change that when it needs to change! (And maybe get a new doctor in the process. That one does NOT sound like a keeper.)
DS's day varies, but here's a rough estimate:
5:45 am -Wake up, have bottle
6:30-Morning snack (cheerios, string cheese, fruit)
8:00-breakfast
9:00-ish: bottle
10-1: Nap
Lunch when he wakes up
2-ish: bottle then snack
5:00: dinner
5:30-6:00: bath, bottle, bed
I feel like everything changes just as you get used to something! I would say just to try to ease into the new routine. I wouldn't make all the changes at once. We are still giving my LO a mixture of baby food and "real food". Here's our usual schedule (on the weekend):
6:30-7- wake up, give bottle
8:30- breakfast
11:30- lunch
12- bottle and nap
3- snack
6- dinner
7:30- bottle and bed
I don't really believe in a "schedule" and your post is pretty much the reason why. I totally get that the schedule seems to be the preferred way to go, especially here on the Bump (and I'm in no way dogging anyone elses parenting choices), but for us following daily cues just works. Now mind you she's not with me during the day Mon-Fri (our babysitter keeps her at her house along with her own three children who are all 3 and under), but she pretty much does what I do at home.
If she's rubbing her eyes, fussing a lot, or any other sign she may be tired I put her in her crib for a nap reguardless the time. If she doesn't want to nap at that point she'll throw a fit and she comes out (I'm pretty good at knowing the signs though). She eats on a basically "normal" schedule, but it's not super structured. Breakfast when she gets up, mid morning snack, lunch a couple hours later, etc. If we're out all day she naps in her stroller, carseat, etc. when she's tired.
I honestly believe this method has kept us from losing our marbles. I never have to worry about making plans for our family because she's used to this way of doing things. Christmas got a little crazy and she ended up opening her gifts at my parents until 11pm and she was a ham the entire time. She hadn't had a nap since she woke up at 2:30. Would I have forced her to stay awake for the festivities...no way...but she was dancing and playing and opening her gifts happy as a clam. As soon as she got fussy we hit the road and she slept until noon the next day. Next night she was down around 9, which is normal, and we never had one issue. I honestly don't know if we're just lucky or because we've done things this way from day one it's made it so it is the norm, but for us it works.
This is a "typical" schedule:
Wake up at 6am
Breakfast at 6:30am
Snack 10am
nap 11am
lunch 1pm
snack 3:30pm
dinner 6pm
bed 7-7:30pm
Your pedi shouldn't be setting her schedule.
That being said, by 12 months his schedule was pretty much the same as it is now. The only difference is that sometimes he took a morning and late afternoon nap, and sometimes he took one long afternoon nap right after lunch.
7:30 - breakfast with milk
10:00 - snack
12 - lunch with milk
12:30 - nap
3 - snack
5:30 - dinner
7:30 - milk
8:00 - bedtime
When he took two naps, they were right after snack times, but everything else stayed the same.
ETA: At 12 months, my son was eating table food and drinking WCM from a sippy cup. We started making the transition to table food with 3 meals and 2 snacks at about 10 months and training with a sippy cup at 6 months. I don't agree that a pedi should tell you WHEN your kid should be napping/eating/playing but you should definitely start making the transition to table food and WCM from formula. If it's hard on her schedule, you might want to do it slowly rather than changing it all at once.
Your Pedi is just trying to help your LO grow into a toddler schedule, instead of staying in a routine that works best for babies. She's a toddler now (sniffle, sniffle) so she needs a schedule that better suits her needs. From what I've read, we should be working to get them into a schedule where she will get 3 meals of table food each day, and cow's milk with each of those meals.
I certainly wouldn't bother changing Ped. just because she told you to change up her schedule a little. She was just doing her job and helping your LO grow. Eventually you'll both get used to the new schedule. Your LO will adjust, just give her some time.
We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And HOPE does not dissappoint.
Romans 5:3-5
~Matt and Jen~
Married August 26, 2006
TTC since June 2008
Severe MFI
IVF #1 Feb. 2011 = BFN
IVF #2 (Long Lupron) May 2011 = BFP!!!
Our sweet little girl, born January 26, 2012
Time for #2!
IVF #1 (Long Lupron) July 2013 = BFP!!!
Beta #1 (8/1) 203! Beta #2 (8/8) 3,677! 1st u/s scheduled for 8/15!
I agree with the pedi that the changes need to be made to LO's eating habits. DS's schedule look like this:
6-6:30- wake up
6:30 - Breakfast (whatever everyone else is eating plus a sippy of milk)
9:30 - Snack
11:00 - Lunch (sippy cup of milk)
11:30-1:30is - Nap
2:30 - snack
4:30 - dinner
5:00 - bath and then sippy cup of milk while we prepare for bedtime
6:00 - bedtime
I'm another fan of not forcing a schedule just because they hit a certain age. We're so quick to point out with language and physical development that not all children follow the same schedule, so shouldn't this hold true with eating and sleeping? Some babies eat more than others. Some drop naps early, some drop them later. I think it's important to read your daughter's cues and not deprive her of what she needs to grow and be healthy.
At 12 months, my son was eating 3 full meals a day and still nursing 4 times a day. Here's what his schedule looked like:
https://katorade.blogspot.com/2012/10/mommy-mondays-life-at-one.html
This 100%
DS current schedule which is changing as he is napping some days now with just 1 nap
7:30-8 wakes: He takes his meds for thyroid and then bottle
9ish breakfast (usually regular oatmeal with smashed up pears in it, or whole wheat pancake topped with creme cheese and apple sauce, yogurt) *milk sippy
About 10ish- nap
1ish- Lunch: he will eat left overs, cheese, loves hummus sandwiches, fruit/veggie pouches, beans... *milk sippy
3-bottle
5ish dinner: usually what I am making for us or left overs *milk sippy
7ish- bottle and bed.
Sometimes with 2nd nap in there. The goal is to start getting the bottle out, and having him increase milk with meals and snacks. Next bottle to go for us is the 3ish bottle and replace with a snack. It will take time but you will get there
For those who say "the pediatrician is just trying to get her onto a toddler schedule" - why? Do you think she won't transition to a toddler schedule on her own? She'll continue with an infant schedule until she starts kindergarten? (Yes, I'm being facetious.) She won't be able to indicate when she needs changes? What is magic - for THIS GIRL - at 12mo that is different from last week or next week?
I'm not suggesting that no schedule changes will take place soon, but it's going to cause more stress on mom and toddler to force a change that doesn't fit either of them and throw away what is working now.
Edited to add: I will take back one thing I said - those who mentioned it are right; this is necessarily reason to fire your pedi. What crosses my line may well not cross yours.
You should go back to what worked for you!
Here's our schedule though:
6:30am: wake up and bottle feed
8am: Breakfast (solids)
8:30am: Nap Time (usually I dont let them nap more than and hour here)
10:30am: Bottle
12pm: Lunch (solids)
1pm: Naptime (anywhere from 1-2 hours sometimes less depending on when they fall asleep)
2:30/3pm: Bottle
4:30pm: Dinner (solids)
6/6:30pm Bottle and then straight to bed.
There is a very big difference between changes in existing behavior (going from 5 bottles to 4) and introduction of novel behavior. Yes, a parent needs to provide an environment that encourages the introduction of novel behavior, but I don't think a parent should "schedule" it.
You want your kid to take a sippy (which is optional, you can go from a bottle to many other drinking devices)? Yes, give them a sippy cup (or whatever you're going to use)! Give them the environment. But forcing the issue by taking bottles away within a certain time and requiring that only what you offered be used by a certain time is a parent hoisting an artificial framework on a kid.
You want your kid to eat solid foods? (I'd argue you should just do baby-led weaning.
) Yes, you introduce whatever finger foods you decide you want to start with. But that means you put, say, a sweet potato fry on their plate, and let them choose to eat it or not. And when they don't take it the first time, you make other offers, but let the kid take the lead rather than just saying "all you get to eat now is this food you've never had; this stuff you like is gone." (I'm pretty sure this is something we all agree on already.)
Changing sleep patterns is not so much a novel behavior. Like quantity of food, you cannot know, precisely, how much and when your child needs sleep. You're not in there body. Yes, yes, we can all agree that if your two year old is getting six hours of sleep a day, they are not getting enough. We can all agree that difficult behavior may be a sign that a kid isn't getting enough sleep. But the details - saying that LO can't have a nap when they show they need one - that is best left to the child.
In the end, why try to "fix" something that isn't broken? It's going to change naturally, but the OP already said these changes are not working for them right now.
It absolutely drives me crazy when people recommend changing behavior overnight. Everything is a guide and everything takes time. So 5-4 bottles doesn't have to happen in a minute- and who cares if it is 8? My daugher drinks with every meal and in between at daycare- its not milk all the time, and its not always a bottle- a sippy of water is near her most of the day.
I went to my pediatrician and my little one was drinking over 30 ounces a day still at 1, and I knew that was too much. He told me she should be drinking 16. Same thing with my now 4 year old. Let's just say- that was never going to happen overnight nor probably EVER. 16 was way too low for her. my 4 year old drinks a lot still- milk, water, juice, etc.
What I did do, was lower her intake a bit. instead of 8 ounce bottles, i switched to 6, and the 6 to 4. She drinks about 22-24 ounces a day and that took a few weeks.
All I am saying is moderate the changes according to what works for you, and don't rush into it. Every kid is different and a pediatrician who makes absolute statements with timing doesn't know what they are doing. Suggestions, guides, etc are fine but they shouldn't stress out a new parent.
The best advice the baby nurse gave to me when I first had my daughter was "let her be your guide" she will always be the one to tell you what she needs.
If she wants her bottle more on one day and less the next then give it to her. If she's tired and wants two naps instead of just one nap then put her to sleep. Why stress and fuss over her "not following the schedule". I'm all about structure but at the same time not every day is going to be the exact same as the day before.......it always varies a bit. Obviously as they get older you introduce new things that are age appropriate but ultimately you child isn't going to start kindergarten still having a bottle and eating purees. It will always work itself out
I think it's a careful balance between baby and parent. I follow baby's cues for the most part, but I've found that on some occasion he's needed my help in making the transition. at 10 1/2 months he was still doing 5 bottles a day and hardly eating any food. He knew how to eat, he just wasn't very interested. So I just stopped giving him his late afternoon bottle. In just 2 days he was chowing down at meals right along with us! In just 2 more weeks he was down to 3 bottles. He didn't need those bottles, he just didn't know what else to do!
That said, he is still taking 2 naps, but they've been getting later and later and right now we're struggling with the transition. I think we're going to continue to allow him to take his 2nd nap but just wake him up after about 45 min. He's just not quite ready to drop down to 1 yet, but I can't let him sleep until so close to bedtime! So here's our "ish" schedule right now
7:30- wake up, bottle, breakfast
10:00-12- Nap
12- bottle lunch
2:30-4- Nap
5:30- dinner
8- bottle, bedtime
Hi!
630a - wake up, milk in sippy breakfast
830-9 - snack, water in sippy
10a - nap
11:30 - lunch, milk in sippy
2:00 - snack, water in sippy
300 - nap
530 - dinner, milk/water in sippy
730 - milk in sippy, sleep
i had a slightly similar experience. at 1 year my LO was drinking 4 8 oz bottles a day and not eating a ton of solid food. he had an ear infection, so we put off his 12 month appt until 12.5 months and didn't want to make any changes until we saw the dr. she recommended we start the transition and i struggled for awhile but things seem to be working right now. my LO is 13.5 months.
we first dropped the second bottle of the day, then the third, and then last week dropped the morning bottle. he still has a bottle before bed but he now gets it right when we get upstairs, about 45 min before actual bedtime, and he's been drinking less and less. i will likely try dropping it sometime over the next week, probably moving to milk first, then sippy, then nothing. i posted some questions on the bump when i was struggling a few weeks ago and for a few days was giving him bottles with milk, but he was doing all sippy at babysitter and after a couple days was drinking enough milk from sippy that he doesn't have any bottles anymore apart from the bedtime one.
i offer him milk at every "meal" cause he doesn't drink a ton each time, although he prob drinks the most with breakfast. i don't usually offer him water w/ bfast, but the rest of the meals he has two cups, one water and one milk.
lastly, he used to take two naps, one at 9:30 and one around 2, but he started fighting the 2nd so in the midst of all this we switched him to 1 nap, so this is based on his one nap sched.
7/7:30 wake & breakfast
9:30 snack
11:30 lunch
12-1:30 nap
3 snack/second lunch (he's got a voracious appetite so even though this is supposed to be a snack he sometimes ends up eating just as much as his lunch)
5/5:30 dinner, bottle soon after
6/7 bedtime