Breastfeeding Schedule By Month — Birth to 1 Year Of Age!

Here are is an exhaustive list of a breastfeeding schedules by month. It goes from a newborn to 1 year of age and these feeding routines work!

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Welcome, nursing mama!

Having a baby is one of the absolute best things that could ever happen to you, right?

It’s also one of the most confusing and sleep depriving things that you’ll go through.

Why is baby crying?

Does baby want to eat?

Is baby over tired?

And it’s called routine.

Well, that’s the issue. It’s hard to know.

But, there is one thing that makes it easier to understand all of baby’s cues. And one way to meet baby’s needs before baby has to cry to communicate…

If you’d like to get yourself and baby on a better routine, then these breastfeeding schedules by month will help.

You can nurse on a schedule. 

You can put baby on a sleep schedule as well, and these things will help.

Here are your breastfeeding schedules for every month in the first year of life

These monthly breastfeeding schedules are intended to be a helpful starting place. If your baby’s sleep needs mean she needs more or less sleep, you can adjust accordingly.

I had 5 babies in 5 years (yes, that’s right, I’m insane!)

And, because I’m insane and have “walked through fire” as my grandmother would say, I can tell you that these routines work and they work well.

If you are starting to keep track of all this, I recommend using our daily baby and mom logs to help you get thoughts out of your head, onto paper.

If you want all these schedules in printable form, grab all 25+ baby feeding and sleeping routines right here.

Month 1 – Focusing On Full Feeds

The best thing you can do from the very beginning – I’m talking while still in the hospital – is to give baby full feeds.

If you don’t, you’ll probably end up with a baby who wants to snack every hour. You’ll be like a mombie who hasn’t bathed in 3 weeks and only wears yoga pants because she can’t fit into her normal clothes yet, duh.

Because if you are sitting down feeding baby every hour then within a few weeks you are going to become a depressed mom.

Do NOT let baby feed for a few minutes then nap, then repeat.

Instead, focus on giving baby full feeds of breast milk knowing baby needs to eat in a continuous feeding pattern to keep up your milk supply. 

Related Reads:

• How to get your newborn to sleep well while they are still so sleepy
• An ultimate guide to sleep schedules for newborn babies

Month 2 – Working On Eat Play Sleep

Essentially, if you want your little one to sleep well without needing you to jump through hoops to get them to sleep, then, the key is to practice the eat-play-sleep habit.

So, this means you feed baby, keep them awake while feeding, let them have some awake and cuddle time with you, then you put them to sleep drowsy but awake.

This helps them learn to sleep on their own.

It seems romantic and sweet and nostalgic to rock baby to sleep for every nap, however, trust me you don’t want to go down that road. 

Rocking is not bad. It simply creates a Sleep Prop Monster that you will be forced to feed for months to come. 

Read: The Reason Why Frequent Night Wakings Actually Make You Crazy

Feed at night as baby wakes up. 

Read: Baby bedtime habits that help make for fuss-free evenings

Month 3 – Establishing a routine

By this point, baby just isn’t as sleepy as they used to be.

They are awake more and not falling asleep at the breast every time you feed.

This is a great time to get into some sleep training with baby, one way to do that is to establish a good routine that promotes healthy sleep.

This is the month when people who were like “my baby sleeps like an angel” are now like… “my baby will not sleep unless I sit her in a sling on the washing machine during the spin cycle while there’s a quarter moon.”

Basic simple routines that help baby wind down from the stress of the day, bedtime routines, and healthy sleep habits will save the day.

Read: A 3 month old schedule that will help your baby sleep

Month 4 – Surviving The Regression

Oh deary deary me.

The 4 month can be a tough one.

Baby is awake more.

Hungry more.

Napping less. 

And you are seeing the fruits of the first few months of “routine and sleep work.” This is a common month for a baby sleep regression. And if you are here and discouraged, take heart, it’ll get better.

Along with the sleep regression, babies often go through a growth spurt around this age so both breastfed babies and formula fed babies will likely need to feed more within 24 hours.

Read: The fastest way through the four month regression common in babies

Month 5 – Gearing Up For Solids

The truth is, when babies turn 5 months they can start getting cranky.

They were sweet and now they are whiny fussy spirited and colicky babies. 

Basically, they don’t want to nap and they don’t want to go to bed and they want to start waking up at night when they haven’t done that in weeks.

It seems mysterious.

It’s not.

Baby is probably hungry and gearing up for solids

They’re hungry. Their bodies are getting ready (or are already ready depending on who you believe) for solids and so they are, quite simply, hungry.

In years past, babies were encouraged to start solids at 4 months. Now it is 6 months. 

I’m not here to argue with the American Academy of Pediatrics, but want to encourage you, tired mama, that when your baby starts getting some solids they’ll calm down and rest well again.

At your pediatrician’s approval, you can probably even start introducing solid food a little at a time into your baby feeding schedule.

Read: A 5 month old recommended schedule (including feeding, nap and bed times)

Month 6 – Solids

I am not going to say there’s a magic bullet with sleep because – well – there are a few factors.

But if I did have to choose one.

It’d be this: feeding baby more.

More food is what helps babies get through regressions and it’s what helps the 6 month old babies finally start sleeping through the night.

Hunger will mess with sleep

Once baby isn’t starving, then you’ll see what you’re working with. If baby is eating a lot and still waking up to comfort feed or to talk to you, then take my free series on the biggest 3 baby sleep issues.

It will help. 

Start with small amounts of solid foods a few times a day and work up to full servings.

Month 7 – Closer To a 4 Hour Schedule

You should start getting some traction this month.

You are tethered to a high chair for a lot of it, though.

Be warned.  

When we lived with my grandmother, she’d often feed the baby throughout the day. It was SO PRECIOUS to them and to me. Because she was patient and could spend 30 minutes feeding baby.

I’m sure it’s less if you are doing baby wed leaning, but I didn’t get there with any of mine.

• If your baby wakes up earlier or later than this routine, you can simply adjust based on your baby’s wake time. The wake time is actually very important in a baby’s day to day routine.
• If baby wakes early from a nap, yet is content, don’t push up the feeding. Leave it until normal time unless baby is clearly hungry.
• Get down familiar rhythms and routines throughout your day. (Here is more on family rhythms and routines)

Read: 7 month old schedule with nursing and solids suggested times

Month 8 – Baby’s Sitting UP!

This month is so precious. I always tell random strangers (yes, I always talk to random strangers) that This 6 to 12 month period is The Absolute Best.

Baby is sitting up a lot. Is awake more. Is giggling a lot. Starts the commando crawl maybe (at least some of mine did!) and is just generally easy.

It’s also a prime time to start sleep training your little one if you haven’t already.

Read: The 6 – 9 month routine that will help baby sleep and nap well

Month 9 – So precious at this age!

This 9 to 12 month period is when babies start crawling around, making huge messes, trying to empty the trash can, and want to shove everything in their mouths.

While you may not need to “baby proof” in a very strict sense of the word, it is a time to practice more vigilance.

But, hey, you’re already used to being hyper-vigilant aren’t you?

Of course, dinner time will be whatever time your family actually eats dinner. We had 5 kids in 5 years with earlier baby bedtimes, so we always had (and still have) dinner quite early.

Read: The 9 to 12 Month Routine That Works Wonders

Month 10 – Crawling yet?

Your baby is inching closer every day to being one. The question is, have you considered doing a smash cake?

Okay that’s not the question.

So your little one is now drinking lots of milk, eating lots of solids, and hopefully sleeping through the night and taking two good naps a day.

If not, here is my free series on the top 3 biggest reasons babies don’t sleep well.

Month 11 – Nearly One Year… OH MY!

This is right prime into my favorite baby time. So squishy, so happy, so easy.

I’m making a schedule here for those stay at home mamas whose babies like to sleep in.

There are surprisingly a lot of these little babies – future night owls? – so if you have to get up much earlier, simply move the times back.

Month 12 – 1 Year Old

So, if you plan on breastfeeding your baby past the year mark, then this schedule might work for you.

You may need to fit more feedings in to maintain your supply, for instance, so be aware of how much baby feeds and how much milk you have.

I know some moms who fed once a day for months and still had plenty of milk for that feed. At that point, it was more of a comfort feed. 

Read: The highly successful 1 year old sleep schedule

Need sample routines for babies 6 weeks to 5 years?

By now, you know how to handle the newborn days, but what after? The good news is this: you’ve set your baby up for a foundation of success.

Now all you need to do is continue to find routines that work for you and your baby as they grow up and begin getting bigger and bigger. Sob. After having had 5 babies with 5 different personalities, I know a thing or two about finding a good schedule.

This is why I’ve created a book of sample routines and schedules for babies ages 6 weeks up to 5 years.

The book includes information on how long to let baby stay awake, how much play time is good for each age, what to do with baby when baby is awake but not quite mobile, and even how to manage toddler and baby joint routines.

Chapters covered in Rhythms, Routines & Schedules  include:

Section One: Sample Schedules

• 6 Weeks to 3 Months Old
• 3-6 Months Old
• 7-9 Months Old
• 9-12 Months Old
• 12-18 Months Old
• 2-3 Years Old
• 4-5 Years Old

Section Two: Tips and Tricks

• Tips for Managing the Day With Multiple Children
• Daily Rhythms for an Only Child Ages 1-4 Years Old
• Daily Rhythms for Multiple Small Children Ages 0-5
• Sample Bedtime, Mealtime, and Playtime Routines
• Tips for Keeping Kids Busy Throughout the Day

For more sample routines, mom tested and approved schedules for babies ages 6 weeks and up, check out Rhythms, Routines & Schedules right now.