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Home » Routines & Schedules » Baby Schedules & Routines » Easy Sample Routine for Babies 3 to 6 Months (That You’ll Love!)

Easy Sample Routine for Babies 3 to 6 Months (That You’ll Love!)

Updated December 9, 2020

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Want simple chaos-erasing family routines? Who doesn't? Check out our Family Routines Reboot!

Want simple chaos-erasing family routines? Who doesn't? Check out our Family Routines Reboot!

a sample routine and schedule for babies 3 to 6 months of age, good for babies 3 months, 4 months, 5 months, and 6 months

Here’s a 3 month sample routine, 4 month sample routine, 5 month sample routine, and 6 month sample routine for baby that’ll work!


Sample Routines:

  • Newborn Sample Routine
  • The 3 Month Old Baby Sleep Schedule
  • Sample 6 Month Schedule
  • 9 to 12 Month Sample Schedule
  • 18 Month Sample Schedule
  • 2 Year Old Sample Schedule
  • Ultimate Newborn Sleep Schedule: Week by Week
closeup of a baby's face

My surprise caboose baby is nearly 4 months old. Every time I look at him I cannot help but smile and rush over for cuddles. This is good because – as we know – cuddling is good for babies’ brains.

He is yummy and smiley and sweet and squishy and it’s just All Too Much.

This can also be a time where the pressures, late nights, and stresses of both labor, recovery, and subsequent life changes can take their toll. You might be struggling with feeling like some of these things:

  • an exhausted mom
  • an angry mom
  • a mom who can’t get a grip on her emotions

Don’t guilt yourself.

Don’t be hard on yourself. Know that you are normal, you are not alone, you are not crazy, and you are a good mom.

It takes time to adjust to changes. It takes willpower to remain calm when you’re so tired you want to faint for relief.

You’ll get there. 

Read: The Fastest Way To Get Through The 4 Month Sleep Regression (With Sanity Intact)

3 to 6 Month Sample Routine

Of course, no two babies are alike and you will do whatever schedule works for your own home and the needs of your family.

That said, this is a typical schedule I’ve used with all 5 of my kids at this age. Yes, I have 5 kids and they are all close together in age.

5:00 am | An early morning feed (don’t change diaper) just put right back down to bed

7:30 am | Wake up and feed, bathe baby (I use this in the sink and it’s amazing)

8:30 am | Go down for a nap

10:30 am | Feed baby, snuggle, special tummy time mat

11:30 am | Go down for a nap

1:30 pm | Feed baby, go for walk, carry baby around house to do chores, read to baby or hold baby while you read, tummy time

2:30 pm | Go down for a nap

4:30 pm | Feed baby, put in infant seat (this is ours) or on a blanket while you cook, let siblings play with baby

5:30 pm | Quick nap

6:15 pm | Feed baby if desired (a cluster feed), play with daddy, play with siblings, play on mat, bathe if you didn’t in the morning

Read: Want an Easy Baby? Then Use A Foolproof Baby Schedule

7:30 pm | Feed baby and put to bed, you can rock gently to drowsy then in the crib, or I find that mine often feed to sleep and sleep the whole night through

10:30 pm | Dream feed before you go to sleep (if they aren’t yet sleeping through the night)

If you’d like to get a copy of the 3 to 6 month routine here, sign up below and get it by email. 

Basic Tips for Babies Ages 3 to 6 Months

Here are some basic tips for babies at this age.

  • How to get your baby to sleep later. Try this tip so you aren’t up at the crack of dawn.
  • Feeding babies until one year of age. When do you give solids?
  • How to avoid getting your baby overtired. Overtiredness means they fight naps.
  • How to get good naps with loud older siblings. Sometimes you have to protect the nap.
  • 11 tips to get baby to sleep well for the long run. These include how to change diaper best at night.
  • Swaddling tips (though you’ll wean within this time)
  • 28 things to try if baby won’t sleep. Honestly, they work.

Read: The Dreamfeed: The Why, The How, & When To Stop

Watch my short video on a big reason babies this age are whiny and what to do about it.

The Key to a Good Routine

This may be so simple it goes without saying… but the key to a good routine is keeping the routine.

It can be difficult to remember everything when you’re just starting out, but once you get the hang of it, routine will be second nature. Here are some ways you can learn to keep your routine.

If you feel you’re missing something important, try keeping a daily baby log for a while.

Hang the routine up. 

In my Rhythms, Routines, and Schedules ebook (see more below) I have 25+ sample routine printables from babies age 6 weeks to 5 years.

You can take these printables and hang them in your nursery, on the fridge, or keep them in your planner. Whatever works.

Set alarms.

While you don’t need to live and die by the clock, setting your phone, watch, or a timer will help you keep aware of routine transitions.

We can often get so wrapped up in what we’re doing we forget we’ve let the baby sleep 4 hours. Why is that bad? Because 4 hours is a stretch littles ones should only sleep at night! 

I set alarms on my phone that show on my watch and this works for us.

Practice.

As with anything, if you want something to work then work it. Keep pushing what you’ve decided to do. If it doesn’t work then change it up a bit and keep going.

Move forward. I assure you 100% that a routine will work if you keep at it.

If you’d like to get a copy of the 3 to 6 month routine here, sign up below and get it by email. 

Want Routine Printables to hang up?

If you want routines and schedules for the 3 to 6 month phase, but also for 9 months, 12 months, 18 months, and beyond, and on I’ve got great news for you.

I’ve created a book chock full of routines that work. Routines that keep babies and toddlers well rested, happy, and content.

Routines that account for all the things you need to do and they are mom tested. The best part? The book comes with printable routines (3 choices for each age) that you can hang up and use!

So instead of having to reinvent the wheel every few months, you’ll have tried and true mom tested routines right at your fingertips.

Get your own routine book and printables here!

3 to 6 month sample routine book

This is such a precious age. Baby is still little and tiny but is getting a bit of personality. Is awake more, smiles a lot, and even starts laughing. Enjoy this precious time, mama!

::

I’ve created a free email series just for you! If you struggle with creating an easy flowing routine or rhythm in your home… this is it. I’ve gathered all my easiest routine hacks into one free series and, best of all, you can get a big sneak peak into our book that has over 25+ routines for babies ages 6 weeks to 5 years. This series will help you:

  • find a routine and rhythm for your child
  • learn how to juggle multiple routines (for 2 or 3+ kids)
  • know what is and isn’t working so you can make one tweak that’ll change your day

Click here to sign up for my free email series or simply click on the image below.

Routines Funnel Opt In With Free

Rachel

New to this community? Start here, friend.

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Filed Under: Baby Schedules & Routines, Routines & Schedules36

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Rhythms, Routines & Schedules Book

35+ Printable Routines For Babies Aged 6 Weeks to 5 Years

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Show Me The Routines!

I'm Rachel, mother of 5 young kids living in the Florida panhandle with my Australian husband. I write about family culture, family rhythms and routines, and boundaries in motherhood and life. You can see snippets of my daily life here and visit my shop for baby sleep, organizing, and routine help.

“Inside my brain”

Geeezzz, it was like you were inside my brain today!  (and most days recently)  I needed this badly.

Thank you!!!
Andrea P.

“Nothing was working…”

I just wanted to say thank you for your easy peasy routine for 2 year olds! I day-weaned my 2 year old a month ago and have been trying everything to get him to go down for a nap without the nursing. Nothing was working and I was starting to think he would never have a nap again.

Anyways I started following your routine and we just sat in bed and had what I told him was “quiet time.” We sat and read and made a fort and had warm milk. Then today I told him it was quiet time again and he tried to escape the bed a couple times, but in the end he snuggled up after the warm bottle and fell asleep for 3 hours! I was almost in tears I was so excited! So thank you!

Meghan

“Thanks for your bundle!”

Thanks for for doing this Everyday Mom Super Bundle sale. I’m four months into my parenthood journey with a sweet and spirited boy.

I was feeling overwhelmed and frustrated just yesterday, thinking if only I had the right resources and “trail guides” I could figure this all out. Your sale is serendipitous. I can’t wait to dig into my download materials and start learning from your tips.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

Lauren N.

“It’s a breath of fresh air”

I just wanted to let you know that your blog and emails have been a tremendous help to me. Your practical, honest, and humble writing is a breath of fresh air!

With help and encouragement drawn from your writing, I have made some incredible changes in the order (and sanity) of our home, in just the past few weeks. My kids are doing chores daily, and I also have clearer expectations of myself.

My husband is in awe!

Which helps reinforce what you said- the problem wasn’t me; it was my systems. Our home is in much better order, and so is my mind. So, thank you!!!! You have made a difference for me and my family.

Ann S.

“We are slowly getting back to normal…”

I stumbled upon your blog one morning after praying night after night for God to fix my home! I had just had a baby this May 1st and also have a 2 and 4 year old and my home broke out in complete chaos!

Even my marriage seemed like it was on the brink of extinction and this had happened in 2 weeks! I read numerous amounts of your entries and applied them to my home life and I am happy to say we are slowly getting back to normal. Thank you Rachel! 

Madison S.

“You’ve been a life saver!”

I’m a first time mom to a 15 day old baby girl. I had no idea what I was doing and couldn’t get her to sleep in her crib until I found your blog.

You’ve been a life saver!

Candace R.

“Within a week or two our little girl changed!”

I tumbled into post partum depression/anxiety and didn’t know what to do anymore. I was a mess, baby girl was a mess and I don’t even know how my husband was dealing with it all… 

I googled everything I could think about but there was never really something that felt right, that felt genuine instead of just telling do’s and don’ts. 

And then I found your website and read your pieces about sleeping and eating. I carefully read through your schedules and decided to try it.

IT WORKED!! 

And within a week or two our little girl changed from a frustrated baby into this happy dappy smiling ray of sunshine, that is able to settle herself down by sucking on her fists, even in the middle of the night. At 12 weeks baby girl slept through the night and now at 20 weeks old she sleeps a good 10 to 12 hours every night. 

I just wanted to thank you for sharing your experience online. The way you wrote your experiences made it understandable, seeing it from the babys side but also the moms side. Maybe we were lucky that your way fitted our baby, but it worked and I tell it to everyone that wants to know!

Stephanie P.

“Had tremendous success from Day One!”

I just wanted to thank you for your sample routine.  I’ve been using it for a week with my 13 month old and had tremendous success from day 2! Wind down time is so important and so is consistency.  Thank you so much!!!

Sam M.

“In a few short days…”

I am grateful to have found your blog, as I do a great deal of searching on Pinterest when I am up against a parenting moment that I do not feel qualified to handle.

I will say though that since reading your blog I am really focusing on remembering that every moment is a learning \ experience for my son and I try to take a breath and count to ten. In the few short days that I have been exercising this method I truly have noticed a change for the better in his response to me.

Tami K.

Comments

  1. Eileen says

    If your baby has been sleeping all night wouldn’t her diaper be soaked through at 5 am? I have to change my baby’s diaper twice in the night.

    Reply
    • Rachel Norman says

      If they’re only feeding once or twice a night it doesn’t soak through but I’ll often put a cloth diaper over the diaper. It will be full in the morning for sure! Changing diapers wakes babies fully up so I find putting a diaper or two into a cloth diaper cover means the baby isn’t sitting in pee but isn’t getting woken up over and over for a change.

      Reply
  2. Alyssa says

    With this routine, do you expect your little one to sleep two hours until the next feed? Or do they wake any time before but you keep the feeds consistent? Also my lo is 5.5 months and already been introducing solids. Should I be transitioning over to the 6-9 month routine now or wait until he hits 6 months?

    Reply
    • Rachel Norman says

      Alyssa, when mine does solids I often have to transition to the 6 month routine because he’s so full and will sleep longer. Also, if my little one wakes up early and is not crying or visibly hungry I’ll just wait until the normal agreed upon time.

      Reply
  3. Lisa says

    Hi Rachel,
    How long of nap would you recommend with this schedule?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Rachel Norman says

      Hi Lisa, Anywhere from an hour to 2.5 hours is okay. If baby is taking naps throughout the day it’s more important that he DOES sleep, not so much how long exacty he does it.

      Reply
      • Sonya says

        Hi Rachel,

        My kid seems to only sleep one REM cycle (30-45 minutes) and then wakes up and starts crying. Should I leave him in there to cry it out until it is time to take him out for the next activity?

        Thanks!

  4. Vieve says

    I have a 5 month old and she still wakes to nurse every 2.5 hrs at night. She goes right back to sleep and is sleeping 7:30-7:30, which is amazing. Do you have any tips to help her to make it longer before needing to nurse? Also she now will only nap for 30-45 min during the day, is she getting enough sleep?

    Reply
    • Rachel Norman says

      Vieve, how much does she eat through tehe day? Solids yet? If she’s a hearty nurser and sleeps well and long it’ll likely change when she finally gets a good amount of solids here in the next few weeks/months.

      Reply
  5. Savannah says

    With the 5am feeding do you wake your baby up for this or are they usually waking up around that time to eat anyway? Also, Do you wake your babies up from nap to eat during the day?

    I have a 3 month old who after a dream feed around 10:30-11 will still wake up a few times at night grunty but will go right back to sleep if I give him the paci. Do you recommend letting him grunt/cry it out or continue putting the paci back in until he is old enough to put it back in himself?

    Reply
    • Rachel Norman says

      Savannah, so to answer your questions I will wake baby up at the 5 am sometimes if he doesn’t ‘wake up. If he wakes up, feed him, if he doesn’t wake him up! During the day I DO wake them up to feed because if they sleep longer for naps during the day they’ll sleep less at night. Also, I’ll gvie the pacifier if baby will take it. Sometimes they do this for a week or two, take the pacifier a few times and then gradually stop waking for the pacifier. Maybe instead of 3 feeds at night, you give paci 2 and feed one. If that seems to work for baby that’s fine!

      Reply
      • Emily says

        Dear Rachel, with my first, I could never get him to take 2 hour naps, so I couldn’t quite follow your schedules, but now with my second, she is a great day sleeper. I’ve been following your schedule of 1 hour wake and 2 hour naps and she is now 3.5 months. However, this schedule includes 6.75 hours day sleep and 12 hours night sleep. Do babies truly sleep 18 hours and 45 minutes through 6 months?
        My darling has been starting to wake up more at night and other schedules are showing to cap day sleep at 5-5.5 hours. I am a protector of sleep, though, and my goal is to have her sleep the most that she should be!
        Thanks so much :)

      • Rachel Norman says

        Emily, ,some babies will but many babies will not. If she is sleeping less at night, certainly drop those naps a bit, taper them back for sure :)

  6. Jackie says

    When a baby only sleeps for half an hour naps, what do you recommend? The only way I get him to sleep longer is if he is on my chest. I understand then it should only be at most 2.5hours, but he could go longer because he has barely slept all day. Trying desperately to get him to nap by himself and for longer, and nothing is working. Ive been trying for 2months now, and he is now 4months old.

    Reply
    • Rachel Norman says

      Jackie, if he slept for a morning nap on your chest (for a long one) would he take a longer one in the afternoon? My concern is that if he goes all day with such short naps that he gets super exhausted.

      Reply
  7. Brittany says

    Rachel, this is all so helpful! Did you ever deal with any 4 month sleep regression issues and if so, how did you handle/fix them?

    Reply
    • Rachel Norman says

      Brittany, occasionally I did and I usually just FED THEM FED THEM FED THEM FED THEM. Nursed mostly, a lot and hoped more milk came!

      Reply
  8. Fernanda says

    Thanks for the great advice. I have a 5 and a half month old and I’m having a hard time getting him to sleep. I never knew how to put baby down drowsy but awake. MY 2 kids are either awake or asleep and as soon as I put them in their crib he wakes up and I have to start over again. It sometimes takes me an hour for him to only nap30 minutes. At bedtime I start at 5 w our routine so I can have him in bed by 6 but the putting him down can take uptp an hour of picking up and putting him back down, i usually come back in the room 5 times until he finally stays asleep. Do you recommend CIO sleep training? Please help I’m exhausted 😩

    Reply
    • Rachel Norman says

      Have you taken my free sleep series listed below?

      Reply
  9. Justine says

    Thanks for the advice Rachel. This schedule is exactly what my 3 month old son does naturally when we don’t have any other schedules that interfere with his naps. Last week, on holiday, he took naps like this during the day and then slept through the night as well. It was heaven.

    But now that we are back in the city and my 6 year old needs to be picked up at 4pm each day, baby wakes up early from nap #3 when I transfer him to the carseat and the rest of the day spirals out of control. With the exception of the catnap, baby fusses all evening and needs constant attention. Dinner is delayed and by the time dad gets home (7:45pm), the boys and I are all a complete mess (and so is the kitchen!). My 6yo doesn’t get to sleep until 9pm and tonight baby finally closed his eyes at 10pm! What would you do? I really need some help figuring out this evening routine.

    Reply
    • Rachel Norman says

      Justine, hmmm yes these evening pickups are SO HARD. So if you put baby back down for a catnap when you get home will he take it? I see that it’s dinnertime that’s causing that issue, right? Everything is delayed because you are all hands on deck with baby? Can you wear baby or put him in a swing and let him calm down during that evening time?

      Reply
  10. Hannah says

    How much longer than “scheduled” does it make sense to let a 3 month old nap? Obviously a 4 hour nap would turn things upside down, but would you let her sleep half an hour or an hour past when you plan to feed, or wake her up pretty much at that time if she’s already taken a decent nap?

    Reply
    • Rachel Norman says

      Hannah, I probably wouldn’t go longer than 30 minutes over. The goal is a well rested baby, so if it works then do it! If they nap too long at once it can disturb the othe rnaps resulting in an overtired baby near bedtime. However, nothing is “set in stone” so if baby can do it that’s fine.

      Reply
  11. Martyna says

    Hi Rachel, my son is 3 months old. He has big problems with gas and he usually wakes up during the day after 20minutes of his nap, but that is not what i wanted to write about. I was wondering how to help him sleep throught the night? He goes to sleep around 8pm and then wakes up after 1pm, I feed him and he usually falles back to sleep easily but then he wakes up around 4/5 in the morning and he is fussy and it is harder for me to put him back to sleep…what should i do to help him sleep longer in the night?

    Reply
    • Rachel Norman says

      Martyna, does he take full feeds during the night?

      Reply
  12. Claud says

    Hi Rachel, do you adjust for increased wake times? Or do you continue to feed 3hourly?

    Reply
    • Rachel Norman says

      I pretty much feed 3 hourly until 6 or 7 months then sort of stretch some feeds out. 4 hour schedules didnt’ work for me well until baby was eating a ton of solids. Hope that helps.

      Reply
  13. Clare says

    Hi Rachel,

    First off, your insight is VERY helpful! I’m happy to say my boy follows a pretty solid routine, but with shorter naps (45-1 hr) throughout the day. However, these naps are in my arms…what is the best way to transition to the crib/bassinet for naps durIng the day? I’m afraid if I put him in the bassinet, swaddled, he’ll think it’s bedtime and it will mess up his night – which is going so well right now.

    Also, if I’m planning on going to the gym, should I change the routine so that he stays asleep during the class? Or do I keep the routine as is and hope for the best?

    Thanks in advance!

    Reply
  14. Ephraim says

    Thanks I have find you, I really need help in this area.

    Reply
  15. Meghan says

    Any suggestions for getting back on track with a routine after missing a nap time or getting down for a nap late? For example, if you need to run errands and baby won’t nap while out. Thanks!

    Reply
  16. Jessica Bender says

    I love this post! Very good advice. This may seem silly but can you send me the link to what you use in the sink for bath time. The link took me to the tummy time blanket (which looks neat too). I have a 3 month old and I’ve yet to find something that works for bath time. Thanks!

    Reply
  17. Gwen says

    Many thanks for the advice. My 3 month old is always sleepy after feeding, so it seems counter intuitive to do a eat play sleep schedule, as I would have to wake her up to play and then when she’s awake after playing, I have to make her sleep, could explain why the routine is on a eat play sleep basis?

    She also always cries when we try to get her to sleep and would wake up from naps crying after 10-40 min and would be very difficult to get her to sleep again. Should I make her sleep again, let her out of her cot to play, play with her when she is in her cot or leave her to play by herself in the cot?

    Reply
  18. Ola says

    Hi! Love this schedule, it fits perfectly into our daily routines. I have a 3 month old who has been actively refusing that last catnap. Do you recommend just leaving him in his crib for that time regardless? Or just skipping it altogether? Also, would bedtime then remain the same?

    Reply
  19. Alexa says

    Rachel this has saved my sanity! My 5 month old was getting super cranky and rubbing her eyes but would cry inconsolably when I tried to get her to sleep. I was so confused since she is my first baby. I had no idea that she wasn’t supposed to be up all day or that her being over tired meant she would fight sleep. I’ve been sticking to this routine and this first day I had to lay with her all day to keep her sleeping for two hours at a time but today she is sleeping so much easier! I want to cry im so relieved! Thank you so much!

    Reply
  20. Faina says

    Hey Rachel,

    I love love your schedules. They’ve been helping my almost 5 month old go down for naps beautifully (she still takes about four 45 min to 1 hour naps so far…praying for some sleep consolidation soon:). Anyway, we have been doing 1 hour wake times in between naps which really works ..if I push it off she gets cranky. How do you transition to longer wake times in between naps?

    Reply
  21. Nicole says

    I found your website when I had my first son. I was in amazed by you. 5 children so close in age, you made it seem so easy. I read a good portion of your postings, they helped so much. Fast forward…I now have a 22 month old and a 3 month old and I feel so lost. I don’t understand how you managed with 5 kids.

    Reply

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Hey y'all, I'm Rachel Norman, BA, MS, Language of Listening® parenting coach, mother to 5 babies in 5 years on 3 continents, no multiples. Join me in parenting without losing your mind. Read More >>

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