Your 10-month-old baby’s routine will be vastly different to the days of constant night feeds and frequent naps.
By now your baby may be enjoying three meals a day, napping less and spending lots of time in the day exploring new things (and getting into a bit of mischief while they’re at it).
Baby’s daily schedule at 10 months
- 3-4 milk feeds per day
- Wake window – 1.5 to 3 hours
- Hopefully sleeping 12 hours at night but may still wake once
- 3 naps per day
- Nap length 30 mins to 3 hours
I remember this age being particularly chilled out for me with my kids, because by this stage they were eating quite a variety of solid food – pretty much the same as what we were having but mashed up.
Their routine was also a LOT more predictable by 10 months, which if you’re anything like me and enjoy knowing what comes next is a big bonus.
By this age I also found there was a lot less crying – apart from when a tooth was preparing to pop through – and I felt way more confident as a parent which helps massively.
We’re going to look at the key elements of your 10 month old baby’s routine and share a great sample routine you can follow for yourself.
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10-month-old baby sample routine
This sample routine is what worked for both of my kids. It follows the principle of the EASY routine, where you follow a rhythm through the day of eat, activity, sleep. At 10 months this rhythm alters a little thanks to the introduction of solid foods, but the principle is still the same.
| Time | What’s baby doing… |
|---|---|
| 7am | Wake-up and feed (milk) |
| 8am | Breakfast (solids) and play |
| 9.30am | Nap |
| 10.30am | Wake-up, milk feed and play |
| 12midday | Lunch (solids) |
| 1pm | Nap |
| 3.30pm | Wake-up and play (possible snack or milk feed) |
| 5pm | Dinner |
| 6.30pm | Bath |
| 7pm | Milk feed, bedtime story and bed |
| Night | Baby could still wake at night for milk/comfort |
How much should a 10 month old sleep?
Your 10 month will probably sleep between 12 and 16 hours in total over a 24 hour period. This will break down into around 10 to 12 hours at night and two to four hours in the day.
Their total nap length may vary. My kids slept for around 30 minutes to one hour in their morning nap and then around two hours for their afternoon nap.
Avoid comparing your 10 month old to the sleep habits of their playmates, however, as every baby is different.
How long should a 10-month-old be awake between naps?
A 10 month old baby can stay awake between 1.5 hours to 3 hours between naps. However they are likely to be able to stay awake much longer between their final nap of the day and bedtime.
So by this stage most babies have ditched that late afternoon catnap that some need to get them through to bedtime without becoming overtired.
Every baby is different, and babies may be more tired on some days than on others, so it’s important to be led by your little one’s own sleep cues. Look out for signs such as:
- Rubbing eyes
- Disengaging from play
- Becoming fussy
- Staring off into space
- Crying
To identify how long your baby can cope with being awake between naps then check out this article about baby wake windows.
How many naps does a 10-month-old need?
A 10 month old baby will need two naps, with one nap taking place in the morning and the other just after lunchtime. They could be beginning to show signs of dropping their morning nap.
Babies generally do not drop the morning nap until after 12 months, but some babies may already have dropped the first nap of the day at this stage.
You may also find that your baby is beginning to show the signs of wanting to drop one of their naps at this stage, but they’re not quite there yet.
Be guided by your baby’s own signals. Even if they fight sleep on some days, you may still find them displaying signs of tiredness on the next day so dropping that nap could be a gradual process.
What time should a 10 month old go to bed?
I put my babies to bed between 7pm and 7.30pm at this stage and they slept for 11 to 12 hours.
However if you want your baby to wake up earlier, or later, than this in the morning then you need to calculate their bedtime based on that.
How many milk feeds for a baby at 10 months?
Your baby at 10 months may be having three to four milk feeds per day, as they will still be getting most of their calories from formula or breast milk.
Babies of this age will have around 600ml (17 to 20oz) of milk per day. This is obviously difficult to measure when breastfeeding, but you’ll know your baby is getting enough fluids and calories if they are growing well and producing wet and dirty nappies regularly.
By 12 months your baby would possibly be down to just two milk feeds per day, but this is not a hard and fast rule.
How much solid food should a 10 month old baby eat?
By 10 months most babies are getting into the swing of sold foods and are enjoying, most of, what you are putting in front of them to eat.
But it may still be hit and miss at 10 months so please do not panic if your baby is only having a few bites of food at some meals.
The important thing at this stage is to be offering solid food at every meal time.
If you find your baby is not interested in their solid food then you may wish to consider reducing the size of their daytime milk feeds.
If you are offering milk shortly before their meal time you may also want to try giving the milk afterwards instead, so that your baby has a healthy appetite when they come to try solid food.
There are a few other ways you can encourage your baby with trying solid food:
Eat with them. Sitting down together and eating the same, or similar foods, has an amazing effect at getting babies to try new things. They see you do it, and they want to do it too.
- Allow them to try food off your plate.
- Try baby-led weaning. If you have been spoon feeding purees and mashed up food until now then consider introducing some more finger foods, as they may well find these more interesting. Cooked carrot sticks, chunks of soft fruit such as banana and mango, and cooked pasta such as penne are great for this.
- Offer food when they’re happy. Choosing the right time of day to offer your baby solid foods can be key. If they’re too tired then they might be grumpy and not particularly interested in eating.
Should a 10 month old sleep through the night?
If your baby is still waking up one or more times a night then this question is likely top of your list.
It is totally normal for a baby of 10 months to still be waking in the night, and sometimes need a little comfort to get back to sleep.
According to the Sleep Foundation one study found 38% of babies were not sleeping through the night by six months and this dropped to 28% by 12 months. So as you can see there are still some babies waking in the night – and even a baby who sleeps well may have the occasional night where they are unsettled due to teething or sleep regressions.
If your baby is feeding well during the day and gaining weight then you could consider night weaning – or cutting out night milk feeds. If they do wake you could offer water as a drink instead before settling them back to bed.
I had success with this method, and it took less than a week for my baby to realise she wouldn’t get milk in the middle of the night and instead she settled herself back to sleep.
Any change in routine can be tricky to introduce for a few days, so comfort your baby as much as they need but stay firm with what you are doing otherwise.
One thing that can help massively to get your baby to sleep through the night is helping them learn to fall asleep by themselves. This doesn’t mean leaving them to cry – which can be traumatic for you!
Things you can try include:
- Introducing a bedtime routine. This signals to your baby it’s time for sleep, is a huge help. Keep lights down low and keep your voice soft and quiet. Read them a story and tuck them into bed then leave them to fall asleep by themselves.
- Comfort your baby but let them fall asleep in their bed. If they cry you go back in and comfort them, then settle them down to sleep again before leaving.
- Accept it might take a while. It can take a while and lots of repetition but they will get there eventually.
I think what’s really key with a baby of any age is to not have unrealistic expectations of their sleep. Some will naturally be sleeping through the night by 10 months and others may still wake and need comforting before they go back to sleep. That’s totally fine!
Some babies may wake a couple of hours too early wanting a milk feed, say at 5am. If your baby is doing this then consider pushing back their bedtime a little.
You could also try recording how much sleep they are getting in the day and consider whether they’re getting too much or too little sleep. It can be a tricky balancing act here, but a super long nap of four hours in the afternoon could be knocking on to their nighttime sleep. On the flip side of that a nap of 30 minutes in the afternoon might not be quite enough and your baby could be overtired, which can also cause disturbed nighttime sleep.
A blackout blind in their bedroom to stop the sun from lighting up their room first thing in the morning can also be a big help.
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You can download a copy of this routine right here:
Final thoughts
I hope this sample schedule has helped you get to grips with your 10 month old’s daily routine.
Remember that some days you may feel like your routine has totally fallen apart and that’s absolutely fine. Tomorrow is always another day.
