The Best 8 Month Old Baby Schedule

Wondering what the best daily routine for an 8 month old baby is?

This simple 8 month old baby schedule worked perfectly for both of my kids. It’s flexible so that you can alter timings to fit around your own wake-up times and doesn’t micromanage your whole day down to every minute.

It features space so that you can get out of the house and meet friends or take baby to a group and the best feeding schedule for an 8 month old so you can fit breast or bottle-feeds around their solids.

So much happens during the first year with your baby – first they are sleep very frequently and this gradually settles down to three then two naps a day, then they have sold foods added to their feeding schedule. It means there’s a lot of change going on to your routine with your baby!

As you wean your baby you will move from one meal a day to three meals per day, dropping milk feeds as you go.

It can be confusing figuring out exactly when your baby is ready to drop bottle or breastfeeds, so this schedule for your 8 month old should offer some answers.

But remember this is a sample schedule, and every baby is different! If your baby is not eating much in the way of solids at each meal time do not panic! Be persistent, even when you feel like giving up, and eventually it will just click.

There’s a printable version of the 8 month old sample schedule for you to download and keep at the end of this post.

You may also like: Weaning baby routine at 7 months

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The best 8 month old baby routine

This is a sample routine for your 8 month old baby. It is for a baby on three meals a day and three to four bottles or breastfeeds.

Your eight month old may still be on four breastfeeds or bottles and two meals a day. Start to gradually reduce the amount of milk they get at the lunchtime milk feed and use that as a way to up their intake of solid foods.

They are much more likely to be receptive to trying the solids if they have an appetite.

Time	What’s baby doing?
7am	Wake-up and feed (milk)
8am	Breakfast (solids)
9am	Nap
10am	Play (possible milk feed)
11.30am	Lunch (solids)
Midday	Play
1.30pm	Nap
3.30pm	Wake-up and feed (milk)
5pm	Dinner (solids)
6.30pm	Bath
6.45pm	Milk and bedtime story
7pm	Bed

8 month old sleep schedule

At 8 months your baby will be on two to three naps per day:

A short nap in the morning of around 45 minutes to one hour.
A longer nap after lunch of around two hours.
Potentially a short cat nap in the late afternoon of 30 to 45 minutes (some babies do not need this).

They will need a total of 12 to 16 hours of sleep every day.

Some babies may be sleeping through the night at this stage, without any night wakings between 7pm and 7am.

However this is not all babies, and if your baby is waking in the middle of the night, or wakes super early in the morning (hello 5am!) then don’t worry. This is of course tiring for you, but it is not abnormal.

The Sleep Foundation found 38% of 6 months olds do not sleep through the night, but this number drops to less than 28% by 12 months.

If you want tips for improving your baby’s sleep you can check out this post here.

How long should an 8 month old baby sleep?

Your 8 month old should sleep for between 45 minutes to two hours during nap time.

This length of nap should be enough to restore their energy levels and mean they are not grumpy and overtired at bedtime.

Longer naps could potentially have a knock on impact when it comes to settling baby in the evening. So if you’re having trouble getting your baby down to sleep at bedtime then time their daytime naps to see if those are a little too long.

8 month old feeding schedule

At 8 months your baby will be having a mixture of breast milk or formula milk and solid meals.

By the time your baby is age one they will hopefully be on three solid meals a day and have cut their milk back to two or three feeds per day.

So at eight months some babies may already be well on their way to this stage, while others may just be on one solid meal per day.

Remember that every baby is different and if yours is struggling with this transition, that’s OK. Keep offering solid foods at meal times and eventually things will click.

Tips for baby’s mealtime

Try these tips for making your baby’s meal times a little easier.

Limit the distractions

Make it easier for baby to focus on eating by sitting them up at the table or in a high chair for meal times. Have the TV off and try to engage with them as they eat so you can keep them focused on their meal.

Eat together

Baby see, baby do. Your baby loves copying what you do. If you time your meals together and eat the same thing you may find they are much more enthusiastic about eating.

If your baby loves picking food off of your plate, then let them. By making eating fun you can encourage them to try a range of different foods.

Give baby a cup with water

Get your baby used to drinking from a free flowing cup by giving one to them at every meal time. Stick to water, not juice or squash.

The Munchkin Miracle cups are my favourites and have lasted us years!

Talk to your little one while they are eating

Make the process of eating food exciting and positive for your baby. Tell them what they’re eating and praise them as they eat.

Try new foods

Variety is really important at this age so offer a whole range of different tastes and textures to your babies.

Work your way through different vegetables and fruits. If your baby has been having purees then try meals with a less smooth texture so they get used to this.

At 8 months your baby may be getting really good at feeding themselves, either with a spoon or with their hands, so give them different foods that help them to practice and get new flavours. Think spaghetti, shepherd’s pie and fingers of toast.

Don’t panic about grazing

If your baby is just picking at food and not eating much then do not worry.

Appetites fluctuate in humans of all ages. Simply offer them the food you have chosen to prepare that day and if they hardly tough a bite, move on.

Remember this phrase

Repeat the mantra:

Food is for fun until they are one.

This phase is about helping baby to discover new textures and tastes, how to eat and how to feed themselves. See it as a transition from getting most of their calories from milk to getting most calories from food, and that transition doesn’t happen overnight!

How much solids should an 8 month old have?

Your 8 month old may eat a few tablespoons of food at each meal, but it’s really important to note there is no official portion size guide from the NHS for babies under one.

Every baby is different. Some may go through a very fussy phase where they decline any food you give them. Other babies might eat a lot more than four to six tablespoons of food at a meal.

Try these tips if you’re unsure about how much food your baby actually needs:

Watch your baby for cues when they are feeding.
If they seem less enthusiastic about their food they may be getting full.
Check your baby’s weight regularly (your health visitor can do this for you) so you know they are getting enough calories.
Keep a track of wet and dirty nappies.
Don’t panic if your baby eats less one day than normal. If they seem otherwise well, they may just be having a low appetite day.

If you are concerned about your baby not taking much solids then take a look at how much milk they are having. If they’re having a lunchtime bottle maybe consider dropping this to encourage them to eat more solids.

The 8 month old baby routine in this post will help if this is an issue because it separates the milk feeds from solid feeds so that baby has a chance to build an appetite for their meals.

Schedule for 8 month old breastfed baby

An 8 month old breastfed baby will follow the same basic routine as a bottle-fed baby.

If you are feeding your baby on demand then breastfeeds may take place at difference points through the day. However you can also follow the routine outlined here when breastfeeding your baby, you can follow the same timings as with bottlefeeding.

Try to limit breastfeeds around meal times so that your baby has an appetite when they sit down to eat solids. This is why it’s really useful to have a feeding routine when weaning your baby, so that they have an appetite when it comes to trying solids.