Whether you love a solid schedule or prefer to just go where the wind takes you, checking out a sample routine for your baby can be useful.
Even if you don’t plan to follow timings to the second – or want to adjust things a little to suit your own life – having a framework is a great starting point.
Once your baby reaches 11 months then your daily schedule is something you’ve probably found your stride with.
For me this was the time where we were over the worst of the fussy eating stages, and both babies were mainly on solid foods, not milk, at this point.
The challenges at 11 months are knowing when to drop milk feeds – if your baby is still having three or more feeds per day – and if your baby isn’t sleeping through just yet you’re probably exhausted!
I had one baby who slept through at around 8 weeks and another baby who slept through at around 14 months old. So at this stage I was definitely thinking about how I could convince my daughter to sleep a little better at night, or at least learn how to settle herself back to sleep.
You may also like: Best routine for a one year old baby
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11-month-old baby sleep schedule
This is the routine I used with both of my kids. You may wish to adjust timings depending on what time of day your baby wakes up and their own wake window.
| Time | What’s baby doing |
|---|---|
| 7am | Wake-up and feed (milk) |
| 8am | Breakfast (solids) then play |
| 9.30am | Nap |
| 10.30am | Wake, milk feed, snack and play |
| 12midday | Lunch (solids) |
| 1pm | Nap |
| 3.30pm | Wake-up and play |
| 5pm | Dinner (solids) |
| 6.45pm | Bath |
| 7pm | Milk feed and bedtime story |
| 7.15pm | Bed |
| Night | Baby may still wake at night for a milk feed |
Some important notes to consider with this daily schedule:
- Remember that every baby is different and the idea behind sharing this schedule is to help you find a framework that you can use to fit your baby’s own little routine into.
- If your baby needs an extra short cat nap at 4pm then this is not the wrong thing to do, you do what’s right for your little one!
- Some parents prefer to put their baby to bed later, say at 8pm, and then get them up at 8am. It really depends on what your own family’s preferences are.
- Keep an eye on your baby’s eating and sleep cues, as this will tell you whether your routine is working for them.
How much sleep does an 11 month old need?
At 11 months old your baby will be taking two naps a day and sleeping a total of 13.5 to 14 hours in a 24 hour period.
My own kids were sleeping for around an hour in the morning and then 90 minutes to two hours in the afternoon at this age.
You may be wondering if 11 month olds typically sleep through the night. If your baby is still waking a few times a night it’s understandable you’re feeling a little exhausted.
One study has found that as many as 57% of infants aged 6 to 12 months did not sleep through the night. So you’re not alone and it really is not abnormal for your baby to still be waking.
If you do want to start gentle sleep training at this stage you can give it a try. Dropping night feeds can help, although it’s a good idea to be sure your baby is getting enough calories in the day before you do so.
It can also be worth taking stock of how much daytime sleep your baby is having, as this can impact their nighttime sleep. If they are sleeping too much in the day this may make it harder for them to settle at night.
Baby’s daily schedule at 11 months
Here are the key stats to know when adjusting baby’s sleep schedule at 11 months:
- Number of daytime naps – 2
- Wake window – 3 to 3.5 hours
- Nap length – 1 to 2.5 hours
- Nighttime sleep – 10 to 12 hours
- Milk feeds – 3
- Solid meals – 3
- Amount eaten per meal – 8 to 12 tablespoons
You can use this information to adjust the above sample routine to fit in with your own timings that work for you and your baby.
How many naps for an 11 month old?
Your 11 month old will probably be having two naps a day – one in the morning and one in the early afternoon.
Many babies will have their longer nap in the afternoon, while the morning nap will be around 40 minutes to one hour.
Most babies drop to one nap between 14 and 18 months, according to Healthline.
At this age your baby will be managing to stay awake for longer, with their longest awake time likely to be between the end of their afternoon nap and bedtiime. This could be around four hours.
You can figure out your baby’s wake window time by keeping a close eye on them for tired signals. Measure the length of time it takes for your baby to start showing signs of sleepiness since they last woke up.
The aim is to get your baby down for a nap just as they are about to start getting tired, so that they are less likely to fight sleep but also won’t be overtired and cranky.
How much milk for an 11 month old?
At 11 months your baby may be having around three to four milk feeds per day – with each one being between six and eight ounces of breast milk or formula milk.
If your baby is now down to two milk feeds a day – or is not having much milk when offered some – then you may want to add simple snacks in the morning and afternoon to their routine. This could include small breadsticks, fruit, fingers of toast or cheese.
How many solid meals per day for an 11 month old?
By this stage you should have your baby on three meals a day – breakfast, lunch and dinner.
If you’re not quite there yet then aim to get there by the end of the month, as it’s important your baby is getting most calories from solid foods by the time they are age one.
In order to encourage your baby to eat well at lunch and dinner it can be a good idea to offer milk feeds after those meals, so that your baby has a good appetite when they sit down to eat.
This is particularly important when it comes to trying new foods, or foods that your baby isn’t particularly sure of. If they have an appetite they will be much more willing to try new things.
How much solid food should an 11 month old eat?
As an example of how much solid foods your baby should eat at 11 months, your baby may have around 12 tablespoons of cereals with fruit in the morning, a small snack, eight tablespoons of lunch (for example a scrambled egg with toast) and then 12 tablespoons at dinner. Their dinner may be chicken casserole with broccoli and mash for example.
All babies will have varying appetites, and your baby may have days when they are far hungrier compared to their average day. Follow your baby’s cues and try not to worry if one day they don’t eat as much as usual. It’s really about what they eat over the course of the entire day.
As long as your baby is still growing well on the same growth centile as they tracked previously then you know they are getting enough food.
At mealtimes offer your baby a small cup of water too. If you’re brave you can use an open cup, however I always liked the spill-free cups from Munchkin.
How to juggle milk and solid meals
It can feel like you’re juggling a lot between milk feeds and solid meals at this stage. The goal is to get your baby down to two milk feeds – one in the morning and the other just before bedtime – at 12 months.
This is not a hard and fast rule, but you’ll want your baby to be getting the majority of their calories from solid foods from 12 months, according to NHS advice.
The NHS says that from 12 months your baby should be eating three meals a day – containing a variety of foods including protein, starchy foods and fruit and veg – plus two healthy snacks such as yoghurt or fruit.
From 12 months your baby can also switch to whole milk – although if you want to continue breastfeeding of course you can for as long as you choose to do so.
So it’s worth considering those recommendations for your baby’s diet at 12 months when you’re organising your baby’s meals at 11 months old. This way you can start to plan ahead and gradually drop some bottles if your baby is still having three or more bottles around their main meals.
11 month old feeding schedule
Putting all of this together this should give you an idea of the amount your baby needs to eat per day:
- Three to four breastfeeds or roughly 24 ounces of formula (or a combination if you are mixed feeding)
- 10-12 tablespoons cereal/porridge and fruit for breakfast
- Small mid-morning snack – half a slice of bread or one small yoghurt
- 12 tablespoons for lunch – for example scrambled egg with half slice of toast
- Small mid-afternoon snack – banana or 2 tablespoons diced mango
- 12-16 tablespoons for dinner – for example 2 tablespoons chicken, 6 tablespoons vegetables, 4 tablespoons mashed potato or pasta
Remember that all babies are different. The important focus is on a balanced diet, where your baby is eating plenty of fruit and veg, protein such as meat and cheese and starchy foods like pasta and rice.
When it comes to measuring out your baby’s portion sizes you may find it useful, if you are making your own homemade baby food, to use baby weaning freezer storage trays. I really loved using these when I was weaning my kids!
I would batch make things like spaghetti bolognese or chicken casserole, then freeze in the tray. Each section of the tray is one portion, so when you want to feed your baby simply pop out a portion, defrost, reheat and feed to your baby.
This baby weaning freezer tray is great.
Breast milk or formula milk continues to be the most important food for nutrition at this stage, and will be until your baby turns one.
What to feed your 11 month old
Your baby at 11 months will be able to eat a big range of foods. By this point you may still be mashing and chopping up foods so that they are manageable for your baby, but you will have moved on from the purees you started with at 6 months.
At this point your baby may be eating broadly similar meals to the rest of the family – cereals in the mornings, a sandwich at lunch and meat with vegetables for dinner.
You may like to check out my post on homemade baby food for inspiration for what to cook for your baby, plus this post with toddler dinner ideas – your baby is not a toddler yet but many of these recipes work great for the whole family including babies.
Some meal ideas for your 11 month old include:
- Spaghetti bolognese
- Roast chicken, mashed potato and carrots
- Pancakes with fruit such as grapes
- Mild chicken curry
- Chicken fajitas
- Cauliflower cheese with pasta
- Lamb hotpot
- Tortilla pizza
- Chicken nuggets
Final thoughts on your baby’s routine at 11 months
I hope this sample routine has given you some ideas for your own daily feeding and sleeping schedule with your baby at 11 months.
Baby routines change a lot during the first year so it’s important to balance the need for a bit of structure with flexibility so that your schedule changes with your baby’s development.
Want a printable copy of the schedule? You can download a copy of the routine and print to keep it handy.
