Realistic Newborn Schedule for the First Month

Jared and I don’t have one spontaneous bone in our body. We are budgeters and planners, so spontaneity doesn’t come to us very often. So, making sure we have a routine and following that routine was essential for survival with our son (a.k.a. Baby Woz). Once Baby Woz arrived, we started following the Moms on Call book, but soon realized that some of the stuff in Moms on Call were unrealistic for us. We ended up switching things around to fit our family lifestyle and after that, we came into a natural routine that was great.

6 am - 7 am

Once Baby Woz was wake and diaper changed, we’d feed him 4oz of breastmilk. After eating, he would be awake for another 30 minutes, but after that, he would go down for a light nap.

9 am

The same cycle as the morning except his nap time is usually closer to 2 hours. But before going down for the nap, we enjoyed playing and having tummy time. Since his naps were closer to two hours, I could run errands with him or get work done around the house. I tried my best to time our outings around his naptime and my pumping schedule.

12 pm

This is the same cycle as earlier. Baby Woz was constantly taking in 4oz of milk each feeding. After his feeding, we tried to get as much tummy time in as Baby Woz would allow when we were playing with him. After playtime, it was another 2-hour long nap.

3 pm

Again, same cycle. Nothing changes. Eat, play, nap.

6 pm

At this point, it’s his last feeding before the bedtime routine at 9 pm. After he has been fed, we put him down for a short nap that lasts no longer than one and a half hours. This is when we can get dinner going and get everything prepared for the bedtime routine.

8:30 pm

We did bath time in our sink with a Blooming Bath Lotus because we never felt like kneeling over a bathtub and breaking our backs.

9 pm

We start his last 4 oz feeding with the lights dimmed down and Baby Woz’s sound machine on. It’s very peaceful yet boring so he doesn’t get overstimulated and can go to sleep quickly. After he was burped, we put him down in the Pack ‘n Play.

12 am

We wake him, change his diaper, and he nurses. After he nurses, I usually have to change his diaper again. Breastmilk sometimes flows straight through newborns. Good thing is, that he usually goes back to sleep pretty easily.

3 am

Once Baby Woz hit 3 weeks old, it was time to introduce the bottle. Now that he would take the bottle and there wasn’t any nipple confusion, Jared started taking over the 3 am feedings so I could sleep. Yay me!

Please note this is just a basic schedule to get you started on a routine. If you need to change it an hour or two, then do what works best for you and your family. Once Baby Woz started getting a little older, we started drawing out the nighttime feedings. By 8 weeks, he was sleeping through the night. I tell you what, I had never been so happy to get a decent night’s sleep.