Congrats! You’re finally out of the newborn stage and hopefully, things are getting a bit easier by now! At this point, you may not have your baby on a set schedule, but you’ve established some daily routines and gotten to know each other pretty well. You’re probably wondering what a 3 month old baby schedule looks like.
Babies changes so much!
It takes some time for every parent to get to know their baby’s feeding pattern. The best way to achieve this is to spend quality time playing, snuggling, and of course, feeding your baby. Spending time with your little one will help you to establish a routine of how your baby will sleep, eat, and play.
Your 3-month-old baby is going through a lot at this age. He will experience a growth spurt, so don’t be surprised if your baby wants to eat more than ever. Some babies start to sleep longer stretches at night.
Some – not all!
Let’s look at everything you need to know about a 3 month old baby schedule.
How Much Sleep Does a 3 Month Old Baby Need?
There are significant differences between the sleep habits of a newborn and your now-3 month old.
At three months old, babies need around 11-12 hours of sleep per night and three to four hours of sleep throughout the day. Your goal is for your baby to get 14 to 16 hours of total sleep in in a 24-hour period.
Babies start to regulate their sleep a bit more at this stage.
This is the point when most babies are capable of dropping their late-evening feeding and begin sleeping 10-12 hours at night. Although sleeping that long of a stretch sounds like a dream, it’s definitely not true for all babies, however, it is possible!
Don’t worry if your baby is still waking up every two to three hours at night. This is quite normal!
This 10-12 hours of sleep may be interrupted by 1-2 feedings for some infants, while some may be able to stretch their sleep through that whole period.
Unfortunately, a lot of your sleep wins around this age go out the window when your baby turns four months. The 4 month old sleep regression is the most well-known and documented out of all the sleep regressions, so there is a good chance your baby will struggle slightly. Don’t worry; it doesn’t last forever.
Related: The Two-Year-Old Sleep Regression: What Causes It and How To Fix It
How Many Daytime Naps for a 3 Month Old?
Most three-month-old babies take between four to five naps per day. The length of these naps varies from quick, 30-minute short naps to long two-hour stretches.
Baby’s awake times are also significantly longer now (1-2 hours) so be sure to fill this time with tummy time and other stimulating activities for your baby. Make use of these wake windows by engaging your baby regularly, but don’t overstimulate too much!
Parents need to pay attention to their baby’s sleep cues and soothe them as soon as they indicate that they’re tired. The last thing you want is a baby that is overstimulated all day and missing nap time.
That’s how you get into a bad sleep cycle.
Related Post: Top Must-Have Baby Toys for Development and Stimulation
Examples of a 3 Month Old Baby Schedule
Keep in mind that breastfeed babies need to eat more than formula-fed babies, so they often continue to wake up every three hours.
Here is an example of a 3 month old baby schedule.
- 7 AM: Wake up
- 9 AM: Nap for 1.5 Hour
- 12 PM: Nap for 1.5 Hour
- 3 PM: Nap for 1.5-2 Hour
- 6 PM: Nap for 1-1.5 Hour
- 8-8:30: Bedtime
- 11 PM: Wake to Feed
- 3 AM: Wake to Feed
- 5 AM: Wake to Feed
This is just one example. Remember, babies at this age stay awake for 1.5 to 2 hours, at most, so keep this in mind when creating a schedule for your baby.
Create a Bedtime Routine
If you haven’t yet, add a bedtime routine to your 3 month old baby schedule. A bedtime routine is an early precursor to sleep training without any tears. Your baby’s body will start to recognize the cues that it’s time to go to sleep.
Don’t make the bedtime routine complicated!
I always picked simple routines like bath time, pajamas, diaper change, a night feed, and a book. Make it simple so you can complete it quickly on those busy nights, but once you start a routine, you want to stick to it as much as possible!
FAQs about a 3 Month Old Baby Schedule for Sleeping
What Time Should A 3 Month Old Baby Go To Bed?
Around three months of age, we start to see a shift towards an earlier bedtime. Your newborn baby might have stayed up late with you, but as your baby gets older, they start to want to go down for the night earlier.
Plan for 12-14 hours of nighttime sleep, and in general, you shouldn’t put your baby down earlier than 6:00 PM. The ideal bedtime for a 3 month old baby is between 6:00 to 8:00 PM.
How Long Should My 3-Month-Old Be Awake?
The ideal wake window for a three month old infant is 60 to 120 minutes. So, that means they may go down for another nap only one hour after they woke up! However, you’ll also notice longer wake windows for your infant at this time.
The longer wake times mean your baby has more play time available throughout the day! Make sure you don’t do too much, leading to an overtired baby.
Can a 3-Month-Old Baby Sleep Through the Night?
There’s a lot of focus on sleeping through the night; parents want to sleep!
However, it’s also easy to start to stress out if your baby isn’t making that milestone when your friends’ babies are.
A recent study by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that up to 57% of six-month-old and 12-month-old infants didn’t sleep through the night.
So if your three-month-old isn’t sleeping long stretches, you’re in good company – like half of the parents in the United States. Don’t stress; your baby will sleep more when he’s ready for that.
Feeding Your 3 Month Old Baby
When it comes to feeding your 3-month old baby, you’ll notice that he or she will be consuming a lot more in one session compared to the first time you brought him or her home. As your baby grows, their appetite will increase as well.
You may also realize that your 3-month old baby can feed more frequently during the daytime, which results in minimizing night feeds.
When they drop their late evening feeding, their feed-wake-sleep cycles are reduced to six. Try to keep the first-morning feeding at the same time and the last evening feeding will come around 10-12 hours before that first-morning feeding.
When you are creating a 3-month-old feeding schedule for a breastfed baby, you should be aware that:
- A breastfed baby will typically eat every two to three hours at this age; some might eat every four hours but that’s not common.
- Formula fed babies need 2 1/2 ounces formula for each pound of weight (approx. 20-30 ounces)
Typically, a breastfed baby will feed 7 to 9 times in 24 hours, and a formula-fed baby will eat 5 to 7 times per day.
A 3-month old baby is too young for solid food, so their primary source of nutrition will continue to be from breastmilk or formula at this point. There are myths circulating that solid food will help your baby sleep young, but don’t believe that. A 3-month-old baby will not gain any nutrition from solids, and it will not help them sleep any better.
Water is also not a significant source of nutrition and should not be given until your baby is eating solids.
I’d suggest that you try to always start and end your day with a feeding at the same time. You can then fit the remaining 4 feedings in between those in any schedule that you wish, not exceeding 3.5 hours between feedings.
Keep in mind that they’ll only be able to stay awake for about 1 to 2 hours before they need to sleep again. They may take up to 5 naps or three longer naps throughout the day in between these feedings.
Feeding Your Three-Month-Old Breastfed Baby
Breast milk is very easy to digest which gives your baby the need to feed more frequently. As mentioned above, a 3-month-old baby will feed every 2.5 to 3 hours, which results in about six or more times per day.
In fact, it’s not abnormal for three-month-old babies to nurse every two hours. Several of my babies nursed every two hours for over four months.
Your baby may not be feeding as long on the breast during each nursing session, and that is fine. They are getting more efficient at suckling, and it takes them much less time to consume more than they did before.
A healthy breastfed baby will show signs like a big suck and swallow at the breast. If your baby is producing a sufficient amount of wet and dirty diapers and having a typical amount of weight gain, that’s the best indicator that they are eating enough.
If you’re unable to breastfeed or choose not to, there are a lot of solutions besides just formula.
Example of a Three-Month-Old Feeding Schedule for a Breastfed Baby
It’s impossible to take a schedule off the internet, especially for a breastfed baby, and implement it. Some babies feed more often than others.
Remember, breastfed babies will feed every two to three hours at three months old.
Here are some sample schedules of what your 3-month-old feeding schedule might look like.
1. Early Morning: 6:30-7:00 a.m.
- Feeding
- Waketime: 50-90 minutes
- Down for a morning nap
2. Mid-Morning: 9-9:30 AM
- Feeding
- Waketime: 50-90 minutes
- Down for a nap
3. Early Afternoon: 11:30-12
- Feeding
- Waketime: 50-90 minutes
- Down for a nap
4. Mid-Afternoon: 2-2:30 PM
- Feeding
- Waketime: 50-90 minutes
- Down for a nap
5. Early Evening: 4:30-5 PM
- Feeding
- Waketime: 50-90 minutes
- Down for a cat nap
6. Late Evening: 7-730 PM
- Feeding
- Waketime: 50-90 minutes
- Down for a nap
7. Bedtime: 9:30 p.m.
- Feeding
- Down for the night
Personalize the times to fit you and your baby’s needs.
Chances are your baby may continue to need a dream feed late at night before you head to bed and will still be waking in the middle of the night to feed as well, resulting in more feedings and milk consumption.
If your baby wakes to feed in the middle of the night, don’t take away a feeding during the day. You should still keep the daytime routine and schedule as consistent as possible.
Each baby is different and only you as the parent will understand your baby better than anyone.
Feeding Your Formula-Fed Breastfed Baby
It is much easier to tell how much milk your baby is consuming from a bottle rather than from the breast.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), a 3-month-old should take about 2 1/2 ounces of formula for each pound of weight (approx. 20-30 ounces) throughout the entire day.
However, that will vary based on how much your baby weighs!
This will be split up into around 5 feedings a day (every 4 hours), averaging anywhere from 4-6 ounces per feeding. Infants tend to consume more formula during each feeding and throughout the day because it takes a longer time to digest.
3 Month Old Feeding Schedule for Formula-Fed Babies
Wake and Feed: 7-7:30 AM
- Feeding
- Waketime: 50-90 minutes
- Down for a nap
2. Mid-morning: 9:30 a.m.
- Feeding
- Waketime: 50-90 minutes
- Down for a nap
3. Noontime: 12:30 p.m.
- Feeding
- Waketime: 50-90 minutes
- Down for a nap
4. Mid-afternoon: 3:30 p.m.
- Feeding
- Waketime: 50-90 minutes
- Down for a nap
5. Late Afternoon: 5:30-6:00 p.m.
- Feeding
- Waketime: 50-90 minutes
- Down for the last nap.
6. Evening: 8:30-9:00 p.m.
- Feeding
- Down for the night
Understand that just because your baby is formula-fed doesn’t mean night feedings aren’t still a thing. At three months old, it’s not unusual for babies to need one to two night feedings.
If you should have any concerns in regard to your baby’s intake or whether your baby is feeding effectively, the best indication is the amount of wet and dirty diapers. On average, a 3 month old baby should have a wet or dirty diaper at least 4 or 5 times a day.
Another good indication that your baby feeds appropriately is steady weight gain following along with their own individual growth chart.
I hope you can use this sample 3 month old feeding schedule to give your baby a consistent daily routine. Remember – your 3 month old baby schedule won’t look exactly like these sample schedules, and that’s okay!
For more helpful tips, check out 8 Rules You Must Follow for the Best Newborn Sleep
