Babies are a huge responsibility. Maintaining a balance between your baby’s routine and your own routine is very important for both you and your baby. Though, each baby has her own pattern of eating, sleeping and playing, still it is good to gain extra knowledge from the experience of other parents. Read on to learn what your 3-4 month old baby needs and try to work out your own schedule for you baby by referring to the sample schedules listed in the article.
What Does a 3-4 Month Old Baby Need?
While you are creating a schedule for your baby, the following things should be kept in mind:
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What your baby needs |
Description |
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Feeding requirements |
3-4 month old babies need around 6 to 7 ounces of breast milk or formula milk per feeding; however, the amount should be limited to 32 ounces in duration of 24 hours. Some parents start giving their babies solid foods such as rice cereal when their baby turns 4 month. |
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Sleeping requirements |
Babies at this stage require about 15 hours of sleep during a 24 hour period including nighttime sleep and naps. Typically babies in this age group naps three times (morning, afternoon and evening) in a day. |
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Physical development |
Your baby will need time for playing and interacting with you. She will develop important muscles and work on new skills. You can read to your baby, give her a massage and bath and go for stroller walk. |
3-4 Month Old Baby Schedule
Below are some examples of 3 month old baby schedule as well 4 month old baby schedule.
Sample Schedule 1: Parent-led Schedule
Note: This is a schedule of a stay-at-home breastfeeding mother of a 4 month old baby
5 a.m.: Baby wakes up, and diaper is changed. He is nursed and falls asleep again
7 a.m.: Wakes up, nurses and falls asleep again
9 a.m.: Wakes up, is bathed, diaper is changed and dressed
11 a.m.: Baby is nursed, sits in his bouncer and after some time diaper is changed
Noon: Tummy time and play time
1 p.m.: Diaper is changed and baby takes a nap
2 p.m.: Baby wakes up and is nursed
3 p.m.: Baby sits on mother’s lap while she watches TV or surf net and then his diaper is changed
4 p.m.: Father plays with baby
5 p.m.: Baby is nursed and takes a nap
6 p.m.: Diaper is changed and the baby sits in his swing
6:30 p.m.: Playtime
7 p.m.: Baby is nursed
7:30 p.m.: Tummy time
8 p.m.: Diaper is changed and baby is made to wear pajamas
8:30 p.m.: Baby sits in the seat of his bouncer
9 p.m.: Baby is nursed
10 p.m.: Diaper is changed and baby goes to sleep
Sample Schedule 2: Baby-led and Parent-led Routine Combined
Note: This is a schedule of a working mother of a formula-feeding 4 month old baby
5:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m.: Baby wakes up, is fed an ounce of formula milk with a bottle. Some tummy time and plays with mother while she gets ready for work
6:30 a.m.: Left a daycare where he eats, have tummy time, naps and plays with other babies present there throughout the day
4:30 p.m.: Baby is picked up from daycare
4:30 to 5:30 p.m.: Baby eats, and plays. Sits in his activity saucer, and has tummy time
5:30 to 6:30 p.m.: Bath time. Plays after bath
6:30 to 7:30 p.m.: Mother and father reads to the baby and talk to him. Baby eats
7:30 to 8 p.m.: Falls asleep by 8 p.m.
11 p.m.: Wakes up to eat
Sample Schedule 3: Baby-led and Parent-led Routine Combined
Note: This is a Schedule of a stay-at-home mother of a breast-feeding 3 month old baby:
5 a.m.: Baby wakes up to nurse
8:30 a.m.: Baby is nursed again. She has tummy time, mother sings songs to her
10 a.m.: Moves around the house with mother, and nursed again
11:30 a.m.: Baby naps
12:30 to 1 p.m.: Baby nurses. Mother reads her a book and plays with her
2:30 p.m.: Baby eats
4:30 p.m.: Baby eats again. Takes a nap
6:30 to 7 p.m.: Baby nurses on only one breast. Then she bathes and gets a massage.
8 p.m.: Baby nurses on the other breast
8:30 p.m.: Both the parents read a book to baby
9 p.m.: Father sings a song to the baby
10 p.m.: Baby is nursed again. Diaper is changed and baby is put to bed
Sample Schedule 4: Baby-led Routine
Note: This is a Schedule of a stay-at-home mother of a formula-feeding 3 month old baby:
6:30 a.m.: Baby wakes up and feeds on a 6 ounce bottle of formula milk.
8 a.m.: Baby takes a nap of 45 minutes
9:15 a.m.: Feeds on a 6 ounce bottle. Plays for an hour
10:30 a.m.: Naps
12:15 p.m.: Feeds on a 6 ounce bottle. Goes out with mother. Naps for 30-45 minutes in his car seat
3 p.m.: Feeds on a 6 ounce bottle. Plays for an hour
4:30 p.m.: Naps
6 p.m.: Plays with parents
7:45 p.m.: Baby is bathed. Feeds on a 4-5 ounce bottle and goes to sleep
Common Problems in 3-4 Month Old Baby Schedule
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Problems |
Description |
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First awake time being too long |
Usually the first awake time of the day of a 4 month old baby will be shorter. However, if your baby has a long first awake time, then it may cause the first nap to be restless and your baby may become overtired and irritated for the rest of the day. |
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More calorie need |
Your baby may face trouble falling asleep because they are growing quickly and requires more calories. Consult your physician if she can be started on solids to meet her calorie requirement. |
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Early waking |
Majority of the 3-4 months old babies wakes at around 4-5 am. You can hold off and see if they fall back to sleep. Though early waking is common among babies of this age, but it may create problems with sleep in your baby. |
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Staying up late |
According to experts the latest time for 3-4 months old babies to go to sleep is 7:30 pm. If your baby is staying up late, she may wake up early in the morning and may develop problems with sleeping. |
