This article outlines the average 8-month-old baby schedule, including milk feedings for breastfeeding and formula-feeding babies, solids, naps, and nighttime sleep.
8 Month Old Baby Sleep Case Study now available – it includes tips on reducing and eliminating night wakings, lengthening naps, and coping with the 8 month sleep regression. Scroll down for details!
8 month old’s sleep
At this age, many 8-month-olds can sleep through the night, without a feeding, but some won’t and will continue to need 1-2 feedings up through 9+ months old. And, 8-month-old babies take 2-3 naps daily for a total of 2-3 hours per day plus 11-12 hours at night. If you’re having trouble with naps, you might be interested in helping your baby nap.
All babies vary, but here are some rough schedules you can use to make your own for your unique baby. I should warn you that I am in the camp that breast milk or formula should be the primary nutrition for the first year and solids come secondary. Below are the amounts we recommend. For more information on starting your baby on solid food, we have a series of blog posts dedicated to the subject. We include recommendations about how and when to start solids, as well as helpful information on food allergies, recommended products, baby-friendly recipes, and more.
How Many Naps for an 8 Month Old?
Most 8 month old babies take 2-3 naps each day that total 2 to 3 hours. Babies this age stay awake and have wake windows between 2 and 3 hours at a time, on average, but up to 4 hours before bedtime if they are taking two naps. This is a common age for babies to drop the third nap.
8 Month Old Feeding
The amount of food at 8 months is very similar to the 7-month baby schedule, but you will most likely go to 3 small meals per day, rather than just 2.
Amounts per day:
• At least 5 nursing sessions per day or 26-32 ounces formula or combination
• No more than 2-4 oz of water or juice (to ensure they drink enough breast milk or formula)
• 2-3 servings baby cereal or grains (1 serving cereal = 1-2 Tablespoons dry and grains include Cheerios, 2 crackers, etc.)
• 2 servings fruit (1 serving = 2-3 Tablespoons)
• 2-3 servings vegetable (1 serving = 2-3 Tablespoons)
• 1-2 servings protein (1 serving = 1-2 Tablespoons)
• 1 serving Dairy (1 serving = 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/3 cup cottage cheese or 1 oz grated cheese)
• You can also offer cooked egg yolk (but possibly no egg whites until 1 year old due to allergens — check with your doctor)
The first schedule is what I call a “staggered” approach. My first son did better with a full feeding and then having solids a bit in between. He was a little hungry but not famished. He just didn’t do well with stopping nursing or his bottle mid-way to eat solids.
You May Also Be Interested In baby food recipes for 8 month olds
Sample 8 month old schedule
If your baby has already transitioned to just 2 naps, please see the 9 month old baby schedule for a sample schedule.
Schedule 1
7:00 – Wake and Breast milk or Formula
8:15 – Breakfast
9:00 – Morning Nap (at least 1 hour)
10:00 – Breast milk or Formula
11:00 – Lunch
12:30 – Breast milk or Formula
1:00 – Early Afternoon Nap (at least 1 hour)
2:00 – Breast milk or Formula
4:00 – Optional Catnap (30-45 minutes)
4:30 or 5:00 – Dinner
6:15 – Begin bedtime routine
7:00 – Breast milk or Formula and Bedtime (goal to be asleep at this time)
+Plus possibly 1 nighttime feeding
If your baby doesn’t mind a more “consolidated” approach to eating, like my second son, here is another type of schedule:
Schedule 2
7:00 – Wake
7:15 – Breakfast plus Breast milk or Formula feeding
9:00 – Morning Nap (at least 1 hour)
10:00 – Breast milk or Formula
11:00 – Lunch
12:30 – Breast milk or Formula
1:00 – Afternoon Nap (at least 1 hour)
3:00 – Breast milk or Formula
5:30 – Dinner plus Breast milk / Formula feeding
6:15 – Begin bedtime routine
7:00 – Breast milk or Formula
+Plus possibly 1 nighttime feeding
Note: When giving any feedings during your bedtime routine, be careful not to create sleep associations, which we saw become important at 4 months old.
Want more information about how to help your 8 month old sleep well? Check out our detailed case study about Carrie, Ben, Elliot, and Andrew.
Read how Carrie and Ben helped 8 month old Elliot learn to sleep longer stretches at night (and, eventually, to sleep through the night completely!) and take better naps – and how they helped to change those sleep associations that were keeping Elliot awake! Just join our VIP Members Area, and access the case study instantly. And that’s not all – our VIP Members Area is packed with additional premium content and resources: e-Books, assessments, more case studies, peer and expert support, and more. It actually costs less to join than buying products separately!
Looking for more sample 8-month schedules?
We have over 40 sample schedules for all ages in our e-Book, Mastering Naps and Schedules. Banish naptime battles and regain control of your day (and your sanity) starting today!
You Might Also Like:
- The 8/9/10 Month Sleep Regression Explained
- The 8-10 Month Sleep Regression Survival Guide: EXPANDED EDITION (Members Area article)
- Custom Schedule Maker (for members only)
- Mastering Naps and Schedules (Members Area digital e-Book)
- Chat Live with a Sleep Consultant (for members only)
- 3 Signs It May Be Time For Night Weaning Your Baby
- Night Weaning Quiz: Is Your Baby Ready To Night Wean?
- 8 Month Baby Sleep Coaching Case Study (Members Area case study)
- How To Put Your Baby On A Schedule (Members Area audio tele-seminar recording with founder)
- How to Nap Train (chapter in Mastering Naps & Schedules)
- Day-by-Day Nap Training Plan (Members Area article)
Want FREE sleep help that you can put to use right away? Download a copy of our free guide, 7 Common Napping Mistakes! The guide is available to download instantly, which means you can start using the techniques in it as early as today. So download now, and learn why your baby is not napping – and what you can do about it.
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What is your 8 month old baby’s schedule? Share below!
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Shawna says
Hi, my son just turned 8 months. He still wakes up 2-4 times a night. I’m wondering if dropping his evening nap will help and maybe putting him to bed earlier. Also maybe letting him sleep in tell 7/8 in the mornings. He also refuses baby food. Here’s his schedule.
6:30- wake/ nurse
9- nurse/nap (about 1- 2 hours)
12:30-nurse/ nap (1- 1 1/2 hours)
3:30- nurse
5:30- nurse/ nap (45 mins)
8-nurse/ bed
He usually wakes up around
10/11 pm
3 am
5 am
He has woke up at these times sense he was a newborn. Every time he wakes up I nurse him. He shares a room with me and my husband. Will moving him into his own room help him sleep through the night? Thank you for your time.
Danielle says
Hi Shawna,
Thank you for visiting us! I’m sorry to hear you’re having trouble getting your baby to sleep through the night. His schedule looks good based on his age. Most babies this age are nursing once at night, so it may be that he is waking due to a sleep association with the breast. We have an article describing sleep association here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-association/
And an article on weaning some night feedings here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/baby-night-feedings-age-chart/
I hope those help!
Ashley says
My 8 month old follows this schedule pretty well (yay!) and naps and feeding are super smooth and easy! My issue is nighttime sleep. We have a bedtime routine but every single night for months she has been screaming and crying for 1-2 hours and it is a constant routine of letting her cry 10 mins then me or my husband go in and console her, leave the room and she cries more, we go back in after 10 mins, etc. until 1-2 hours have passed and she finally wears herself out. We are emotionally and physically exhausted and have no clue what to do. I just don’t understand how naps are so easy and great and then bedtime isnt.
Danielle says
Hi Ashley,
I’m so glad to hear your daytime schedule is going so well! I’m sorry to hear you’re struggling with nights, though. If you’ve ruled out any ongoing health issues, then the most common reason for a baby this age to wake repeatedly at night like you describe is hunger. Some babies this age do still need 1-2 feedings per night. If you think it might be hunger waking her, you can try feeding her when she starts crying, and if she goes back to sleep pretty easily after feeding and doesn’t wake again right away, then you know hunger was the issue. If she eats and then keeps waking and crying, then you’re more likely dealing with a sleep association. You can read more about sleep associations here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-association/
I hope this helps, but please get in touch if you have any questions!
Anna says
I noticed you do a cluster feeding around lunch time instead of spacing the feeding out. Is there a reason to this? I’m very curious. We have worked to switch my little one’s feedings to 3 hours instead of 2 to help with nightime sleep eatings. Wouldn’t doing that cluster feed make him regress? (He is 7.5 months)
Danielle says
Hi Anna,
Thank you for using The Baby Sleep Site as a resource! These schedules are samples, but we do recommend that babies this age still get most of their nutrition from breastmilk or formula, which requires at least 5 milk feedings a day. If you’re trying to reduce night feedings, you still need to keep the same amount of food in your 24 hour day, so your baby doesn’t wake hungry, so this schedule (and that clustered approach) is a way of trying to get that food in during the daytime hours, instead of waking at night to eat. I hope that makes sense – please let us know if you have any other questions!
Ania says
I’ll be sending my baby to day care when she’s 8 months. I went to visit the place and they do 1 nap at lunch time only. She would stay there from 8am- 6pm. I’m worried my baby would be overtired but seems like they’ve been doing this all this time and babies seem to be ok. Should I find a different daycare?
Janelle Reid says
Hi @Ania, thanks for writing to us. I am honestly surprised the daycare only gives their 8 month olds one nap, unless she is in a class with older children (which would make more sense). I understand it is so difficult to find the right daycare situation for your family, but of course you will want a place that will give your child what she needs as well. If you’re able to shop around and look at other options that perhaps has a less broad aged class for while she’s young, it may be worth it! Here is a link to an article on how daycare can impact your child’s sleep so you can have it on hand with whatever you decide to do: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/how-daycare-impacts-your-babys-sleep-schedule-and-habits/
I hope this helps!
Christina says
Hi my baby is 8 months old and al of a sudden she will not sleep through the night. She wakes at 10.30 then midnight then 2.30 every time I cuddle her but when I put her back in her cot she wakes crying. Any advise
Danielle says
Hi Christina,
Thanks for your comment on The Baby Sleep Site! I’m sorry to hear you’re having some trouble with your 8 month-old’s sleep. From your description, it sounds like she ma be going through the 8 month sleep regression. We have a great article with a lot of information about this regression that I hope will help you here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-sleep-patterns/8-9-10-month-old-baby-sleep-regression/
Good luck!
Flora Rekerdres says
Hi, so my baby is turning 8 months old soon. And he has slept through the night. Yaaay! This is sample of his schedule:
5:30 AM – Awake
6:14 AM- Breastmilk+ Breakfast (cereal usually)
8:15 AM-9:45 AM: morning naps
9:45-10:15 Breast milk+ Morning snack
12 PM: 2 oz Breast Milk + Lunch
1:00 PM- 2:00 PM afternoon nap
2:00 PM breastmilk+ little afternoon snack
5:00 PM dinner + Breast milk
6:30-7:00 PM will be down for night sleep
see, I think he is doing fine. However I do struggle he wake up so early. I did not go in to nurse him at 5:30 AM and he usually wait me patiently until he is hungry and crying (around 6:00 PM)
I have tried to move his bed time little bit later like 7:30 PM but it still did not change his waking time.
Janelle Reid says
Hi @Flora Rekerdres, thanks for writing to us. I’m glad your little guy has been sleeping good stretches for you, but I can imagine that early morning has been rough on you. Here is a link to an article specifically on how to handle early wakings (we would consider anything before 6 am an early waking): https://www.babysleepsite.com/how-we-sleep/baby-waking-too-early/
If you need help troubleshooting (because it definitely can be tricky) let us know. We have helped many families in very similar situations get on a schedule that works for them. Here is a link to read more about how you can get one-on-one advise for your family specifically: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-toddler-sleep-consulting-services/
I hope this helps! Thanks for visiting the Baby Sleep Site!
rahma haji says
Hiya am so confused as to how much my baby should be eating and drinking. He’s 8 month old and this is his routine.
9: wake up
10: eats tiny amount of weetabix ( usually refuses it all)
11: 180ml of formula
11:30- nap
12: lunch ( homemade veg with meat) eats about 2 tbsp
2: 200ml of formula
3:00- nap
5:45: 150ml of formula
6: 30min nap
7:45: refuses dinner
150ml of formula
Sleeps
Danielle says
Hi Rahma,
Thank you for using The Baby Sleep Site as a resource! Usually, for babies under one year-old, formula or breastmilk should be the main food, and solid food is just for fun. Some babies will eat a lot of solids, but some won’t, and that’s usually okay. If you have questions about how your baby is eating, please check in with your pediatrician, as we are not medical professionals and can only make general statements about that 🙂 Good luck!