I can’t believe Mateo is officially one year old and we are firmly entering the toddler years of parenting! It’s so surreal since he both seems like he’s been a part of our family forever AND feels like he was born last week. How?! As nice as the last few months of a baby’s first year are cuteness-wise (it’s actually my favorite phase for babies when they have 100% of their personality but can’t run away from you yet!) those last few months can be a really tricky time for their schedules. Teething, plus shifting naps and different eating habits can make even the most scheduled baby act a little bit crazy. And by the third kid, your abilities to drop everything and tailor the entire day to fit their schedule is not a possibility anymore. So, you end up kind of rolling with it, and when you’re rolling with it as much consistency as possible is key!

From 9-12 months, Mateo got two teeth and also started eating a lot more solids and fewer of his bottles. He began to snack around the same times as his older siblings, and I’ve been trying to push his bedtime a tiny bit later. My two older kids are excellent at doing 12-hour shifts of sleep at night. Ever since they were a few months old, it’s been an easy 7 to 7 stretch. This is starting to change now that they’re older, and it’s more like 8-7. HOWEVER, no matter what I try with Mateo, he really only sleeps 11 hours at night. I’ve been trying to push the bedtime slightly to have him wake up at 7 am with the big kids, but so far it’s been tough. He’s super active all day long, so he is totally wiped out by the end of the day and gets really cranky. I’ve started adjusting his naps so that the morning one can be removed at a certain point, and he will just have the afternoon one at 1 pm. But at this point, he still needs both. I’m going to wait four months or so and see how it’s looking at that point, and if he can go a bit longer. His schedule from nine months to one year is below! Let me know if you have any questions or if I can clarify. 

6:30 AM

Wake Up

I try to let him stay in his crib as close to 7 am as possible, even if he’s awake. If he starts crying though, I will get him and start the day. This is normally between 6:30-7 am.

6:45-7 AM

Bottle of formula (6oz.)

He is super thirsty first thing in the morning so he’ll drain a 6 oz bottle.

7:30 AM

Breakfast

I feed him whatever the big kids are eating. Usually eggs and toast with fruit, or waffles/pancakes and sausages. He also loves yogurt, muffins, and bananas! If he’s not eating a ton of finger foods, I’ll sometimes give him a pouch of purée mixed with baby oatmeal to make sure he’s full enough.

8:30-9 AM

Playtime

Once the big kids are off to school, Mateo gets some focused playtime that is mostly developmentally-focused.

9-11 AM

Morning Nap

If he wakes up earlier, I pause before I grab him to see if he’ll fall back asleep. If not, I will hang out with him until his bottle but I try not to give it early.

11 AM

Bottle of formula (4oz)

11:30 AM 

Little Snack 

Half a banana, or a teething cracker, or a handful of puffs or 1 string cheese, cut up.

12 PM 

Lunch

1-3 PM 

Afternoon Nap

Eventually, this will be his only nap of the day. If he wakes up earlier, I pause before I grab him to see if he’ll fall back asleep. If not, I will hang out with him until his bottle but I try not to give it early.

3 PM

Bottle of formula (4oz.)

4 PM

Little Snack 

Half a banana, or a teething cracker, or a handful of puffs or 1 string cheese, cut up.

5 PM

Dinner

5:45 PM

Bath Time

6:30 PM

Bottle & Bedtime

Trying to push this to 7 pm!

Photographs by Julia Dags | Happily Eva After, Inc. © 2021 All Rights Reserved