What to Expect at 7, 8, 9 months with your baby

overview of what to expect at 7, 8, 9 months with your baby

The feeling of so many naps starts to fade when baby transitions to a 2 nap schedule that is also more clock-based versus wake window dependent. You can also anticipate more exploration with solids closer to 9 months, which up until now has been very exploratory.  

Developmental milestones at 7-9 months of age

This age range is HUGE developmental leap where many milestones are met:

• Sitting-Time to adjust crib mattress to a lower setting!
• Standing with support, bearing weight
• Pulling to Stand
• Crawling – Baby proof everything once baby is on the move-Get our FREE Baby Proofing Checklist HERE!
• Developing object permanence-They learn that you still exist even when they can’t see you
• Separation anxiety emerges with a peak at 8-9 months-More tears with any separation and can be exacerbated with sleep!

sleep at 7-9 months of age

Your baby needs an average of 12-16 hours of sleep during a 24 hour period. This is usually divided between overnight sleep and 2-3 naps a day.

Babies thrive on a 12 hour daily schedule. Babies are naturally early risers between 6-8 AM. Bedtime should fall between 6-8 PM.

It’s important to still monitor wake windows and sleep cues vs a set nap schedule. A set nap schedule falls into place once your baby is taking two longer naps during the day

Overnight sleep at 7-9 months:

• 11-12 hours of overnight sleep
• Majority of babies are ready to sleep through the night without an overnight feed

Naps at 7-9 months: 

• Total of 3-3.5 hours of total daytime sleep
• Some babies may be able to have 4 hours of daytime sleep and maintain 11-12 hours of sleep overnight
• Wake windows at 7 months are 2-3 hours
• Wake windows at 8 months are 2.5-3.5 hours
• Wake windows at 9 months are 2.5-4 hours
• Wake windows increase as the day progresses 
• The third nap of the day is usually a shorter cat nap if still taken

If your baby is still waking frequently overnight or needs lots of assistance from you to settle then it’s time to work on independent sleep. The Well Rested Course includes a customizable step-by-step plan to help your baby fall asleep independently, wean overnight feeds (both breast and bottle), and sleep 11-12 hours overnight.

feeding at 7-9 months of age

• Milk is still the primary source of calories and should be offered every 2.5-4 hours throughout the day to promote full feeds
• Bottle fed babies tend to go closer to 3.5-4 hours between bottles at this age as they increase the volume in feeds
• Begin offering finger foods by 7-8 months
• 9 months baby will begin feeding themself

Common challenges at 3-4 months of age

• May be time to look at 3 to 2 nap transition at this time if you are noticing
  • New night wakings and/or early morning wakings
  • Resisting 3rd nap
  • Bedtime is being pushed later with resistance

support and achievable goals

5-6 months is the perfect time to begin working begin working on a more predictable daytime schedule with lengthened naps and sleeping through the night if you haven’t solidified that yet. We are here to support both processes! 

Falling asleep and connecting sleep cycles independently is a learned skill that we need to teach them with patience, practice, and a consistent plan that includes more than just the sleep training method. Our goal is to set them up for success by implementing age-appropriate schedules/routines/feeding so they are able to: 

• Sleep 11-12 hours through the night
• Remove overnight feeds
• Fall asleep independently at bedtime and naps
• Lengthen naps!
• Transition to a clock based nap schedule

What resources do you have to help me through this time?

If you’re facing multiple wake ups, short naps, and sleep resistance, I have a class for you. The 4-24 Month Well Rested Collection will walk you step-by-step through a completely customizable sleep training experience. In just a few weeks, your baby will be getting 11-12 hours of independent night sleep, AND you’ll have a plan to navigate any future regressions or bumps in your journey. I’ll also help you set up a daytime routine and nap schedule that fits your family’s lifestyle and values. And you’ll get age-specific guidance to meet your baby right where he or she is developmentally at every stage from now until your baby turns 2.

Want daily personalized support? We have 1:1 sleep coaching programs to help! We work with your family for 2 weeks to help your baby with both overnight sleep and nap challenges. You don’t have to navigate your sleep journey alone with our Ultimate Sleep Plan.

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