Healthy Routine for a 7-Month Old

Oliver is coming up to 7 months now.

• He talks. Well, he yells "mama" but I'm pretty sure it's a catch-all word for things like "look I can do push ups", "give me more apple puree" and "I'm stuck under the rocking chair".
• He eats. Well, about 1/2 the food goes in his mouth and the other 1/2 forms a food-beard
• And he crawls. It's an interesting technique we call the slingshot where he gets on all-fours, rocks his body back and forth gaining momentum and then shoots himself forward, ending in a face plant but that much closer to whatever he's hunting.

We're not ones for schedules. In fact pretty much everything we do, including nursing, sleeping arrangements & introduction of solids, can be considered "baby-led". That being said, Oliver has given me some clues as to what type of routine he likes for the day. He's not too fussy about it - the guy's been known to willingly (and on good behaviour) attend rock concerts, movie theaters and hockey games. But in general, here's what we do:

Morning
- Wake up around 8am
- Nurse and a much needed diaper change
- Play!
- Nurse and nap from around 11am - 1pm
Afternoon

- Eat a fruit or veggie (he likes carrots, apples, squash, yam, avocado, banana, mango)
- Play, nurse

- Nap from around 4pm - 6pm
Evening
- Eat a protein (lentils, egg yolk, beans)
- Play, maybe a bath, nurse
- Around 8pm: pj's and a diaper to last the night, then nurse and sleep (he doesn't always go in his own bed, he might continue sleeping in the family room until we go up)
- Around 11pm when I go to bed I might nurse him once more
- Sleep! (Oh yes, sometimes there's a night-nurse)

The most important things are he still gets at least 5 nursings a day (more if he wants it - he's the boss!) and 2 long naps. So far I've only implemented lentils as a protein but the fruits and veggies are much enjoyed. As he gets older it'll be imperative that his 2 solid meals contain iron. He is still on a vitamin D supplement as well.

So that's our day! We have a blast and love every second of it. If you have questions about your baby, ask away.