11 Months Sleep Food Play - What To Expect - HealthSurgeon - Healthy Living and Fitness

The first birthday is right around the corner when your little one hits the eleven month milestone. Your child may really be moving and grooving at this point. They are starting to eat more table food than drink bottles, they are starting to stand up on their own or even take those first independent steps in some cases, and they will need less nap time sleep and will hopefully be giving you a full solid nights sleep without any night awakenings.

At eleven months your child may be starting to show some signs of separation anxiety when they are away from you. Sleep can be disrupted at this age due to rapid developmental milestones, like walking, talking, and being more mobile which stimulate the brain and cause disruptions in sleep.

Sleep

Eleven months your child should be sleeping through the night. Usually without the need to feed. In some children at eleven months they will sleep for 9-10 hours then need a feed to then sleep 2-3 more in the morning. Night time sleep at 11 months is between 13-15 hours per night. Along with night time sleep your little one will need two naps that equal about 3 hours total per day. This can be broken up in different ways between the two naps, if they nap longer in the morning their afternoon nap may be shorter. Some babies may nap 1.5 hours for both naps. A morning nap and an afternoon nap is still normal. It is not likely that your child will transition to one nap until between 14-18 months of age. At eleven months your child may try to fight the nap, which can make parents think they are trying to give up a nap.

Depending on your child’s last nap of the day will depend on bedtime. Normally bedtime is between 7pm and 8pm. Wake windows at this age are approximately 3-4 hours at one time. Between the time your child wakes up in the morning and their first nap you can expect them to be awake 3-4 hours. Between when they wake up from their first nap and their next 3-4 hours. Before bedtime it may be closer to 4 hours of awake time before they are ready to go to sleep.

Knowing your child’s wake windows can be crucial in making sure you are putting them to sleep when they are tired, and not overly so. Putting an overly tired baby to bed can be hard.

Food

Your little one is getting to the age where they will start to eat more solid foods and have less formula or breastmilk. Bottle or nursing sessions will go to about 3 or 4 per day. Your child should be getting about 24-32oz of formula or breastmilk per day still. They should be eating 3 meals a day. With some solid food snacks as well. Water can be given during meals, but you shouldn’t give more than 8oz of water per day.

Feeding should start to feel a little easier because you can feed your child what you are cooking for the rest of the family as long as it is cooked and chopped appropriately. You don’t want any choking hazards with miss cut foods. Breakfast food ideas for your eleven month old could include; yogurt, eggs, strawberries, or oatmeal. Lunch ideas are chicken, pasta, chopped vegetables. Dinner ideas are fried rice and salmon. Snacks can include crackers, bananas, steamed or chopped vegetables, or cheese cubes. Your child may prefer some foods over other foods. Keep offering them a wide variety of different foods. If your child spits a food out, keep giving it to them as an option, their likes have a tendency to change.

A sample food schedule for your child would be at wake up time they have a breakfast of solid foods, before their first nap formula or breastmilk, after nap wake up and have a lunch of solid foods, before second nap formula or breastmilk, after nap wake up and have a snack, a dinner of solid foods, then formula or breastmilk before bedtime. Watch your child for hunger cues, they will start to be hungry and may prefer solid foods than formula or breastmilk.

Play

Play time can really start to expand especially if your little one is crawling or walking. Even cruising around furniture you can make a cruise course for them that they can maneuver around. Setting up obstacle courses can also be fun. Having them crawl through a tunnel, or over some pillows. Get a push toy that they can stand and practice walking safely. Dance parties can be fun, or musical instruments. Hide and seek with objects can also be a fun game for little ones. Stacking blocks, and building toys can be enjoyable. Sensory activities like sensory bins, edible ones can be a great option, textured blankets, or water bins. Reading and playing peek a boo with your little one are also fun activities to do. Get outside when the weather permits so you can walk, or take a stroller ride and explore the outside.