Before starting Boot Camp, baby must meet all three:
- Weight: at least 4 kg (9 lbs)
- Food: eating at least ~710 ml/day
- Age: at least 8 weeks old
Target day feeding schedule:
| Feeding | Time |
|---|---|
| 1st | 7:00 AM |
| 2nd | 11:00 AM |
| 3rd | 3:00 PM |
| 4th (last) | 7:00 PM |
Morning routine: Get baby up at 6:45 AM — diaper change, get dressed — so you're ready to start feeding at 7:00 AM sharp.
How to stretch to 4-hour intervals:
- If baby is currently feeding every 3 hours, push each feeding out by 15–30 min per day until you hit the targets above
- Use the daytime toolbox to bridge the gaps: pacifier, bouncy seat, knee bouncing, songs, activity mat
- It typically takes 2–3 days of stretching per feeding
Example stretch for the 2nd feeding (target: 11:00 AM):
- Day 1: Baby wants to eat at 10:00 AM → push to 10:15–10:30 AM
- Day 2: Push to 10:30–10:45 AM
- Day 3: Push to 11:00 AM ✓
Once you hit 4 hours between feedings, stop stretching — don't push beyond the target times.
Feedings will consolidate: instead of 8 feedings of ~90–120 ml, you'll have 4 feedings of ~180–240 ml. Let baby eat as much as they want at each feeding.
Important: Keep baby awake between the 3rd (3:00 PM) and 4th (7:00 PM) feedings. This is the most critical window — if baby naps here, he'll have trouble going down at 7:00 PM.
Night feedings during Step 1: At night, do nothing structured yet — just feed on demand when baby wakes. Never wake baby for a night feeding. Let him go as long as he can after the 7:00 PM feeding, feed when he stirs, then let him stretch again until the next stir. Your only job at night during Step 1 is to not create bad habits: keep lights low, no eye contact, no talking, straight back to crib after feeding. Step 1 is complete once baby is reliably eating at 7AM / 11AM / 3PM / 7PM for a few days.
Begin once the 4-hour day schedule is solid. At this point, observe baby's natural night pattern for 3–4 nights and log the times — baby will tend to wake at roughly the same times each night.
A typical 3-feeding night pattern after the 7:00 PM feeding might look like:
- 1st night feeding: ~10:00–11:00 PM
- 2nd night feeding: ~1:00–2:00 AM
- 3rd night feeding: ~4:00–5:00 AM
Eliminate in this order: 2nd, then 1st, then 3rd.
How to eliminate each feeding:
- Note how much baby ate at that feeding the night before
- Reduce by ~15 ml the next night
- Hold that amount for 3 nights
- Reduce by another ~15 ml, and repeat
- If baby eats less on his own, that becomes the new cap — don't offer more
- When you reach 0 ml, that feeding is eliminated — don't feed again between the surrounding feedings
Example reduction (starting at 90 ml):
| Days | Amount |
|---|---|
| Night 0 (baseline) | 90 ml |
| Nights 1–3 | 75 ml |
| Nights 4–6 | 60 ml |
| Nights 7–9 | 45 ml |
| Nights 10–12 | 30 ml |
| Nights 13–15 | 15 ml |
| Night 16 | 0 ml → eliminated |
Each feeding takes about 2–2.5 weeks to eliminate. Expect the full night-weaning process to take 6–8 weeks if baby has 3 night feedings.
"Spring forward, never fall back": If baby stretches past his usual night feeding time on his own, that later time becomes the new target. Never encourage an earlier wake-up.
Breastfeeding: Replace ml with minutes. Reduce by 3 minutes every 4 days at the feeding being eliminated.
Night feeding rules:
- No diaper change unless there's poop
- Room as dark as possible
- No talking, no eye contact
- Have milk ready before baby fully wakes — bottle ready to go immediately
- Goal: baby feeds and goes straight back to sleep without fully waking
Bedtime routine — begin at 6:15 PM, before the 7:00 PM feeding:
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 6:15 PM | Go upstairs to nursery |
| 6:15 PM | Dim lights, close blinds, soft music on |
| 6:20 PM | Bath and/or massage |
| 6:35 PM | Nighttime diaper + footed sleeper / sleep sack |
| 6:45 PM | Read to baby |
| 7:00 PM | Final feeding |
| 7:20 PM | Put baby in crib awake, turn on crib music toy, give lovie/blankie, say goodnight, close door |
Putting baby down awake is the most important part. Baby must learn to fall asleep on his own in the crib — this is what allows him to put himself back to sleep when he naturally wakes at night.
The Limited Crying Solution:
- Baby cries → wait 3–5 minutes without going in
- If baby quiets at any point, restart the 3–5 min clock
- If still crying after 5 minutes → go in, stand at crib side:
- Offer pacifier
- Pat tummy, place hand firmly on tummy
- Shush softly
- Whisper "it's OK, daddy's here" — quiet voice, no conversation
- No picking up. No eye contact.
- Once baby calms → step away, leave room, close door
- Repeat from step 1 as needed
If baby wakes before 7:00 AM: Same approach — 3–5 min wait, then toolbox if needed. Baby stays in crib until 7:00 AM regardless. Quiet crib time is fine and actually builds independent play and patience.
Target nap schedule:
| Nap | Start time | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Morning nap | 9:00 AM | 1 hour |
| Afternoon nap | 1:00 PM | 2 hours |
Full sample daily schedule:
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 6:45 AM | Wake, diaper, dress |
| 7:00 AM | 1st feeding |
| 7:30–9:00 AM | Activity time |
| 9:00–10:00 AM | Morning nap (crib) |
| 10:00–11:00 AM | Tummy time / floor play |
| 11:00 AM | 2nd feeding |
| 11:30 AM–1:00 PM | Activity time (outside if possible) |
| 1:00–3:00 PM | Afternoon nap (crib) |
| 3:00 PM | 3rd feeding |
| 3:30–6:15 PM | Activity time — keep baby awake |
| 6:15 PM | Start bedtime routine |
| 7:00 PM | 4th feeding |
| 7:00 PM–7:00 AM | Sleep |
Nap routine: Mini version of bedtime — dim lights, close blinds, same crib music toy. No need for bath or clothing change. Same crying approach applies: 3–5 min wait before going in.
Don't over-silence the house during naps — normal household noise (TV, phone, conversations) is good. You want baby to sleep through it.
- 3-Day Rule: Good habits take 3 days. Day 1 is hardest (Dark), Day 2 better (Gray), Day 3 usually clicks (White)
- 7-Day Rule: Bad habits take 7 days to break — avoid creating new ones
- Cuddle and engage when baby is calm, not when crying — rewarding crying teaches baby that crying = attention
- Baby will naturally compensate for dropped night calories by eating more during the day — let him eat as much as he wants at each day feeding
- Once a feeding amount or time is reduced, never go back — progress only