Lately as I've been reading blogger's "day in the life" posts, a question came to mind. When did your baby/babies start on a schedule/routine?
I've been fighting with Kieran this past week to try and get more of a routine down so that he'll sleep throughout the day. If I left him to his own devices, he'd sleep in short 10-15 minute naps with maybe a longer nap thrown in, but only if I'm holding him. I know that he should get more sleep throughout the day, especially since if he doesn't, he's so over tired by the time Keegan gets home from work that he's super fussy.
I'm hesitant to try and put him on a strict schedule because he is only 5 weeks old and I'm going back to work soon, so our schedule will change once that happens. I'm also hesitant because our weekends are so different from our weekdays; we're normally out running errands and seeing friends, so I'm not sure if a schedule will fit well with that lifestyle.
So mamas, chime in. Does your little one have a schedule? Is it one you started or one they made themselves? Is it strict or pretty flexible?
I did the parts of babywise that I liked. Namely, having a goal wake-up time (with a 30-minute leeway), then having an eat, play, and sleep time "schedule" throughout the day.
ReplyDeleteAre you swaddling him? At that age Paloma would only nap well on her own if she was swaddled
ReplyDeleteMy kids seemed to go through phases, especially with sleep. They weren't great nappers until they got down to one nap a day, and then it was a couple hours, so that was good, but both were probably a year before that was the norm!
ReplyDeleteno schedule! Once I go back to my nanny job (Hazy will be going with me) then I'm sure we will develop a schedule but for now it's feed on demand and she sleeps while I hold her or when I'm wearing her.
ReplyDeleteIt was several weeks into life (maybe 12?) before they really hit a predictable schedule. And even then, the schedule kept getting reset every few weeks/months.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had some advice but I'm yet to cross the threshold into parenthood... But I feel that you'll know what to do and how to do :) I can only say all the best and hang in there
ReplyDeleteRandom Thoughts Naba...#MicroblogMondays: I Wish To Read It Again......
I didn't set a schedule but I did track sleeping and such using one of those baby apps and that helped me figure out a rough idea of her "schedule"
ReplyDeleteI kind of let E fall into her own schedule. For a while, I followed the sleep/wake time charts (e.g. putting baby down for a nap after 1.5 hours of awake time, etc.) all throughout the day, and then would move E upstairs to her cosleeper when I went to bed.
ReplyDeleteI went back to work around 10 weeks & started a more distinct schedule around that time-- including a "bed time" for E. Her bedtime was around 8:30-9:30 (flexible) early on. It was easier to start a schedule when she was down to three naps a day. It sort of just fell into place. She now takes two naps a day, and has been on this schedule since about 5 months. Wakes up when I do (or before, wah!) around 6:30, first nap around 9 or 9:30, second nap around 1 or 2. If she has really poor naps on daycare days, she'll sometimes come home & sleep 5:30-6:30 and then I push her bedtime to 8:30. We have to fit two meals in now too.
Our schedule with her is a bit flexible-- it's hard not to when she's home some days & at daycare some days, or if we're out doing something on the weekends or have company one evening, etc.
But I do make sure she always gets a morning & afternoon nap, and try hard to keep bedtime before 8:30, as that has proven to be too late for her.
Just take it as it comes and your little guy will fall into a schedule. I will say that napping is important, even if they are small naps. Therefore, even if he doesn't seem tired, after two hours of being away he should go back to sleep. I think there is a sleep/wake chart somewhere online that really helped me, especially because Landon never seemed tired. Good luck and don't stress too much over it!
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