Help for a newbie...

Christian&Heather · December 2010

If baby comes on time, I'm going to be giving birth in 2 months. I know that a lot of my friends have recommended getting the baby on a schedule, and I am in agreement, (within reason and using parental instincts of course). I know that when a baby is first born he is not schedulable, and will need to be cared for according to his needs at the moment. However, at what point is it possible to start a routine? Additionally, when we first bring him home, what do we do with him? I know that sounds like a dumb question, but since I'm bottle feeding do I just make sure he's fed every four hours and changed at least as frequently and let him tell me what he wants the rest of the time? What type of routine have you used with your baby, assuming he's of age to begin a "schedule"?

J+MS · December 2010

I wouldn't start a schedule at all, just follow your LO's. DD set her own schedule and follows it to a T. She is FF and eats every 3 hours except at night as she is STTN. That schedule didn't start till 5 weeks or so though...just feed and let them sleep on demand until he or she lets you know they are ready for a routine.

Oh and your LO will probably want to eat every 2 hours at first and gradually go to 3-4 hours between feedings.

cherry_Blossum · December 2010

As a fellow first time mom, I had all of the same questions you have. I felt so much better after taking a child birthing/parenting class at my hospital.

As far as a schedule goes, it is recommended to start it around 6 weeks, though many start around 3 or 4. Keep in mind that just because you are trying to establish a routine of such, LO may not adjust to it for a very long time. We just do a bedtime routine and DD is still not on a regular schedule and does not sleep through the night. We breastfeed, so we feed on demand, so there isn't a true feeding schedule and I am not sure what is recommended for formula fed babies. I can say that at 8 weeks old, I can almost count on DD getting up between 1 and 2, 5 and 6, and 7 and 8. BF babies tend to get hungrier faster, but I am very happy with my decision to do it.

jamiemsmith · December 2010

J+MS:
I wouldn't start a schedule at all, just follow your LO's. DD set her own schedule and follows it to a T. She is FF and eats every 3 hours except at night as she is STTN. That schedule didn't start till 5 weeks or so though...just feed and let them sleep on demand until he or she lets you know they are ready for a routine.
Oh and your LO will probably want to eat every 2 hours at first and gradually go to 3-4 hours between feedings.

I'm not as lucky about the STTN, but I agree, LO will set their own schedule. Ours is very loose. We wake at 8 or 9 eat, play, sleep... all day long! Our nighttime routine is bath, feed (BF), cuddle, sleep! Then we're usually up twice a night. This schedule just became predictable around 6 weeks. He takes 1 to 2 good naps throughout the day, but otherwise it's catnaps.

cherry_Blossum · December 2010

J+MS:
I wouldn't start a schedule at all, just follow your LO's. DD set her own schedule and follows it to a T. She is FF and eats every 3 hours except at night as she is STTN. That schedule didn't start till 5 weeks or so though...just feed and let them sleep on demand until he or she lets you know they are ready for a routine.
Oh and your LO will probably want to eat every 2 hours at first and gradually go to 3-4 hours between feedings.

J+MS, your little one is sooo beautiful! Congrats on STTN! I read your posts often and hadn't heard yet.

J+MS · December 2010

cherry_Blossum:
J+MS:
I wouldn't start a schedule at all, just follow your LO's. DD set her own schedule and follows it to a T. She is FF and eats every 3 hours except at night as she is STTN. That schedule didn't start till 5 weeks or so though...just feed and let them sleep on demand until he or she lets you know they are ready for a routine.
Oh and your LO will probably want to eat every 2 hours at first and gradually go to 3-4 hours between feedings.
J+MS, your little one is sooo beautiful! Congrats on STTN! I read your posts often and hadn't heard yet.

Thank you!!! I didn't really announce it as I didn't want to jinx it!

Jess8589 · December 2010

C is 9 weeks old and we don't have a 'schedule'. During the day he is free to eat and sleep when he wants. At night we have a routine where at 9 (sometimes a little before if he's particularly tired/hungry) pm we start our bedtime, change into pjs, bottle and then bed. We started from day one helping him distinguish between night and day. During the day we had the tv on, lights on, everyone talking normally, singing and talking to him. And when it was bedtime we had low lights, low noise and little interaction. C has been STTN for a couple of weeks now - but he has always been a good sleeper. As for the feeding question generally your pedi will tell you to make sure your LO doesn't go more than 4 hours without eating until he is back at birth weight since baby's lose weight when they go home. After he is past birth weight they will usually say just let the LO dictate when they eat. As for diapering you can just feel his diaper to see if it's full for pee and then just peek inside it to see if he pooped. Just go with your instinct that's your best bet. Good Luck!

Christian&Heather · December 2010

Thanks everyone. I'm just a nervous new mom! I'm going out and buying some books tonight that will hopefully make me feel more prepared.

Carilyn · December 2010

Basically what everyone else said. The first few weeks, you'll really just go with what your LO wants/needs. As far as what you do with them when you get home? Snuggle, hold, and love on him/her as much as possible! Newborns like to be held A LOT and that's ok. You can't spoil a newborn. They need to feel that closeness and security. It makes it hard to get things done around the house, but that's life! It goes so fast...everything else can wait. You'll also want to feed LO every 2-3hours the first few weeks (even if you have to wake LO up) until they reach birth weight (ideally by 2 weeks). After that, just feed as often as they want and letting them go 4-5hours at times (some with STTN early). SOme babies will eat every 2-3hrs round the clock and not do longer stretches, and that is fine too.

wiccababy · December 2010

what i do now (my son is almost 3 months) is i feed him when he is hungry, chang him when he need it, and i have been trying to keep him up at night till about 8. he wakes up from a long nap around 6 and i keep him up till 8. i found out that he will then sleep for 5-7 hrs (woohoo). but when he was first born i just feed him and changed him when he needed it. i found that he was eatting every 2 1/2-3 hrs at first but i was breastfeeding him then...

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