Jumping boards and questions :)

jnjeffries

Hi, everyone! I'm coming over from the 6-9 board. I need some advice from someone who's been there done that. DS will be 9 months in one week (the 29th). I'm a SAHM and have never really felt a need to put DS on a strict schedule. I guess I'd say we are in a routine. Depending on when he wakes-up, it varies by an hour or so, he eats every 2 to 3 hours and takes 2 to 3 naps. His naps are getting further apart and length depends on how long his previous nap was. The only thing I'm strict about is our bedtime routine. He sleeps 8 to 10 hours, eats, then goes back to sleep for an hour or so. I keep reading about everyone's LOs on a schedule, eating at set times, etc. My question is should I put DS on a more strict schedule? FTM here ( if you can't tell), so thanks for reading and your advice!

nanabanana06

There's no need for a schedule. I've never done it. Now that my daughter is getting older we're going to put her on more of normalish schedule, but it's all for getting ready fro school. The baby though eats solids when we eat, sleeps when he sleeps, and takes a bottle whenever. We just keep the same routines down. I feel it makes things flow easier and allows more flexibility by not having a schedule. I'm super baby led though.

mamaHippo23

I am the type that needs us to be on a schedule, but that's just me. I have to keep us on a pretty regular eating and sleeping schedule, otherwise I would never be able to manage everything. My son can be flexible and we do mix it up sometimes, but he does so well with our routines that I've just stuck with it.

Things didn't get really consistent until he was closer to 11 months, though. Now that he's eating 3 regular meals, taking one long afternoon nap, and has a set bedtime- our schedule just fell into place. If he wasn't like that, I would not strictly enforce a schedule unless he was having issues and needed more structure. Trying to make kids do things at specific times can become a constant struggle if they don't have that kind of personality.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

Jeanneplusone

My 10 month old son goes to bed around 8:30 or 9, and gets up whenever he wants.  I like him to sleep at least 11 hours, but sometimes he doesn't.  We eat and then he usually sleeps for another hour before lunch.  A nap in the afternoon and sometimes a second one later.  Not really any set times except for bed.  I aim to feed him regular meals 3 times a day, but when dinner is late he gets a snack sometimes.  It is easier to follow his cues than the clock, and we are on a fairly regular schedule if you look at it that way.

pb_bride

We are on a schedule because it works better for me. I'd say whatever works for you. If you don't mind nt having a schedule, then I don't see why you need to change.

I like having a schedule because it allows me to make plans with others, or go to story time or play dates.  I am a SAHM too so I want DS to get exposed to other kids.

DS wakes up around 6:45-7, if he's not up by 7am, we will wake him. He nurses, the breakfast around 8:15-8:30am. I try to put him down for his first nap by 9-9:15am. He naps for 1hr15m-1hr30min. Then we go to library story time or open play. We have lunch around 12:30-1pm, and he takes his second nap around 2:30pm. Dinner is at 6:30pm and he is in bed by 8:15pm.

Obviously, the timings can vary by 30mins daily except for wake up, dinner and bedtime. But this way, I can meet friends for lunch or plan play dates without wondering if ds will be awake or asleep During those times.

ArmyWife114

DS isn't on a super strict schedule, but he does things around the same time everyday.  The only thing I'm strict about is bedtime because he's horribly cranky if he doesn't go to bed on time.

Usually our day looks kind of like this:

7-7:30 DS wakes up, has a bottle and then plays

9:30 or 10 DS goes down for a nap that lasts anywhere from an hour to two hours

11:30/12 another bottle, play/read/whatever

2ish a small bottle

3/3:30 another nap for an hour usually

4/4:30 small bottle or some table food

6 short nap (45 minutes usually)

7 dinner, bath, bottle, in bed by 7:30