Baby on a schedule?

brynagc

I'm not sure if there is a thread already on this... But...

My little guy has a rhythm (wake, eat, play, diaper change, nap) and is never awake now than 1.5 hours at a time and naps for 1.5-2 hours and takes about 4 naps per day. However he isn't very consistent and although he is a happy baby during the day, he MELTS DOWN at bedtime. Would you guys mind sharing what has been working for you all and maybe give me some solace in my son not being on a consistent eat/nap schedule?

chein1

LO naps "around" the same time everyday. I personally don't do schedules because I'm selfish and like my freedom to be out and about and not worry about being home for "nap time". She gets in her pjs and has her last bottle between 8-8:30 and goes to sleep shortly after. This is her bedtime regardless of her last nap as well. This bedtime was trial and error after many inconsolable overtired sobbing sessions.

sarapagan

I feel like my daughter has sort of put herself on a schedule just as of recently. She wakes around 530 every morning to nurse, and then goes back to sleep until 8-830. She eats (pumped bottle) at 9-915 and then naps for about an hour, plays, and eats another bottle around 1 and naps until I get home at 330 to nurse her. From then on she usually clusterfeeds every 2 hours and she has a bath at 8pm and jammies afterwards and we nurse in her room with the lights low and she falls asleep between 830 and 9 or so, and the cycle continues into the next day.

ETA: I wanted to add that this literally happened Wednesday of last week and the times are approximate. Of course she doesnt always nap exactly for an hour during the morning and doesnt always nap for the full 2 hours in the afternoon. But during these times she WILL be cranky if shes not sleeping!!

LULULEM0N

We have a bit of a fussy period at night, too.  I think that just happens.  This is my second so I can't set a schedule and stick to it at this point (but don't really think babies have a set schedule this early).  We are napping about every 1.5 hours now, too.  Follow the same eat, awake, sleep routine as you.  Perhaps try putting to bed a little earlier at night?  Just a thought that baby might be overtired by the time you are putting down?  Worth a shot, right?

brynagc

@sarapagan does she nap at all between 3:30 and 8?

sarapagan

@brynagc short little cat naps, yes. Usually about 20 minutes or so randomly between those hours!

Limie

We just recently got on a semi schedule.  My son (14 weeks) wakes between 5:30-6:30 am to eat and diaper change, falls back asleep until 8-9 am.  He eats again.  Then we get dressed for the day regardless if we go anywhere or not.  Then we play on the floor until about 11. He will take about a20 min nap.  Then he eats again.  Then around 1 he will nap for about 2 hours.  Wake, bottle, play, eat, a million diaper changes in between.  Then around 7:30 we start bedtime routine. Bath (every couple of days) jammies, bottle while I read and rock him and he's usually it by 8:30.   I normally change his diaper at 1 am and 3. He doesn't wake up but he starts squirming and it wakes me up lol.   Phew! Who knew entertaining a 3 month old could be so exhausting? Haha! 

Louisl

Ok am I the only one who NEVER gets more than a 45 minute nap??  I'm so jealous!  What am I doing wrong?  He falls asleep nursing and I'll turn on white noise on my phone but when I try to transfer to the swing or crib it's only successful like 3/10 times, and if I let him just sleep on me he'll still wake up after 20-45 minutes. In 16 weeks I've gotten maybe 3 2-hour naps, tops. I literally can't imagine having that kind of time during the day!  (He does sleep through the night). And lately, he's had tummy issues (reflux and dairy intolerance) as well as excema that is making him so itchy he has such a hard time falling asleep in the first time.  But seriously what are you all doing to get such long and consultant naps?! 

jamielynne1533

Our routine that works great for us:
10am wake up & play
1030am eat & play
1pm eat & nap
3pm wake up & play
330 pm eat & play
4 or 5pm nap
7pm eat & play
930pm bath & bottle
10pm bed

 These times are about the same time everyday give or take. My daughter actually fell into her own schedule one day and I noticed it after tracking her feedings so I started to schedule my things around it and it has stuck so far! She is a much happier baby. I swear my daughter knows the second it hits 930pm. Lol the rest of the day we have wiggle room but at night she cries and is ready for a bath and bottle right at 930.
Maybe your son does have a pattern and ya haven't noticed it yet? Maybe you can track his feedings and see if there's any similarities and just encourage it?  

krnten

chein1 said:

LO naps "around" the same time everyday. I personally don't do schedules because I'm selfish and like my freedom to be out and about and not worry about being home for "nap time". She gets in her pjs and has her last bottle between 8-8:30 and goes to sleep shortly after. This is her bedtime regardless of her last nap as well. This bedtime was trial and error after many inconsolable overtired sobbing sessions.

Us too.  I'm just not a schedule person other than bedtime.  DD goes to sleep around 8 when her older sister does.  It's sometimes hard to keep her up til then but we want them to have roughly the same bedtime.  She wakes up at 5:30 to eat and then goes back til 9/10.  What happens during the day isn't consistent.  She does nap more and longer in the first half of the day.