working moms...did you attempt

bluepalm

to get your lo on a sleep routine knowing that they'd likely be unable to keep this routine when they went to a sitters/daycare? i teach so i was home w/dd until she was 8 weeks, went back to finish the year off and am home now until mid august. i know the 4 month wakeful is coming, her shots, and starting solids and teething may be on the horizon so do i attempt to get a nap pattern or just go by her needs? she wakes once, maybe twice to eat at night...so she's not sttn yet either but the books i read/look at seem to be geared towards lo's who are in the same setting each day. my lo will be w/my cousin 4 times/wk (who has 2 kids who she'll take and pick up from school while dd is there) and my dads 1/wk....so the consistent thing may be a bit jarred....just wondering what you all did for sleep issues! thanks!

Maybride2

IMO, 4 months is still too young to be worried about a routine.  She will eat and sleep when she's hungry and tired, nothing that you can do will change that. 

I don't think that most babies get into a real routine until closer to 6 or 7 months at the earliest. 

And also IMO, I think it's very important and healthy for EVERYONE to get a routine in place once the baby is ready.  It doesn't have to be rigid, but approximate times every day that baby expects to eat and sleep can and should be made. 

luvmagoldn

We started to fall into a routine at about ten weeks or so (a schedule is much different).  I would have your cousin and your dad keep a log (you can find some on line) so they can write down when LO eats and how much, naps, etc.  That way you can start to identify DD's natural rhythms and set a routine around that.

jlw2505

My girls started daycare at 10 weeks and 12 weeks and I never stressed over a nap schedule for them at that young age.  Heck, with my older one, I was happy if she napped at all.  My daycare does not have the infants on a schedule, they let them set the times that they nap and eat and only when they move to the Busy Baby room at a year do they put them on a schedule.  That being said, by 3 or 4 months, both of my girls got themselves into a great eating/sleeping routine and would go down for naps at the about the same time each day and we would follow that and adjust as needed.

14years

We tried, but DS has never had a routine at daycare.  He does at home on the weekends, but he will *not* follow the same pattern during the week, even if the teachers try to put him down for nap at about the same time.  There seems to be way too much going on there for him to nap consistently.  He's still doing OK, though, so we don't worry about it too much.  I think he'll get more of a routine as he gets older and moves to the toddler room where everyone is doing the same thing.

You could certainly try to have your cousin and dad follow a "routine."  With fewer kids around than a traditional daycare, your LO may go for it.

EveryNameIWantIsTaken

The only "schedule" that we have is bath every other night and bedtime by 830 every night.  This probably started being consistent at about 12ish weeks.  DS's naps are about 20 min a piece and few and far between so we were out of luck with any kind of day schedule.   He does just fine in daycare.

Ali212

I did get my daughter on a routine very early but I also have a nanny who comes to our home so I knew it would be kept when I went back to work.  Having my daughter sleep through the night was very important to me...I needed it for my sanity so I developed a routine with her to encourage healthy day & night sleep habits and was fortunate that my daughter started 8 hours straight by 8 weeks old and 12 hours straight by 14 weeks. 

Ali212

I should also add that some of these 'things' babies go through do NOT happen to all babies...we NEVER experienced the 4 month wakeful period even though I was bracing myself for a painful time and even teething has not disrupted her sleeping at all....just keep in mind not everything happens to all babies.

tonishep

I agree with the 'routine'.  We didn't try to schedule our little man, but we did try and get him into a routine.   We found when we stuck to the every 3 hour feeding (breastfeeding) as a newborn, he started stretching his night feedings out. He's been sleeping about 11-12 hours a night since week 12-13.  He isn't as solid on set naps besides his AM nap, but he usually sleeps another 1-2 hours collectively in the afternoon as well.  My daycare asked us if we had a routine feeding /sleeping pattern with him, and they try to stick to that as best they can. 

We get home around 5:15, bathe him (every other night), then do a little play time and eat at 6:30.  He's usually in bed by 7-7:15. 

They say babies don't schedule themselves, but if we try and stretch the night feeding or somehow get off the timing, he lets us know with fussing.  Don't know what i'd do without this routine as it allows my DH and i time to eat dinner together and make bottles, pump, etc. for the next day. 

So hopefully you can establish some nighttime routine to let yourself have some downtime.  Good luck!