anyone on a schedule yet?

mrssburnison

I really want to try and get LO on a schedule each day.  I feel like our time is just flying by and we're sitting around doing nothing most of the time!  She's still pretty inconsistant and changing her sleeping patterns, so I don't know if it's still too early, or what.  But if anyone has had success getting onto a schedule I'd appreciate any and all advice you could give.  I know that its not going to be set in stone at this point or even go smoothly every day, but even if I could get a rough idea of what to plan out each day, and when she's napping so I can plan things or what not.  It just seems like we try to do something and she's grumpy or hungry, or something.  I'd like to make things easiest on her and work with her schedule, but I don't know where to start.  TIA!  (We don't go to day care or anything, so its hard to say we have a set time to get up, and especially when she has a rough night its just easy to sleep in!) 

chickpea03

I was really anxious to get Milo on a schedule (I'm a planner and like to be busy, and I heard it was better for the babe overall) but I waited until he kind of did it himself and I got used to his patterns. I just realized last week, he really has put himself on a schedule! It looks a lot like this, give or take an hour or two each day. I still go with his flow on timing (i.e., he doesn't nap at exactly 9:00 each and every morning), but it follows a general pattern

Early morning feeding (between 4 and 6)

Back to sleep until about 7 or 8 (depending on if I work that day. He comes with me, so we both need to get up and get ready. Usually he stays sleeping and I get up and ready while he sleeps, and then I get him up and dressed to be to work by 9)

Wake up, dressed, diaper changed, nurse

Play (on the playmat or in my lap and just recently the Bumbo- his new favorite!) 

Nap (about 2 hours after he wakes up- and he generally sleeps from 1-2 hours)

Then we follow that same schedule throughout the day- wake, diaper change, nurse, play, nap

He typically goes down for the "night" at about 7 (after a bath and nursing), and wakes up every 2-3 hours throughout the night to nurse but goes right back to sleep (if we're lucky- some nights we need to keep going in and shushing him and rubbing his back a few times)

I was a nanny before having my own, so I know how much kids thrive on a schedule (and mamma's/caregivers too!). I hope that helps, and good luck! I would just suggest to read your baby and read your needs; whatever works for the two of you and keeps you sane is what you should do Try not to put to much emphasis on what someone else is doing as "perfect"- whatever you and the baby need is perfect for you! 

Cristin23

Our schedule is the following-but I have Daycare right now, and I don't really know his schedule there.

5:30 am: He wakes up and starts babbling in the monitor. DH goes and gets him and I feed him. 

He falls back asleep in swing. DH and I get ready for the day.

7:30 am: I get him dressed and feed him for 5-10 minutes before we go to Daycare-he's usually not that hungry, but I let him eat to "tie" him over.

7:45-Drop off at Daycare (my daycare is right around the corner from my house)

he usually goes back to sleep in the morning at daycare, eats a bottle at 9:30, and has his second at 12:30.

12:45-I pick him up at daycare.

12:45-3:30 nap time-This can vary a little bit, sometimes he will stay up til 2:00 and he'll eat again, then he'll nap til 3:30.

3:30-5:30-Playtime. He usually sits on my lap and we talk and sing, or he'll lay on his mat. 

5:30: he eats-we eat dinner

6:00, we usually try to go for a walk.

7:30-8:30: This is usually his bed time-if he naps a little later, than it's usually closer to 8:30. I don't have an elaborate routine. Every other day he has bath, gets swaddled, I'll let him nurse a little bit, then he goes into the crib. I turn on his sleep sheep and projector and he'll stare at the ceiling and talk for about 5 minutes and he's out.

He'll get up at either 1:30 or 2:30 for 10 minutes to eat then sleep until 5:30 and we start the routine over again.

Obviously I don't have a strict schedule, but that's pretty much our day. 

April320

With twins, having a schedule is even more important - and having them on the same schedule is key - so we've had our babies on a 3-hour feeding schedule from the very beginning.  Basically, here's our day:

5:30ish - DD wakes and gets a bottle from DH before he gets ready for work (DS dropped this feeding a few weeks ago)

8:00 - wake and feed both babies, then play until they show drowsy signs (usually 45 min to an hour total awake time)

9:00/9:15 - 11 - nap

11 - wake, eat, play

12/12:15 - 2 - nap

2:00 - wake, eat, play

3:30 - 5 - nap

5:00 - wake, eat, play

6:30 - 8 - nap (although often they don't really need this nap and they just hang out with us in the evening in the swing or bouncy seats while we cook/eat dinner)

8:00 - start bedtime routine (baths, bottle, swaddle, book, bed)

9:00 - down for the night

3 am-ish - quick wake up to eat

If I want to leave the house, I do it right after they eat instead of play time.  Then we're usually back by nap time, or they nap while we're out.  If one wakes earlier than the next scheduled feeding, I'll try to just get him/her to hang out with me while we wait for the next feeding, but if they're hungry, I feed them early and wake the other if it's close to time to eat so they stay coordinated.