When to start establishing a routine

mrsjengle

I know that you can't really have a routine. And I know that as she gets older her routine/needs will change. However right now I feed her and let her sleep most of the time. I do give her some time on the mat each day, but mostly she sleeps. She's only a week old today, but I like to know what's coming down the line. At what age did you start establishing a routine? And what's your routine look like?

bingham101

My LO is 9 weeks today. Hes up most of the day and sleeps from like 9 to 9 getting up every 3/4 hours to eat at night. My daycare (in home) is working on getting him to nap from 8-10 and 12-2 each day she just trys to keep him awake during the other times of the day. I find he often naps again around 4-6. In my experience they show you their routine and you can try to adjust it. From what I have heard you can't really get them on a set routine until 4 to 5 months. This is my first child so I am just rolling with it.

Eveamlizya

Do you mean a routine or a schedule?  Your LO will pretty much establish their own routine as they get used to things, but as far as set times, some people do thing differently, but I would say to let baby rule and decide on their own for the first 2 months...then start with something simple like waking up at the same time every day or going to bed at the same time.  Granted you can start establishing a bedtime routine now; I would nurse DD at that age, then get her sponge bathed, fresh diaper, sleeper on, and lights out.  Sometimes I'd nurse her again and let her fall asleep while she soothe-sucked. 

greeneyed_bride

In my experience (and keep in mind that I only have one child, so I'm not an expert), the baby is the one who establishes the routine. My son's routine changes every few weeks or so (and sometimes every few days), but this is what it looks like at 3 months:

Somewhere between 7:30 and 9:00 am: wake up, nurse, get changed, have alert/happy period for about an hour (during which time I do tummy time, lay him on his mat, read to him, wave toys in front of his face, talk to him, etc)

9:30-10:30am (depending on when he woke up) - Brief fussy period. I nurse him briefly, then hold him while walking around and singing until he gets tired. Then I put him in his swing, where he takes a 15-20 minute nap. After that, he wakes up, nurses, then has another hour or so of alert/happy time, followed by an awake but kind of "zoned out" time where he just hangs out on my lap. 

Around noon-ish, he gets fussy, nurses, then takes a 2-4 hour nap in his swing.

After his nap, he eats, has another hour or so of alert "play time,"  nurses, naps for 15-20 minutes, etc.

In the evenings, he likes to be held, is a bit fussier, and is somewhat less tolerant of being put on the floor for long periods of time. He nurses every hour or so in the evenings

By about 9:30-10:30, he gets really fussy, so I change his diaper, put him in his pajamas, swaddle him, and nurse him while rocking him in the glider in his nursery with the lights off. When he's done eating, I put him on my shoulder to burp and rock him for about five more minutes, then put him into his crib (asleep). Sometimes he wakes up and fusses for a few minutes, so I turn on his mobile. 

He sleeps for 6-7 hours, wakes up to nurse, and goes back to sleep for another 2-3 hours.

Rinse and repeat.

You will find what works for your daughter, and her needs, moods and schedule will change often. My advice is to go with what works for her rather than trying to make her schedule fit yours. Not everyone agrees with that theory, but I think it works better than trying to "make" an infant eat, sleep and "play" when you want him/her to.

mben1119

DS started his own routines after even just a few weeks.  And each week, he'd be awake a little longer, interact a little more, and sleep a little longer...Now, at nearly 6 months, our usual day looks like this:

Wake up between 5 am and 6 am, eat.

Playtime-reading, toys, activity mat, jumperoo, sitting...

Eat. Nap around 9ish, usually for an hour or so. Wake up and eat.

Play time again.

Eat around 1ish, then half hour nap if we're lucky.

Playtime.

Eat.

Playtime until he eats solids around 5.  He'll usually kill a bottle around 6 pm, then it's bedtime. DS usually wakes once a night just to eat.