No day time schedule anyone?

magpiemama

I sort of feel like I am the only one who's LO is still not on a day time schedule. My LO is EBF with some solids (BLW). He has a very predictable bedtime and nighttime schedule (STTN approx. 11-12 hours) but other then that we wing it! He nurses on demand and has naps when he shows tired signs. This seems to be working for us but I feel like at 8.5 months maybe he should be on a more predictable daytime schedule. I should also mention I am still home with him on mat leave. Thoughts? Am I the only one!?

clrgrdfrk

DD is on no specific schedule. Just when I think we are close to getting on one, she changes things up. I don't think it helps that two days a week my mom watches her while I am at work and the other three days, we have a nanny. Her naps vary from 2-4 times a day. The only thing that is the same everyday is when she has her dinner and bedtime.

I am not too worried about it, she seems happy and healthy most of the time when she's not being a sass due to her teeth coming in.

Mrs.G123

We don't have a set schedule. I never did with dd1 either.

StefanieM522

no set schedule either except for dinner and bedtime.  I just go off of his cues when he is tired and hungry.  The daycare goes off his cues as well so there is no problems with it there either.  He is happy and healthy and I think that is all that matters.

Mrs.RockyM

at our daycare they typically want the kids on a schedule around 9 or so months so they start around 8 or so.  Some kids though really thrive on schedules and need consistency.  Others just don't.  You know what works best for your kid. 

pb_bride

I guess it depends on how you feel about having a schedule or not.  I think some babies will make their own schedules; however, many other babies (like DS) need a bit of help from their parents to come up with a predictable schedule.

DS is 8 months now, and we didn't develop a more predictable schedule when he was about 7 months.  Once his nap durations became more consistent, it was much easier to make a schedule. Prior to that, sometimes his naps were 45 minutes, sometimes 2hrs,, which would have been impossible to have a schedule.

I EBF and SAHM, so I guess we didn't really "need" a schedule?  HOwever, it's much nicer to have a predictable one (give or take an hour) so we can make plans to see friends or go to story time or other 'stuff'.  

AS for nursing, we've been on an EAESY schedule for the longest time, so it's not "on demand."  When he was taking 3 naps a day, I nurse him 8x (before/after each nap, plus morning and bedtime; he STTN).  Now he's down to 2 naps a day, I nurse him 6x a day.  It's just much easier for me...

Having said all this, it also boils down to your LO's temperament.  Predictability is one of the temperaments your LO is born with.  If you have a highly unpredictable LO, then nothing you do can really make your LO go on a schedule.  I think DSis fairly   predictable, which makes my life a bit easierl.

pmduggan01

Like you, our LO's bed time is on a schedule, but the rest is just a rough schedule. I know he'll nap 2 or 3 times in the day, and that's about it.

tamararachel2

Nope. No schedule. My mom was around with DS1 and she watched him while I finished my last year of college and while I was working...so pretty much ALL the time. She had a schedule with him. As for this LO...he has his own set of mind and we kind of know when he'll go down for a nap and all, but there's no set time. We know that about 2 - 2 1/2 hours after he wakes up in the morning, he will nap. Some times it's for 30 minutes, some days it's 2 hours! His second nap is later on and it's the same thing. DS2 is happy and has tons of energy, so there's no point in putting him on a schedule because if we try to force a nap on him, he's so stubborn that he will cry the entire time. 

tiffmatt

Yes and no. I know that DS will be ready to nap 2 hours after getting up, however than can fluctuate a lot. Sometimes he sleeps until 8-9am. Sometimes he'll wake up when DH leaves for work at 5:30 and we'll cuddle in bed until he dozes off around 6:30 - 7 and he'll sleep until 10:30. Either way I know 2 hours later is nap time.
I'm a SAHM and husb works until 7pm some nights, so for us, stating up later and sleeping later means more time w daddy in the evening. Typically when we need to make plans I tell people "let's shoot for 2, but I'll let you know for sure what time in the morning." I can usually gauge things well based on his wake time.
It does however make it a challenge to schedule time in the infant room in the gym.