Babies: 0 - 3 Months

Getting LO on a schedule at what age...

FTM here so I'm clueless. Everyone asks me if I'm putting him on a schedule, but to me, I feel like he's going to do what he wants regardless. A friend of mine says she keeps her LO up all day, as painful and aggravating as it is, just so she sleeps at night. I feel like it's a waste of time because he's still so little. Will his schedule eventually change, where he sleeps at night and up during the day? He's sleeping about every 2 hours, then up for 2 hours...is that normal too?
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Re: Getting LO on a schedule at what age...

  • Please do NOT try to keep your baby up all day to make him sleep all night. That is unhealthy and simply not true. She makes her baby miserable all day just so SHE is happy and able to sleep at night. Not to be rude or judge but that is just selfish! 

    I wouldn't worry about getting your LO on a schedule so young, but a routine especially at bedtime will definitely help. Pick a certain time you like to get your LO bathed, fed, swaddled (if you choose) and all that other bedtime stuff and try to do it in the same order every night around the same time within an hour I'd say. Babies love routines! 

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  • Forcing a baby to stay up all day is just mean! These LOs need their rest! At 4 weeks I personally would not try to put my baby on a schedule. It just seems so extreme to pop into the world and have activites shoved down your throat. It's much more gentler to just watch their cues and provide them with what they need. Slowly, a schedule will emerge. What you can do to help them out is provide consistency. As PP suggested, a bedtime routine is a great first step. And it is completely normal for your LO to be eating and sleeping every two hours. He has a tiny little belly and food is digested quickly.
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  • Ditto everyone.  Your friend is an idiot.  A baby needs all the sleep they can get.  That's when the major brain development is occurring.  So by her FORCING her poor child to stay up she's robbing him/her with crucial development.  For now I would follow the baby's lead and usually they will tell you what sort of schedule works for them.  I don't even think you should do anything too strict until a minimum of 4 months.
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  • DS isn't on a schedule but we do have a routine that I try and stick to as close as possible each day. Especially at night with bedtime.
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  • Yeah, when my husband told me she said that, I thought it was a little extreme...I didn't think schedules came into play until around 5-6 months lol. Thanks guys!
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  • I just read somewhere that newborns really can only stay awake/alert for 2 hours so yours is on par with that...We're trying to set up a routine and it seems to help- DD slept for 6 hours last night and it actually worried me, but I've been told to just be happy (she's 6 weeks).  We dim the lights, turn on the white noise machine while I'm breastfeeding and relax. 
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