Anyone not have a strict routine yet?

imurs8228 · October 2011

DS is 15 weeks old and I'm a SAHM. I don't have an eat, sleep, play routine because we have a bunch of appts all the time. DS has kind of put himself on a routine but it's definitely not strict, maybe feeds are usually within 30 minutes everyday. I feel like all the other mama's on here do these 3 hour routines or other crazy stuff but I just don't think DS does well on them (we tried for about a week). Is there anyone on here who still does on demand feeding (FF) after 3 months?

Also, am I crazy for not having read any sleep training books and hoping he'll just figure it out? I feel like people never used to use them and we were all just fine but I guess I'm happy with my 3 month old sleeping for a 5-7 hour stretch every night.

Bella12 · October 2011

Nope, nope, and nope. I felt like I was a bad mom at first for not "scheduling" anything or reading any books, but LO kind of put himself on a schedule and we pretty much do the same things everyday, but it's not a "must". My DH and I have decided that if it works it works and why change it.

Good luck!

cookierlr1 · October 2011

As of right now I feel no need to. LO is sleeping extremely well, and seems content all the time. I just follow his cues and we are all pretty happy so I don't see a problem with letting him set his own schedule right now.

akayf · October 2011

I never read any books other than your baby's first year week by week because I loved your pregnancy week by week with first. He turned out fine.

I'm still feeding on demand at 4 months and I FF. He settled himself into a routine so I know about when he'll be looking for a bottle or a nap but it's not strict and he goes with the flow. My older guy was like that too. Heck, I still feed him on demand! He eats when he's hungry. There are days he doesn't want to eat breakfast so we wind up doing lunch early.

Yellow_Daisy · October 2011

We have a loose schedule. DS is up for 90 min to 2 hrs then naps for 30-60 min. He eats roughly every 3 hrs. He eats, sleeps and plays in whatever order he wants and sleeps at night from 7pm - 2am and 2am - 7 or 8am. I am certainly not complaining. He set the schedule himself so we're just going with it.

Fuzzy21 · October 2011

Nothing here.

The only thing we do is a bedtime bath routine "approximately" around 8:30. Other than that, he eats when he is hungry, falls asleep in his bouncer or car seat whenever he wants, etc. I feed when he wants it which is often every hour or two

MilMom2B · November 2011

No strict routine. Baby found a general routine of her own and I just follow her cues. Some days she wakes up a smidge later/earlier or sleeps a bit longer/shorter at nap times so it's not like naps and feeds are the exact same time every single day. But, it's close. She's happy and healthy and that's good enough for me.

Jordanh719 · November 2011

We have found that if we try to put him on a strict routine it doesn't really work. He does SO well when when let him have a little control. We are pretty strict on bedtime routine and have been since 4 weeks old. 7:45-8:15 bath, lotion, PJ's, book bottle bed. Since about 6 weeks he has been sleeping at least 5 hour streches, now it is 7-9.5 hours at night. During the day he eats 4-5 bottles with about 30 ounces per day.(just recently was 5-6) and takes on average 3 naps. typically a longer afternoon about 2 hours and 2 hour long in the morning. It works for us!

Bennett714 · November 2011

I think it's totally fine, especially if it is working for you guys. I EBF "on demand" and try to make sure he gets down for a nap after 2 hrs of awake time or whenever he starts acting tired. Other than that, everything else is flexible. I SAH as well and like having some flexibility in our day. If E is having a grouchy day then I will simplify our schedule and push errands until later. About the sleep training books- I read "no cry sleep solution" because around 3 mos. We were spending over an hour putting him to bed and I felt like we needed to try a different approach. Again, if your routine is working for you, no need to worry. Hopefully you won't need any sleep books bc your LO continues to be a good sleeper

lysetterae · November 2011

DD is 5mos and has no routine/schedule other then that she goes to bed the same time every night. I'm a SAHM too and & I just don't see the point. She's happy, healthy, & sleeps okay. The way I see it is this is my time with her, I'm not going to get myself worked up because she doesn't have a schedule. She'll have all the time in the world for schedules when she starts school. Now, if I was a working mom I probably would have to have her on a schedule. I don't think you're crazy for not reading sleep training books. I have a couple but haven't implemented them because like you, I'm hoping she figures it out.

AmandaP678 · November 2011

Nope no strict schedule here. We do more of a routine more than anything, but nothing set in stone.

I've also NEVER read any book on sleep training or what to expect or anything along those lines because every baby is different.So because it worked for one doesn't mean it'll work for mine. I wanted to scream whenever someone claimed to have the "answer" or the best book to read on how to get my older one sleep better.

Anyway that came off as an angry vent lol

Keep doing what you're doing. If it's working don't change it!

Deblondie1 · November 2011

cookierlr1:
As of right now I feel no need to. LO is sleeping extremely well, and seems content all the time. I just follow his cues and we are all pretty happy so I don't see a problem with letting him set his own schedule right now.

This. Emme seems like a pretty content baby so I don't see the point in messing with a good thing. She eats, she naps, and she plays, she just does it when she feels like.

meg211 · November 2011

If it works for you and LO, don't sweat it! I was going back to work, so getting LO on a strict routine has been a lifesaver for both of us. I couldn't handle not knowing if tonight was gonna be a 5 hour night, or an 8 hour night! Getting her on a predictable 3 hour cycle helped me get her ready for all naps in her crib (which is what it would be at daycare), and feel better about her having a more structured day at daycare when I wouldn't be around to read her cues. Granted, the daycare does not strictly follow my routine, but that's ok as it seems to be working for dd during the day and not affecting her sleep at night. Plus, she seems to thrive on the routine and it makes bedtime a pretty easy, enjoyable snuggle process without tears.

tarahnpaul · November 2011

Yellow_Daisy:
We have a loose schedule. DS is up for 90 min to 2 hrs then naps for 30-60 min. He eats roughly every 3 hrs. He eats, sleeps and plays in whatever order he wants and sleeps at night from 7pm - 2am and 2am - 7 or 8am. I am certainly not complaining. He set the schedule himself so we're just going with it.

Pretty much exactly this except she's up at 5 a.m. to eat as well. DD is a very happy baby and doesn't really cry at all, so I think we're doing just fine.

jkrnomad · November 2011

We do not have a strict routine at 51 weeks and I am still BF on demand. I downloaded the sleep tracker sheet from the Bump and tracked his sleep patterns for the first 6 months and he always ate, slept, etc., within 30 minutes of the previous day. He also clearly shows or lets us know that he is hungry or tired or wants to nurse. He is roughly awake for 3 hours then takes an 2 hours nap at midday and after another 3 hours, he naps for 1 hour in the afternoon. We have a litlte nightowl when it comes to going to bed. Despite everything we have tried, he always falls asleep between 9-10. We've tried over several months to constantly move it up by 15 minutes, but he resists. He does have the same routine (flexible) each night before bed: playing with Papa, bath with Papa, pajamas, reading and playing and then bed. We live in Germany and found an amazing crib that clicks on to our bed, with one side being open to me and I nurse him and roll him back into his crib 1-2 in the night. He sleeps until 9 which I consider an absolute blessing!! We read everything and we didn't warm up to any of the books or schedules that we came across. Noah is a happy baby, we are happy and as long as you are doing something that works for you and you are all comfortable with, go for it!

imurs8228 · November 2011

You all made me feel so much better! Thanks ladies Smile

Anyone not have a strict routine yet?

Re: Anyone not have a strict routine yet?

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