4 month schedule

cmcintos · July 2015

Hi mamas!!! I've been hearing a lot about schedules, and getting babies into a consistent one around the 4 month mark. So far I've just been letting her call the shots when it comes to feeding/napping, but I'd love to try this schedule thing out, as the thought of consistent daily naps would make a world of difference in getting things done!! Anyone have a good book suggestion they've read or have any input or advice? I loved the book "cherish the first six weeks" to get her into a good routine early on, but now that she's older I'm wondering what to do now!!

myjessesgirl · July 2015

My SIL has a daughter that is six months older than my LO, so I've been trying to just follow her cues. Basically what I've read is that there are three types of schedules: really strict, to the minute; really lax and baby led; and somewhere in the middle. Personally, I'm a fan of the middle one. My LO has consistently been sleeping through the night, then sleeps a little extra after her early morning feeding. I consider the hours between 7 am and 10 am when she goes back to sleep her morning nap. And because she consistently wakes up at about 6:30 or 7, I feed her again between 9:30 and 10. Then I try to get another nap in between her 10 and 1 feedings, a long nap between her 1 and 4-ish feedings and then she gets her final feeding at 7:30 and goes to sleep. I can't say it is always consistent, but my goal is a 3-4 hours of napping altogether. But she sleeps so well at night, she gets about 16 hours of sleep with shorter naps. Other moms I've talked to have early risers and long nappers (my niece will sometimes go 3-4 hours for her afternoon nap!). I personally think the schedule is already there after awhile, it just needs to be identified and reinforced. And I've sort of modified it to fit better with my needs. So sometimes I'll nurse six times instead of five, or her bedtime will be pushed back because we are out past 7:30. It definitely did not take long to really get on a schedule. Good luck!

cmcintos · July 2015

My LO is 16 weeks, and is an excellent night sleeper, but sucks at going down for naps during the day!!! Today I tried ALL day, and she finally fell asleep at 4:30pm! She's still sleeping now, meaning there's no way she'll go to bed tonight until like 10pm! I feel like this "baby run" schedule is all over the place, which just stresses me out when I have to fight her to sleep all day long, only to have her finally sleep at the wrong time!! I don't want to wake her, as this is the first time she's slept all day!!!!

myjessesgirl · July 2015

Yes, baby led schedules can be annoying! My biggest thing is keeping a consistent bedtime. No matter when or how long she naps, I put her to bed at 7:30 to 8. A lot of moms I know said nighttime sleep scheduling comes easier than daytime sleep scheduling, so I would suggest working on that first, then adding daytime stuff. Once that is well established, then naps might just come into a pattern on their own. I can share what worked for me for naps, but obviously there are lots of other things that can be done. I make everything very similar to nighttime: noise machine, blackout curtains, etc. I also change my daughter into a fleece sleep bag because her room is cold and I dress her for the summer, so she's usually in a onesie only. She is a thumb sucker, so does an amazing job of self soothing. So I rock her for maybe 5-10 minutes (or nurse her if it is time), then put her down in her crib and leave. She is usually drowsy but not asleep when I put her down, and she does fuss for a few minutes, but she then falls asleep. Personally, I'm a proponent of letting her cry it out. I know some people hate the idea, but it works for us. If she's screaming her head off, then I'll definitely try to calm her, but she is usually asleep in about 10 minutes (my husband will actually turn the monitor off because 10 minutes of fussing feels like a lifetime!). That's her afternoon nap. For her morning naps, it is usually on a walk or car ride or something, so they're not as planned out. And rest assured that, aside from your LO being cranky, a lack of sleep because of a failed nap will not cause long term damage! I also hold to the opinion that some babies are naturally easier to get onto a schedule, not from anything parents do, but just from whatever their temperament is. Again, good luck!

TwinsCitiesMomma · July 2015

@AGM0616 - you always give sensible advice! I appreciate it!

shines721 · July 2015

My son has been on a schedule basically from day 1 and it's fantastic. Part of that is because he was so sleepy as a newborn that we'd need to strip him down to wake him up to eat.
His schedule is:
6:15 eat/quick snack before I take husband to the train and hope he goes back to sleep somewhere between then and 8
8:00 feed again
9:45/10-12 nap
12:00 feed
1:45/2 nap (usually in and out since it's typically when I am out doing errands)
4 feed
6:45-7:15 power nap
8 nighttime feed and bedtime

It has really worked for us. During his naptime, I try to replicate bedtime as much as possible if we are home. I'm not insane about it being exactly to the minute if he wakes up from his first nap at 11:45, I'll feed him but never go longer than 4 hours during the day for feeding him.

Good luck!

ajdietz · July 2015

Troublesometot.com great website about napping and sleeping schedule by age

4 month schedule

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