Typical Day

chrissssn · August 2015

What is your "typical" day with LO? Now that some of our little ones are getting into the two month range, do you seem to have some sort of routine? Or is every day still different? (Sorry if there is another thread like this! I looked and couldn't find one.)

aliciac2008 · August 2015

I'm actually really surprised how much of a routine we have at only 2 months old. Here's ours.

7:30 - LO wakes me up. She eats, I have a soda for the caffeine. I turn on the Today show and play with her for about an hour.

9:00ish - I put her down for a nap in her swing. She sleeps long enough for me to shower and brush my teeth. Pretty much as soon as I come back to the living room she is waking up again. Perfect timing. We keep playing until it's time to eat again. She sometimes gets a little grumpy during the time.

10:30 - Time to eat again. Since she didn't sleep enough earlier I put her down for a nap right away, even though we try to follow the Eat/Wake/Sleep schedule. I do not want an over tired baby.

1:00ish - She wakes up and we play until she's hungry again. Then I feed her and play with her for an hour. Then another nap. During her nap I catch up on emails and get ready for my lessons for the day. If I have time I'll fit in a video game. Then I start teaching at 3, so her grandma comes over to watch her.

4:00 or 5:00 - Grandma or husband repeat what we did at 1, depending on who's home. Play until 6, then she goes for a nap. DH and I make and eat dinner, watch the news, and clean the house.

7:00ish - LO eats, then we play for a bit.

8:00 - We start our night time routine. Play on her mat to get some energy out, then take a bath. We then pick out a story, go up to her nursery and read it to her. After the story we give her a bottle, then put her in her crib for bed around 8:30.

8:30 - Grown up time! LO stays asleep until we are ready for bed, so DH and I will occasionally have a beer and play video games. Every Saturday night we watch a James Bond movie (getting ready for the new one to come out).

10:30 - LO gets a dream feed.

11:00 - DH and I go to bed.

3:00ish - LO wakes up for a feed

7:00 the next day - Rinse repeat.

chrissssn · August 2015

We haven't had too much of a routine, but now that baby is 7 weeks, I hoping for a more predictable schedule.

7am - Wake up, bottle, change diaper. He hangs out in bouncy chair long enough to get my 4 year old ready and fed.

8:30 - Take DS to preschool. LO cries entire car ride

9am - Get home & nap (exhausted from car ride)

10ish - Wake, eat, diaper and playtime. We walk around the house & talk.

11ish - Long nap (hopefully) - This is when I shower, eat, and clean house.

2 - Wake, eat and play

3:30 - Pick up DS from preschool. LO cries entire car ride

4pm - Nap. Play with DS and try to start dinner.

7pm - Bath for both, or just oldest son.

8pm - Bedtime!

LO has been waking either at 1 or 3am. Then maybe around 5am, and back down till 7am.

ksimo6 · August 2015

LO gets up about 630am and eats. Then eats and naps about every three hour throughout the day. After he eats, he is usually awake for an hour or so before he sleeps again. Around 830pm we get him ready for bed and give him his last bottle, then is is swaddled and put to bed with his nook. Sleeps till the morning and we repeat.

Sammy K · August 2015

@aliciac2008 I'm jealous. We have no daytime routine other than eat, play for 15 min, then whine/cry/fight nap for 2 hours, eat, cry, burp, cry, fight a nap for another hour, nap (mom cries). Repeat until 5. Then eat every hour until 8. Eat, bounce, pat rock, eat until 10. She sleeps 2-3 hours until 3:30, then it's whine/cry until 5:30. I'm glad we're done having kids.

aliciac2008 · August 2015

Sammy K said:
@aliciac2008 I'm jealous. We have no daytime routine other than eat, play for 15 min, then whine/cry/fight nap for 2 hours, eat, cry, burp, cry, fight a nap for another hour, nap (mom cries). Repeat until 5. Then eat every hour until 8. Eat, bounce, pat rock, eat until 10. She sleeps 2-3 hours until 3:30, then it's whine/cry until 5:30. I'm glad we're done having kids.

I'm so sorry your baby is being difficult for you.

I have definitely been blessed with an easy baby, and I do not take that for granted.

I don't know if it has been contributing, but I've definitely done things a very consistent way since she was 4 weeks and I feel like it's helped. She's bottle fed, so I can make sure she's getting a full meal at every feeding and not just snacking. That makes it so I don't have feed her sooner than 3 hours. Every nap she is swaddled tight and I put her in her swing on the highest setting. I don't rock her to sleep (and I haven't since week 3) so she has learned to fall asleep on her own. We still get plenty of snuggles during the day though. She's also slept in her crib at night since day 1. I've had a lot of help, so I was able to deal with going in every few minutes to soothe her. I also got lucky in that one day she just decided she didn't want the pacifier any more. No more getting up every 5 minutes to put it back!

My baby only cries for about 30 seconds before I can figure out what's wrong and make it better. Again, I got blessed with a very easy baby. I am no super mom at all. It scares the crap out of me to think that she could start being tough any minute and waking up all the time. I wouldn't know what to do! I'm sure I'm jinxing it though and will be up all night. See you on the night time sucks thread!

jessieR358 · August 2015

Sammy K said:
@aliciac2008 I'm jealous. We have no daytime routine other than eat, play for 15 min, then whine/cry/fight nap for 2 hours, eat, cry, burp, cry, fight a nap for another hour, nap (mom cries). Repeat until 5. Then eat every hour until 8. Eat, bounce, pat rock, eat until 10. She sleeps 2-3 hours until 3:30, then it's whine/cry until 5:30. I'm glad we're done having kids.

This sounds exactly like my "routine". My LO is 3 weeks old. I'm trying to do baby wise. But sometimes the eat/wake/feed turns in to eat/wake/fuss then eat again.

laurendutch · August 2015

Absolutely, no routine at all. With my twins they were on such a schedule and this time it's all up in the air. It's just really hard when I have my 4.5 year olds to entertain and keep busy. Hoping this will change once they go to preschool. I've started a more structured routine with them, so hoping it will help with her.

I was thinking today that have a June/Jily baby is so nice bc they sleep so much and aren't set to a huge routine. I feel like I can go do fun Summer activities with my boys...probably wouldn't be like this if I had a Spring baby.

chrissssn · August 2015

laurendutch said:
Absolutely, no routine at all. With my twins they were on such a schedule and this time it's all up in the air. It's just really hard when I have my 4.5 year olds to entertain and keep busy. Hoping this will change once they go to preschool. I've started a more structured routine with them, so hoping it will help with her.

I was thinking today that have a June/Jily baby is so nice bc they sleep so much and aren't set to a huge routine. I feel like I can go do fun Summer activities with my boys...probably wouldn't be like this if I had a Spring baby.

Yeah, the reason I was asking about this topic was because (just like you experienced) with my first son I had a really good schedule, but now with this baby, and my now 4.5 year old, I am finding it very hard to have a schedule.

Lack of schedule is kind of driving me crazy! The other day we were so busy and my 4 yr old had friends over that the baby only took little catnaps all day and I felt horrible! But I guess as the little brother he'll just have to learn to roll with the punches

bethanne09 · August 2015

We have a nighttime schedule and routines, but not really a day time schedule. He hates daytime naps, and doesn't really get overtired until about eight if he hasn't taken a good one, so I tend to lose track of time. He is perfectly content sitting in his bouncer or swing while I shower/clean as long as he can see me.

Mon/Wed/Fri = bath at eight
Every other day = massage at eight

8:30 (in our room, lights off, tv on) diaper, swaddle, feed
9:00-9:15 down in bouncer (starting to move to pack n play this week)
11:30 diaper (normally poop), boob, down
3:00 diaper, fix swaddle, boob and cuddle (tries to wake up because he hates sleeping... like a crazy person*)
4:30 down in bouncer
5:30 pat/rock back to sleep (see above*)
8:00 diaper, unswaddle, awake. This is normally when we do tummy time, read, and play with the dogs

Nights when he doesn't fight sleep so much, he won't be up at 4-5, but that's a crapshoot lately.

klkonwi · August 2015

No schedule, on demand.
Am thinking of trying this "dream feed" business soon.........

lovethatcolosun · August 2015

We have no schedule to speak of. Having a three yo to keep entertained keeps the day in flux. We have general wake and sleep times, but LO eats on demand, which is generally every two hours or so. Our DS starts preschool this fall so I'm hoping to get on more of a schedule. We're also going to start putting her in her crib...I don't want her dependent on me for sleep and she much prefers our bed to her bassinet. Time to move the little lady down the hall.

YouAreMySunshine15 · August 2015

My LO is 7 weeks. We mainly stick to the wake up/go to bed times. The middle of the day can get pretty blurry. She naps/eats on demand. I give her a bath every 2-3 days.

9AM - wake up, diaper, Zantac, eat.
9:30 - sit in bouncer and watch mom make breakfast
10AM - tummy time/wake time
11AM - nap in swing while mom showers, gets dressed
12PM - baby eats, mom eats
1:30 - baby sleeps in mom's arms, swing, or crib
Naps/feeds/wakes until 6:30
6:30 baby hangs out in swing during dinner
7PM - witching hour. Baby fights the boob, then naps.
8:30 - bath time
9:00 - bed time/Zantac

Then she usually sleeps 5-6 hours, followed by two more 3 hour stretches.

heidiiwa · August 2015

Some days LO is very sleepy, and sleeps almost all day waking up only for brief feelings every 3 hours or so and to be fussy during his "witching hour" in the evening. Other days he'll actually be awake most of the day, with one nap for about 2-3 hours in the afternoon. When he is awake, he has some good "quiet alert" periods interspersed with fussy periods and crying, and when he gets fussy or starts crying I feed him, which often makes him doze off. One nice thing is that whether he is sleepy or alert during the day doesn't matter much in terms of his night time sleeping. After I finally soothe /breastfeed him to sleep after his witching hour, he sleeps until 3 am, wakes to feed, goes back to sleep by 4, and wakes up to feed again at 6 am. The witching hour/fussy hours tend to be between about 8 pm and 10 pm. I can't really predict what he'll do in the daytime, but at least he doesn't stay up all night. As you can tell, I pretty much let him determine his own schedule, and he cycles through sleep/awake fussy/awake and good/feeding/sleep many times a day.

AlwaysSunny1012 · August 2015

At 5 weeks we are just starting to work on a schedule but yesterday ended in tons of tears (his and mine) when he wouldn't nap, decided to eat randomly every 1 to 1.5 hrs, and screamed on and off every time he was awake for more than 30 minutes. Yesterday was our worst day so far and I felt like such a failure all day. Schedule fail. Hoping for a better day today. On the bright side, we had a pretty good night!

delujm0 · August 2015

At 6.5 weeks we don't have much of a schedule other than that she's generally down for the night at 10 and up for he day at 7, with 2-3 nighttime feeds thrown in there. I am learning that if I don't get her napping, and REAL napping, not just dozing in the swing, by 9am, the rest of my day is a shit show of overtired sleep refusal and screaming. So I guess that's the start of a schedule?

virginiaunicorn11 · August 2015

No schedule whatsoever. We try to keep LO out and about for several hours a day because he likes it and we like it. LO fights sleep til his eyes water, but forcing him to nap makes him wail, whereas letting him do his thing keeps him happy. He is thriving and gaining weight, rarely crying, so I'm done trying to force him to nap.

LO sleeps for 3-5 hours starting between 7-10 pm, wakes a few times during the night, and is great about going back to sleep. So we usually get up between 7-9 am, depending on how tired DH and I are. Daytime naps are anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 hours, depending on the day/situation.

mindaa · August 2015

jesshrou said:

Sammy K said:
@aliciac2008 I'm jealous. We have no daytime routine other than eat, play for 15 min, then whine/cry/fight nap for 2 hours, eat, cry, burp, cry, fight a nap for another hour, nap (mom cries). Repeat until 5. Then eat every hour until 8. Eat, bounce, pat rock, eat until 10. She sleeps 2-3 hours until 3:30, then it's whine/cry until 5:30. I'm glad we're done having kids.
This sounds exactly like my "routine". My LO is 3 weeks old. I'm trying to do baby wise. But sometimes the eat/wake/feed turns in to eat/wake/fuss then eat again.

Exactly.... We'll have such a good flow for a few days, then LO will have a totally off day, where its just constant feed/fuss. Even at 9 weeks

do try to keep his naps and night time pretty consistent.

HayesRN13 · August 2015

virginiaunicorn11 said:
No schedule whatsoever. We try to keep LO out and about for several hours a day because he likes it and we like it. LO fights sleep til his eyes water, but forcing him to nap makes him wail, whereas letting him do his thing keeps him happy. He is thriving and gaining weight, rarely crying, so I'm done trying to force him to nap.

LO sleeps for 3-5 hours starting between 7-10 pm, wakes a few times during the night, and is great about going back to sleep. So we usually get up between 7-9 am, depending on how tired DH and I are. Daytime naps are anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 hours, depending on the day/situation.

Pretty much all this...

ChardeeMacDennis · August 2015

Here's our schedule. It's a little more regular since the baby kind of just has to go with her brother's flow. It will also all change in 2 weeks when preschool starts back up for the oldest.

7:00- boys and baby wake, then eat, then play. I feed everyone, eat, then clean kitchen.

8:00- baby naps. Boys and I get dressed, might clean up toys or start laundry if we need to, and play.

9:30- STB time (Sorry, Third Baby time). We've got places to be and things to do. Baby gets any sleep or awake time she needs in the car seat or wrap for the next few hours. Running errands or going to kid places. Usually gets nursed to top her up before we leave.

12:00- lunch for me and boys, then boys nap.

12:30- baby eats and naps. I usually take a break and read or sleep depending on who wakes up when.

2:30- STB time #2. Only two hours this time and she's usually more awake. Usually nurses before we leave again. Sometimes we just stay home and play.

4:30- Cook dinner and clean house time. Baby is either on playmat with boys or in the wrap with me, depending on mood.

6:00- DH is home and dinner. Baby's in swing or in somebody's arms depending on mood. Usually she takes a little evening cat nap and nurses again sometime.

7:30- boys go to bed and baby gets about an hour of real parent attention.

8:30- bedtime. She nurses to sleep and wakes up usually around 2 am and 5 am.

mlindzz · August 2015

I read the first few posts and started to think we were a complete mess over here with our absolute no daytime schedule. I'm relieved others shared as well, even those without any routine... I'm right there with ya at 6.5 weeks!

The only 'routine' is bedtime (which could be anytime between 8-12pm), in that once he falls asleep he's basically up every 1.5-2 hours for a short feed (5-10 mins) and often diaper change. In the morning we wake (anytime between 6:30-11am) and feed, cuddle & poop. After that dad takes LO for cuddles and tummy time until next feed while I shower, etc. After that, there is no schedule. Babe does as he pleases... Naps can last 5 mins-3.5 hours, and feedings can be every 1-3.5 hours.

joyfuljenny · August 2015

I feel like my LO has been giving me cues the past few days that she's ready for more of a routine, but I haven't totally figured out what that should look like yet.

She's 8.5 weeks and up until now, we've had virtually no daytime schedule. Just eating and napping on demand and very little awake time for the first 6 weeks. Around 5pm or 6pm she would start cluster feeding, nurse to sleep around 11pm or midnight, I'd transfer her to the rock n play, and then she'd sleep until about 5:30am.

She's starting to be awake and interactive a lot more during the day now, and as a result she sometimes gets overstimulated or overtired. And because she's more aware of sounds and other things around her, she doesn't nap just anywhere very easily anymore. So I think a routine and regular naps in the same spot would help her stay happy. We're mostly settling into an eat/play/sleep routine, but she typically also wants/needs to nurse for a few minutes to fall asleep.

She sleeps in the rock n play in our bedroom at night, but up until the past week has stayed with me for daytime naps -- sleeping on me after nursing, or while I'm wearing her in the wrap, or in the bed with me if I want a nap too. But I'm starting trying to get her to nap in the crib in the nursery instead of with me. Had a couple of successful naps so far, but they're definitely shorter (only 30-40 min) than naps she takes with me.

This thread has been helpful! I've gotta some good ideas for starting to establish a daytime routine.

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