The only advice i have is thus:
Listen to his patterns and steadily mold them to what you want. But first discover what it is you want to acheive as you dont want to confuse the poor thing lol.
There are two schools of thought, either let the baby do what he wants and needs to do until older and then encourage a routine. But this is the actions of a saint! As those babies will milk you for all they can and you give them an inch, they will take a mile. But some people believe it is the only way to give your baby what they need - to listen.
If you want to establish a routine, then start asap.
Always do the same get up and go to bed routine.
Make sure you use the same room to get them ready in every night.
Dont rock them to sleep or let them fall asleep in your arms at bedtime - as they will always want it. Put them down awake and let them go.
If they have a dummy, give it to them every ten minutes they scream in bed without touching or talking to them.
Always do night feeds in the dark as much as possible and dont talk to them, comfort them etc. i
f you use a dummy, pop it back in when they wake for a feed until it is absolutely obvious that the only thing that will hush them is food.
Include in your bedtime routine sing songs, baths and highly recommend baby massage! after i am done he has a quick hug and a lullaby then i put him down and leave the room. if he screams i leave him to it, giving him the dummy every ten minutes. but tbh, the baby massage hits the spot and he goes straight to bed.
the main thing is to teach them the difference between night and day. Day is fun, cuddles and play, night is quiet and sleepy time.
As for feeding, i believe in the strict feeding times rule, but then tom just did it no hassle, so i cant vouch for babies that dont comply. I fed him four hourly, the same hours everyday and he learnt very quickly when it was coming and didnt cry until it was late. Then i could see when he was demanding more due to growth spurts etc. If he wanted more after a feed, i gave him more, you cant really over feed them if their growth is steady. if he demanded feeds early, then i gave him more. He stops when he is full.
Make nappy changes a routine too - do them just before or after a feed and when smelly if req'd.
very soon, if not already, you will notice the difference in your baby's cry and be able to tell when they want attention or when there is actually something wrong. You will even notice when they are just having you on !! lol.
It may not be easy to start with, but they catch on to routines very quickly. I think it gives them a bit of security.
BUT, this is just one way to do it, different people will tell you different things and as I said, you need to figure out what YOU want to do first, as you can't try everything! and everyone does it differently - every baby is different.
