Routines!

[vanessa]

Was just wondering at what age people started to bring some routine into feeding and sleeping patterns. I know May is too young for this yet, but I am looking forward to having some structure! So, when did you introduce feeds and naps at specific times, and how did you do it? I am not keen to force her into anything, and refuse to let her cry and wait for food.........

 

[nikky0907]

Lola is 4 months and she has only a bedtime routine I strictly stick to and one in the morning...
We don't have a set time for naps but it all I can approximatly guess when's what...

 

[ryder]

We didnt have a strict routine... but... right from the beginning we have always made it clear when night time is, she has always been in her crib since a week old, in her own room... Bath time is always in the evening.... and in the afternoon we've always had quiet time/nap time. Play time is in the morning and early evenings.

She now goes to bed at 8 and sleeps through until 7 without waking once. And she has always been a good sleeper.

 

[PeanutBean]

We have a bedtime routine for all the good it does. Byron has no sense of feeding or sleeping routines yet. I was getting worried about the sleep but I read yesterday that it's not until 10-12 weeks that they get a good sense of night and day so it is probably just a bit too soon still.

 

[Vickie]

At that age we had a good bedtime routine and that was it. It's only as we started weaning her that we have really got into a feeding routine, and for naps even though I can approximate when she'll go down I let her guide me, some days she's more tired than others

7:45 bottle & oatmeal with fruit
9ish nap
10-10:30 mid morning snack
sometimes another short nap around 11/11:30
12 bottle and fruit jar
another nap, but she'll go down anywhere from 1-3
2:30 mid afternoon snack
4 sometimes another nap (depending on the previous nap)
4:30 bottle and veggie jar
5:40-6 bath
book following bath
bottle
bed (the time varies by 30 minutes either way but she's usually in bed around 6:30)

 

[vanessa]

I guess every baby is different.......x

 

[isil]

Ally fell into his own really great routine. His naps are sometimes a bit off but generally he's very predictable. Especially at night. Different things work for different people, if you want your baby to do certain things you probably need to 'train' them to do it from an early age but with Alasdair I was happy to go with the flow and I feel like because he decided on his own routine, it's easier for both of us.

 

[tinytoes]

i think we started about 3 months. we still dont have set nap times, it all depends how long the previous nap was etc - and this can vary. I just know that right now my LO needs to sleep afetr he's been awake about 2 hours - to keep him as happy as can be. Over 2 hours and he gets whingey.
At 3 months he needed to nap after 1.5 hours.