whats your routine?

[loopy_lou]

Hi Mums,

I was just wondering what your routine was in the first month with your little one?

Husband goes back to work on monday and i am just wanting to see how everyone else coped?

Husband has changed his working hours so hes home earlier (7pm rather than 8pm) but still its an hour each way to work so i dont expect him to be getting up with me at night but will be helping with preparing baby for bed, evening feeds and will be cooking most of the evening meals. And then helping me with cooking and cleaning at the weekend...

Loopy

 

[k4tie]

Bath, massage & bottle at 7pm every night, then dream feed at 10.30pm

 

[loopy_lou]

dream feed??

 

[OmarsMum]

dream feed??

giving LO a feed while sleeping.

 

[Squidge]

No routine as such here, i just went with whatever Madison wanted and it's worked for us!

 

[OmarsMum]

Our routine at this early age was bath at 8 -9 pm, massage & bottle. . Another bottle at 1-2 am, & one more at 5-6 am, he used to wake up at 8-9 am.

 

[daniandbaby]

bath at 8:30 (I have been trying to cut this down but no luck ), as kye got older he stays in the bath longer playing he loves it, cuddles and story, milk then bed

 

[Mrs Dot]

It's not as bad as you think it will be hun! I know how you're feeling and I was really worried about it, but it turned out to be better after a week or so with DH out from under the feet! It lets you get to know lo better and allows you to fall naturally into a routine. Best thing to do is not have high expectations of yourself or lo, if you don't get dressed until 2 pm who cares! you've got lo to think of! Let the housework wait and enjoy being with baby. The first week on my own with H I tried to go out a few times -once to the town centre in the car and out for a walk with the pram. Don't tie yourself to arrangements then you're not worrying about being somewhere for a certain time either.

We were feeding every 3-4 hours, (still are!) we have pattern of nappy change, feed then sleep and as time went on Harry has dropped his sleeps straight after the bottle and is staying awake for a good hour and a half after each daytime one then having a short nap before his next bottle. Evenings DH comes home and makes tea, then feeds H early evening and then every other night we bath and then have his last bottle at half ten / 11ish. At night we turn all the lights low, tv off for last bottle and I just have nightlights on the landing for when we go up to bed, so that he knows its bedtime/night time and this has really worked well.

Right from the start we found it really helped to stick with a routine as much as we could, and this has been even better since Harry went into the cot in his own room at 6 weeks. We let him fall asleep by himself in his moses basket too when he was really tiny, even though a lot of people say to nurse them to sleep. It's helped him now because he gets himself off to sleep and goes back off to sleep in the night even if he wakes himself up. I think if you let them boss you around they always will, so setting a routine quite early on was always a big priority with me and DH.

We also had the agreement that once he went back to work he would get up to get the bottle during the night whilst I would change nappy and feed. Also we take it in turns at weekend to get up and let each other have a lie in. I try to get a shower most nights then I don't need to worry about fitting it in the next day when I'm on my own with lo - this also allows DH have some time quality one to one time with H too!

Hope all goes well next week - just try to keep relaxed and lo will chill out too! xxx

 

[anothersquish]

dont do time routines, never have and never will especially with a tiny one. Go with the flow. set up some form of night time 'routine' as in the order of things you do before you go to bed but dont stress about being in a perfectly timed and ordered routine....they work it out themselves and its easier if you just go with it.

 

[Squidge]

dont do time routines, never have and never will especially with a tiny one. Go with the flow. set up some form of night time 'routine' as in the order of things you do before you go to bed but dont stress about being in a perfectly timed and ordered routine....they work it out themselves and its easier if you just go with it.

Agree

 

[loopy_lou]

dream feed??

giving LO a feed while sleeping.

ah thanks she tends to be awake when i feed her

thanks for the posts have given baby her first bath tonight (been told to wait 10 days so this was 1st day i could) and she loved it so will try and do this more often good tip about the shower and i have been living in my pjs
as it is cleaning whats that?

 

[aimee-lou]

For the first 2-3 months daytime routine didn't really exist. I just played it by however Earl was that day. Since 3 months he's developed his own little routine and I've managed to get on top of the housework - just to put a bit of perspective on things lol.

Enjoy your LO while they're tiny. Take time to sit with them and hold them...my LO is so independent now and prefers to be sat next to me rather than on my knee (good as he's heavy lol). I only stopped holding him for his naps about 3 days ago and he loves the freedom he gets from sprawling! lol

Evenings, at about 3 weeks Earl started to want to go down for the night at 9pm, so I started to at 8.30, take him up, flannel bath (he had really bad dry skin so no baths every night) and massage with lotion/oil, bottle, cuddles then bed for 9pm. We've done this ever since. At about 6 weeks he started to bring his bedtime forward and since he was 8 weeks until now his bedtime routine starts at 6.15 and he's in bed by 7.

I would watch how your LO is in an evening and take your cues from her. Don't try to start everything at once. Just add one element per night, and build it up. I.e. just change clothes the first night, as it can be a bit much and overstimulate them if you're not careful.

It wont be as bad as you think. You and LO will develop a bond and you'll find your own little routines throughout the day. Earl and I go for a walk with the dog every afternoon before lunch. We also have 'naked time' every morning which allows him to burn off some steam and me to sort out laundry etc in the bathroom. You will learn what works and what doesn't and you'll soon get into the swing of things. As it is, I'm going back to work soon (as soon as I find a job! ) and I'll be really sad to lose our days together.

 

[loopy_lou]

Thanks that makes lots of sense

 

[Mynx]

dont do time routines, never have and never will especially with a tiny one. Go with the flow. set up some form of night time 'routine' as in the order of things you do before you go to bed but dont stress about being in a perfectly timed and ordered routine....they work it out themselves and its easier if you just go with it.

Agree

I agree too
The only "routine" we followed was feed, cuddle, bum change, sleep, feed cuddle, bum change, sleep Her feeds were at random times of the day as were her naps.
Even now we only have a loose routine and that's one Evie has set herself. She likes to go to sleep for bed between 8 and 9 oclock (up till last week it was 9-10) but she'll sleep till 6-7am, so we at least make sure she has her jim jams on, a clean bum and a full belly before then
Works for us

 

[ramblinhaggis]

always had routine and always will, from tiny baby stage, its perfectly possible.

Frasers routine:

7am Woken up and fed
8.45-9am settled into car seat and into double buggy for preschool walk. Sometimes falls asleep, other times not.
9.15am. back from preschool transfered into cot for sleep.
10.00am woken up from nap, fed (about to get him now!)
11.15am settled into car seat and into double buggy to pick up girls. Doesnt normally sleep.
11.45am-12pm Back from preschool settled into cot for nap.
2pm woken up and fed.
3.45-4pm settled into cot for nap.
5pm, woken up and played with.
5.30pm bathed
5.45pm fed
6.30pm settled into cot for sleep.
10.00pm woken up and fed
11.30pm settled into cot.

he then wakes himself whenever, normally around 3.30-4am and then feed sfor 30 miins and back down till we wake at 7.

All of my babies did this and i just tweak it whenever they are having an off day. The idea is that its more of a guide, not an exact science. Its all very well not to have routine when you only have one baby to worry about, but when you have 4 and you need to be able to function for the older ones, its a godsend.

 

[aimee-lou]

Its all very well not to have routine when you only have one baby to worry about, but when you have 4 and you need to be able to function for the older ones, its a godsend.

Totally agree....when we have our second I will definitely be more routine-minded, but with Earl I had absolutely no idea what to expect so let him find his own way. Now i'm wiser, (and a bit more fluent in baby) I'll definitely be taking on more of a routine (actually starting to make one with Earl now too.

 

[ramblinhaggis]

My elder son still naps between 1pm-3pm, so from 1pm-2pm i get a whole hour to myself, the girls have quiet time with a dvd then. Its bliss!

That said i appreciate routines arent for everyone, especially if you are the sort to get uptight if they are doing different things one day, but it certainly can be done without leaving to cry in any way.

 

[Maffie]

Not really a routine as such but feed hourly from 5pm as and when he wants it and he normally falls asleep on last feed between 8-9pm, he wakes slightly to burp then into cot and asleep. I follow the same pattern as long as he wants it doesnt matter if OH is here or not. Does mean I have to be organised with feeding myself if home alone.