Putting D on a schedule when I went back to work was critical for me and it helped him sleep (and give me peace of mind that i knew what was going on). I read “Baby Wise” which was GREAT but you take some and leave the rest. You can’t live and die by a schedule but it does give them (and you!) a little to “expect” ya know? And for US it has worked WONDERFULLY! Wonderfully until i DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO ANYMORE!So it is an hour and a half of awake time and hour and half of sleep time. Mine has been:
6am: Wake D up to feed, back to bed
9am: wake D up, feed, change diaper and awake/play time
10:30: nap time
12pm: wake D up, feed, change diaper and awake/play time
1:30: nap time
3pm: wake D up, feed, change diaper and awake/play time
4:30: nape time
6pm: wake D up, feed, change diaper and awake/play time
KEEP AWAKE THE WHOLE TIME!
9pm: feed, change diaper and down for the night
I stuck to this and once the doc gave me the go ahead at 2 weeks old to drop a late night feeding I went to “on demand” feeding at night. (7 feedings a day) So I put him down at 9 and only if he cried I fed him and put him back down. It taught him to sleep more. Then at 6 weeks, he quite crying in the night to eat, just whimpered a bit b/c he was waking up, so I dropped the night feedings all together and if he cried I would put a paci in his mouth and he would go back to sleep. (6 feedings a day). Now he is on 5 feedings a day and that is about right. 3 “meals” and 2 snacks. or some variation of that.
here is my question: WHAT NOW?!?! Do you have to sacrifice a schedule to let them figure out the nap thing on their own? What is best? I have him on somewhat of a makeshift schedule but i need to know what other moms out there do to have some predictability?! And how do you keep a good "supply" up for those of you who nurse? I know some of this may seem silly but seriously?!
Here is what i am working with:
6am: feed and back to sleep
9am: wake D up, feed (plus solids), change diaper and awake/play time
11:30ish: nap time (2-3 hours, but no more than 3)
1:30 or 2:00 or 2:30: feed, change diaper and awake/play time
3:30 or 4:00 or 4:30: (but not later than 4:30) nap time
5:30 or 6:00 or 6:30: (but no later than 6:30): feed (plus solids), change diaper and awake/play time, KEEP AWAKE THE WHOLE TIME
9:00: feed and bed time
Ready? INPUT! go!
5 comments:
Agh, this is so hard and I remember feeling the same exact way. Like, Lord! Shouldn't you have put specific directions in Proverbs on baby's nap times??! I read Babywise but there came a point when I had to throw a schedule out the window and watch for his sleep cues because he napped different lengths and it affected how long he could stay awake, ya know? Once I started watching for cues, then I picked up on a schedule that he had set. It's still not perfect but it's much better than it used to be.
I've been trying the Babywise philosophy as much as possible from the beginning. With a few messups along the way and some grace my son is able to have a pretty decent routine. He is now 7 weeks old and hopefully past the 6-week old growth spurt. What I am wondering is how to remain flexible, but still try and have him nap as much as possible. The book says to try and get him to nap for 90 minutes each cycle. Some times it is 90, sometimes it is 30, sometimes it is not at all. How long do you let them cry at naptime? Is it worth "forcing" a nap if they are not tired? I can see his rhythm of feed, wake, and eventually drift off into nap. He does all three parts, but I'm just wondering how old he should be before the cry it out phase during naps. I tend to hold him until the drift off phase or at least droopy eyes. Then I put him down. However he often wakes up during the nap for various reasons (darn 45 minute intruder). Thankfully at night he goes to bed very easily and sleeps long hours, but I still wonder if I am doing this right when it comes to naps.
thanks!
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Jenna...I didn't read baby wise but this is what we do with the boys.
6:30 or 7: Bottle
8 a.m.: cereal w/ fruit
by 9 a.m.:down for morning nap
11 a.m.: bottle
by 1 a.m.: down for 2nd nap
3 p.m.: veggies w/ cereal and a bottle
by 5 p.m.: down for nap
7:30 or 8 (no later): wake up for final bottle and back to bed for the night.
Stewart naps better than Silas during the day but Silas sleeps better than Stewart at night. All kids are different. I don't nurse so I can't weigh in on the supply topic. What i have noticed is that babies that nurse are not as scheduled as babies who are on the bottle.
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d
What exactly is wrong with what you are doing now?
there may be nothing wrong with what i am doing. i think more than anything, i just want to see what other moms are doing out there to see if any alternations in his schedule should/could be made. I love hearing what everyone does!
hey there - I am a HUGE Babywise follower. I love it. It has worked beautifully for Gabbie (and me!). There is a blog that I check pretty much every day - especially in the beginning. It is chroniclesofababywisemom - written by a mother of three who started BW late with her first and does it pretty avidly with her last two. I love it. It's very real and she has soooo many resources such as schedules, naps, etc. and will answer questions posted on her blog. She doesn't work for the authors, she just started the blog out of her love for BW and wanting to provide a resource for other BW moms.
Hope this helps!
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