At how many weeks do you start your DC on a schedule?

DS is 5 weeks tomorrow. I want to start getting him on a more scheduled daily routine for naps, baths, feedings etc. When did you start your DC on a routine and how did you go about it?

eta: Right now DS has virtually no routine. The only time he naps is after a feeding.

Message edited 11/12/2009 11:19:47 AM.

Re: At how many weeks do you start your DC on a schedule?

bump

Re: At how many weeks do you start your DC on a schedule?

there really is no way right now to get any kind of 'schedule'....

your baby will set their own for the time being!

Re: At how many weeks do you start your DC on a schedule?

A schedule... what's that? LOL

Honestly, my girls started making up their own schedule but not for a few months. Now they pretty much nap regularly at 10am and 3pm and have some solids for dinner at 5pm... followed by a bath... but other than that, they eat as they please and take shorter naps whenever.

Re: At how many weeks do you start your DC on a schedule?

i forget ...but it was def much later...like 4-5-6 months!

Re: At how many weeks do you start your DC on a schedule?

My DS was about 8 weeks but I followed the sample in the Baby Sleep Solutions book. Works for us.

Re: At how many weeks do you start your DC on a schedule?

I'd wait a little... DD started making her own schedule by 7-8 weeks. During the day it can still vary sometimes with naps, but for the most part she eats every 3 hours, naps 3x/day and is down by 7:30 and STTN (she is 3 months).

Re: At how many weeks do you start your DC on a schedule?

DD is almost 8 weeks, the only "schedule" we have is around she eats every 3 -4 hours and at 8:30pm she almost always is a little cranky and getting tired, we get ready for bed (I bath her in the AM) she then sits in her boppy pillow next to us on the couch until she is very tired or 4 hours have past since her last bottle then we go up, feed her and put her to bed (around 9:30 - 10pm). Other then that she calls the shots, somedays napping alot others little cat naps throughout the day.

I found just following her lead is easier then "trying to put her on a schedule"

Re: At how many weeks do you start your DC on a schedule?

Re: At how many weeks do you start your DC on a schedule?

Re: At how many weeks do you start your DC on a schedule?

Re: At how many weeks do you start your DC on a schedule?

During the day there really isn't a routine, but she basically eats, plays a little and sleeps. Some days she takes long naps (2 hours) sometimes it's a 30 minute cat hap. By 9-9:30 she's tired and I feed her (try to keep her awake to nurse from both sides, although she gets tired and often falls asleep) and then put her down for the night. For the past 3 days she's been sleeping 5-6 hours! I hope it keeps up (I don't want to jinx us!)

Before that last feeding I will bathe her and put her in the PJ's. I try to make the room very dark for that last feeding so she gets the idea that it's nighttime.

DD is 5 weeks now BTW.

Re: At how many weeks do you start your DC on a schedule?

DD was on a schedule from birth.

Not my doing, as she was in the NICU for 5 weeks and had to be.

She ate every 3 hours, then every 4. Had a bath every other night, that's the way it was done and we just continuted doing that.

But honeslty, the soonest you can get DS on a schedule, the better.

It will also help you out too.

Re: At how many weeks do you start your DC on a schedule?

Good luck with that. Your DC is 5 weeks old..........routines and scheduling do not exist and IMO, it's a waste of time to try. Babies need to eat on demand at this age and sleep as much as they need to and when they need to. You will find most babies start settling into their own routines over time. I wouldn't bother trying to start any sort of routine or schedule, it won't work..............he's a only newborn.

EDIT - At 5 weeks old my DD ate every 3hrs. and pretty much slept on and off throughout the day. At 8 weeks she still ate every 3 hrs. but STTN from 10pm to 9am and by 12 weeks she was still eating every 3hrs. but now STTN from 7pm to 7am. I just always followed her lead and it worked out great for us.

Message edited 11/12/2009 3:45:50 PM.

Re: At how many weeks do you start your DC on a schedule?

I am so jealous CaMacho! Our DD's are the same age, and mine is not STTN any more.

As for schedule....DD is 3 months today and her schedule has changed every day. I think just this week has she started to really settle down. We are on 3 naps a day, each about 1 1/2 hours, and I starting to try to put her down at 8-8:30 every night. We bathe every other day.

Besides that, she eats a big bottle every 3-4 hours, and has a little one oz bottle right before her naps (when I can tell she is getting tired.).

Re: At how many weeks do you start your DC on a schedule?

DS is 11 months old and has never been on a strict schedule. I feed him on demand and follow his cues for when he's hungry and tired. I'd much rather go with the flow, but if I were to try a schedule, I wouldn't try one at 5 weeks. Babies are all over the place at that point.