| Posted By |
Message |
Jax430
Hi!
Member since 5/05 18919 total posts
Name:
Jackie
|
Questions about trying to get my infant on a schedule - sorry so long!
DD will be 3 months tomorrow. Right now, she eats about every 3.5-4 hours. The thing is that she does not wake up at a consistent time, nor nap at the same time every day, so by the time we're at the last bottle of the night, it is a different time from the day before. Sometimes she'll take a really long nap during the day while with my MIL or at daycare, and ends up going almost 5 hours between bottles. So, by the end of the day, I end up playing "catch up" with the bottles so that she has all 6 (1st one is a dreamfeed around 12:30am). Even so, bedtime still varies between 8-10, depending on when that last bottle falls out.
So, for those of you who had your infants on a schedule, were bottles at the same time every day? Were naps at the same time?
We generally do eat, play, sleep, and just follow her cues. When she gets cranky, she takes a nap, and I never want to wake her from a nap! Sometimes she has a long nap early in the morning, and sometimes it's late morning and/or afternoon, but it's never the same time! Also, since she's with daycare 3 days per week, and my MIL two, then us two on the weekends, I feel like it's hard to establish any consistency. Everyone pretty much follows the eat, play, sleep routine though.
Also, what do you do about your DC falling asleep right before bedtime? For the past two nights, DD has fallen asleep in either the swing or PnP newborn napper for 1.5-2 hours before her last bottle is due, while DH and I are eating dinner. At that point, we have woken her to change her, feed her and put her in her crib. When she had done this in the past, we moved up her bedtime, but if we do that now, she'll never get her last bottle in (and she doesn't eat enough as it is), and she'll end up being awake in the middle of the night. Should I try to keep her from napping in the evening?
Does all of this sound pretty typical for a 3 month old? Am I trying to establish a schedule too early?
Sorry this is so long and rambling! Thanks for your opinions/feedback!
|
Posted 9/12/12 3:22 PM  |
| |
|
Long Island Weddings
Long Island's Largest Bridal Resource |
srella22
LIF Infant
Member since 12/10 136 total posts
Name:
|
Questions about trying to get my infant on a schedule - sorry so long!
My son was scheduled for the most part by 4 months...they fall into a schedule on thier own, but once you see it consistant for a few days you have to try to keep them like that...everyone has to be on board - mil and daycare...if my son would nod off when he shouldn't i would play with him and when i saw it was the time he usually would nap and he was up, i would put him down and even if he didnt sleep he would have "down" time. I also kept feeding the same time everyday give or take a half hour. But once I went back to work full time, my mom had to take over and kept it that way. Now he is 6 months and his naps have changed times but feeding is the same....she sounds pretty normal for a 3 month old...give her a few more weeks...
|
| Posted 9/12/12 3:34 PM |
| |
|
JsWife
His laugh, Her smile
Member since 12/06 2902 total posts
Name:
Patricia
|
Re: Questions about trying to get my infant on a schedule - sorry so long!
I think your DD is still young so I wouldn't worry about a routine just yet. We followed cues also rather than try to enforce a schedule. Honestly it was at about 4 months when we started cereal when everything got a little easier schedule wise.
|
| Posted 9/12/12 3:34 PM |
| |
|
ali120206
2 Boys
Member since 7/06 17795 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Questions about trying to get my infant on a schedule - sorry so long!
Posted by JsWife
I think your DD is still young so I wouldn't worry about a routine just yet. We followed cues also rather than try to enforce a schedule. Honestly it was at about 4 months when we started cereal when everything got a little easier schedule wise.
Same here.
And - once you get the schedule down, it changes LOL!
|
| Posted 9/12/12 4:05 PM |
| |
|
alli3131
Peanut is here!!!!!!
Member since 5/09 18388 total posts
Name:
Allison
|
Questions about trying to get my infant on a schedule - sorry so long!
I never put my DS on a schedule. Bottles were roughly 3-4 hrs but he would let me know when he was hungry and yes they got shifted because of naps but he always got enough to eat.
DS is not 8.5 months and put himself on a schedule. His naps still vary and bottle times but he generally takes a short am nap and then a longer mid day nap.
I feel there is no way to force an baby to eat a certain times and nap and sleep at certain times. I would just continue with how it is going.
|
| Posted 9/12/12 4:10 PM |
| |
|
jlk51496
Mom of 3 - YIKES! =)
Member since 10/09 6758 total posts
Name:
Katie
|
Re: Questions about trying to get my infant on a schedule - sorry so long!
Posted by JsWife
I think your DD is still young so I wouldn't worry about a routine just yet. We followed cues also rather than try to enforce a schedule. Honestly it was at about 4 months when we started cereal when everything got a little easier schedule wise.
this...but it was 6 mo when we started cereal
and i always felt...if they are eating every 3-4 hrs...that IS their schedule! 
Message edited 9/12/2012 4:13:41 PM.
|
| Posted 9/12/12 4:13 PM |
| |
|
robynfs
12/6/10!!
Member since 9/05 4947 total posts
Name:
|
Questions about trying to get my infant on a schedule - sorry so long!
My DD is 3.5 months and has been on a schedule since she came home from the hospital. I would wake her every 3 hours (now she goes 4) if she was napping. I put her down for naps at the same time everyday and feed her at the same times everyday. I also get her in the morning at the same time everyday. She is now used to hanging in her crib when awake and feeding/napping at the specific times. I do give her 30 minute leeway in either direction though.
|
| Posted 9/12/12 4:44 PM |
| |
|
FlowerWife
Positive Vibrations...
Member since 1/08 8423 total posts
Name:
|
Questions about trying to get my infant on a schedule - sorry so long!
i think you are out of luck as far as scheduling if you don't want to wake her. i dont believe in waking a sleeping baby so in my opinion you're just going to have to wait it out. we did eat play sleep also and it does get easier but she didn't really follow a really predictable schedule until at least 6m. her schedule was (and still is) set by the hours in between things (ie 3 hours between naps, 3 hours between eating, etc) then it is by the time of day on the clock.
|
| Posted 9/12/12 4:59 PM |
| |
|
jdbaby
LIF Adolescent
Member since 4/11 660 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Questions about trying to get my infant on a schedule - sorry so long!
Posted by FlowerWife
i think you are out of luck as far as scheduling if you don't want to wake her. i dont believe in waking a sleeping baby so in my opinion you're just going to have to wait it out. we did eat play sleep also and it does get easier but she didn't really follow a really predictable schedule until at least 6m. her schedule was (and still is) set by the hours in between things (ie 3 hours between naps, 3 hours between eating, etc) then it is by the time of day on the clock.
Same
|
| Posted 9/12/12 6:16 PM |
| |
|
jmf423
:)
Member since 5/05 6372 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Questions about trying to get my infant on a schedule - sorry so long!
Posted by robynfs
My DD is 3.5 months and has been on a schedule since she came home from the hospital. I would wake her every 3 hours (now she goes 4) if she was napping. I put her down for naps at the same time everyday and feed her at the same times everyday. I also get her in the morning at the same time everyday. She is now used to hanging in her crib when awake and feeding/napping at the specific times. I do give her 30 minute leeway in either direction though.
This was how i was. i never believed in not waking a sleeping baby (to an extent) my kids never napped 5 hrs. my pediatrician suggested it with my 1st and i always kept them on a schedule. it worked really well for my kids.
|
| Posted 9/12/12 7:47 PM |
| |
|
janedoe
3 GIRLS!!!!
Member since 8/09 3184 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Questions about trying to get my infant on a schedule - sorry so long!
Posted by robynfs
My DD is 3.5 months and has been on a schedule since she came home from the hospital. I would wake her every 3 hours (now she goes 4) if she was napping. I put her down for naps at the same time everyday and feed her at the same times everyday. I also get her in the morning at the same time everyday. She is now used to hanging in her crib when awake and feeding/napping at the specific times. I do give her 30 minute leeway in either direction though.
Same here. Dd has been on a schedule since day 1. Bottles are at the same time give or take 30 min. I always woke her during the day for feedings and never at night. She had been doing 10-12 hour stretches of sleep at night since about 2.5 months . Everyone is different but I am a true believer in a good day time schedule helps with a good night time sleeper
|
| Posted 9/12/12 8:12 PM |
| |
|
evnme
My little lamb
Member since 8/05 12633 total posts
Name:
aka momma2b
|
Re: Questions about trying to get my infant on a schedule - sorry so long!
We didn't have a schedule until dd started sttn at 3 months.
Before the schedule, we followed her cues.
But we didn't let her fall asleep before bedtime, we kept her up.
|
| Posted 9/12/12 8:54 PM |
| |
|
Coosie
So in love with my little boy!
Member since 1/10 1889 total posts
Name:
|
Questions about trying to get my infant on a schedule - sorry so long!
Sounds pretty much the same as to how my DS was at that age. Right about 4 months is when we saw the schedule develop and be consistent. We were lucky and it kinda just happened on its own. But even now (he's almost 6 months) it's not EXACT every day. But it's close enough. I would say to just hang in there for a few more weeks and see what develops.
|
| Posted 9/12/12 9:33 PM |
| |
|
FergieK
Loving my girls
Member since 7/09 2533 total posts
Name:
Fergie
|
Re: Questions about trying to get my infant on a schedule - sorry so long!
I wondered the same. I have been marking the times of eat, sleep and napping and every day its different. I have DD in day care so I would think that she will fall into a schedule from there. STTN still hasnt happened and usually she goes down around 7:30-8 but sometimes she does a 6:30 to mix it up. I would love her to be on a schedule too.
Thanks for asking this quesiton
|
| Posted 9/12/12 11:00 PM |
| |
|
