Getting Baby on a Schedule?

I think my baby is pretty erratic overall, though he is just under 4 months, so it's possible he may change. He eats different amounts of food at different intervals, he goes to sleep at different times, though we try to get him settles down at the same time every night and do some quiet activities with him to encourage sleep. Some nights he sleeps through the night, others (like last night) he is up 2 or 3 times (usually to eat). Naps I try to encourage at certain times of day, but he won't always take them. Even his poo is erratic, he'll go every day for a few days, then skip a few days. I guess he's consistent in his lack of consistency!

Most of this does not bother me, but I would like to get him on a regular sleep schedule soon. It's hard when we have anything early to do in the morning, I have no idea if he will sleep enough or not (and be a cranky fussy guy or a charming delight). I try to do activities with him at roughly the same time each day so he gets used to a routine of sorts and knows what to expect, but it doesn't seem to make much of a difference. For those who had children who did not just fall into a schedule easily, how did you do it?

Re: Getting Baby on a Schedule?

My advice is to divide the day into 3 segments...morning, afternoon, and evening...

start off with a set morning schedule and continue until it becomes routine for you...it's his schedule but your routine (does that make sense?)

then add the afternoon schedule to it and do it until it becomes your routine...

then add the evening etc..

continue to do the same bedtime routine every night...

leave the nights as they may but dont let them effect the day time routine...just start the morning fresh and continue what you have been doing regardless of how many times he got up during the night...he's still looking for his routine and is oblivious to why it should change just b/c he woke up a couple of times etc..

Re: Getting Baby on a Schedule?

Thanks! What you said makes sense, I probably should not let him sleep in so much if he is up a lot at night. I think that's where his routine gets thrown, when he gets up at different times every day. He can always take a nap a little earlier than usual if he's really tired. And that's really what I'm most concerned about. It just makes it harder on the days when we need to get up early, and he doesn't want to do so.