How old was your baby when you put him/her on a schedule and what did it entail

Andriea - posted on 04/08/2010

we put our little one in a sleep routine when he was 3months he has his last bottle between 7.30 and 8 then we put him to bed for 8, he wakes for a feed at 3am (normaly sleep feeds) then wakes for breakfast at 8am.he has rouhly 3naps during the day lasting anything between 20min and 2hrs this doeasnt effect his bedtime. it was difficult at first getting him into it but was worth it as he is a happier baby all round. it depends on the child try again and be paitant she will adjust and you will get your evenings back to do what ever really ow a bath befor bed helped or reading a story we also let him winge it out as he has learned to settle himself better we still cheack on him every hour or so. hope this helped and good luck. xx

Jennifer - posted on 04/08/2010

My baby is 11 weeks and I dont do feeding schedules. I feed her when she is hungry. Her body needs the food to support the rapid growth. She is hungry alot. I make sure she gets several naps a day, but Im not obsessive about when or scheduled to a "T". Actually, now that she is 11 weeks, she is sorta developing a schedule all on her own. She sleeps through the night (10:00pm till 8:00am) and I have not trained her at all to do this. Not all babies are the same. My first child was up every 2 hours of the night till he was 6 months old. I think its all in the genetics of the baby.

ROSEMARY - posted on 04/08/2010

If ypur Mother is stillm with u ask her advice my Mum was the best

Maria - posted on 04/07/2010

I also think that certain babies respond more strongly to a routine than other babies. I read that babies aren't able to produce enough melatonin (the hormone that helps you sleep) until they are a certain age. I am sure it has to do with them needing to wake at night to feed on demand until they reach a stable point. My son suffered from severe reflux and no matter how hard we tried with a routine, he didn't sleep through the night until he was 10 months old. That was also the time his reflux subsided. But we were consistent with the routine, even if he didn't sleep through the night, and then when he finally did sleep through the night, he became a slave to his routine. If he gets thrown off by a few hours, he is miserable. My twin daughters have had mixed responses to their routines. Sophia sleeps through the night since she was about 10 weeks old, whereas my Emily still gets up once or twice a night. They are four months old now. We are still adhering to a routine that seems to be paced by my toddler, and hopefully in time Emily will respond. Just keep as much of a routine as you can, and when your child is ready, it will fall into place. Not every child is the same.

Kerry - posted on 04/07/2010

My two were both on a routine (or schedule) from day one. We did Gina Ford - loosely, with a bit of Tracy "The Baby Whisperer" thrown in. They were both great on it and were very settled, happy babies who got enough sleep and enough food. I got enough sleep as well and knew exactly what was going on, and when! I got a lot of stick from a lot of well-meaning health visitors, doctors and friends/family who said that babies shouldn't have a routine and should be demand-fed, but I firmly believe that they need a routine - they need the security. Having said that, I'm a routine junkie myself - it was the only way I could feel in control as a new mum, and the whole family benefited from our routine because I was far more relaxed and happy. Demand-feeding just didn't work for me - I did try it for a short while with both kids after being pressured by doctors etc. but nobody got any sleep, both babies got colic and we were all terribly stressed. Routine was my lifesaver and my sleepsaver (and the babies' sleepsaver!) We still do have a routine - our youngest (aged 3, now) is diabetic and needs regular snacks and mealtimes. Both kids are now at school or pre-school and their routine-based background has stood them in good stead dealing with a school day! But perhaps it's not for everybody! My sister-in-law was completely the opposite - no routine whatsoever - and her two boys are also well-balanced, well-fed, relaxed and happy kids. So I guess you need to go with what your heart tells you - don't listen to anyone telling you that you "SHOULD" do it one way or the other. I also firmly believe that there is no "SHOULD" in motherhood - only that every mother "SHOULD" be allowed to follow her maternal instincts, which are usually right. Good luck!

Naomi - posted on 04/06/2010

I like to get my babys into a routine as soon as i can. They usually do this by 6-8 weeks and it's not just a sudden thing. Trying to get them into feeding and sleeping patterns takes all that time but is well worth it.

RoNeisha - posted on 04/06/2010

My kids were about 6 months old. We ate breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks at a set time. We had a schedule for baths and sleeping. They weren't allowed to nap after 3 p.m. and by 8 p.m. they were in bed and sleeping for through the night.

Emma - posted on 04/06/2010

It wasn't until my son was around 7 months that a schedule finally came into play. His mealtimes were establised, naps became established. His nighttime routine, which included bath, playtime then bed was established when he was 3 months old. There is no point in putting them on a feeding/napping schedule until their solids are set. Breastmilk/formula should be on demand even until they are one yr. My son is now 9 months and although his milk is still on demand he has his mealtimes and naptimes pretty much set.

Kelly - posted on 04/06/2010

they seem to put themselves into a routine...around 3 months is when they start to sleep through the night :) its always good to put yourself into a routine that way you know what to expect and when to expect it...if you're in a proper routine then your baby will be too :) always do the bath before bed as well, that seems to help them sleep through the night. don't listen to the mags, listen to your baby :)

Sarah - posted on 04/06/2010

They don't really need a schedule as such until they are established on solids, so from arond six months. This is because until then they should be feeding on demand.

AMBER - posted on 04/06/2010

I FULLY BELIEVE THAT A ROUTINE IS CRUCIAL. BOTH OF MY BOYS HAD A ROUTINE FROM THE GET GO. YOU CANT START TOO SOON, I SAY. I DONT CARE WHERE WE WERE OR WHAT WE WERE DOING, MY KIDS WERE FED ON TIME EVERYTIME AND SNACKS IN BETWEEN. ITS EASIER TO PUT THEM DOWN FOR NAPS AND FOR BED IF THEY LEARN TO EXPECT WHEN ITS COMING. AND A BATH BEFORE BED EVERYNIGHT HELPS THEM TO DO THAT. JUST FOR THEM TO HAVE A ROUTINE THROUGHOUT THE DAY MAKES THEM EASIER TO DEAL WITH ENTIRELY, IN EVERY ASPECT. I HOPE THIS IS HELPFUL, JUST WANTED TO SHARE MY OPINION ON THIS ISSUE :)

Louise - posted on 04/06/2010

Babies like schedules and routines as they like to know what they are doing. I started my routine with my daughter about 5 months. She had a nap about 2-3 hours in the morning and one in the afternoon and I put her down about 8.30pm. She slept through until about 7.30pm. I have never put cereal in her bottle as she hated milk anyway so she had a snack about an hour before bed like a rusk or baby cereal. My two older boys did have cereal in their bottles and they also slept right through. I have always had a routine with all my kids regular nap times, bath before bed three meals and two snacks of fruit. I have had really easy children and I believe this is because they always knew what was going to happen.

Amber - posted on 04/06/2010

I didn't really try a nightly schedule until my son was about 11 months old... before that it was just no use ~ he choose when he wanted to go down for the night. BUT he did start sleeping through the night (or at least only waking up one time per night) at about 3 months. If you want to do this because you want a little more sleep at night try giving her some rice cereal in her bottle right before bed, it helps keep her belly full for longer. Just mix about 2 oz into formula (or breast milk) for a bottle size of 4-6 oz. I started this with my son at about 4-5 mo. Remember though you will need a faster flow nipple so the cereal will come out. As for routine during the day, he totally had one, I don't remember, but I think it was from the beginning. He was always fed around the same times and had a nap around the same time. Then our nightly routine was typically the same as well ~ at least the leading up to going to bed, but the time schedule was not until he was about 11 months old. Hope this helps!