putting baby on schedual troubles

Carolyn - posted on 01/04/2011

at 3 months, all you can do is a routine, and not a schedule, which should repeat at the same rate as your baby's feeding schedule.

as some one mentioned Eat play sleep is a great routine to use.

at about 3 months your baby is probably eating about every 3 hours during the day ? lets say baby wakes at 7, you feed her, play for an hour ( she can last that long awake) then nap. Most babies will wake from a nap when they are hungry again ! so then you start all over !

I would advise to keep the evening nap shorter than those during the day so that you can get her to bed at a regular bedtime.

Figure out how long she lasts staying awake after a feed, pay attention to her sleep cues, and follow a good bedtime routine.

at this ages its not about timing, but it is about predictability in a day.

I use this with my son, and we started at 8 weeks, we are breastfeeding, within days of being on this routine he started sleeping through the night because he was getting enough sleep and food during the day. we also started dreamfeed, litterally feeding while he slept.

Logan is now 7 months and on a 4 hour routine. I do not let him nap for more than a total of 5 hours during the day. 2 - 2 hour naps and 1 hour in the evening. some days its less.

I find it is also important to allow some unwinding time before putting your baby down for naps and bed, wether its sitting and holding her while she is swaddled in her darkened room, or rocking with mommy. when she starts to get drowsy put her down.


i dont recommend letting her cry at such a young age, you need to instill trust in your child that you are there to meet her needs. Her only way to communicate with you is through crying.

try th pick up put down method , it hasnt failed me yet

You lay the baby down. when she starts to cry, you pick her up. The MOMENT she is calm, you put her down again, ALL the way down, whether she starts crying half way down or not. then pick up again if she continues to cry, put down when calm.. and you just keep going till baby settles while laying down, you can sit in the room until baby is asleep, and as it gets easier you can start leaving the room earlier and earlier. This teaches baby that yes, mom and dad are there to comfort her , but you are not going to rock, sway pat her to sleep. It teaches the child to self sooth without breaking trust.

i love the book the Baby Whisperer Solves all your Problems , by tracy hogg. best money i ever spent and there isnt anything that i have tried that hasnt worked. Lilke anything, i have my own variations on things like i do boob then solids, where as tracy recommends solid then boobs, but you will never agree 100 % with any parenting book.

Tiffany - posted on 01/03/2011

What we did to get my daughter on a schedule was have the same routine every day....wake up at 8am, eat. Play time until 11, eat, nap until 1. Wake up, eat, nap 3 to 5, eat, play, bed time at 9. I can't remember the exact schedule we started with, but for the first month she woke up twice a night to eat (I was breastfeeding). I actually had to wake her up at first and then after the first month I let her sleep, which usually was for about 7 hours. Since a little before 3 months she has slept through the night. Every baby is different, but having the same routine every day will help. I think at 3 months 2 naps is still needed, I know for my daughter they were. Maybe try shortening her last nap. I don't know if you're feeding her cereal yet or not, but at 3 months we started. Might be something to talk to your pediatrician about. Even a bed time ritual every night can help. As for the crib, my daughter didn't go into hers until she was 8 months old so I can't help much on that. When we did put her in the crib, we started out with naps first for a week and then gradually put her in there for the night. I think it was harder on me then her lol. Good luck! It does get easier. =)

Stephanie - posted on 01/03/2011

when it comes to newborns there really isnt a way to get them on a schedual i agree with jeneve a bedtime routine is the best way to start to settle the little one into a routine. with my son i give him his bath, massage him with johnson and johnsons bedtime lotion, read to him, and lay him in his bassanett. getting them to sleep can be a task, but like the other mother suggested you have to let her cry, you can go in and sooth her with you voice, patting but try to refrain from picking her up this teaches her to self sooth with means more sleep for you. but mainly you have to be patient she will get into a routine soon enough..good look with the little one,hope this helps

Hannah - posted on 01/03/2011

First off, at three months old, your baby is supposed to wake up to eat during the night. I would not reccomend the cry it out with her, as she is FAR TOO YOUNG! even Ferber himself warned against using his method on children younger than six months.
Instead, try the "No Cry Sleep Solution" (try the local library or bookstore).
your daughter is still doing most things "on demand" and probably won't develop too much of a schedule for at least another month. I know how frustrating this is, I am a very schedule oriented individual.
It is GREAT that you are thinking about schedules and routines though, because this is EXACTLY what your child needs. When a child has structure schedules in their life, they don't have to worry about what is going to come next. instead they can focus on growing and devloping. you will have a much happier and healthier (emotionally) child for trynig to instill a routine.
You will find your daughter slowly moves into a regular routine of her own. naturally taking two good naps during the day, and sleeping at night. take your cues from your daughter. and trust your instincts, they seem to be good ones!

Jeneva - posted on 01/03/2011

Check out this site for some good information and advice

http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-much-sle...

I don't think you can really get her on a schedule till sometime between 4 and 6 months but every baby is different. At this age it's still mainly feeding on demand. Start with just having her eat, play then sleep during the day. That will start to get her body used to a schedule. Also start a simple bedtime routine to help as well. As for getting her to sleep in her crib, you will just have to keep trying. My daughter had a hard time too but I would go in and pat her back then leave. Let her cry for 5-10 minute, go back in and pat her back. Etc etc. Kind of the Ferber method. Good luck, you guys will get the hang of it.