Schedules for your little ones?

Camber - posted on 08/09/2010

My son has been on a really good schedule since he was 3 1/2 months old. I started by putting him down for a nap at noon and worked everything else into his schedule from there. He wasnt on an eating schedule til much later because he just ate so much, but after I got him on his nap schedule he slept all night as well. Im sure every kid is different but it worked for my son. I just laid him down everyday in his crib and he eventually got that he should take a nap. My sister has a son who is 5 weeks older than mine and she has tried to get him on a schedule for a while now and it hasnt worked. I was just consistent in everything I did with him and he is a really good kid.

Brittany - posted on 08/05/2010

That's pretty similar to what my daughter's was at that age. Now I don't work so this is easier for me but I slowly put her to bed earlier and earlier. Now she goes to bed between 6:30 and 7pm and sleeps all night. The early morning naptime stays about the same. She goes right back to bed after breakfast.

Crystal - posted on 08/05/2010

Dylan has been on a schedule since he was 1 mo old.. he is now 13. It makes things so much easier. I can plan my day according to his schedule. He knows his schedule now.. so as soon as he is done lunch, he runs to his bed for nap.. as soon as he is done with bath, he runs to his bed so night-night. It's wonderful! I am less stressed and I love that he is learning too!

Alisha - posted on 08/05/2010

Yes babies and kids love schedules so you should figure something out and stick to it! It will be difficult with you working 3rd shift but only you will know what's best. A consistent bedtime and around the same time feedings when he starts baby food will make him a much happier baby. I put my daughter to bed @ 7:30/8 every night (if we are home) and it's good for them because they will have more trust and know what is going to happen when. Even babies have a sense of the time things are done and like routines.

Amber - posted on 08/03/2010

schedules are pretty important. i have two kids and they both have a schedule, because we are a military family its extra important. cus when my husband has to leave for extended amounts of time, they rely on their schedules to keep them comfortable. it might be easier on you as well, cus as he gets older and start doing things differently he wont allow you as much sleep. if you google sleep schedules for his age, you can find some pretty good resources on it. i wish you luck!

Tanya - posted on 08/03/2010

I think it's really a personal decision. What I did was to try to observe my baby;s natural schedule and then to work with that. You sound like your baby is pretty consistent in his semi-schedule, so if it's making it hard for you the days he's down earlier and up earlier, try to keep him up at just a little longer... 9:30 if he's falling asleep hardcore then slowly push it back. I don't think your baby has to be on a schedule, but I would just think about what's going to make your life better. Your baby will be fine with a half an hour here, half an hour there adjustment.

Desiree - posted on 08/02/2010

Hey ladies:
Thank you all for your advice and suggestions!! I really appreciate it!! He's doing better, kinda fell into his own thing. Thanks again!!

Michelle - posted on 07/28/2010

My boy's 4 months... Hes on his own schedule. I believe it is important to have him on a schedule as well... But he is on the same as your babys.. :( It sucks, but he wakes up in the morning, I feed him, then he goes back to sleep. He stays awake most of the day though, and falls asleep between 9pm-12am. Just depends. Im up late anyway... but eventually he will have a set schedule.

Tamra - posted on 07/28/2010

You definitely should start a schedule. It would be much easier on you, especially when you have to go out during the day. I have a 19 month old and a 3 month old abd they both are on schedules. They both wake up around 8 or 9 a.m. My toddler has naps at 12 noon and at 4 p.m. My baby eats every 2 hours when he's not asleep. They both go to bed at 9 p.m. and sleep all night. When have a schedule things go so much smoother for you during the day. Try it!!!!

Kristen - posted on 07/28/2010

yea we wake up my son at least 7-8 am each morning, napa around 11:30 am -1:30, which is after lunch, then when he wakes up we take snack to the park, and play outside when we can, of course i got my stay at home mommy chores so we can't stay out for too long.... then we put him down for bed time at 9pm or a little after 9pm, he has his bath time when he's finished dinner, about 6 pm.

Stephanie - posted on 07/28/2010

with my first I had him on a schedule at 3 mos (bedtimes naptimes mealtimes, ect) and he slept from 5pm-730 or later in the am... my second was a preemie and he's been on a "special" schedule. he is 7 1/2 mos and sleeps through the night as well

Emma - posted on 07/28/2010

I think routines are important, I started giving my son a bath and putting him to bed at the same time each night when he was 8 weeks old. Also he has his meals at the same time each day (give or take half hour) and has done for quite a while as he went on to solids at 15 weeks (he's a greedy little chap!) as long as your baby is happy then thats all that matters!! Although I would suggest starting to put him to bed at the same time as then he will probably start waking up at the same time which will make things easier for yourself! Good luck!

Liz - posted on 07/27/2010

At 5 months he seems to have a decent sleep routine at night. Babies need consistent naps though, he should still nap twice a day or a long nap after lunch. I have 4 kids and the only one I have had problem with sleeping is my 2 month old son. My girls napped for about 3-4 hours starting at noon. My older son would nap from about 10-12 and 3-5 at that age. I've always found that the more consistent you are with day time naps the better they do with a night time routine.

Kristen - posted on 07/27/2010

well, first of all, is he eating any solids?, and how often is he bottle fed? for my son, whenever we were eating soft food for him, he would eat with us, three meals a day, try to weine him off his bottle, and onto sippy cups, always best to start to wake your son up at a desent time, who ever is at home with him6pm and 6 am should put him down to bed around 8 pm, that way he can wake up when you wake up, or wake up at 7 am, a good 12 hr sleep, change him and give him breakfast, and do what ever that person usually does with him during the day. go to the parks and meet new people, and playmates as well, let him on the swing till he gets a little tired, put him down for a after noon nap, for at least an hr, that will give the care giver enought time to clean up the house a bit and prepare dinner in advanse. nothing wroung with nuked meals. im a stay at home mom, so this is what i do. my son wakes up for 7am, , takes a 1 hr nap between 12 and3pm, i wake him up within a hr, and dinner is ready,and the house looks fine, don't have to be perfect. try it and get back to me., not easy it'll take a couple of weeks.

Good Day! - posted on 07/27/2010

Sounds like he has a pseudo-schedule. I would just make what he already does naturally a set schedule. Put him down at 9 every night, since that's when he will go to bed anyway. Have a routine starting around 8. Bath, brush teeth, cuddle and read, bed. He will eventually pick up on those bedtime cues and bedtime will get easier and easier.

For eating, take note of when he'll naturally get hungry. After a few days, you'll know his natural routine and take that and run with it, making it your routine.

I like routines, but flexibility is also important. If you think about it, we as adults don't get hungry and sleepy at exactly the same times everyday. I tend to live by a "flexible schedule."

Tracy - posted on 07/27/2010

Does what he is doing now work for you? that is the most important thing. I don't have a set schedule for my 4 kids (ages 4yrs-5 wks), but I do have a routine. I decided not to do a schedule cause I wanted my kids to be flexible with change. We are a very active family so the kids just roll with the punches and adjust accordingly. If I am out shopping or something and can't get back on time for a scheduled nap I don't have screaming kids in the car cause they are flexible and nap when we get home or in the car. Or if naps have to be skipped they go to bed about 1 - 1 1/2hr earlier. They go to bed for the night about 4-5 hours after they wake up from naps. They sleep about 12 hours usually 8pm-8am. Naps are 1-2hrs.
Do what works for you and your lil one. That's all that matters.

Alicia - posted on 07/27/2010

I have used schedules on all 3 of my boys. It helps them know what is coming next. ANd it helps me plan outings. But there are days when we are so busy that there is no schedule. So whatever is working for you do it. Try a schedule for a few days and see how it works out.

Olwen - posted on 07/27/2010

A schedule is so good. You don't have to stress about bed times of feeding because you know exactly whats going to happen. it's doesn't take very long to settle them into it. For feeding times, decided what times are right and then don't give them any food maybe 2 hours before that time. They'll be nice and hungry and will devour anything you put in front of them.

As for bed times, they'll only get later and later if you leave them. Start putting him to bed at around 8pm to start off with and once he's doing that, you can reduce that to even earlier. Your son is only 5 month's so it won't be that hard to get him into a routine but don't leave it any later

Amanda - posted on 07/27/2010

I agree, schedules make things easier.

Jennifer - posted on 07/27/2010

oh, and if you do want to set his bedtime, a bedtime routine is essential.



ours is eat, bath, soothing massage, pj's, and a couple minutes of quiet time in his room (i usually hold him and sway and sing him a couple lullabys).



once a routine is established, he will associate the routine with bedtime. a lot of times even if my son doesn't seem tired, if we go through his routine by the time we get his pj's on his is yawning and rubbing his eyes telling me he's ready to go to sleep. routines are most effective if they last 30 minutes from start to finish and it will probably take at least a week, maybe 2 for him to make the association.



good luck :)

Jennifer - posted on 07/27/2010

our son fell into his own sleep schedule around 3 months...it changes every so often but i follow his lead.

i'm not a fan of feeding schedules. if you are breastfeeding, putting baby on a schedule in the beginning can be devastating to your milk supply. i believe in paying attention to, and becoming very familiar with your baby's hunger, and sleep cues and following their lead. when they are little, their bodies know what they need.

i do think that having a set bedtime is important. once we set our sons bedtime, everything else fell into place on its own.

Rachael - posted on 07/27/2010

i wouldn't worry too much about an eating schedule now, but i would recommend starting him on solids because of how much he is eating now. for sleeping, it's probably a good idea to get him on some kind of schedule. my son has a set bedtime every night, with a pre-bedtime routine. his naps i can't really schedule because he goes to daycare

Jennifer - posted on 07/27/2010

honestly neither of my kids are on a schedule (one just turned 2 and the other is 4 months). My 2 year old has a relative bedtime and naptime but didn't get that til about 18 months. They seem to b sick alot (and both have lung issues) so when they need to sleep they need to sleep. And when either is hungry I let them eat (well the older only a light healthy snack if close to meal time). It prob does make me more tired but I like to go with flow and when u have doc appoints quite a bit that are either 10, 30, or 90min away a schedule is very hard to keep. So depends on what u want and what will work for ur kid. If ur kid drinks alot at a time that would be better too - my son averages 45oz a day but usually only 5oz a time so eats every couple hours (but then again he might have swallowing issue - looking into that). Another thing the better he is at sleeping at night (my kids are not good night sleepers - well daughter did start sleepin through night at 18 months - the easier a schedule may be. But whatever u plan to do - good luck!!

Cheryl - posted on 07/27/2010

I agree, my little girl is on a fleible schedule. She get sup at 7am and eats, stays awake for an hour to an hour and a half, goes to nap by 8:30 and feeds again at 10. repeat feed wake nap cylce at 1, 4 and then at 7 she eats, and goes to bed for the night. she sleep through the night from 7pm-7am! i think schedules help to distinguish ngiht and day for a baby and they will sleep better.

Karen - posted on 07/27/2010

i agree with bianca, i think schedules are great and have had mine on once since he was born (he always ate/slept at the same time each day) and to this day (he's 10m) he knows what comes next...however, you need to do what works best for you and your family...if it's working for you the way it is, then there's no harm in staying that way. if you're looking to start, do one thing at a time - begin with making meals the same time each day...once that is down, then you begin with naps the same time each day, then get the bedtime routine down - bath, book, bottle, bed (or whatever your prebed lineup is) and start/end it at the same time each night.

Blanca - posted on 07/27/2010

I think schedules are important. It not only helps the baby learn routines but it makes your life so much easier!

I can plan my day around my baby because I know when she's going to get hungry and when she's going to get sleepy. It makes my life so much easier!