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Routines?

I just wondered if you all put your babies into routines? Or if they found them themselves?



I'm not bothered about bedtimes etc more just feeding and daytime sleeping.



Matilda feeds well, but a bit randomly during the day. Some of her feeds are really big, but others are small and obviously that affects how long it is till the next feed. I wondered if I should be trying to get her to take more in one go and leave longer between them, or if I leave her to it will she start to do that herself?



Also now that she has started to be more awake in the daytime, should I be trying to get her to have a proper nap in the moses basket/cot? I just let her sleep on the sofa or nap in her chair for a few minutes at the minute.



Sorry for all the questions, just wondered what everyone else was doing at this stage?

Replies

  • Im trying to get Phoebe to go for 3 hours from one feed to the next. Sometimes she does, sometimes she screams the house down after 2 hours so I feed her. The problem is she will only take say 2oz if she isnt really hungry, and then she gets hungry quicker. Because she has colic if she has an attack in the evening it can be really hard to know if she is hungry or colicy, and if I try to feed her when she is colicy it just makes it worse. She also wakes up at night and then will only take a little bit before falling asleep which is annoying because I think why couldnt you just stay asleep?!! Most of the time we make it through to three hours and sometimes longer - I tend to give her time on her playmat or put her in the sling and let her catnap until the three hour mark and then feed her. When it works she then takes more milk and settles better rather than taking a bit and then stopping. The GP and HV are at odds with this method though - the GP says its the right thing to do, the HV says I should feed on demand!
  • I'm unsure how strict to be on inflicting a routine on DS, as the HV told me that he was still quite young to do a routine (he is 9 weeks), yet others say it's best to start early with the routine.



    DS is exclusively breastfed, and we feed on demand. usually he goes between 2-3 hours between feeds, and i'm getting better at spotting the signs that he's ready for his next feed before he gets too agitated and frustrated!



    As for sleep, I let him nap whenever he wants in the day. Usually this ends up with him only sleepinh whilst being held by me, or if we go out in the car or for a walk he'll sleep in the car seat and pushchair. This week, he does seem to be sorting a bit of a routine for himself, he is having dewer naps, but they are longer in duration, nad he has slept in his carrycot and in his bouncy chair - which is gret for me as it means I can fianlly get on with doing things round the house etc!



    At night time, he feeds more frequently as I think he's building up a good stash of milk for the night! He'll then sleep on us or next to us on the sofa from 8-9:30pm (he screams and cries if we put him in his crib this early), and then has his last feed 9:30-10pm and goes straight to sleep in his crib.



    For the past 2 nights he has slept from 10pm - 3/3:30am and then has a feed at 3:30am and 5:30am.



    would be good to read what everyone else does



  • I have a 3 year old daughter as well as our 9 week old son so I have found getting him into a routine to be really important for all of our sanity... particularly our daughter. I was early with my daughters bedtime routine so started my sons the same at about 7 weeks. He now easily goes to bed at 6.30pm in moses basket, dream feeds at 10pm and then sleeps like an angel till 1am. However, the 1am to 7am stint is proving a nightmare- he literally has about 1-2oz milk every 2 hours and fusses every half hr inbetween. Trying to give him more milk is impossible, he just goes back to sleep... I am contemplating giving him a bath at 1am to wake him up more!! Not sure about that one though!



    Daytime he doesn't have a strict routine as he has to fit in with his sister too. He was grazing 2-3oz every 2 hrs but I am trying to get this more to 4-5oz every 3 hrs with persistance getting there now. Hoping this might help with his night time fidgets!



    I do put him to bed in the day upstairs with baby monitor on when we are home so that Iz can have some time with me on her own and feel that it is her time too. If we are out and about though he can sleep in the car or on me... whatever fits!
  • Hi MrsP



    We don't have a set routine as such, but our days are pretty much the same.



    Jazmine feeds throughout the day every 3 hours, sometimes 2.5 hours, sometimes a bit longer if she is asleep. I only ever wake her up for a bottle if we want to go out and I'd prefer to feed her before we go.



    She generally has her last bottle around 8-9pm, then sleeps through till morning.



    We had 4 nights where she slept for 9 solid hours! However, now its back to 8pm-4am ish then 5am-8am.



    In the daytime she never sleeps on us, but in her little chair, which reclines totally flat if needed. I did think about using the cot for naps in the day, but rather she associated it with just nightime. We also give her lots of tummy time on her play mat, which she loves.



    We generally give her a bath every other eve, so its bath, bottle, then bed.



    I have to say she is very good at going down at night, we put her in her sleeping bag, she has a dummy and generally within 10-15 mins she is sound asleep. 9 times out of 10 she spits the dummy out! We always keep an eye on her on the video monitor, which has been a god send. It has music on there (the camera part), which is great. Can even send me to sleep!! image



    We try and get out each day for a walk too, weather permitting!!



    Now she has had her jabs, we intend to take her swimming from next week, really looking forward to that!!



    Zxx
  • morning,



    sounds like all your little ones are starting to settle into their own little routines.



    Finley on the other hand is such a menace, nothing like his sister at all! He has absolutely no pattern... I feed on demand (which is pretty random) and I couldn't even attempt to tell you what happens at night as it is different every night... sometimes he'll go to sleep from 6pm till midnight, other nights it is 8pm till 1am, other times it is every hour from 7pm till 4am... there is no pattern and it is driving me nuts!!!!!



    If he's awake still we try to do bath, bottle, feed from me then bed (no matter how hard we've tried he will not settle after a bottle - even if he has 5oz without feeding from me first), but like I say if for some reason he falls asleep at 6pm I don't feel like I should wake him to bath, bottle, feed then bed... or should I be waking him??????????



    You wouldn't think this is my second child would you??? I have no idea what i'm doing!!! I must say I am looking forward a teeny bit to weening cause at least then you have set meal and snack times.



    any tips/advice welcome. I am shattered - last night he slept from 9pm till 12.30am, then woke again at 4am and has been awake since. (The night before he slept from 7pm till 3.30am then slept again till 6am)... my body has no idea when to wake up at night and i feel like i am in a constant state of half asleep-ness just waiting for him to wake...



    bye x :? image :roll:
  • Hi Roo



    I'm a newbie to this forum as you have probably noticed but I joined yesterday in the hope of meeting people that I could talk to about my 9 week old. As I said above his bedtime routine is nailed and days he just has to fit in with us as like you he is my 2nd. BUT, from 1am till 7am what happens is anyones guess... last night was a howler- he woke at half 12, fidgeted for resettling until half 1, had 2oz and then wouldn't go off... ended up on the sofa with him dozing until my husband and daughter came down and woke us this morning. Like you I am starting to feel like I don't know if its day or night and the trouble is (which I'm sure is the same for you) cant sleep when he sleeps in the day as I have my little girl to sort.



    As for ideas, re his bedtime routine, getting that nailed has helped as at least we have our evenings back and I could go to bed at 7pm if needed (party animal)! My little one was like yours until about weeks ago, admittedly he is bottle fed which I am sure is a bit easier to manage than breast but I started to keep an eye on working the day so that he has a bottle between 6 & 7 and then bed. But if your little one wont sleep after food try feeding him up to say an hour before and then just play and settle him when hes comfortable. I have definitely found that being consistent with bath, bottle, story, bed has meant I have no issue getting him to go down at 6.30 so I would personally say its worth it but its got to be what fits with you. Maybe you could do it bottle, bath, story, bed to solve him not going down with the bottle. Maybe I should start the whole process again at 1am?!!



    To be honest I'm clutching at straws a bit... I tell you my first wasn't this hard! Bless him, its a good job he's so cute! X :roll:
  • Its interesting reading other peoples routines.



    We started Phoebe into a routine 2 weeks ago now when she was 7 weeks. We moved her out of our bedroom and into her cot bed and it was the best thing we ever did. We have integrated a proper bedtime routine starting at 6:30pm. We undress her, giving her some nappy free time and then bath her giving her last feed at 7pm. She is asleep by 8pm and then generally sleeps until either 3am or 4am which is when i get up to feed her which takes her through till 7 or 8am.



    The days on the other hand aren't so good. Im trying to introduce a nap between 9 and 10 in her bed as after breakfast we entertain her until she shows signs of becoming tired. She just won't go down. Having said that it took us a while to conquer the nights so aim going to keep at it.



    She generally sleeps in the pram or car if we are out and about and aim breastfeeding on demand which is now every 2.5 - 3 hours or longer if she is asleep.



    I feel that she has come on leaps and bounds in the last 2 weeks and things can only get better image
  • hi ladies



    annabelle-rose is now 5 weeks old today and we have started to get into a routine since i stopped BF on demand when she was 4 weeks. During the day she has a feed at 7am, 10am and 1pm and she gets hungier early afternoon and evening so these feeds are sometimes 2 hourly, we give her a 150ml bottle and sometimes she takes it all and sometimes just 100ml.



    During the day she will nap mainly in her pram or in my arms (she's not so keen on her bouncer chair) and at night she will fall asleep in her moses basket after a cuddle and feed, (some nights easier than others) i think she will soon be in her cot, she will fall asleep in her basket between 8 and 9 and i go to bed with her at about 9.30 as i just cant stay awake any longer!



    during the day we go out for long walks and try to visit granma as much as possible!



    also looking forward to taking her swimming as she loves her baths and have got her a super cute swimming costume!



    wf x
  • It's nice to read what everyone is doing... And now I don't feel so bad for letting Matilda sleep on me image
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