Laidback lovely or routine Queen??
in Baby
Hi ladies
Do you and you LO(s) have a routine or do u go with the flow?
When I had my first baby I was determined to have a strict routine - it seemed best for them, but J seemed to fall into routine on his own and after about 8 weeks went through the night at 5 months - practically weaned himself in fact he was textbook! Perfect!
Then when I had Isaac I decided to let him do the same except he had other ideas and I had problems with his feeding/sleeping up until about a year. He is now 2 and sometimes wakes up of a night. Still likes his food soft (not pureed) and to get him to settle himself in a cot it took 5 long moths of battles with him to get him into a routine.
With Tyler im kinda in between. We have a routine but its very loose and so far so good. He still dosnt sleep through every night but he eats well and is a very happy lil man so we've gotta be doing something right!
I just wondered what you do or have tried and how you found it all??
Elaine & boys xx
Do you and you LO(s) have a routine or do u go with the flow?
When I had my first baby I was determined to have a strict routine - it seemed best for them, but J seemed to fall into routine on his own and after about 8 weeks went through the night at 5 months - practically weaned himself in fact he was textbook! Perfect!
Then when I had Isaac I decided to let him do the same except he had other ideas and I had problems with his feeding/sleeping up until about a year. He is now 2 and sometimes wakes up of a night. Still likes his food soft (not pureed) and to get him to settle himself in a cot it took 5 long moths of battles with him to get him into a routine.
With Tyler im kinda in between. We have a routine but its very loose and so far so good. He still dosnt sleep through every night but he eats well and is a very happy lil man so we've gotta be doing something right!
I just wondered what you do or have tried and how you found it all??
Elaine & boys xx
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Replies
Now i find that if we fall too much out of routine he becomes quite unhappy, because he won't sleep anywhere except his cot or on the move (in car or buggy if there's not too much to look at), and he isn't a cat napper - he likes his proper naps and won't just fall asleep just anywhere. So i try and plan my days around him. HOWEVER i don't sto myself doing things just to accomodate him - if we have a baby group or music class or i need to be somewhere and it falls in one of his nap times then i get him up and we go - otherwise we would have no life and be very isolated and bored!
We do have abit of a routine in the evenings now he's having tea, we have food, bath, playtime, boob and bed more or less every night, but if we're out or it gets messed up it doesn't affect him at all which is fab. xxx
Conversely I like the flexibility of the days most of the time as I can take him out pretty much anywhere without having to head home coz he needs a sleep in his cot.
I think in the first year that providing you are at home it's best toflexibile and in the end if they like routine they will let you know about it!!! Once you're back at work I think a routine will become much more vital.
When Millie was tiny I was very go with the flow but by the time she got to 7 months I was desperate for some proper sleep so I got her into a routine, she was almost imediately a much happier, more settled baby. Barney was fed on demand to start with untill it became clear that left to his own devices he wouldn't nap AT ALL during the day but just get increasingly wound up an screamy. He also seemed to think it was a good idea not to feed much during the day when he might miss interesting stuff but to feed at night instead so I had to introduce a strict feed routine for him. Like Millie he was much happier once he had a proper routine so we've stuck with it.
xx
I've always let Louise settle into her own routine, things effect it like growth spurts, being poorly, weaning and she does settle into a routine that seems to suit us both.
We do though tend to do the same things in the same order in the morning and evening.
We went to the park yesterday with a couple of other mums and babies, one had to leave in time to get home to give lo lunch whereas I just gave my lo a snack while I sat and had a drink. I'd much rather be more flexible and not get a grumpy baby if i'm not home at certain times.
We go out and about most days and it definately works best for us to have a flexible routine. I can encourage Louise to have an early bf, she can wait longer if occupied and is happy cat-napping while travelling somedays though will have 2 good naps if at home.
Bedtime routine hasn't been missed in months so bit nervous about what would happen if we went out for dinner etc and missed it.
Mind you he has changed his routine a few times and we always seem to go with te flow so I don't think we are too restricted in general. We'll see when I go back to work and it all goes out the window! S x
If we ever stay at pil's i keep to the routine no matter what! I like everything to be organised and perfect (comes from being a Virgo)!!
Other than that we go with the flow - feeding on demand and napping when she shows signs of being tired (though getting her to nap is usually a bit of a battle, tbh). I can't imagine doing it any other way as I like to be able to get out and about and wouldn't want to arrange our day around naps and feeds.