How quickly can u get a newborn into a routine

[Belle23]

Brilliant just wanted to check I was right letting lo rule me lol. He's waking every 2 hours for feeds but is only taking just over 2oz so just waiting for him to take more xxx

 

[LaurenMM]

To be completely honest I really wouldn't bother trying to implement a routine this early as it just won't happen. They'll have lots of growth spurts where they'll want feeding more frequently and newborns are asleep most of the time anyway and obviously as they get older they'll be awake longer etc plus when they teeth or have a cold etc everything goes out of the window. Angel is 8 months we have only just got a very rough routine which is gonna be a bit all over the place as I've just started work again! Having said that, we still don't have a 'typical' day as such, as she wakes at different times most days so I have to set the routine according to what time she wakes up. I tried to set up a routine at around 4 months old but if she didn't nap when I put her down it threw the whole thing out and then she started teething so I gave up till around 7 months. xx

 

[Pudds86]

"he hardly crys cos I change him, feed him and settle him to sleep before he gets distressed- it's amazing and if you are quite an organised and structured person yourself, give it a go! My friends who are not routine followers are struggling and say how are you so relaxed and look so refreshed and I say, just read the book. Now my lo is teething but still not waking, he knows that you sleep at night and nothing else "

I'm sorry but this made me wince. Babies are individuals and I think you just have one of those babies rather than following some book. I am guessing that many mums feed and change their babies before they are screaming their head off (which is what was inferred). There are many ladies on here doing their best and for whatever reason are struggling with sleep/feeding issues and I would hazard a guess that this has nothing to do with lack of routine, I think it's insulting to them to intimate as such and I certainly wouldn't want a new mum reading this and thinking they had failed somehow or that there was something wrong with their baby because their lo wasn't doing what some text book said they should. We all do what works, I'm glad it works for you.

I have to agree. I've never followed a strict routine and Campbell is sooooo content. He's just one of those babies and we're super lucky!!

Sent from my shit hot phone! Fo shizzle home girls.

 

[Crackers]

Don't do it. My SIL brainwashed me into thinking we needed a routine asap, which in turn made OH think something was wrong if we DIDN'T have routine straight away. What followed was a weeks of stress that J wasn't aware/asleep when she was supposed to be! Looking back she was waaaay to young to try, and I let her lead the way.

At almost8 weeks now she's developed her own routine and is sleeping 6-7 hours at night!

Enjoy these early weeks hun. Who needs sleep anyway

 

[Hope81]

I don't see anything wrong to try to have a short of routine from the beginning?
I think the word routine is a little misunderstood really and it's like a red flag while it shouldn't be?
Let's face it at the first days it's more about you getting in a routine other than the baby.
I am not so absurd to expect from a little baby to sleep or wake when I tell it to but i am willing to try to have an order in our daily life regarding of when we do things.
Like top and tail at morning, top and tail or bath before 7 expressing at morning etc etc...
Why is everyone associating a routine with baby sleeping during the night or putting the baby to sleep at certain ours etc?
Everyone that Dosent follow a routine practically it follows one anyway. I PLAn to put the baby down for a nap when I see signs of it being sleepy, the person who Dosent follow a routine follows the baby's lead and put it down for a nap when it's sleepy... It's the same thing really...
Both of us will feed the baby when it's hungry but I will not demand feed ifykwim. Meaning of the baby feels like sleeping 5 h and then have a meal I will gently wake it at 3 h to have one.
Structuring the meals is not bad, it will not always work but it will eventually....

Well I need a routine anyway of I want to fit in my life both professional and family accomplishments and that's not necessary a bad thing nor having high expectations ifykwim...

 

[Lettie]

Wishing you lots of luck hope81.), when baby is screaming at being naked you'll promptly decide unecessary undressing for routine washing is out the window. Sometimes depending on baby, they'll be feeding so much in the first few weeks you'll barely have time to pee, let alone Express at a certain time. ) as vikkir says we all do what works and with F I let her lead but friends of mine who tried the books and routines felt unnecessary pressure of babies to be found certain things at certain times and have since given up. Strict routines are overrated, people who want puppets to fit into their live s should.get a goldfish ) (that is not aimed at anyone here btw, just some ppl I know!)

 

[BevG]

nothing wrong with trying to get a routine going, just dont stress if it goes out the window (and shes right about being stuck to the couch bf'ing and lucky to get a break to pee lol)

 

[Hope81]

I thinks the puppets to fit in my life was quite harsh don't you think? I never talked about set times or stressing if the baby dosent sleep at 9 o clock fix...not even expressing at a set time...I suppose at some point the baby will sleep at morning and then I will express...sorry but that's hardly sth that's out of ordinary or too harsh or impossible to follow.
As about no time to pee I suppose it is true if you make it to be like that.. A mum with a toddler and a newborn still has time somehow to care for her other kid? There is a method to do everything fit and work eventually for you too. If the baby screams when is undressed for top and tail then you still have to wash hit eventually right? Scaring new mums like that surely dosent help? You can undressed it partially and done fast then move to different parts after you half dress it o even do it later...
Again I think for some reason the word routine is like the red flag...

 

[clairebear22]

Personally I enjoyed just having my tiny Jack for a good 6 months. Yes we bathed him every night and tried to keep it to the same time every evening and yes we tried to space his feeds out equally and triedto keep his nap times regular but up until 6 months old (when he decided midnight was an acceptable bed time) we just went with the flow in a round a bout way. The trouble with new borns is they're never consistent each day, just when you think you have a routine .... bam .... they have other ideas and there's not alot you can do about it or you have one angry little creature on your hands!

All i'll say to you ladies is good luck at setting a routine from day one! I hope you manage it but believe me the first few weeks go by in a blur so enjoy them! Before you know it they'll be a toddler and you'll wonder where the time went!! x