Need some help...

[hopefulmummy]

Hi all, I hope this is the best place to post this. I need some help! My 5 month old had no routine at all. This never bothered me when he was younger and I wanted to go with his flow, bf on demand etc etc.

However, it's starting to get frustrating not Knowing when he will be napping/ playing etc. he still isn't sleeping through, which is exhausting enough and probably a Whole other thread, but he also barely naps in the daytime. Used to be 40 minutes, now it's dropped to 20 mins, if I can get him to nap at all. Ideally I' Like him to have a long nap midmorning af then a Nap Mid afternoon. What is your routine with babies similar age?

Please can you all Share your tips and advice!

I haven't started weaning yet, will be doing
Blw in a couple weeks...

Thanks! Xx

 

[MrsR]

I'm probably not the best person to help with this as I allowed Sebastian to set his own routine. However if you do want to get LO into a routine you could start with a bedtime routine. Decide what time you want LO to go to bed, give them a bath about 30 minutes before your designated bedtime (or as long as you think it'll take), take LO to bedroom, keep room dark (with maybe just a lamp or nightlight), get them dressed in pyjamas, maybe look at a story together and then settle them to bed. When the bedtime is established you can work from there. Hope this helps a little bit. Sebastian didn't sleep through until 10 months old though and he sorted his own routine out (ie bed and nap times) way before then x


Ignore any mistakes-my iPhone is addicted to autocorrect!

 

[Yodabo]

Apparently babies have a better sleep at night if they have a routine and are sleeping between 7-8pm (I have a sleep document). I started our routine when drake was 4 months. I tried the 7pm routine first but he was having none of it so I done it for 10pm and gradually worked our way up. It took 4 months but we got there! He has his tea at 5, bath at 6 and bed at 7pm. He loves this time of day and loves saying night night to everyone lol

Once a proper bedtime routine is sorted your day time naps should be easier to figure out. Drake is 14 months, wakes around 6-7am and goes down for a nap 9.30-10am for around 40 mins to an hour and around 1-2pm has a longer nap of 1.5-2hrs! He don't really have a strict routine for the day, he naps on the sofa and it's whenever hes tired.

You might find as his sleep gets better he'll start having proper naps..they say sleep breeds sleep (not sure how that works but it kinda does)

Good luck Hun! Xx

 

[hopefulmummy]

I've had a bedtime routine since he was 4 weeks old - bath, feed, bed. It's the Only routine. I was hoping to start a day routine. Oh dear - is something really wrong then, as I
Get the impression that he should be doing better because he has a bed routine! X

 

[Yodabo]

You want me to see you that document i have? I had it off another member on here and i found it invaluable. Send me your email addy in a pm and i'll send it straight away hun. xx

 

[Minchin]

hi hon, how you doing?
We let O set his own routine and he was a baby that needed a lot of naps. we went by the EASY routine (the baby whisperer) which stands for eat, activity, sleep, you time! so basically he was on a cycle of that, he'd wake, have milk, be awake for as long as he could cope with, sometimes only an hour, sometimes 2 and then nap, sometimes for 20 mins, sometimes an hour or two. by 8 months it was getting more into a routine and I could predict his bottle and sleep times, by ten months he was pretty much down to a morning and a lunch nap with sometimes a little 4 o clock cat nap, by ten months a clear 9 am nap and 12 ish nap and now hes down to one nap a day at 12.

he didnt go through the night til ten months and was still having 2 night feeds which stopped about 8 or 9 months.

hope this helps a little? does your LO have an amount of time he can stay awake for? cos you could start trying to put him down at the same nap times each day when you are in or encouraging sleep when you are out at that time?

I founf O started to stay awake for a a little longer in the day when we started blw cos it was such a fun acitivty that he spent quite alot of time on to start with!

xx

 

[hopefulmummy]

Thanks yodabo, I've pmed you.

Amy, yeah i started to follow the easy cycle, but I was finding when he was you get he was having too
Many feeds for it to work for him. I also find that if I misjudge and leave it too
Late to put him down and he's too tired, he doesn't sleep!!! He also doesn't get up at the same time each day, which obviously makes things more difficult... I may try and write down his routine
Over next few days and see if a Natural pattern Emerges!

 

[Belfast girl]

emma sets her own rountine during the day - depending on what time she gets up at (she is really lazy baby that likes her sleep so sometimes I have to wake her at 9.30/10) we generally work on a 2 hour cycle for naps (length of nap varies) and a 3.5 hour feeding cycle, 3 hours if she wakes late!
her bed time is non-negiotable - 7pm!!

i don't think i would have a hope in changing her routine!