Routines?

[Cantstop]

Hello lovely ladies, I'm after a bit of advice as I feel totally clueless on what I 'should' be doing.

Lily is 3 weeks old today. I feel it's important to get her into a routine as soon as I like to have 'a plan' and at the moment I feel we're just drifting along and I'm a bit concerned all the time that I'm setting up bad habits that will bite me later down the line, but I feel a bit like a headless chicken!

At the moment our 'routine' is usually she comes upstairs to bed with me between 10pm and 12am, we are in the bedroom with me trying to sleep until 10am then we stay in the bedroom watching morning telly until dinner time, then move to the sitting room until bed time. I am breast feeding on demand and she feeds between every 2 and 3.5 hours, and in between feeds she pretty much sleeps. She does however sleep much better during the day and the past few nights has been a bit of a bugger between 2am and 5am with feeding and then just moaning for an unknown reason - she doesn't want more boob, doesn't want changing or have wind, she just won't settle in her basket, then if brought into the bed won't settle there either too, or won't settle if being held.

My hubby goes back to work tomorrow and he's on night shift for the rest of the week so basically I'm on my own from now until Saturday so think if I had some kind of plan that'll help me get through the wee hours when I'm really tired!

Any tips gratefully received!

 

[Maria1977]

Hi there, congrats on your baby girl xx

I didn't really get in a routine with Oz until my partner when back to work. Every morning Olly gets up at 6 to walk our dog before he gets ready for work, so this is when I started getting up with Oscar (we co-sleep, he always hated his basket so since he was about 4 weeks old he's been in with us).

I get up at about 6, 7 at the weekends, put Oscar in his rocker and he watches baby tv and has a few toys with him while I get his bath run and sort out his clothes etc for the day. I bath him and sing and talk with him while he tries his hardest to throw himself in the water lol.

After he's dressed I offer him boob, usually he just has a quick drink, then back in his rocker while I have a bath. I put the rocker in the bathroom with me and he has his toys and I talk to him while I sit in the bath. The bring him upstairs while I get dressed, then back downstairs for more booby, this time he usually has a proper feed then falls asleep for an hour.

After he wakes I change his bot bot, then as he 5 months, he know has his cereal, then we got out for a walk even if it's raining.

Back home about 11/12ish for more booby, then he has a play with daddy while his home for lunch, which means I get 20 mins break too.

Then when daddy goes, back on the boob and usually another nap for 2 hours, after he wakes we go out again sometimes or I just get play mat/activity station out and he plays.

When dad gets home just after 5 he has Oscar while I take the dog out and get some time for myself. Then back home for more booby time, then in his door bouncer or something, then pyjamas about 6.30/7ish, more booby then he's asleep for about 7.30/8ish.

Then he usually has a feed between 1am-4am (usually this is a really chilled feed laying in bed and we both fall back to sleep), sometimes he feeds more sometimes he'll go through til 5am without feeding.

Oh and I try to get him to baby group once a week too, he loves staring at other babies lol

God that was all a bit blaaah, but that's our day!

 

[don-don]

Hey,
We normally get up at around half seven in the morning, i bath/top and tail him get him dressed ready for the day and he has his bottle at around half eight. I then get my self sorted have a bath etc, he comes up with me in his bouncer and i give a running commentary lol. We then have a play and i read him a story. He then has a nap for about 45 mins. I get bit of house work done, and pack the bag ready for us to go out. When he wakes i do his nappy and he has another bottle prob around elevenish, then we go off on our travels for the day, into town, to friends, to family into work to see all my old ladies (im a health care assistant). I feed him whenever he wants it, usually around one then four o clock. And he naps at intervals when we are out. I get him ready for bed at around six, he has a bottle and then goes in to his cot at around half six, he then has a feed at half ten. Nothings really set in stone we just go with the flow, but feeding, naps etc tend to happen at a similar time each day now. I was like a headless chicken at first, but once you get into the flow of things it all becomes much more relaxing and enjoyable xxxxxxxxxx

 

[Pudds86]

Campbell has been in a proper routine from about 8 weeks- before that he was in his own one which conveniently worked really well for me. Once he hit a growth spurt it didnt work anymore.

7am- He wakes and we have bottle and breakfast
9am- he goes into his cot for a sleep
10am- he wakes and we have playtime (has bath here every other day)
11:30am- we have lunch
12pm- he goes for a nap
2pm- he wakes, has bottle and we play (door bouncer or tummy time)
5pm- He has dinner
5:20 pm- He has half hour nap
7:30pm- he has bedtime bottle
8pm- he goes to bed!


Times vary everyday depending on if he wakes later or I let him hve longer naps xxx