Do you believe in routines for your baby?

[BellyBelly]

There is a great deal of talk about instilling routine into babies, this poll and discussion is to see what mums really think about routines and their babies.

[Rouge]

We found routines worked for us, but I think it depends on the parents and the child. Paris was the type of child that thrived on routine, but they weren't too strict that she would fret if we didn't follow them. I think routines allow a child to know what to expect, so it often gives them comfort...but thats just MPO and I have nothing against kids who don't/didn't have routines And who knows with the next there might be no routines or better yet stricter ones.

*hugs*
Cailin

[Astrolady]

We have pretty much kept Kameron to a routine since he was born. Now he is older he eats when we eat 'cept breakfast cause we dont eat breakfast so he has that when he gets up, and he goes to bed straight after lunch every day then in bed of a night at around 7-7.30pm.

If I know we are going to be out and having a late night I will keep Kameron up after lunch and put him to bed later in the afternoon that way I know he won't be cranky when we are out and he will be quite happy to stay awake.

Love

[HipBubbyMama]

I hate routines. Im more a go with the flow type person. Liam and I follow a loose nightime routine of sorts but it s not deliberately planned. I would find anything based on a timetable too restrictive. Our "routine" is more based on just stuff we do every night

[mouse_9_2001]

another old post lol but i just thought id add as i again ahdnt seen it before

josh didnt have a routine till i brought him to australia, except his afternoon nap would be at the same time everyday..
but when i brought him here he fell into his two cousins routines which were breaky when he woke up at 7am, play time till 1030am then morning tea, more play or go shopping, 1230pm have lunch.. 1pm have afternoon nap till about 230pm wake up, have a play 5pm was tea time then 630-7pm bed time..
and it worked so well with him, i tried to keep it when he had to go back to england but he fell out of it with the jet lag..


take care
Lesley

[Rouge]

Thanks for bumping this one Lesley, its good to look back and see what we thought at one time or another

I think routine is hard to define. I think if you eat breakfast lunch and dinner thats routine LOL! I think paris has plenty of routines in her life but I would hardly say we go by a timetable. She generally wakes between 7-8:30, breakfast...snacks whenever she feels the need to. Lunch when she asks (usually around 12) and afternoon nap shortly after (but that shortly can be 3 hours later depending on if we are out). For Paris if she doesn't get that afternoon nap she is tired and grumpy all afternoon and I don't like feeling those emotions so I try to make sure she doesn't have to go through it either. I think routine is hard to avoid, but it depends on what you really define as a routine. To me routine is stuff you do everday (not necessarily at the same time, or by the minute) and we all eat, sleep & play In our own way LOL!

But I think they do feel more comfortable knowing what to expect, but on the upside spontaneity is a nice suprise every now and then too.

*hugs*
Cailin

[*Rachel*]

We were using the Gina Ford book as a basis for our routine, but it's pretty strict and K wouldn't stay awake as long as Gina suggests (Read: orders!) him to, so we're winging it now!

When we were following the 'semi-strict routine, he had three sleeps of varying length in the day (3 months old) fed at the 'right' intervals and we fitted everything in! As well as only getting up once a night., and waking at about 6:30 am

Now........he sleeps only for about an hour at a time in the day, seems to be slightly more cranky on occasion, wakes up at least twice a night....and wakes up for good at 5:30 am! ](*,)

Can't get him back to the old routine now!!!!

(but still love him to bits!)

[Lucy]

Olivia is in a flexible routine.......sleep, feed, play, sleep. She has 2 sleeps a day, plus her nighttime sleep, generally all at the same time.To be honest, she is a bit like clockwork and loves routine, which I have grown to love as well!

Her bedtime routine is predictable as Andrew loves doing bathtime, book, bottle and bed with her......he considers this his "Daddy time" so is very unwilling to chage this routine.

Having said that, if we have a day out or if we all go out to dinner or a swim in the late evening, she can keep going like a trooper.

So, yep, flexible routine here............

[Ambah]

Aidyn follows a very, very flexible routine... I guess the most routine like part about it is that he has to have a nap every 2 to 3 hours, and that he eats one meal of solids in the late morning, and one in the evening, and that he goes to bed around a certain time each night!
Needless to say, if we go out, his naptimes go out the window, but that is fine as he usually catches up when he gets home.
As he is getting older I definately want to start implementing a more structured nighttime/bedtime routine with book reading and teeth brushing etc. I'm not too worried about his daytime routine, as long as he gets some sleep we will both be fine, LOL!

[wardygirl]

My 'baby' is now 7 1/2 years old however she was a difficult baby. She wouldn't settle by herself, had a lot of reflux and a little bit of colic.

At 6 months old I took her to 'sleep school' where they taught us how to settle here and gave us advise on routines. After 4 days there she was like a new child.

We remained pretty strict with her routine, which was also maintained at creche by the carers who were wonderful.

At 4 1/2 years, I could still get her to have a nap 3 times a week. She gave this up when she started 4 yo kinder, although I could still get her to have a nap on one day of the weekend.

I don't know how things will go with number 2 as we have the school routine of my DD to work around too. Hopeful this one wont be as vomity as DD and will settle and sleep better. [-o<

Cheers,

Rachel

[Tracey]

I honestly must have had the easiest baby with DD & now she is pretty much a dream child at 6yrs old!
She slept through the night 9hrs minimum each night from a week of age, I think I could count on my hands the amount of times I have ever been woken by her in the middle of the night!
we could take her to the fanciest of restaurants without even being concerned about what she might get up too. From a baby she had a flexible routine, but I'd have to say on the stricter side of flexible, she was a great sleeper & prior to starting Prep last year would have naps during the day.... She found the first few weeks of school exhausting, but I have to get her up @ 6am on work days & in her uniformn, lunches made & brekky etc all done before I leave at 7:15am for work, I take her across the driveway to my Parents unit & they take her to school.

I think living with my parents for the first 2 years really helped as it meant we were all instilling the routines! She now goes to bed by 7:30pm on school nights & maybe will stay up til 9pm (if she hasn't fallen asleep or asked to go to bed earlier) on w/ends!

But I do think she was a very good baby & very easy to keep in a routine, I agree with Lucy that Maddy also neede the routine & thrived on it!!

but if we were out etc & routine not being followed she would still be OK!?

If it works for you, then great if not that's OK too!

[Antheia]

Lily has a routine, but it's pretty flexable. She wakes every 4 hours, eats, around 10am has a bath before eating but sometimes has the bath around 5pm, has tummy time if she wakes up about 1-2 hours before a feed(usually twice a day), has cuddles after each feed until she goes to sleep. She had been sleeping through the night since day 4, but during the last week has been waking every 4 hours, maybe going through a growth spurt.