For those who use routines

[CrazyCat]

A friend of mine follows a routine from some book..... but my opinion, she is WAY too strict with it. She follows it TO THE MINUTE.
She'll set her watch...... 2:05pm....BEEP BEEP... time for a drink of water. 3:14pm... BEEP BEEP.. time for a sleep. 4:45pm...BEEP BEEP... time to play...
you get the idea....
She has totally ristricted her life. She hardly leaves the house because she doesnt want to stray from the routine. She has never allowed him to sleep ANYWHERE but his cot, so on the rare occasion she goes out she will all of a sudden RUSH around in a mad panic to get him in the car, and get him home before 3:14, or whatever time nap time is.
She's made her life so difficult. I hate it. Sometimes she is miserable. I feel so bad for her.
She's turned having a baby into a chore instead of a joy. =(

[Livinthedream]

We have a routine, and generally its to within an hour or so, eg get up 5.00am, do stuff till sleep at 8.30 -9.30 ish sleep for 1 1/2 hrs, get up do stuff, back to sleep 2.30-3.30 ish sleep for 1 1/2 hrs, get up, do stuff, go to bed 7.30- 8.30
We have done this for the last 6 months or so and it works great.
This way,I know there are times during the day I can do things (while he sleeps) so when he is awake, I can make it all about him. If we go out,I try and make it after the morning sleep and that way he can sleep in the car on the way home if we stay out for a long time.
Its really easy and my little bloke never gets overtired or stroppy (still get tanties, but not tired ones LOL)
We had to do it this way, for my sanity and also because my bloke is not the sort to just go to sleep anywhere, he needs quite strong sleep cues. eg teddy, bed, dark room. the exception is the car. But he wont just fall asleep in the pram at the shops KWIM?
I like structure, to a degree, it allows me to budget my time and energies into whatever I have deemed important for the day.
Just me, though

[M D]

I followed the routine you referred to but I adjusted it to suit. SO for example I stuck to sleep times, but that could have been in the car or the pram or at a friends house. I still went about my normal life and incorporated bub and my schedule.

I think the best thing I did was went out alot (I was going crazy at home) from very early on so bub was used to noise and sleeping in the car/pram etc. I don't think it is resonable to keep the bub at home following a strict routine for months on end and then wonder why bub is so restless when you take it out.

[lilmisspositive]

I followed the routine you referred to but I adjusted it to suit. SO for example I stuck to sleep times, but that could have been in the car or the pram or at a friends house. I still went about my normal life and incorporated bub and my schedule.

I think the best thing I did was went out alot (I was going crazy at home) from very early on so bub was used to noise and sleeping in the car/pram etc. I don't think it is resonable to keep the bub at home following a strict routine for months on end and then wonder why bub is so restless when you take it out.

Yep, sounds like me. Baby is fitting into our life.... not the other way around. Already in the last few days of starting a routine... Little to no crying because baby knows what to expect. : )

[trishalishous]

Yep, sounds like me. Baby is fitting into our life.... not the other way around. Already in the last few days of starting a routine... Little to no crying because baby knows what to expect. : )

See we are still 100% baby led, after 13 months, and never have any crying either. I can tell DDs early tired/hungry/bored cues, so we make sure we attend to her asap, and she doesnt need to get upset, as we pre-empt.
Her natural routine is pretty awesome, though she sometimes only naps for an hour or so in the arvos (but then goes to bed early)
It makes it heaps easier being a SAHM, since it doesnt matter if we make it to rhymetime/kinder gym/etc.

[natwantsababy]

I think that routines are a very personal thing and everyone has a different view on what suits or doesn't suit them. I have used a routine for both my boys and have found them great. I am not too rigid with it as i sometimes have to work around daily activities and outings. I like to stick to a basic feed, wake, sleep routine but don't deny either of my sons food, sleep or a drink if they want it or I feel they need it - this doesn't happen very often though as they are both pretty well set in their routines. I have tried to get both of them use to sleeping while out and about so it does make it easier to work to a routine. I am comfortable breast feeding in public too so that helps if I need to feed descreetly on the go. Althoug I stick to a feeding routine I like to be a bit flexible so I sometimes have a variance of 30mins either side as long as the kids are happy to do so, I am pretty structured with first feed of morning and last feed of the evening and try to stick to the routine without it being difficult but still allowing our family to go on outings and do our daily errands etc, I Personally think it's great to have a flexible routine that way it provides a predictable daily pattern but with allowance to change if needed. That's just me personally and I do understand that others don't like or favor routines and thats perfect for them! Routines are not there to make life harder or restrict us they are there to try and make life a bit more easier and predictable! Good Luck with finding the pattern or style of parenting that suit you and your family! Xx

[Cass72]

I never had a routine - I too was 100% baby led .... well, I thought we didn't have a routine... that was until I was talking with my nurse at the clinic when Bubs was a few months old: she told me to write down what we did for a few days - turns out he had made his own routine. Every few months the "routine" would shift and we would gently move onto the next stage.

Not so long ago I was fretting over dropping the late night/early morning feeds: again, he's done this on his own and has just naturally progressed to waking up later at a more respectable hour (although some people might not see 4.30am as 'respectable').

So, what I guess I'm trying to say is that whether or not you decide to follow a strict routine, you bub will most likely put themselves into one anyway!

[*TripleJ*]

DS used to be on a routine for everything i didnt make it that way it was just him alwayus ate at the same time sleep at the same time etc but now with the 2 his routine went out the window DD doesnt have a pattern t all really being damand fed and BFed but we still do a lot of things at the same time like breaky lunch dinner bath and bed but we can do anything or go anywhere DS does get a little cranky if hes up too late but most of the time hes fine