When do you think its important to have a routine??

As the title suggests i am starting to think about routines for ds. He is almost 7 months old and so far i have kinda gone with the flow with him and let him do what he wanted. More and more though i am wondering if its time to set up a bit of a routine with him. The main reason that i am considering it is because i am finding it hard to get anything done as i dont really know when he will be doing what.

I was just wondering what peoples take is on routines and what age you would say its important to have one. I was also wondering what babies sleep should be like at this age. This is another reason that i am considering a routine as his day sleeps are pretty much the same now as they were when he was 3 months old.

Thank you for your information!

i think its important when YOU think its important, not when everyone else thinks it is!
at the end of the day if its working and your both happy dont feel like you have change things
your doing ace :D

Sure, start a routine but be aware that the minute you establish one he will change it. ;)
Have one that is pretty flexible because it will change as he grows and get more mobile.
The sleep on is probably the most important as it helps both of you but then some days he will have 2 sleeps and others just 1.
If you have a child where you can have a routine go for it but expect to have jealous mums bemoaning your good fortune. :lol:

AJP said what I was going to say! It's totally up to you (and your DS). Some babies love having things happen at the same time every day, but if your DS is fine without a routine at 7 months than most likely he will stay that way.

With regard to getting things done, you could maybe have your own routine which is not based on exact times. For example, you might always unpack the dishwasher while he is eating breakfast, or you might always vacuum or fold clothes when he has his first day sleep, and maybe you might put on a load of washing when he is down for the night. So it's more a matter of how you plan your time during breaks, rather than scheduling your day. If you start doing the same things the same way during the day it quickly becomes a habit and very easy to remember.

If your DS is still sleeping at 7 months as he did at 3 months, I would say that's a good thing. He is probably not far off changing his sleep pattern, but he will do it when he's ready. In the meantime, enjoy the extra rest time. Soon you are going to miss it ;)

It sounds like you are doing a fantastic job hun. Keep up the great work.

Take a day or two to write down the times *his* routine occurs naturally. You may be quite surprised at how much of a routine he is already in and you can then tweak that to suit your requirements better as well.

I have never formally done a routine for DS but at 7 months I could predict what time he would wake, when his naps would be and when he would be ready for bed ;)