Babies born~December 1st-15th 2009 # 4

[Alison1973]

Hi Carmey - yay for you, it's great having a routine isn't it! I had a lot of people think I was strict and a bit weird having a routine from the start but it has paid off for me so I wouldn't do anything differently next time around either. Your routine is pretty much what Amelia is on, she goes to bed between 6.30 and 7.00 pm and I don't stick to the those exact times but it's always within 15-30 mins of those times. The only difference I find interesting is that you give Jack his breakfast solids before milk, I always thought you should give them milk before solids until the dinner meal? Amelia has her milk before solids at breakfast, same as you at lunch and then solids again around 5.00 pm, bath at 6.00 pm and bottle and bed 6.30 pm ish. Sometimes she doesn't go down until closer to 7.00 pm but she's usually asleep by 7.00 pm as she self settles as well. Routine teaches them the difference between night and day and puts their body clock into action. Yesterday for example I put her down at her usual nap times (she has 2 x 1.5 hour naps, one morning, one afternoon) and she wasn't even showing tired signs yet but I put her in her cot, awake, and within minutes she was asleep. Of course sometimes if she's not well or teething these things don't go to plan but in between time isn't it great. I have always followed the Babywise schedule and am onto their second book now for 5 months to toddler age, I love their concepts and it's all about balance, you can't be completely 100% strict but if you follow it as much as you can you can have a happier baby I think, which means happier mum. Amelia woke up after 30 mins yesterday morning so I also let her go and she went back to sleep for an hour, phew. I also put 2 dummies in the cot and Amelia has generally stopped fussing at night now, I don't know if she's finding it herself or is just doing without, that has happened since she was ill (boy was that a tough week). You're right with the swaddling too, I have read it's a big no no at this age as they get too used to sleeping with it. One of the girls from mums group is having a terrible time with her 8.5 month old, she still won't sleep unless she's swaddled but because she's bigger and more mobile now she unwraps herself all night so she's up every hour re-swaddling her and she's also still feeding a few times overnight as she won't take a bottle. Poor girl is going insane. Luckily for me Amelia hated being swaddled in the end so she's been in a Grobag since she went in the cot at 9 weeks old. Last night had a weird one, I woke up to hear her talking to herself and I thought, what the, so I went in, it was the usual 3.00 am time and she was wide awake, on her belly turned around at the other end of the cot with her head up. She smiled at me, I thought uh oh, moved her back to the other end and on her side, popped in her dummy and walked off. I lay there for a little while certain she was going to start crying as her eyes were wide open.....didn't hear a peep, weird! I am wondering if she was dreaming, like sleep walking but not the walking bit lol. Never had that happen before. Anyway, well done Emma you must feel so good now. xx

Hope everyone else is going well. I've got Sesame Street on, Amelia loves it - but not as much as Waybuloo, that cartoon mezmorises her! It's now her nap time so I'd best go before I miss the boat and all I said above goes out the window lol! It's all a matter of timing with Amelia, too early forget it, too late, definitely forget it lololol! xx