Implimenting a schedule with a newborn?

Question

Hi everyone. I'm pregnant with my first baby (a girl due August 29th) and I was told that putting her on a schedule will make my life much easier. I know it's impossible to put her on a schedule immediately, but when is it possible to start her on one? Any ideas of a good one to follow?

Your advice is appreciated =)

Professional...I don't need a lecture, I need a simple answer to my question. DO NOT assume that I do not know what I have 'signed up for.' I am a new mother and simply do not know EXACTLY what to expect...so sue me!

Answer 1

It's usually possible to start guiding a baby toward a reasonable schedule around two months of age. If the child has any problems (I'm thinking of colic, in particular, with which our son was plagued for many months), your guidance may not work. Until that time you should feed the baby "on demand" - but without killing yourself over it. Moms need their sleep, too!

When the baby is about two months old, start limiting her feedings to about every three and a half to four hours, and do that at whatever time seems both convenient to you and appropriate for your baby. If she's always hungry at 10 p.m., for instance, you wouldn't want to feed her for the last time of the day at 8 p.m.

The first rule of parenting (after the age of two months, of course, and only if your doctor proclaims her completely healthy), is never wake a sleeping baby! If she wakes at night, give her a few minutes to think about it before you get up to feed her.

Enjoy your little one, and take care!

Answer 2

Imani is right, up above.
Rather than putting her on an artificial, arbitrary schedule, you'll know in a few months what your baby's schedule *is*... because you, as an attentive and caring ma, will have observed her and will know her patterns and cues. You'll know when she naps and when she wants to generally eat and what signals she gives on a normal day. Then you will have a roadmap to plan your days, and it will be much easier. (This kind of knowledge will also be invaluable if you put her into childcare-- any good one will ask you to describe her cues and habits and preferences...) It will also be really useful because you will know right away when things are NOT normal and when something might be going wrong.

It will happen naturally, the more you bond and care for and pay attention to your baby, you will develop this innate and natural knowledge of her signals. (Don't sit around being anxious and cataloging her cues or worrying you might miss something-- you don't need to. It develops almost unconsciously. Use all your senses-- smell, sight, hearing.

My first baby is now 8 months old and is healthy and happy as a clam. I remember being so worried because I knew nothing of childrearing, I have never read any books, and I heard all sorts of conflicting advice so I decided to just chuck all that out the window and go with my instincts and what seemed to work best. I worried, what if I don't notice when something is wrong? What if she's not getting enough of x? Etc.

It comes down to a few things, which I'll share, not to lecture but just to reassure...

1) Just relax and watch the kid. If they're happy and calm, things are good.
2) Peeing and pooping regularly, then she's getting enough to eat.
3) Do your best to be happy and relaxed and joyful and a variety of good emotions. It is amazing how your kid mimics your moods. It's the easiest thing you can do to calm your kid-- calm down yourself.

Also,
4) I know this is controversial, and I would appreciate NO FLAMES here, but if you are willing to sleep with your baby, she will sleep much easier and again, mimic your schedule. We have no trouble getting our baby to sleep through the night because we lay down with her and everyone sleeps then. It is as safe as anything else, if you do it safely (no drugs, alcohol, a big enough bed or a mattress on the floor, and light covers.) Every mammal sleeps with its young.


Anyway, whatever you decide, best of luck:)

Answer 3

I am so excited for you this is such a wonderful time in your life. Scheduling is different for each baby, some take to a schedule and some don't just like adults. My oldest son was so easy because he liked things ordered, I could tell you when he would want to eat, nap, play, etc... almost down to the minute. On the other hand my middle boy didn't like any kind of schedule and we lived in chaos for the first 2 years of his life, never knowing when the meltdown of the day would happen. Our youngest son fell somewhere in the middle. We now have three adult sons that are very much like they were as babies, only not as needy, thank goodness. The first few weeks of your baby's live you will get to know her personality and that will dictate what kind of schedule she will take too. Of course you don't need to be preached to, if I were you I would listen to all the advise and keep what works and throw out all the rest. Good Luck and congratulations on your precious little girl.

Answer 4

We lived by a schedule. People will tell you it's bad for the baby, but it's your baby. You're going to get a load of advice that contradicts each other. Do what's right for YOUR baby and YOUR body.

We fed our son ever 3 hours regardless of whether he was awake. We spent the first 17 in the NICU, and they got us on the routine. Even THEY had him on a schedule. Every 3 hours we knew it was a changing time and feeding time.

Before every feeding we changed his diaper regardless of whether he needed it. If he needed a change in between feedings that was fine, but it was important to use to change the diaper to let him now that "oh! I get new undies and then get fed. Okay..."

We also incorporated a night time bath every few days at the beginning, and now that he's older it's every night.

Being on a schedule helped us sleep 12 hours a night. We knew that he would wake up once, but by the age of 3 months he was sleeping 12 hours.

Congrats though, and just remember that it's your baby. Different doctors will tell you different parenting styles, but in the end it's what YOU want to do. It's your child, after all.

Answer 5

I kinda got lucky...my son started sleeping through the night at 2-1/2 weeks. He would go downat 9 pm...wake up at about 7 am thenext morning...he's have a really good nurse, and then go down for another hour or so. HE was awake more in the day...adn was a little hungrier during the day ( I figured that was the price I was to pay for him sleeping in the night) If you try and do the dame things at the same time inthe day (naps and feeds) if your baby will co-operate you can get a chedule going. It may take a month or so..or you couldbe like me and it couldbe easy right off the bat.

Answer 6

Our son was on a schedule and sleeping through the night by 2 months. However, those first 4-6 weeks, I would say not to try too hard to put her on a schedule. She'll want to eat every few hours.

I totally disagree with the people who will leave their kids in bed all night no matter how much they cry, just to try and force them onto a schedule. I've heard about kids having health problems from that sort of thing. If our son woke up, we would get up with him.

Answer 7

I had my daughter on a 3 hour schedule when we came home from the hospital. Every three hours she would be offered the breast and then 3 oz of formula. *I wasn't producing enough and didn't want to mess with fixing it, I know, I was being lazy*

By the time she was about 1 month old she was on a 4 hour schedule. At night she would sleep for 5 hours and then cry for a bottle


When she was 3 months old she was sleeping for about 10 hours at night.

We always put her down at 9pm.

Answer 8

I found that my baby made her own schedule, and I worked around it.

Really, setting a schedule is just creating a "habit" for her. Feedings at the same time, bed time around the same time each night. You will find that a schedule will come to light around 2 or 3 months, and I will guarantee you it will be HERS, not YOURS. All I can say is pay attention to the time when she wants to be fed, and when she has a messy diaper, and when she naps (believe me - you will just know). You will see that it will be pretty much the same time every day.

Good luck with everything, and congrats!!

Answer 9

A schedule is tough - particularly for the first month. They pretty much have their own schedule. What will help you (and the baby) is a routine. My daughter would nurse and then precisely and hour and a half later she would be tired, then she would sleep for an hour. Time to change her and we were nursing again. As she got older, just responding to her when she was hungry and putting her down when she was tired, her own schedule started to form. It's really difficult to impose one.

Answer 10

when people refer to a "schedule" they often mean a feeding schedule. The suggestion is 4 oz every four hours. I don't agree with this and neither do most young health professionals. babies should be fed when they're hungry. you can use the 4 every four as a guide. but if Jr wakes up and is hungry but he only ate 3 hours ago are you going to want to hear him cry for and hour straight? 10 mins was about my max for listening to my daughter cry, while I hurridly got her bottle. As for sleeping batheing, and everything else a schedule will help you maintain your sanity.