Routine for a 6week old??

Question

I have a 6 week old baby (Spencer) and was wondering is he too young to start a routine? I'm braest feeding him also so does this make it harder to get him into a routine? I feed him for about an hour at 7pm so he is usual asleep by 8.00-8.30 he then wakes up mid night and has a feed but then sometimes wakes up at 3.00-3.30 and again at 6am if i feed him more will he sleep for longer? I don't reallly find it a problem just tiring sometimes and thought if anyone had any handy hints, tips or advice that might help. Many Thanks

Answer 1

No it's not too early to start a routine with Spencer, but it is too early to expect him to conform to it :)
For the first few months it's normal for the baby to wake every 2-4 hours for feedings. I had many people tell me that my milk wasn't "good enough" because my baby's woke often. It was just the way their bodies and my milk interacted. It's normal and healthy.
I chose to co sleep because I had frequent wakers, and once they started sleeping longer periods I slowly moved them out of my bed. It worked for me, I got a lot more sleep :)

Here are a couple of links, search through them. They have a lot fo good information. By the time Spencer is about 4-6 months he will start to sleep longer periods.
Sounds like you are doing a good job so far!

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/frequent-nursing.html

http://askdrsears.com/html/2/T020100.asp

Answer 2

Sounds like he already has a routine. he has you on a routine anyways. =)

All mothers are tired. Dont forget you dont have to do all the house hold chores everyday. You are allowed to do nothing all day if you need to. I hope you have a husband who helps out with the house when he gets home from work. Your job is a full time job and it is demanding on your body not just you mentally.

Rest when the child rests. Do your work inbetween. A simple routine could be him going in a rocking swing when awake while you do things. laying on the ground with toys around and above him. The hanging ones that he can move as he lifts his legs to stretch. Somtimes they are content watching the colors on the tv.

Do what works for you and him. You will figure it out soon enough as everychild is different. As far as feeding make sure he is eating long enough and not just snaking inbetween feedings. THis will make it a litte easier for you. Especially during those night feedings. Once he starts to fall asleep wake him slightly and get him to eat a bit more, make sure he is full so he will go a bit longer between the next feeding. Hope this helps, things always get easier and the new things harder as you go along. Congrats and Good luck and Good health to you and yours.

It is okay to do nothing and nap on those days that seem never ending!

Answer 3

Hmmmm....
I breast fed my twins and stuck to the feed on demand thing, but i will say that at 5 weeks what i did was keep them downstairs through out the day, putting them to sleep in their moses baskets then at their last feed, usually about 7 they went to sleep in their cots up stairs. They were sleeping right through the night within a week. Occasionally some nights they would wake but not often. They're 18 months old now and they have been in a set routine of going to bed mid day for however long they want to sleep and then going to bed in the evening at any time between 7:30 and 8:30.... They're brill!!

Answer 4

When my daughter was around 4/5 weeks old, we put her into a routine, we used the 'Contented Little Baby Book' by Gina Ford, & it worked miracles for us! My little girl settled into the routine very easily as she was so young, and now she is just 3 and a half months old and sleeps through the night (pretty much)! The book is based on breast-fed babies, but is also packed full of excellent little tips for all things baby, from how to tackle common problems such as colic or fussy feeders and babies who dont sleep etc etc etc It gives very detailed information on how to implement the routines and the different routines for babies up till they are 1 year old! My husband and I have found that some bits work for us and some bits dont, so we use what works and our little girl is 'happy and content'! I would highly recommend it! Also, the earlier you start a routine, the easier it will be for parents and baby to adjust to the change! Hope at all works out for you!

Answer 5

6 weeks is too young for a true routine, in my opinion. He's a newborn :) Here's a newborn's routine: eat/poop/eat/poop/eat/poop/eat...sleeping is a huge part too but it's never (and shouldn't be) longer than two hours at a stretch and a lot of it is done during the day. It's called Welcome to Newborns. I am not going to sugar coat things - you WILL be tired. You WILL NOT get a "good night's sleep" for at least (at the very minimum) a month or two more. You might get lucky and get the one who sleeps through at 8 weeks, but it is rare and the baby NEEDS you to feed him when he's hungry, whenever he's hungry. NEVER deny him any food. He'll feed until he's full, and since a newborn has a stomach smaller than the size of your fist and breastmilk easily digests, he'll be hungry again, regardless of how much you attempt to "feed him more". Another mistaken belief is that giving the child rice/formula is going to make them "sleep longer". It won't - my daughter was hungry in two hours even after downing formula, and rice is empty calories right now. I, too, thought I would die and asked this same question on Yahoo answers seven months ago! Posters said that is the way it is and things will get better. Well you know what, they have, and my daughter by and large sleeps through, has a routine, and I can get eight hours of sleep. There's a time for that, right now you just need to survive. Try doing side-lying nursing so that the baby can feed and maybe you can sleep too. I'm not a fan of cosleeping, but I did it in the newborn months. You can wear him in a sling so that he can sleep or feed. He can even sleep in his car seat/swing right now. Bottom line: make sure his needs are totally met and just survive. Trust me, it will get better!!

PS: the baby often sets the routine. My daughter decided a long time ago that she wants to go to bed at 7:45-8 pm, and that's when she goes to bed. Some babies need gentle prodding at an older age (past the "weeks") for sleep routines, but other than that they determine them. You'll know.

Answer 6

Sounds like you're doing a fine job already to me! 6 weeks is a little early especially breastfed.
I didn't really start working out a routine until about 12 weeks with my little munchkin.
Watch your baby, he'll soon tell you what he likes and when he likes it.
I kept a little diary for the first 10 weeks, writing down feed times, nap times and night time sleep, it helps get an idea of the sort of routine suits you and him.
Keep up the good work, motherhood is tiring but all worth it!

Answer 7

Start with a night time routine .. my daughter is 8 weeks old and we have started doing bath at 7:30 with a nice massage of baby lotion then try and keep him awake to play until 8 or 8:30 if possible.. I nurse from 8 to 8:30 and make sure that the lights are turned down while you feed.. after you feed wrap him in a nice soft blanket, cuddle him close and then usually my daughter is off to dreamland by 8:45 and since i started this she has been sleeping until 4 am!!! before she was very much like your son..up at midnight.. up at 3.. up at six.. makes it very hard to get up and feel rested. lol. good luck.. hope this helps.. ps.. the bath and massage are the most important part.. :)

Answer 8

I'm bottle feeding my 8 week old and she has been in a firm routine since she was 4 weeks sleeping through the night from 8pm till 7am. What really helped is to let her sleep downstairs during the day in a moses basket or on her changing mat and when she wakes play with her to stimulate her. This I believe helped her sleep better at night.

Answer 9

I can tell you that if he is hungry he will wake! My little guy ate every 1 1/2- 2 hours breastfeeding! and yes its tiring! I don't think you can really put them on a schedule! Just remember there only little once! so Cherish every moment! Even if it is every 1hour, giggles! I read every book about putting my Ethan on a schedule but when it came down to it...he ended up on one, and it was his own, of course i stopped breastfeeding at 4 months! but he is 8 months today and he sleeps through the night, finally, and eats every 3-5 hours he never cry's and just loves life!
Do you remember in school when they would make you eat at a certain time and your little belly would hurt because you were so hungry, just think how your baby feels! feed him when he wants it and you too will be much happier!
your the mom, follow your own heart! there is way to many rules these days!!!

Answer 10

You can try to set a tentative routine but it will end up being more for your benefit and less for him. He will change his schedule a lot in the months to come between sleep patterns and napping patterns and teething and colds etc.... You can try to do the same things at the same time but just be patient when he all of a sudden changes it on you- Sometimes teething will keep them up all night. Sometimes a three times a day napper will prefer two long ones instead. Sometimes they will sleep for really long spans to accomodate a growth spurt. Its always changing. But if it makes you feel a bit more in control of your time and life then give it a shot- its better than driving yourself nuts feeling out of control!