Flimsy routine

Hi OneMumsJourney!
My name's Sarah. I'm from Glasgow and have just stumbled across your blog! Just wondering how your day is structured with your little one? I am just demand feeding but want to try get into a routine! Help? I've had a bit of a nosey through google but just can't seem to find a lot. Many thanks and happy blogin'!


Sarah, UK - 09:43:46 PM, Monday 06, June 2011 BST

Thanks so much for your email! You don't know how exciting it was to see I had mail for the first time!! I'm not sure I'll be any help though, so here we go.

I chose to adapt the feed, play, sleep kinda thing. They say to feed your baby once he/she wakes up and you get her out of bed - change his/her nappy and then play time or short awake time (depends how old your bub is?) - then swaddle and into bed when you see a tired sign (anything from rubbing eyes, yawning, making fists, grizzling, looking away from you).

It's all about what works for you and your baby. he/she might not like the way you do things. .  One way is you could note down how your day goes (feeds, sleeps etc) and see if there's already a loose structure. I try to have fixed times (which I keep feeds as close to the chosen time as much as possible) but if my wee boy wakes up early or stays up a bit longer then I just roll with it hahaha :D

A great easy breezy day goes a little bit like this:

7:30am - wakes up
Nappy change and then breast-feed
(I tend to change first as he has a bit of reflux so this helps!)
Has a play in his bouncinette
I sterilise his bottles for his formula top up (my low milk supply)
Swaddle
Bottle feed him and he tends to fall asleep straight after 25ml*
9am - asleep!

11:30am - wakes up
Nappy change
Hops under his play gym for tummy time while I sterilse and make his feed of 50ml
Swap over to his back (he gets impatient on his lil belly)
I try to make lunch and/or play with him!
Swaddle
Breast-feed then bottle top up
Let him sit for 5-10 minutes to let his tummy settle
1pm - asleep!

4pm - wakes up
Nappy change
Hops under his play gym while I once again sterilse and make his feed of 75ml
Swap him to tummy and play with him etc :D

Swaddle

Breast-feed then bottle top up*

5:30 - asleep!

7:30pm - wakes up
Has a play in his bouncinette and play gym after
Meanwhile I get everything ready if I haven't in between feeds (bottles 100ml, bath etc)
Bathtime!
Blowdry (with hairdryer he loves this and gets him dry fast and kept warm!)
Massage
Swaddle
Breast-feed then bottle top up
9pm - asleep

~**~

Then it starts all over again! Sometimes I dream-feed depending on the day and how much he drunk. Sometimes he can be silly and wont have a lot and sleeps more and some days he has extra big feeds. If it's been a busy stressful day he is so tired he wont drink much for his last feed so then I'll give him the top up so he doesn't wake.

* - They suggest to not feed to sleep as they associate the two together so often I just wake him up again as I'm putting him into bed. Turn his mobile on, give him a firm kiss and say Goodnight baby quite loudly. Someone suggested this so they then see they're in bed (and don't worry that they're now in a different place an mums no longer there) and then put themselves back to sleep. Seems to be working for him so hey :D

See my next post for nappy changes with a reusable nappy - cause he's a serial wetter so I need to do them a bit more often while he's awake. Good luck Sarah and whatever works works, sorry I'm no big help but it really is a trial and error cause what works for one mum and bub might not work for the other! :D