Schedule for a 4 month old?

[lcarlson90]

My DS is 4 months old and he will be starting daycare 2 days per week and grandma's house 3 days a week when I go back to work next week. At this point he doesn't really have a eating sleeping routine down yet. Is it to early for me to expect this?

He currently wakes up anywhere between 6:30 am and 9:00 am. How important is it that he awakens at the same time every day? He usually takes 2-3 naps per day, but not always at the same time. If he has been awake for 2-2 1/2 hours I usually put him down to sleep unless he is cranky earlier and then I will put him down. He goes to bed between 8:00 - 9:00 pm. We usually put him down when he seems tired, but never later than 9:00 pm.

I just wish I could have a set eating and napping schedule. Am I asking to much? What are/were your 4 month's schedules like?

[scout]

It sounds like our babies are doing the same thing. We have a very loose schedule--it really just depends on when my baby gets up for the day. I'm looking forward to others' responses, because I don't know how important it is to awake at the same time every day when you have someplace to be. Anyway....Here's what we sometimes do:

5:00 a.m. feeding--then I take him to bed with me and we sleep for a few hours.

8:00--feeding, up for the day, playtime, songs, tummy time

10:00 first nap

11:00--feeding, stroller ride

1:00--second nap

3:00--feeding, play time

5:00--feeding, sometimes a catnap

8:00--feeding, bath, bed

Now, if Maxwell is up for the day earlier or later, then everything gets pushed up/back!!!!

[karilynne_97]

Kassidy's "schedule" since I've been back at work:

I wake her up for a feeding @ 5am

Nap for 1-2 hrs

8am - eat

Nap for 1-2 hrs

11am - eat

Nap for 1-2 hrs

2pm - eat

Nap for 30-45mins

5pm - eat

Maybe a nap for 30 mins

Bedtime routine starts at 7:15-7:30:
Bath
Massage
Read a book

8-8:30pm - eat

Bed @ 9pm

Sleeps through the night

*****************************************

Looking at this, it looks like all she does is eat and sleep, but she gets a lot of play time in too. Some days she naps more, others she doesn't, it just depends. She's been sleeping through the night since 8 weeks, but not consistantly. If she's going through a growth spurt or has gas, lately she's had TONS, she'll wake up around 4am for a feeding.

I started getting her on a schedule by following her lead. She'd wake from a nap to eat, then would take a nap 1 1/2 after waking, then sleep for 1-2 hours.

Good luck! ;)

[Brady]

Schedule?? Ha.;) I tend to just follow my sons cues, but looking at the 3 "schedules" here, I'd say he fits right in with the other 4 month olds.

Some days his naps are longer than others, some days he falls asleep for the night earlier, or wakes for the AM earlier, etc.

But, as a working Mom it def. it is hard trying to figure out if you should wake them... I've been back at work about 5 weeks. DS was in daycare 3 days and with my parents 2 days. The days he was with my parents were easier in that they came to my house so if he was sleeping, I could just let him be. On daycare days it def. is tougher. This AM for example, he had woke up at 4:45 to eat, fell back asleep till 6:30 after he ate, played for a bit and then conked out back asleep on the floor at 7:15.. unfortunetly we leave at 7:45, so I had to wake him to pack him up in his carrier.

I wish I had more advice for you, but honestly I feel like I am one of the few that does not really believe in "schedules" or sleep training, etc. Maybe I'll change my mind as he gets older, but right now I still believe in letting him call the shots.

This really wasn't that helpful.. but just wanted to say Good Luck.. it really will all work out! (Love that picture of your son, btw! Adorable!)

[twinnyme]

Actually, will your daycare (and grandma) TRY to put him on a schedule? Ours doesn't - in the infant room, the infants make their own schedules. Becca (5.5 months) does seem to nap better there and lately (in just the last week or so) she has eaten her last bottle there at consistently 3:30-4:00 (which works great for our evening routine) but before that it was whatever worked and happened to happen that day. They did seem to get her on a better nap "schedule" than I ever had (I could only ever manage to get her to catnap), which I actually think helps her.

As for waking in the morning, I'm happy that I do pickup and DH does dropoff. He has had to wake her a few times, but he says she's always okay when he does; he just does it very gently and usually keeps her in her PJ's those days. Normally, we dress her in a regular outfit. Once when DH had to do pickup for me, she was still asleep when he arrived at daycare, and he woke her up to bring her home. NEVER do that - it was a horrific night. My motto is "never wake a sleeping baby"; if it had been me, I would have waited out her nap (which I've had to do a few times since, but it gives me a chance to catch up with her providers to see how things are going). Of course, if she were still asleep at 6 when they close I'd have to wake her but luckily I usually get there around 5:15 or 5:20 and so I haven't had to worry about that.