7 month old babies

I know this gets asked all the time - but I couldnt find anything via a search. Please help - DH is home with them most of the time and I feel like they need more structure to the day. TIA

 

What is their current routine like?

Here's ours..
First of all [this may be bad] I keep the tv on all day. Cartoons in the AM and baby einstien in the afternoons.
When they wake up we do 'free play' [they just play with each other and their toys], feeding, and more play.
- Nap -
Eat [cereal], and if the weather's nice we go for a walk. Then after their bottle, we do sing abc's, count, read a couple stories, then play again. about 30-45 mins before nap time I put on an einstien video and give them their mum mum's and their sippies.
- Nap -
Eat [cereal] *sometimes, [if the weather is still nice we go for a walk], Play some more with toys and mom [they recently started pulling up on ME and come after me to try and play with my hair, face, etc..]. We watch einstien and I point out and act out things on the tv [they laugh most of the time], have another bottle, then DAD comes home!

After DH comes home he usually helps a Lot with the girls and plays, wrestle, and throw em' in the air while I make dinner. Around 1900 we do 'dinner' for the girls [usually whatever solid food, plus oatmeal and some type of fruit [for dessert]. After that we start to turn down the lights, and the tv. I usually wash bottles, make formula and take a shower around then. And a little after 2000 we do bedtime and their down around 2030.

 

At 7 months we still followed eat-sleep-play every 3-4 hours, so they were taking about 3-4 naps per day, usually in their swings still.

"Play" included rotating through: toys on the floor in the 'baby jail,' walker (which couldn't move because it was on carpet), the exersaucer, the bouncy thing in the doorway, or books with mommy. We got out of the house usually once a day to run an errand or go for a walk.

 

At 7 months besides eating about every 2.5-3 hours, we were going for walks, going to the Mall or Target, exersaucer, jumper, swing, tummy time, practicing sitting up. 3-4 naps per day. Two solids meals in there too.

 

My dh would go insane with a day at home alone with them...but I think is because he doesn't do
enough stuff with them... by that I don't mean play with them, playing is good, but is also
important to change surroundings..rooms.. places... I get bored of being in the livingroom all day long
so of course they would too...

Morning time is what goes by really fast... they wake up around 6 or 7 am..
they play or stay in bed with us a little, have a bottle..then play on the floor by themselves (in our room)..then
we read and is time for the morning nap 9:30 or so..


After nap (usually 45 min) they play on the floor (they spend a lot of time on the floor)- toys, play gym, excercise saucer
then bottle/ cereal... and we go out for about 2 hours

I found that if we go out at this time they take a short nap in the car or stroller...then the 3rd nap in the afternoon is longer :banana:
which gives me time to do things...

after nap they play a little and eat fruit, veggies and w e go outside (backyard) for a while or go for a walk
then is up for baths and bottle and bed


I do change things a ...some times we go out for a walk in the morning and they take the morning nap in the stroller...
but then the day seem to go by slow...

whenver they are cranky-bored..we go outside...the movement of trees and clouds works wonders!

the weather channel is the first thing I put on in the mornings

 

QUOTE(Leighann @ Apr 9 2009, 01:37 PM) [snapback]1266083[/snapback]
At 7 months we still followed eat-sleep-play every 3-4 hours, so they were taking about 3-4 naps per day, usually in their swings still.

"Play" included rotating through: toys on the floor in the 'baby jail,' walker (which couldn't move because it was on carpet), the exersaucer, the bouncy thing in the doorway, or books with mommy. We got out of the house usually once a day to run an errand or go for a walk.


Same thing here. Once a week we went to playgroup, but I was out of the house everyday doing something (even if it was just window shopping). I got too couped up!

 

I copied our daycare and set up stations in our family room.

Our "stations" are:
1. Bouncy/swing (we have one of each, one goes in bouncy, the other in the swing).
2. Twin PnP with toys if they are playing, only babies if napping, usually one baby at a time if napping.
3. Play yard with play mat and Tiny Love gym - has most of their toys scattered in there and is a bigger area for crawling and rolling.
4. 2 exersaucers that are different and we alternate them.

Our schedule:
8ish. Wake up and get dressed, play while I get the bottles ready.
9ish. Bottle followed by a nap (one in swing, one in PnP) then play.
11ish. Solids meal with cereal and fruit then exersaucers then play yard. May go for an outing (shopping, walk, or errands).
1ish. Bottle followed by nap then play.
3ish. Walk around the neighborhood or outing somewhere.
5. Bottle.
6. Solids meal with veggies, cereal, and fruit.
7. Baths, massages, pajamas, stories, bottle, then bed.
8. Hopefully in bed asleep.

We also let them nap as needed rather than structuring naps. They usually nap after their first 2 bottles and then at some point in the afternoon. They often take a couple of mini naps and one big nap each day.

 

QUOTE(Suzy! @ Apr 9 2009, 12:24 PM) [snapback]1266057[/snapback]
What is their current routine like?

Here's ours..
First of all [this may be bad] I keep the tv on all day. Cartoons in the AM and baby einstien in the afternoons.
When they wake up we do 'free play' [they just play with each other and their toys], feeding, and more play.
- Nap -
Eat [cereal], and if the weather's nice we go for a walk. Then after their bottle, we do sing abc's, count, read a couple stories, then play again. about 30-45 mins before nap time I put on an einstien video and give them their mum mum's and their sippies.
- Nap -
Eat [cereal] *sometimes, [if the weather is still nice we go for a walk], Play some more with toys and mom [they recently started pulling up on ME and come after me to try and play with my hair, face, etc..]. We watch einstien and I point out and act out things on the tv [they laugh most of the time], have another bottle, then DAD comes home!

After DH comes home he usually helps a Lot with the girls and plays, wrestle, and throw em' in the air while I make dinner. Around 1900 we do 'dinner' for the girls [usually whatever solid food, plus oatmeal and some type of fruit [for dessert]. After that we start to turn down the lights, and the tv. I usually wash bottles, make formula and take a shower around then. And a little after 2000 we do bedtime and their down around 2030.


I guess I failed to mention that we can't use our excersaucer or bouncy anymore. They've outgrown them so our activities have been different for the past month and a half or so. Now they just pull up on the excersaucer and try standing.. :lol:

 

Our "routine" is pretty flexible

They typically are up between 6-7 if they arent screaming cuz they are hungry they play on the floor for a bit and then within about an hour each of them have had thier first bottle. More play - usually just alternating between various toys, on the floor, etc. Try to get in one solids feeding - that is a whole different issue and then they nap with little or no structure and typically never at the same time. My little guy is still behind as far as strength goes - not sitting up. They both roll, but really just dont seem to do it that much as of yet. I usully get home from work around 4 and then it is usually play time, feeding, then get ready for bed around 6 - 7. Thier adjusted age still has them closer to 5 month olds so maybe I am expecting too much just yet. I know it would help DH out a lot if we could get them to take one good nap at the same time.

 

QUOTE(Leighann @ Apr 9 2009, 07:37 PM) [snapback]1266083[/snapback]
At 7 months we still followed eat-sleep-play every 3-4 hours, so they were taking about 3-4 naps per day.


Same here. Play would consist of playmat, tummy time, toys, music, a little TV (cartoons, Baby Einstein), sitting up practice in their donut ring, in the babywalker. Oh those were the days...!