Getting younger baby on ay schedule

I'm posting this here rather than FY because this is more directed at other people with toddler/preschooler twins and an infant.

I think I had an easier time getting the girls on a good sleeping/eating schedule (when I finally decided to do it!) because they were it, and I didn't have anything else to do. Caleb has been overall a super easy baby, but he's still not on much of a schedule. He doesn't have a set bedtime or naps. He eats roughly every 3 hours, but I can't tell you how many times I completely forget what time he ate last. Sometimes I just have to go ahead and feed him even though he's not asking for it because I know we'll be leaving shortly and I would rather go ahead and feed him than feed him out or hear him cry in the car. The main reason I am trying to get him more scheduled is I know a good daytime schedule will lead to STTN. We're still not quite there. Right now, he usually goes down for the night at roughly 8:00-9:00pm, wakes up around midnight for a feeding, then will sometimes go until 6:00-7:00am, but lately it's more like 4:00-5:00, could be a growth spurt. He wakes a couple times for me to re-binky him.

OK, back to the daytime. The problem is, is that the girls have preschool, playgroups, a music class, and other miscellaneous things we have to do. I can't seem to stay home and let him nap when he needs to nap, or conversely, avoid the car when I don't want him to sleep. Yesterday, I had to wake him up in the middle of a nap to go somewhere, and I felt so bad! He seems to take one big nap (like two hours+) around 1:00pm, and then several short (less than an hour) naps throughout the day.

So, those of you in my situation, how did you get your younger one on a schedule? Or did you? If he doesn't have a schedule, will it be the end of the world? How else could I nudge him towards STTN?

Thanks!

 

I am right there with you!! I wish I could get Collin on a schedule. I feel like I could have written your post. He's not sleeping through the night either but I know one of my boys was already at this age..I'm exhausted and wish things were in a routine by now..I'll keep checking to see what other had to say

 

My girls were 4 when my son was born but they did go to preschool for three half days a week. When he was tkaing two naps a day I would try to feed him before we left for school and after I dropped them off if he was sleeping his carrier I would let him sleep in it and rock him if he started to wake a little. Then he would already be in his carrier if he slept the whole time the girls were at school (they went for 2 1/2 hrs) but if he was awake when we got home we played for a little and then he would go down for a nap and I would wake him up to go pick them up from school. Then he would get fed when we got back since that was usually about 3 hrs. I bottle fed so sometimes if I knew he would be hungry I brought the bottle into the car with me and start to feed him once I got to the school since I always got there 15min early to get a close parking space. One thing I did try to do is write down the times when I fed him (like I did with the girls) which helped a lot since I could never remember either. If I forgot to do that I would usually just wait until he got fussy. Then he would go down for his second nap when my girls went down for theirs. That was as close to a schedule we had for him was his afternoon nap and three days a week he had a regular morning nap. Feedings I tried to remember and right them down but if not I waited until he was fussy. My son was also a big eater so sometimes he wanted to eat at 2 1/2 hrs and sometimes he waited longer. I don't think a schedule makes to much of a difference with sttn, I think it's really the type of child you have.

 

Thanks! Any others here?

 

I'm a schedule nazi so ignore me if my ideas aren't what you are looking for! The basic concept was the same for adding a singleton after a singleton but I'll tell you what I did with the twins since they were my last. I didn't forget what time anybody ate because they ate at certain times. You know he goes three hours between feedings, so schedule your first morning feeding and go from there. I had to take my older kids to school so the twins first feeding was 7am, done by 7:30 so we could get the kids to school for 8am. Then I had to pick them up at 3pm so the rest of the feedings were 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm. Until four months, all naps were in the swings or carseats. Then I stayed home unless it involved getting the big kids to and from school so the babies could learn to nap in the crib. That took about 6 weeks and then we started shifting the feeding schedule because we were adding solids. When they got to four hour feedings at about 5.5 mos, they were taking two 2hr naps and a short cat nap in the evening. I didn't go out much because I had the twins on 2 naps and Aaron on one nap. He'd go down as they got up and then get up as they went down pretty much. Occasionally somebody would have to nap in the car or miss a nap because of a doctor's appt or something that wasn't optional. Having the babies get the sleep they needed was more important to me than playdates or running errands. Yes I got cabin fever being stuck in the house so much but it was the lesser of two evils for me.

 

I'm the opposite of Merideth on this one. I was a schedule Nazi with the twins but I've had to be looser with Bailey. I guess it depends on your kids but mine get really stir crazy if they don't get a couple of outings a week. I'm also nursing so scheduled feedings don't work as well for me.

What I've managed to do is to get the baby one short nap in the morning. Sometimes it's in the car on the way to playgroup or something. For the afternoon nap, everyone goes down at the same time and I get at least an hour with everyone napping.

It works well for our family because I don't feel like I should restrict the older two because of what the baby needs. I personally just can't deal with twin two year olds that are itchy because they haven't been out of the house.

Maybe the same kind of thing could work for you...pick one time each day that you can commit to being home and try to get a good nap in. For the rest of the day, go with the flow.

 

I totally understand. My daughter is 7 months and my twin boys are 26 months. With them I was all about their routine now with my daughter I have been struggling to establish a routine. She is really easy going and tolerates missing or delaying naps really well so I find myself often not respecting her needs to get other things accomplished (guilt). She has slept 7-8 hours a night since she was a week old but continues to have early morning feedings. I don't know how to get over this hump. My only suggestion for you is try to drem feed your LO before you go to bed and that way shake up that midnight feeding.

 

I feel ya, Kelly. I've been concerned this would be a problem for a while now. I was such a schedule nazi w/ he girls, but they were formula fed, and my Caleb is nursed, which I'm finding out is a whole different ball game since I never quite know when he's going to need to eat. His naps are usually shortened if we go somewhere b/c when the carseat stops moving, he's awake. All I can offer is a sympathetic "yup! I know what your going thru!". Sorry.