How do you keep track of feedings/wet diapers/etc

Hi,

I was wondering whether you have developed a system for keeping track of the babies' eating and bathroom and sleeping habits? Or is there a helpful journal out there that you've purchased? I'm just guessing in my new-mom/sleep-deprived state it will be even harder to stay organized

Thanks!

 

My DD used this journal that you can buy here on Twinstuff.
http://www.twinstuff.com/store/catalog/pro...products_id=354

She found it very helpful and used it faithfully for about three months, until things began to get a bit easier for her.

Good luck!

 

I wish I was that organized! I don't write anything down. I guess you could say my style is more "Fly by the seat of my pants" approach. For those of you that do keep track of it all, does it help you? What are the benefits?

 

I did keep track of things - but not for long when my girls got home from Neonates. Just wrote down in a notebook how much each were taking. I didn't worry about wet / dirty nappies. It was interesting and good when I was asked questions from my health professionals on what the babies were doing. I'm suffering from terrible baby brain so without writing it down there was no way I would remember.

 

My DH just made up a chart in Excel where we could tick off all the important stuff. I wanted to keep track, because the early days are just a huge blur - who just got changed? who pooped when? who needs what when? Also because I was (still am! ) BFing, and the ULTIMATE answer to "Are they really getting enough?" is a list of a dozen wet and half a dozen poopy diapers per baby!

 

We used a three ring notebook and kept track of what time they ate, oz. of formula, bm/wet (sometimes a description of it too) and naps. My daughter was on Zantac and also noted that on the chart. It was a lifesaver for us. I just couldn't keep track of who was doing what and it helped to have it written down.

 

We used a chart that the hosptial gave us for the first 2 weeks, then once the babies got into a more regular eating/pooping routine we stopped. I do have my MIL write down for me how much the babies ate and if they pooped when she watches them while I work, just so I can mentally keep track. It's a big blur in the beginning, but now it's pretty easy to remember who did what when!

 

DH made us a spreadsheet that we are still using to keep track of how much everyone ate, who pooped, who peed, etc. It's a lifesaver when my brother and SIL watch the girls. There's no way I could keep track of everything without it.

 

didn't need anything.. just do entire routine every three hours. so there is no question as to whether its been done or not. just do entire routine from start to finish (for me its pump, feed, change sleep wash bottles) takes one hour. do it again later. keeps its simple. writing it down makes one more step and i would forget to do it.

 

I use a notebook and write down how much they eat and what they had in the diapers. I find it to be helpful because my son poops 5x day and my daughter we are lucky if we get one poop a day, and sometimes I will swear she's gone when she hasn't...so the journal helps me out with that.

 

QUOTE(fuchsiagroan @ Feb 3 2008, 11:42 AM) [snapback]602919[/snapback]
My DH just made up a chart in Excel where we could tick off all the important stuff. I wanted to keep track, because the early days are just a huge blur - who just got changed? who pooped when? who needs what when? Also because I was (still am! ) BFing, and the ULTIMATE answer to "Are they really getting enough?" is a list of a dozen wet and half a dozen poopy diapers per baby!


We did the same thing ... We made an excel spreadsheet to keep track of everything. We didn't focus much on nap/sleep times, as there was no rhyme or reason there in the beginning. More for how much they ate, and when they were wet (always!) and when they pooped. The nurses did it in the hospital, and we just kinda followed their lead when we got home.

It definitely helps though, because we were not breastfeeding, and all the days ran together, and I could never remember who pooped, or when, and my son was constipated a lot, so I really wanted to track that!

Good luck!
Erica

 

Add me to the list of geeks who made a spreadsheet in excel!!!

I wrote in the date/time, then amount they ate for each girl (if you are nursing you can enter in the length of time they nursed), then I had checkboxes for pee or poo and I had two more columns to write in which meds they took.

We did this for the first 3 months and it really helped when we went to the doctor to have all this info handy. Plus it was good for everyone to use in case someone came over to help with the girls while I napped, I could see if they were changed or fed, etc.

 

QUOTE(Leighann @ Feb 3 2008, 10:02 AM) [snapback]603059[/snapback]
Add me to the list of geeks who made a spreadsheet in excel!!!



Another geek here. Mine are bottle fed and I wrote down hom much breast milk vs. formula to see what % of each. I also kept track of poopies and wet diapers. When I introduced solids I added that.

Each week I dumped it all into Excel and made a ton of charts to analyze it all.

I am a total geek and I admit it!

Mine are approaching 7 months and I still do it.

 

We also use the Double Time calendar that I bought on justmultiples.com and I love it!
Each page is split in half for Baby A and Baby B. It then has columns for each Baby...time, bottle/ounces, breast min/side, diaper wet/bm, & meds/other on the top half of the page. On the bottom half are columns for each baby for naps/sleep duration, begin & end time, and notes. Then some lines on the very bottom to write appointments/reminders and a To Do list. Along with the day and date.
It has definetly made our lives easier! Comes in very handy when you can't remember what time they ate last, and when they get older and don't have a bm with every diaper I can look and see when the last one was. I would definetly recomend it!

Bri

 

QUOTE(Grammy2TwinBoys+1 @ Feb 3 2008, 02:42 AM) [snapback]602897[/snapback]
My DD used this journal that you can buy here on Twinstuff.
http://www.twinstuff.com/store/catalog/pro...products_id=354

She found it very helpful and used it faithfully for about three months, until things began to get a bit easier for her.

Good luck!


This is what we have been using since our boys came home from the hospital almost 3 months ago. It works great for us.

I love it because I can never remember who ate when or who pooped last! Also, we have help at nights during the week so it lets me know what went on during the night.

It's also been helpful whenever we go to the doctor and they ask questions like:

1) how much are they eating?
2) how often do they poop?
etc.

We've just started tracking their sleeping patterns so we can see if there is any real pattern developing yet.

Cary

 

Thanks everyone

Here' s a free one I found online, it doens't include meds or sleeping but it's a start.
http://www.kideas.com/pdfs/kideas_diaperlog.pdf

 

I just kept track of what time they ate until they were 2 months old. I just wrote it down on a spinal pad. Everytime someone fed them they wrote it down so I would always know.

Good luck

 

Hi

We did the journal thing for the first two weeks, but starting forgetting to write things down. All you need to remember mostly is the last time you feed them. My twins eat every 3-4 hours, so I just need to remember when I last fed them. I always change their diapers before every feeding. The first couple weeks it's good to keep track of how many poops they make. I thought it would be more simpler to keep track but come to find out it was a waste of time.

 

I have a big three subject spiral bound notebook. Every day I draw a line down the middle of the page and write the baby's names on each side. Then I jot down what time they ate and if they pooped, what time they got mylicon drops, whatever, under their names. I also use the book to keep their bottles straight, like if one baby didn't finish their bottle or isn't ready to eat yet I just put the bottle down on their side of the page (my babies will be 8 weeks old tomorrow and they are not exactly on the same schedule yet). This also helps me out at night, when they are done with their bottles I just put them down on their side of the page and in the morning I can see who ate what and how often they were up, etc. sometimes after I've been up a million times at night it all seems like a blur in the morning.

 

I created a spreadsheet that I still use that keeps track of BMs, wet diapers, how much they ate and when they had baths. The days really blur together for me, so without it I might not realize if one is eating less or pottying less or something. My kids are almost 7 months and we still use it all of the time.

 

I don't anymore. i feed on demand (breastfeeding) for as long as they want, and I go through about 3 dozen diapers a day, so I know they are getting plenty to eat and are well hydrated.