schedule at 3 months

I was just wondering what, if any, kind of schedule did you have your twins at 3 months? I am trying to get them on a schedule but I'm finding it difficult for them to have a nap routine since they don't go to sleep on their own. This is complicated by the fact that they don't sleep during the day much at all. After 3 pm it gets more routine simply because I go to pickup my other son from school, come home, go for walks, take baths and then start getting ready for their 8 pm bedtime. I wasn't feeling too bad about it till my MIL's friend said I was crazy not to have them on a ridgid schedule yet. Anyway any advice is appreciated

 

I never had my older DS or my twins on a routine at 3 months! Try not to worry about what that woman said! :hug:

A routine started to fall into place around 7 months when they started taking naps at predictable times and they started sleeping for 1 or more hours at a time. Until that point, each day was a new adventure! :lol:

Your days sound completely normal to me....don't let someone's silly statement get to you. :hug:

 

I did not have my twosome on a strict schedule at 3 months. They were eating every 3 hours and that was about the only schedule we had at that point. Like Jori, I really did not get a firm schedule until 6 months when mine started to take routine naps. Before that, their naps were all over the place.

 

Thanks for the responses so far. I thought it sounded early but wasn't sure. With my twin boys, for whatever reason, I second guess everything I do!!!

 

And I sure that woman was not a mother of twins with an older child like yourself. Therefore, she does not know how your life is. If you routine works for you then go with it! I did have them on a routine but not a strict schedule.

Jenn

 

I had them on a 3 hour eating schedule, basically from the beginning. Our nap schedule developed somewhere between 4 and 6 months. I think it's great to start working towards a schedule now if you are ready! Around 4 months, I started putting them down in their cribs, at the same time everyday. By about 6 months, they 'got it' and new that was naptime. GL!

 

Ditto Becky!

 

I agree with becky that if you want to start to establish a "routine" go for it but they won't get it until between 4-6 months. Mine were at 5 months. Otherwise our "routine" was eat, play, sleep..bath before bedtime

 

I agree that it isn't too early to start working toward a schedule. It will take some time to develop a schedule that works for you & for them, so by starting now, then hopefully by 4 months or so you will start seeing the results!

 

I found The Baby Whisperer and BabyWise books very helpful. I think BabyWise is much more schedule by the clock oriented, bu t The Baby Whisperer talks about a routine... EASY - Eat, Activity, Sleep and while they sleep You get You time. and then you start all over again. I started on this by 1 or 2 months and it worked for us. One thing that I wanted to make a comment about was that I worked really hard to get the babies to nap. And to go to sleep on their own. It only gets harder to try to start this type of habit in them, so if its something you want to do... I'd start earlier than later.

I found Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child closer to when our twins were a year old, so I'm not as well-versed on what he says about getting young babies to sleep... but I would strongly suggest finding a book you think you'd like to try and just go with it. Most books really talk about the same types of things. They were very helpful to me, since I don't have any previous baby experience. Ours have been great nappers and night sleepers for the most part, and I really think its all the good hard work we put in early on.

A few things I did: Tried to wake at the same time every morning... we picked 7a. Then pretty much back down for a nap at 8:30a or 9a... then feeding around 10a etc. I think around that age ours were bf'ing every 2.5 to 3 hrs. Once they got closer to 4 months their naps started lengthening to 2hr naps and we got to more of a 4 hr routine. Good luck.

As for sleeping, I put them to sleep in their cribs, with pacifiers, white noise and at that age still swaddled. That is still pretty much the routine now... though now they get sleep sacks at night, and sometimes for naps - it depends on how cold it is...