Routine Vs. Schedule 3-12 months
photography: Jill Collier Photography
Play pen c /o: Guava Family
Hudson's sleep sack and cozy blanket c /o: Bebe Au Lait
Adventure sign c /o: Urban Alpine
I've never been a schedule kind of person. Fairly soon after having Hudson join our family, I realized he is definitely not a schedule kind of person either! I feel like all you hear before you have a baby is "schedule, schedule, schedule!!!!!!" So my brain was doing backflips trying to figure out why the heck I could not get this baby on a schedule. Ugh!!
Once I let the idea of the perfect schedule fly right out the dang window, motherhood became so much more enjoyable and so did Hudson. I started to realize that much like me Hudson is more into routine than a set schedule. I also realized how much more relaxed I was when instead of thinking H should be tired, I learned how to follow his lead and learn his cues for when he actually is tired. Then I learned the routine that worked best for him and once we had that in place he now will go to sleep like a dream! I also learned that instead of thinking "oh my gosh I just nursed you! You can't possible be hungry." I follow his cues and if he needs to nurse he nurses. Whether it is 2 hours or 10 minutes. A baby can tell you exactly what they need and when they need it if you just learn to listen!
Aside from life being a whole lot easier and going much much smoother, having a routine instead of a set schedule has made Hudson a very easy going and flexible baby. When we are home and are able to have the same daily routine he follows it nearly seamlessly but when we are out and about and mix things up in our routine he doesn't make a fuss! He is simply happy until we can get home and start up our nap or bed time routine.
This is exactly what works best for our family and for Hudson! We love to go and do and be out and about and we are not about schedules! This way of parenting and way of letting Hudson grow up has made our day to day SO much easier and much more enjoyable!
Here's a little peak into a regular day for us:
8:30/9 AM- Hudson delightfully wakes up and either babbles away until I open my eyes, puts both chubby hands on either side of my face and "kisses" my face all over, or he rolls around and then toots directly in my directions. It's lovely. Really truly the best wake up call. ( Yes we plan to transition him into his own bed soon but thats another topic for another day!)
9-9:20ish AM- Hudson nurses and I sing him a song. He likes to take his sweet time during this nursing session. I LOVE it!!
9:30-10:30/11 AM- We make our way out of bed and into the living room where I put on some music, put Hudson on the floor to play toys and then I get to making breakfast. We eat breakfast on the floor because we have no kitchen table and chairs (oy!) Then we spent an awful long amount of time reading an enormous stack of books. I'll throw in a load of laundry or do some other chore and then Hudson will throw out a yawn and an eye rub and we are off to the races!
11 AM- 12:30/1 PM- Our nap routine goes as follows… 1. Diaper change 2. Sleep sac 3. Story 4. Sound machine on, sleepy time oils applied 5. Nurse 6…Sleeeeeeep zzzzzzz. This is when I get my blogging/work stuff done, make meal plans, write to do lists, shower, get myself ready or maybe catch up on a show.
1PM-3:30/4 PM- Hudson calls out "maaaaamaaaaa" and I go scoop up my little munchkin with a million kisses and then we nurse. Usually the quickest because he wants to play play play! This is when we either meet friends for lunch, go on a play date, or head out to run errands. If we do none of the above mentioned then we head outside with some lunch and go for a BIG walk.
4PM-5/5:30PM- Second nap time (following same routine) This is where I prep for dinner or fold laundry or organize the house or do yoga while I watch Ellen.
5:30PM- 7:30PM - Once Hudson wakes up we nurse and then head out to the kitchen to cook until Dad gets home! We eat dinner all together and then head outside for a big ol' walk if it's nice out!
7:30PM- 8:30PM - Bath tiiiiime! We have a little fish on our hands who has always loved bath time. Since I am still exclusively nursing (H has taken a bottle once in his lifetime haha) bath time is bonding time for Hudson and "dadad" and they have so much fun! After Hudson's bath we lotion, apply sleepy time oils, put jammies on, brush our teeth and read a story! Then we say family prayers and its cuddle time and nursing time.
8:30PM - 9:30ish PM- If Hudson doesn't fall asleep nursing before this then we will lay in bed and do finger puppets on the roof, sing songs, just cuddle and play in the bed orrrrr we go play with daddy until the eye rubs and yawns come out. However, Hudson is usually in bed and asleep no later than 9:30 or so.
This routine that we have going on works wonders for us and wonders for my stress levels. We don't stress over bed time or nursing schedules…we simply go off of what Hudson needs and when he needs it. It really just flows for us!! The days where we can stick to our routine go fairly easily and the days where we can't, always go better than expected!
I guess what I am tryyyying to say is…do what works best for your baby! Maybe they need a schedule and do great with that but maybe it's too much pressure for you both and you are more go with the flow kind of people. A baby's life isn't one size fits all! So the best thing I have learned to do is to learn and read Hudson's cues and forget the should be's and must be's. It has made our life more full of joy and fun times!
xoxo