Schedule me in

I'm not a baby expert.

(Phew, got that out of the way!)

I do like to consider myself a smart, common sense using, advice filtering, flexible Mommy.

And I will admit, I was getting a little frustrated having a cranky baby pretty much any time he wasn't eating or sleeping.  Nobody likes a cranky baby.

(Okay, I still really liked him a lot, I'll admit it.  But I didn't want him to be cranky!)

So after talking to my sister on Sunday and mulling things over in my mind, I decided to try and start a very loose schedule for JJ, based on his cues.  It wasn't seamless, considering we were out Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.  But here it is Friday, and things are going well!  He seems less cranky (although he still has his fussy time at night...unavoidable!) and (BONUS!) I can even get some things done!  Like, you know, a shower! 

So this is what our flexible schedule looks like.  :)  JJ wakes up and eats and stays up, sometime between 7 and 8.  This is where the schedule starts.  After eating, he's up until his next feeding.  Let's just base this on him waking up at 7:30, to make it easier to explain.  So he stays awake after his 7:30 feeding, then eats again at 9:30.  I put him down for a nap after that and he sleeps roughly an hour, 10-11.  I feed him again at 11:30 and he stays awake.  We do tummy time, run a quick errand, go for a walk or just hang out in the backyard with Zoe.  He gets fed again at 1:30, then goes down for his long nap.  Usually 1:30 till 3:30 or 4.  I try to feed him at 4 and 6.  After his 6:00 feeding he's usually a little cranky, and a little tired.  I like to go for a walk with him to keep him calm.  Sometimes he falls asleep, and that's fine with me.  This is also when I give him a bath if I'm going to!  Then comes his 8:00 feeding.  I change him beforehand and swaddle him up good.  Then he eats and I lay him in his bassinet.  Goodnight!

Like I said in the beginning, I'm no expert.  But for now this seems to work really well for us.  JJ usually wakes up at 3:30am to eat, and then again around 7 or 8am.  If he wakes up at a different time and he's hungry?  I feed him.  That's why this is a flexible schedule.  Basically he sets the schedule for the day, based on when he gets up.

There, that's my schedule soapbox.  Works for us!  I'll step down now...