Need Help! Baby Needs Routine ASAP!

Babywise is a good book, however it did not work for us. The best advice I can give is start your bedtime routine at the exact same time nightly NO CHANGES. If you like a daily bath, do bathtime, massage, read book, change diaper, into pj's, eat final meal (we nurse to sleep) then into bed. It took about a week to set and when we waiver it's a difficult night. Consistancy is the most important thing I wish you luck.

The thing that worked for me was something I learned from a book called "Babywise". It is all about the importance of a schedule and knowing what your baby's needs are. The key is that your baby has three times: Sleep time, eat time, and wake time. The important thing is to put the times in the right order. Sleep time is first, eat time is next, then wake time (or play time). Then, it starts over again. The older the baby is, the longer the play time is. If you always do these things in order, you will know when your baby is crying because of hunger or because he's tired. If he is crying during wake time, it will be because he's tired - not hungry because you already fed him. Also, this assures that you are not using food to put the baby to sleep which is sometimes easier, but often causes your baby not to get a full meal because he falls asleep before he is completely full which will make him not sleep as long and wake up hungry. The hard part is getting started and breaking him of eating whenever..but it is worth it!!! You may have to let him cry it out the first few nights that you are not "feeding him to sleep". Just be patient - it will pay off, and it will allow you to go back to work knowing that a caretaker is able to know what your child needs when you can give them a solid schedule. I also suggest introducing a bottle now too, even if it's breastmilk, so that he is used to it before you hand him off to someone else to feed for a day.

Good luck! Do you have family that can help you out with a car or with childcare till you get back on your feet?

I have a 16 month old that has been on a routine her whole life so far. I started feeding her baby cereal at night before bedtime and her bottle for the night at 4 months. Her doctor said that it was fine and should help her sleep through the night. It did. I have found that she sleeps longer, through the night with a full tummy. I still feed her baby cereal at night before she goes to sleep. It does help to do the same thing every night and make his bedtime the same time each night. Consistency is the best method. My daughter wakes up around 8 am and eats breakfast. We eat lunch between 11 and 11:30 and takes her nap at 1. But at six months she took a morning nap around 9 and then took her afternoon nap at 1. But as they get older they don't sleep as much. She is usually in bed and asleep between 8:30 and 9:00 every night. I hope this helps you some. The important thing is to make a schedule that works best for you. Everyone's life is different and different things work for different people. Good luck! It's not too late.

Hi T.,
You need to get the book Babywise. I followed most of the things in the book, and my daughter was sleeping through the night and on a great schedule by 8 weeks old. Basically, you have eat time, followed by play time, followed by sleep time. Since he is already six months old, it might be a little more difficult, but you will succeed. Good luck!

I tried Babywise, but it was hard to let him cry to sleep,especially when he was so little, so instead we're trying "Good Night, Sleep Tight" which I checked out from the library. If you were interested in the babywise, I have a copy which I probably won't use again. It follows a stricter schedule. But I really liked the "Good night, sleep tight". If you can't find it, I'll email the author if you want. I'm trying to do the same thing, and my son is already 1, so I understand.

Don't worry! It took me awhile to get my baby on a schedule (although it is a flexible schedule). At this age, your baby is probably ready to eat 6-8 ounces every three hours to four hours. What helped me was scheduling her feedings more, once that happened, the rest of the day was easier to schedule. Try not feeding on demand and try feeding more like every three hours, also if you have introduced solids, this is another way to schedule.
As far as scheduling naps, I found the book healthy sleep habits, healthy child to be helpful. I had a really hard time letting my baby cry, but it worked pretty well.
Having a bedtime routine is great to, always starting at the same time, doing the same activities (ex, bath, book etc). Then putting the baby down at about the same time every night.
Just remember that babies thrive on structure and you are doing a good thing by following a more consitent (but flexible :) schedule). Good luck!