a routine...

a few people have asked about how we got baby D to sleep all night in his crib...

I know that every baby is different, and some stuff does not work for everyone, but I wanted to share our routine in case it could help someone. Life has been so much more relaxed and enjoyable since Durham got into a "routine" and I can better anticipate his needs to make him as comfortable and happy as possible.

I did join this website Moms On Call to get started. A lot of their ideas are great, and just a couple I don't agree with (cry it out is NOT for us) but this gave me the motivation and confidence to put some things into motion. 

a couple things that WORK for US:

-make a definite delineation between day time/night time. 

for us day time is from 9am-9pm. During this time, all the lights are on, curtains open, tv/music playing, normal daily noise for us. Then at 9pm it's night time, lights off, sound machine on, and he takes his feeding in his room.

-sound machine

get one. period. this is the one we have. they recommend that it is loud enough to hear on the other side of a closed door.

-swaddle

they recommend swaddling for naps and night time till 3 months, then I think only at night time. Durham still has MAJOR startle hands and is like houdini and can get out of a regular swaddle blanket in about 15 minutes, so I went and bought 1.5 yards of jersey fabric and I use that instead. I like it because it stretches and I can tighten it without re-wraping him at night.

-feeding

D is mostly bottle fed now, I prefer being able to see how many ounces he is getting vs. straight from the tap since he is such a lazy eater. From 9am-9pm he eats every 3 hours (9, 12, 3, 6, 9) and at 9pm for his night bottle, he takes one additional ounce and goes straight to bed. Usually sleeps until about 3am, up to eat, back to sleep, and up again between 7-9am. But last night he didn't wake up to eat. Slept for 9 glorious hours straight! We DO wake him for feedings during the day (9am-9pm) but do NOT wake him at night. I think letting him only sleep for about an hour and a half to 2 hours during the day is what helps him sleep longer at night.

so here is what it looks like on an average day... including errands, we get out of the house at least every other day, sometimes everyday.

9am-9:20am: eat, diaper change, get dressed.

9:20-10:20ish: play time (playmat, talking to mommy, bouncey chair, tummy time, ect)

10:30-12pm: put baby in carseat and run errands while he sleeps. usually get back home before 12pm feeding, but sometimes I'm at a playdate and he'll eat while we're there.

12pm: eat, diaper change.

12:20-1:20pm: play time (playmat, talking to mommy, bouncey chair, tummy time, ect)

1:30-3pm: nap. This nap is usually at home. We aim for only one "nap on the run" a day.

3pm: eat, diaper change

3:30-430pm: This is when he is the most happy during the day... and also when the light is best in my house, so a couple times a week I'll try to take pictures during this play time. Also when I start dinner, so we are also dancing in the kitchen to the radio. play time (playmat, talking to mommy, bouncey chair, tummy time, ect)

4:30pm-6pm: nap.

6pm: eat, diaper change. Daddy is home now so he gets some snuggle time and play time with him. love.

8pm: sometimes a small cat-nap in the bouncer, sometimes not.

8:30pm: bath time (every other night) and start bedtime routine. All the lights go out, sound machine on, rocking in his room, reading books and getting snuggles.

9pm: last bottle of the night. and then diaper change, swaddle and right in the crib, awake. he doesn't cry, and is asleep in about 2 minutes.

I can't believe little man is gonna be 2 months old tomorrow... bittersweet.