I was recently in a conversation with someone who was telling me about a babysitting experience. She was watching a 5 month old and when she attempted to put the baby to sleep for the night it was unsuccessful. The baby would wake up every 45 minutes or so. Worried, she contacted the parents and asked if it was normal. They said that it was because they never got her on a good schedule.
I would imagine that the lack of good schedule causes many sleepless nights and frustrations to families. Obviously, a schedule doesn’t change anything if you have a child who just doesn’t want to sleep. However, I feel like it goes far towards the average baby and their needs.
Anticipating my return to work, I began getting Baby Girl on a schedule from about two to three weeks old. I did my best to make sure she was eating and napping around the same times. This may work differently if you are nursing, but I was unable to so I had more freedom with bottle feeding. One thing I found especially helpful was an app for my phone that tracks feedings.
I have been teased for being an overprotective new parent, but really being a stickler is just how I am. So using this app helps me stay organized and keeps me from forgetting when her last feeding. You can also track diapers, growth, and milestones in the app. There are several, but the one I use is called baby tracker.
This app is so easy to use and can be added on more than one phone so both you and your spouse or daycare provider can download it. You add an email address and password to sync the data between phones. It works for both android and iPhone. My husband has an android and my mom and I have iPhones and we can usually sync without difficulty. The only times we have problems is when one of us forgets to refresh the app.
Feeding
In the ten and a half months since her birth, I can count on one hand the amount of times that we’ve forgotten to feed her. We are easily able to look and be reminded of her last feed instead of wracking our brains trying to remember what were doing during her last bottle. Also, for those who are nursing, the app helps with that too. You can track which side you are feeding on and for how long. You can also keep track if you are pumping; which side and for how long. This is especially helpful in the middle of the night when your brain is mush!
Diaper Changes
The other main thing we have used it for is her poop schedule. After birth she struggled with gas and irregular bowel movements. Because we were noting them in the app, when I went to the doctor I was able to say exactly how many days went between poops and when the last time one so she had a clear understanding of what was going on.
Sleeping
Finally, probably the most significant to a good schedule, is sleep. I don’t personally use this feature, but you can track a baby’s nap using the app. You simply pressing a button when baby falls asleep and again when baby wakes up. Theres no counting hours or minutes. It tracks it for you and saves it.
I know I only have one child and every child is different. But I think it is a testament to a good schedule that she was sleeping through the night at three months and has been ever since. She generally takes good naps during the day, and has regular sleep and wake-up times. We work very hard to feed her on schedule. This benefits us by being able to plan our day already knowing what her needs will be.
I hope this has been helpful to you. If you have any questions for me feel free to leave a comment of use the contact field.
Martina