Starting Daycare

Seneka is almost 7 weeks and will be starting daycare in November.

The daycare has given me a sheet to fill out for her routine. I don't actually have a routine for her??? I am feeding on demand and she is sleeping when she wants to sleep and having awake time when she is wide awake.

Obviously I need to start having some sort of routine, but how do I start and what sort of information are they looking for, I think she is a bit young to have a proper routine as such???

She's still quite young ... she may have put herself into a routine by then.

Daniel started at 7 months and was pretty loose - I just wrote down the rough pattern (which was eat, play, sleep) with tired signs and hungry signs. His carer was really happy to just go with the flow ....

I wouldn't worry too much, we're about to start daycare and mine have asked for a routine but say if he doesn't have one they get them into one anyway.

I think you'll find by then she will have sort of fallen into a pattern anyway.

Daycares are so good at recognising signs in babies, sleepy, hungry bored etc...

DS has been in a routine since well forever, whether he'll stick to it or not in daycare will be something else

Our DD is 12 wks this week and has been in a routine for about 7wks now of feed, play, sleep - up for about 1 hour 15min at a time, naps last about 45min-2hrs. (though her up time is flexable, but def not up for longer that 90min, I just watch for tired signs, sometimes its only 10min up)
Its has made a huge difference to not feed before sleep and to be aware of the tired signs and realise she might be crying cause she is tired not always just hungry. Since being strict with her routine, I can cope much much better and she now sleeps through the night
The baby whisperer website has more info on routines for different ages I think it is www.babywhisperer.com (maybe google if I'm wrong)

Dani01 wrote: Seneka is almost 7 weeks and will be starting daycare in November. The daycare has given me a sheet to fill out for her routine. I don't actually have a routine for her??? I am feeding on demand and she is sleeping when she wants to sleep and having awake time when she is wide awake. Obviously I need to start having some sort of routine, but how do I start and what sort of information are they looking for, I think she is a bit young to have a proper routine as such???

Mika has never been in a routine. Sometimes she'll put herself in a routine for 1 or 2 weeks, and then it all changes again, so I've never bothered. She started daycare at 6 months and I told the staff she has no routine, and also that I do not want them to leave her to cry in a cot. I think the important thing is to talk with the teachers, most teachers want to accomodate the parents and they will do what you want for your child. Like you I go with the flow, and I've asked the teachers to do the same. At a good centre they will be able to do this.

Your baby may also start to develop a routine at daycare, and that will not necessarily be the same as she will have at home. Also most children tend to sleep less at daycare then they would at home.

Good luck!

Hi, they are looking at what you do with bubs at home - feeding, play, sleep, what bubs likes etc - don't worry too much as bubs will change before starting daycare. Routines I have found don't always work - as I have had to remember that the staff aren't exclusively mine!!! If something has ever really not sat with me I just talk to them. Each day I get a little record of what she has eaten, sleep times and nappy changes, she has never been the best with the bottle so they are really great at assuring me each day about this.