Do I NEED a routine?
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Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: First baby? Second or more?
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Topic: Do I NEED a routine?
Posted By: Delli
Subject: Do I NEED a routine?
Date Posted: 12 February 2010 at 4:12pm
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I'm not a routine sort of person. Never have been. I mean, I do kind of the same things every day - e.g I have Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner but don't have set times for them.
I don't really like the idea of a routine - it seems that it can easily get out of wack by doing one thing wrong like not getting the first sleep of the day sorted. I like the fact that Jude can sleep wherever - he doesn't need blackout curtains or a settling period and doesn't have a cuddly that he can't get to sleep without. We went to the rodeo last weekend and he was happy to sleep on a mat in between where DP and I were sitting on the side of a hill. It was also really really hot and he was so thirsty - that's where the feed, play, sleep routine would not have worked for us as he just kept wanting to drink and drink and drink! So, when people ask me how often he feeds during the day or how many sleeps he has during the day - I have to think really hard about it. It changes day to day. I can vaguely say he usually has two hours up and then an hour or two sleep and feeds once or twice during the time he is up. But I don't watch the clock very closely 
All in all - just going with the flow has worked really well for us. The only reason I'm asking whether we need a routine or not is that Jude slept through for a month but started waking once or twice a night from 4 months. Now, I know this is very normal for a baby his age and I'm fine getting up to feed him during the night. The times that he wakes up in the night varies - sometimes its 12 and 4, sometimes its just at 3 or sometimes its 2 and whatever. I'd assumed that since he'd sorted out sleeping through the first time that he would sort it out again. But I'd been doing some reading which suggested that he was waking again because he didn't know how to resettle himself rather than being hungry. They strongly recommended routines for everything. And also said that if we didn't put proper bedtime routines in place now then they would have trouble sleeping as toddlers and older. So, I guess my question is - has anyone anyone else NOT had a routine (or had very loose routines) and has bubs gone back to sleeping through the night on their own? Or are we making a rod for our own backs - feeding to sleep and not having a proper bedtime routine? ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Raspberryjam
Date Posted: 12 February 2010 at 4:56pm
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I guess you could say ours is loose - in the sense that we arent always in the same place for sleeps or mealtimes, but I do think you will benefit from having one at Judes young age - babies seem to prefer predictability and once your babe is on the move you will be grateful of a start and end time - our bedtime routine dosent change
As far as whats good for them I think regular patterns at that age do work better so they dont get over tired, over stimulated - and it does seem to help them sleep better at night - in saying that I have heard girls say that there babe does just fine without it One thing I would try to stop right now is feeding to sleep - we snuggled Milla up in her room and read to her while she had her bottle - sometimes she would fall asleep but more often than not - she would go to bed awake - infact once we got that as a routine - she slept better at night and stopped calling for me to help her go back to sleep - pretty important now that we are expecting again oh and the experts will tell you you shouldnt need to feed your babe during the night - especially from 6 months - which after a few hard yards (and long nights) I agree with - it is just a habit ------------- http://lilypie.com] 
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Posted By: Emmecat
Date Posted: 12 February 2010 at 5:03pm
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Ha I totally can't contribute anything helpful to this sorry, as, at 8.5 months, Clodagh seems to have no intention of getting into a routine...and I *am* a routine person! We try to get her to follow a 'feed, play, sleep' rountine at *about* the same time each day and no way no how is she going to go down unless she's tired and ready for it. Sigh. Today is a classic example. After a shocker of a night, she has been up since 6.30am and refused her morning nap just before 10am, totally refused another nap at 1 pm(and screamed bloody murder for 40 minutes) and only went down at 3.30pm. I'd say go with what works for you guys. Each situation is individual. I personally agree that a semblence of a rountine is a good thing without being militant about it. I don't agree that nursing to sleep is a bad thing at all though. But that's just different strokes for different folks GL! -------------   http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: Raspberryjam
Date Posted: 12 February 2010 at 5:06pm
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I had the same thing with Milla Emmecat, i was so exhausted I actually got DH to take over for 3 days and nights and train her to sleep, he was just tougher than me, not as tired either. She new screaming tugged on my heart strings but DH just did what needed to be done ------------- http://lilypie.com]
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Posted By: HoneybunsMa
Date Posted: 12 February 2010 at 5:22pm
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Ok now that I don't have a baby in my arms I can respond. We have a very loose routine if at all. We do do feed play sleep, BUT in saying that now she is awake for alot longer she could have two feeds inbetween naps (if she bothers to nap at all We used to have a semi routine for her dinner time in that it was 5.30 half hour sleep sometime between 6-7 then up bath if I could be bothered and bedtime at 8.30. Usually by 8.30 she is showing tired signs so thats not a prob. Lately the half hour sleep has been dropped. And don't get me started on last night You don't NEED a routine but following the basics is a good idea imo anyway as they know what to expect. I also started offering water over this summer as its been so hot she sometimes has some sometimes not. We don't have set times by anymeans as I like to sleep in as much as possible, which I used to be able to do but not so much now! (Come back my sleepy baby) We did used to sleep through but for some annoying reason she rolls and because she can't roll back she wakes up and fake cries at me annoying and since she is in the room with us I ignore it for as long as I can. Ok gotta go the fake cry is going on. I've been ignoring it lol ETA: just as I finished typing two of my brothers came in and gave her attention so she shut up lol. Should go and get her dinner ready though I spose ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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its the fake crying that annoys me more then anything and the shouting out to me because she wants attention even though we are right there. Posted By: kiwisj
Date Posted: 12 February 2010 at 5:28pm
StaceyL I think if it's working for you - don't try and "fix" it 
We had/have a routine with DS because that's what works with our lifestyle. When I say, we have *mostly* gotten him up at the same time each morning - because DH needs to be up for work at that time and we want C to see him in the morning - and we do the same thing each night before bed: dinner, play, bath, stories, milk, lights out. Up till C dropped to one nap a day he napped at fairly set times because that's when he was tired. He has always slept wherever we are, but always around the same time. Meals too are around the same time each day, C eats with me for breakfast and usually for lunch. He has tea at 5 so that he can eat and play before he gets tired 
So that's what works for us I call it a fairly loose routine, some other people probably think it's strict (or restricting).
Re the sleeping through - does it actually bother you that you're getting up to feed him in the night? Or are other ppl making you feel like it *should* bother you? ------------- SJ Callum - Dec 2008 Daniel - Oct 2010 |
Posted By: kiwisj
Date Posted: 12 February 2010 at 5:32pm
Again, that's only a problem if YOU think it is IYGWIM? When C was really young some days would "go all wrong" in terms of his sleep, but you just do what you need to do (rock him, take him out for loooooooong walks lol) and carry on. Just like you would if you didn't call it a "routine." The the next morning we got up at the same time again and started all over again! ------------- SJ Callum - Dec 2008 Daniel - Oct 2010 |
StaceyL wrote:Posted By: HippyMama
Date Posted: 12 February 2010 at 5:32pm
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Do you *feel* like you need a routine? I think, in all honesty, you already know the answer.
My personal stance is that not all babies are the same, and so suit different patterns, but that comfort and food needn't be controlled. ETA: It sounds to me too that you are meeting his needs really well, so as someone else said, no need to fix what isn't broken ------------- Mama to two earth walkers & two angels. Remember, you are not managing an inconvenience; You are raising a human being. ~ Kittie Franz Next Slingbabies! Meet - Friday 4th May !! |
Posted By: SquishysMum
Date Posted: 12 February 2010 at 5:33pm
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We were quite similar - no routine to speak of, demand feeding, and feeding in the night when she woke up. 2-4 times a night was fairly normal, sometimes none though!
That said, we do have a fairly regular bedtime routine of dinner, play, bath, play, feed, bed, normally around starting at 6-6.30 with dinner, and bed by 8 (depending on day sleeps). For example, the other day she was shattered at 5, so had a nap which lasted 2 hours, so didn't go to bed until 9.30! And we don't always have a bath either, so fairly lax. I did the same as above over Christmas, when she was about 10 months old. Decided I was too tired to get up all the time, and made DH deal with her for the first part of the night, resettling. Then she only woke once for a feed, then not at all... I have found if I feed her at the first wake up, she wakes 3 hourly for feeding, but if I (or DH) re-settles, she sleeps through (sometimes til 5am, but hey, that's still good!). I've always had a cut-off of 6am being the start of the day, the other day she woke at 5.45, and got fed and put back to sleep. Rambly much? I guess we were lucky, DD slept through from 7 weeks to 6 months, and then it all went pear-shaped. I don't like the 'rod for your back' comment, cos you just do what works for you! We had to get tough though. |
Posted By: Raspberryjam
Date Posted: 12 February 2010 at 5:45pm
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I totally agree that all babies are different, but I if given the chance,knowing what I know now, I would have made more an effort to teach Milla to settle herself overnight before now. It might work for your babe, but does having broken sleep work for you, and if it works now will it work for you when you have done it for a year and its a habit, its just a thought but I think your babe is at a good age if you dont want to be doing this til hes 2
but as others have said do whatever works for you regardless of what I say or plunket and the like ------------- http://lilypie.com]
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Posted By: mumtooboys
Date Posted: 12 February 2010 at 6:17pm
J was in a routine because we were told we 'needed' one....IMO it was a load of rubbish.  DS2 was fed to cues, put to bed when tired etc and I never really paid that much attention to the clock. He did 10 hours overnight when he was 7 months (was roughly a 3 hourly before that except during growth spurts) and 3 weeks later the night waking started again and only feeding would do. I am of the opinion that those 'experts' are talking out their backsides, true that some babies might not need feeding in the night but that doesn't mean they all don't. I started night weaning him at 9 months, giving boob if he was hysterical regardless of the time, and by 11 months he wasn't waking for feeding any more but he was still waking; this went on for another 8 weeks with us on less than 5 hours sleep in every 24 until I read Elizabeth Pantley's No Cry Sleep Solution and he did 10 hours the first night we tweaked his bedtime.
Long story short, he still has bouts of night waking but that's normal and he doesn't always need our help to get back off to sleep, in fact he rarely does; he wasn't 'trained' to sleep (he's not a puppy) he just did stuff when he was ready like not wanting to be in our bed any more and being fed/rocked to sleep. We have a bedtime 'routine' that we do which when he was a baby was dinner, bath, milk, teeth, bed. Now it is dinner, shower/bath, teeth, story bed but it varies on when it starts and finishes though we like to have him in bed before 7pm. My motto this time was do what needs doing so we all get back to bed as quickly as possible so we all get the sleep we need and IF we need to 'fix' it later, we'll deal with it then. We never had to 'fix' anything as such..........other than the fact we were putting him to bed too late. hehehehehe If you are happy to do what you are doing, go for it. So I don't think you NEED one; but if you want to try and add a bit more structure into your day, but keep it light and don't get too wound up about if it goes wrong then there's no reason not to try and see if it will help.------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: JoJames
Date Posted: 12 February 2010 at 8:59pm
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I was exactly the same as you, felt that everything told me I should have a routine but not at all a routine person. I was quite stressed for the first few months cause I couldn't figure out what I was doing.
Ditto what most people said. I did get hard when he wasn't sleeping through around 5-6 months but by 7-8 months he was and has ever since, he hardly ever wakes in the night. The biggest thing we found was following his sleep cues (eye rubbing, lying head down) and being reasonably tough, so letting him cry when we put him down at night and also leaving him to cry if he woke in the night (this didn't work until he was over 6 mo before that he would get so worked up that it would take ages to get him back to sleep), you soon start to hear the cries that mean that he is starting to settle and the ones that mean there is no way I'm going to sleep anytime soon. When we get that one we would get him up for 10 more minutes or if it was the middle of the night I would just feed him. And I never had any problem with him getting into a bad habit. Anyway we do try to make sure J is down before 8:30 each night and I try to get him to have a nap 2-3hours after he wakes in the morning, but other than that we just go with the flow and my boy is thriving. I found it easier when I just relaxed and ignored people, let them do what they want with their kids. ------------- http://www.alterna-tickers.com"> 
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Posted By: Febgirl
Date Posted: 12 February 2010 at 9:05pm
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I'm a big fan of bedtime routines and believe that's why my DD1 has always been a good nighttime sleeper. but if things are working ok for you then great, don't feel like you need a routine 'just because' you're supposed to.
My only caution would be if you are planning more children - I'm finding it a lot easier than anticipated with 2 children and DD1 has adjusted to her little sister without blinking an eyelid. A huge contributing factor has been because she has her daily/nightly routines which we've kept up since the arrival of her sister which means a lot less stress for the entire family. ------------- Two little girls under 2! 
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Posted By: Delli
Date Posted: 12 February 2010 at 9:13pm
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Oops, should have said that he only feeds to sleep when he wakes overnight. He wakes up, feeds and goes straight back to sleep. During the day he doesn't feed to sleep.
I wasn't worried about having a very loose routine until I read this "Research shows that more than 50% of babies who have difficulty settling or have continued night waking continue to have sleep problems as preschoolers and beyond." I don't want to be doing my son a disfavour by letting him continue these night feeds and having sleep problems later on! If he is going to phase out the night feeds on his own then that is great - the loose routine can continue. But if I need to be doing something about it, for his sake, then I should really get onto that. I'm fine with feeding him during the night at the moment - but I'm not concerned about me, I just want what is going to be best for him in the long run. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: JoJames
Date Posted: 12 February 2010 at 9:22pm
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I'm not entirelly sure where they get the idea that babies over 4 months old don't need feeding at night, I really think that some babies are hungry and do need a night feed, maybe just relax and wait until you have started and established solids then look at whether you want to drop his night feeds.
I went through all those same feelings of feeling like I was doing something wrong because I didn't let him cry when he was little and we don't really have a night time routine, but I honestly don't think that I ever could establish a routine because my mind just does not work that way, I've tried but the routine has flown out the window by the first eat play sleep cycle because he woke after only 45 minutes and then what was I suppose to do then? I couldn't feed him, so then we played, but then I fed him, and then he went to sleep, It did my head in. You sound like you are doing a great job, Jude is lucky to have a mum who cares so much about him that she is asking these questions, good luck. ------------- http://www.alterna-tickers.com">
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Posted By: HippyMama
Date Posted: 12 February 2010 at 10:22pm
Can I ask what the source of this quote / research was if you have it handy? ------------- Mama to two earth walkers & two angels. Remember, you are not managing an inconvenience; You are raising a human being. ~ Kittie Franz Next Slingbabies! Meet - Friday 4th May !! |
Posted By: mumtooboys
Date Posted: 12 February 2010 at 10:24pm
What idiot said that? LOL What bugs me is the definition of a sleep 'problem. For me a sleep "problem" occurs when parents aren't happy to do something AND it is having a major impact on your daily life. Those 8 weeks were a nightmare and though it made daily life hard, it was never a 'problem' to try rocking/feeding/shushing to sleep (not that it worked). I did it (DP worked and I didn't so I tended to deal with the 'night shift')because I didn't want him crying because a)he'd wake up his bro and b) he was really hysterical and that's not good for anybody and it is the way we choose to parent. I think the other issue I have with alot of the sleep "experts" is that they don't actually understand infant/toddler/child sleep. Why are babies/toddlers/children expected to sleep all night without waking when I know as an ADULT even I can't do that? Everybody wakes in the night, eventually we all learn not to rely on help to fall back to sleep, but sometimes I can't sleep and have to get up and get a drink and/or read a book or put the telly on. Yet if my 8 month old wakes in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep he's somehow got a "problem"? Anyway..pet peeve of mine. Can you tell? ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: mumtooboys
Date Posted: 12 February 2010 at 10:30pm
Snap. hehehehehehe ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Delli
Date Posted: 12 February 2010 at 10:30pm
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From http://www.thesleepstore.co.nz/Sleep+Information/Babies+4+to+12+months/Introduction+4-12+months.html - here
"Research shows that 50% of 6 month old babies not sleeping through the night are still having sleep problems as preschoolers! So make the decision to teach your child to be a great sleeper, rather than relying on luck to change their sleep habits. And the quicker you start to teach your baby to sleep through the night, the quicker they will sleep through!!!!" 50% is quite a lot! Thanks for all your replies guys. I'm not stressing about this, but it's nice to hear other peoples point of views sometimes. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: HippyMama
Date Posted: 13 February 2010 at 8:10am
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I'd personally like to know what "research" they're quoting, as they don't identify their sources at all. Personally, even though I'm tired, I accept that nightwaking is part and parcel of having a fully breastfed baby and that it's not a "habit" but a hardwired biological need. But I also have a bit of a beef with some of the information the sleep store provides, I will freely admit that (my thoughts are mostly that if you want something to train, get a puppy).
AAaaaanyway, off to boil the jug for a coffee now  ------------- Mama to two earth walkers & two angels. Remember, you are not managing an inconvenience; You are raising a human being. ~ Kittie Franz Next Slingbabies! Meet - Friday 4th May !! |
Posted By: HippyMama
Date Posted: 13 February 2010 at 8:12am
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If you're keen on some reading on the subject that is not about sleep training or CIO / CC, routines etc try Sleeping Like a Baby by Pinky McKay, and a book I am just getting stuck into now myself - Nighttime Parenting by Dr William Sears.
I'd also recommend having a look around on the http://www.drmomma.org - Peaceful Parenting blog - some great resources there. ------------- Mama to two earth walkers & two angels. Remember, you are not managing an inconvenience; You are raising a human being. ~ Kittie Franz Next Slingbabies! Meet - Friday 4th May !! |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 13 February 2010 at 8:56am
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to some a routine is a very strict time schedule, and i certainly never had one of those. But i did have a routine in that one thing usually followed another...not in the very early days though, it was whatever baby wants baby gets!
i think it depends on your lifestyle and what sort of person you are as to what sort of routine fits in. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 13 February 2010 at 9:11am
so if half of all 6 mth olds arent sleeping throught then it is the norm then! what a silly thing to say! We have had a bed time routine from about when gabriel was about 10mths of dinner, bath, pj's, story and then bed... his dad does most of that and when toby came along he always had story time too - and even with a bed time routine he didnt sleep through till he was 14 months old - and even now at 4 yrs old he isnt a great sleeper. But i think its his personality, as the other two do the same thing every night and they both sleep fine. so i would say that was a load of Twaddle! ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: kmarie
Date Posted: 13 February 2010 at 9:29am
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Stacey I was a little bit like you when it came to the routine thing, I didn't want to have such a 'strict' routine that I couldn't do things I wanted or needed to do. There were a few things we did from very early on in terms of structure, but otherwise our days could involve any number of feeds (though not so many sleeps unfortunately!) and being based anywhere.
We tried to make sure that between the hours of 7pm and 7am we treated her going-to-sleep and waking-up times differently from the daytime. As in, we tried to have less interaction and keep lights dim etc. so she could get the idea that it was night time. She'd still take up until 10/11pm to settle for her overnight sleep, but from very early on until about 3mths old she slept 6 or 7 hours or more consistently. Also, I was able to pick up on how long she'd cope with being up before she was ready for her next sleep. I think at about 5mths it might have been 1hr45mins up then she'd start to get tired and if I didn't catch her right then, she'd go hyper lol. So I'd try getting her to sleep at, or just before, the 1hr45min mark. She didn't always sleep, and either way once she was 'up' again the clock went back to 0. She'd get a second wind and last about 1hr45mins again before it was worth trying to get her back to sleep. For Bethany, sleep meant buggy or car or bed or anywhere I could get her to sleep depending on what we were doing. Obviously we weren't always able to keep to that time frame but it helped to have it in mind! In my opinion, if what you're doing is working for you, then keep going! Unfortunately with Bethany after 3mths her night wake ups got increasingly worse - overnight feeding no longer put her back to sleep instead she'd wake every 1-2hrs and take 1-2hrs to get back to sleep with a lot of help from us. We had to get tough in the end cuz we simply couldn't cope and it was just getting worse. Throw maybe two 25-45min day naps (if we were lucky) into the day and although we had a happy baby, we were all so tired we couldn't see straight! :( But that was just us, doesn't sound like you're striking those probs which is great!! The one thing I'd maybe suggest is having a regular night bed time and routine associated with it, as much as possible. In the end that was our saving grace - we'd started it from sometime after the 3mth mark and when, at 6mths, we had to get tough, she at least knew what bedtime meant at night. When I say that, obviously the time itself can change depending on what you're doing or where you are, but if you have maybe 2-3 things that you do the same before that particular bedtime, then you're teaching him what comes next. Before you know it, he might even be looking for those things at that time of night when he gets tired :) With Bethany it's saying goodnight to her toys, reading a book, and cuddling up on mummy with a song before we tuck her into bed. She knows the same 3 things will happen every night, no matter where she is, and that it will be different to her day nap. Just a thought anyway! Hope that helps :-) ETA - yikes sorry for the essay!!! ------------- 
twins in heaven Oct07 Is 40:11 "He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart." |
Posted By: kaybee
Date Posted: 13 February 2010 at 4:57pm
I think what it means is that, of those babies that aren't sleeping through the night at 6 months old, 50% will go on to have sleep problems later in life. So if 6 of us have babies not sleeping well at 6 months, 3 of us will go on to have toddlers with sleeping 'problems'. Still, would be nice to know where the research is from, they could have pulled that from anywhere. Perhaps the reason those 50% weren't sleeping through the night at 6 months old is because that's just part of who they are, so why would that change as they get older? It doesn't actually say that the reason those babies weren't sleeping properly at 6 months was because they didn't have a routine, and maybe the other 50% were the ones that didn't have routines, and they got their sleep sorted out as they got older?
I have tried to have a bit of a routine with DS but I am reasonably flexible with it - the times don't all match up with what the books say to do and it can vary by an hour or so from day to day, but is reasonably consistent. However I take the cues for the routine from DS, rather than a book, and it seems to work for us. Just last weekend I took him to an event during the day and because he had been fussy in the morning he barely slept between 8am-8pm. According to the books he should have had a terrible sleep that night, but he slept better than most nights! I wouldn't get in the habit of it, but it certainly tells me that the books aren't always right and every baby is different (and the books are all so inconsistent anyway, I'd go crazy trying to follow all of the advice!) ------------- 
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Posted By: kaybee
Date Posted: 13 February 2010 at 5:04pm
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In saying all that, I should mention that my mother was very all over the place with us when we were babies in terms of routine (her mother had been very strict with routines and she was rebelling somewhat).
I had trouble sleeping right up until I was about 18 and was very forgetful and disorganised until about the same age. What's impossible to know is whether or not this was at all linked to not having a routine as a baby/child, or if that was just me. -------------
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Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 13 February 2010 at 8:42pm
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Ben doesn't have a routine really except at bedtime as we all have dinner together and the boys bath etc together. He is still feeding at night and a few have told me that really he shouldn't. I just nod my head, smile and ignore what they say although sometimes it does annoy me. I get told he is a good weight so should be able to last the night, maybe because he is big he needs more!?! And it is so hot at night at the moment, I know I often need a drink.
Anyway saw this in http://www.ohbaby.co.nz/Forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=31604 - another thread and thought it was good
------------- Lindsey 
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Posted By: kaybee
Date Posted: 14 February 2010 at 11:49am
What a great quote Linzy! -------------
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Posted By: crafty1
Date Posted: 14 February 2010 at 12:55pm
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I am a total routine person but think that you have to do what works for you. My best friend couldn't stick to a routine if she tried and would wound up feeling like she was doing it wrong but i honestly think if it's not in your nature to be routine focussed then you'll fail at it and feel stink. So save the stress and go with what works for you guys.
Re: the night sleeps - my opinion - i'd try and stop feeding to sleep in the night if it is not working for you. Get your DH/DP to take over for 3-4 nights, pick a long weekend and get him to do all night time resettlings for those days. Use whatever you need to do for those few nights, rocking, singing, dummy etc etc. MOST babies do without night feeds from about that age and will make it up during the day. Except for growth spurt times, although my DS has never been fed in the night since 4 months and never needed it. He was a little porker as a baby so definitely not missing out on any calories with no night feeds. They'll get used to whatever you give them so if you are happy to keep feeding at night you can and they will just drink less during the day. Personal choice really but i don't think you'll be depriving your child by not feeding them at night. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: RinTinTin
Date Posted: 14 February 2010 at 2:04pm
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I've never set a routine as such. Mac has always been a 3 hourly feeder from the day he was born (with the exception of growth spurts and his evening cluster feeds). I tend to just go with it. The only thing we worked on in the sense of a routine was teaching him the difference between day and night. He sleeps for longer stretches at nigh than he does through the day. I do the same kind of tings with each each time he wakes up. Like he wakes so it's feed, play, change, play, feed, sleep. So he knows whats going to happen next but I guess I've kind of worked my day to fit around him. For example, he wakes around 1-2 in the afternoons, once he's back down to sleep I start preparing dinner, so when he wakes again at 4/5, once I get him back down, I cook our dinner ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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