Following Babywise: Schedule Schmedule ....

Before Christian was born, I did a bit of reading on baby scheduling...specifically how to follow Babywise. 

My mom bought me this book and I was convinced this was going to be the way to get our little man sleeping through the night...ASAP! 

Well, well, well. 

I thought I was prepared and that it would be like magic. Christian would sleep, eat, and play all on my schedule and be a happy camper complete with great night time sleep. 

Now, don't get me wrong. Christian was sleeping through the night by the time he was about 2 weeks old. So maybe this whole "Babywise" schedule has some merit. 

As soon as Christian was born, the nurses told me to not let him go more than 3 hours without eating, so be sure to wake him up to eat. That was all the instruction they gave me. So, in true Babywise fashion, I fed Christian as soon as he would wake up and this would usually consist of his awake time, but other times our alert little boy would be awake for awhile after as well. Then he would doze off to dream land for awhile and it would start all over again. 

Sleep, Feed, Play = Babywise

I tracked his patterns for quite awhile using an app on my phone. I didn't want a screaming baby, so I followed his cues and fed him when he was hungry and let him sleep when he was tired. Maybe that's where I went wrong...or right. 

By the time he was 2 months old, I felt that maybe, just maybe there was a consistent pattern starting to emerge. By this time I was tracking his every activity on a color coded spreadsheet.

 {This was my very goal oriented, business man of a husband's idea}

I have to be honest and say that the work of actually getting into a schedule was stressful! But not having him on a schedule or any sort of routine was pretty stressful for this Type A mama too! 

The spreadsheet my hubby developed was actually pretty helpful! By the time Christian was 3 months old, I thought I had his schedule figured out. 

8:30am - Wake up and Eat

9am - Bath/Play time

9:30am - Nap 

11am - Eat 

11:30am - Play

12pm - Nap 

1pm - Eat

1:30pm - Play 

2pm - Nap 

3pm - Eat

3:30pm - Play 

4pm - Nap 

5pm - Eat

5:30pm - Play 

7pm - Eat

7:30pm - Nap 

8pm - Play 

9pm - Eat and Bed time 

Well, shortly before his 3 month birthday, Christian STOPPED sleeping through the night. His naps started to be way off and he wasn't seeming as hungry when I would try to feed him. It seemed he was just snacking all.day.long. 

Not my idea of a successful schedule. Babywise was not my favorite thing. And honestly, I was telling everyone that these "schedules" only work for some babies...not every baby! 

I was stressed about getting him to eat when he would wake up and if his nap would be long enough that he would actually be hungry when he woke up. 

Now, at 4 months old, I think Babywise might actually really work! And I think we have a schedule that we have been able to tweak so even when we get "off schedule" to go grocery shopping or meet up with friends, he is able to get back on schedule later in the day. 

Now, at just over 4 months, following Babywise, his schedule looks more like this: 

9am - Wake up, Eat, Bath, Play 

10am - Nap 

11:30am - Eat 

12pm - Walk

12:45pm - 2 TBSP Cereal for lunch 

1pm - Nap 

3pm - Eat 

3:30pm - Play 

4pm - Nap

5pm - Eat, plus 2 TBSP Cereal for dinner 

Might nurse again and snooze a bit at some point before bed...

8:30pm Start bedtime routine, eat

9pm - Bed 

He doesn't follow this schedule {exactly} every day, but its fairly close. The lengths of his naps are pretty consistent, though. 

Morning nap - 1.5 hours 

Afternoon nap #1 - 2 hours 

Afternoon nap #2 - 1 hour 

I'm now able to plan when to get my stuff done around the house. I spent a week tracking all of MY activities too and how long everything took. Now I have a schedule where I can plan each task into his nap schedule so that I'm able to get everything done I need to and still spend lots of quality time with my baby boy. 

Now, you might be wondering: 

Is Babywise really the key to your baby sleeping through the night? 

I have to be honest and say NO! 

#1. There are MANY other factors that play a bigger role in your baby sleeping through the night (see below) 

#2. Other sleep methods work too! 

#3. Do what works for YOUR baby. You know your baby and what he or she needs more than the author of some book. Remember, your baby is not the baby that they tested their "theories" on! 

Do we follow Babywise? I guess you could say we do! Christian sleeps, eats, plays, and then does it all over again...that right there is {Babywise}! And he's been sleeping through the night since he was 2 weeks old! 

But let me also say this... 

ENJOY your baby. No matter how scheduled or unscheduled he is! 

Thinking over the last few months, one thing that really sticks out is how stressed I was about getting Christian on a schedule. I enjoyed my baby and still do, but don't be afraid to let go of the schedule! Do what your baby needs and what you need and the schedule will come with time. 

With Baby #2 I think I will wait to try to figure out a schedule closer to the 4 month mark. But we will see! 

Anyway, in addition to whatever "sleep method" you choose to practice, I believe these things are also key to getting your baby to sleep through the night and fall into a schedule: 

1. Swaddle, Swaddle, Swaddle! 

You may have never met a bigger believer in swaddling. Specifically, I'm a major fan of the SwaddleMe or the Halo SleepSack Swaddle. We could always tell how tightly Christian was swaddled by the length he would sleep. Unfortunately, once your baby starts rolling, you can no longer swaddle your baby. I think my next love is going to be the Baby Merlin's Magic Sleep Suit. This gives baby the security of the swaddle but is safe to use once baby starts rolling. 

Product Review Coming Soon!!! 

{I'm SO SO SO excited to share this with you all!!!}

2. Good Naps

Make sure your baby naps during the day. Getting good sleep during the day ensures baby isn't too exhausted at night that he can't enter a deep sleep and stay sleeping for a long time. 

3.  Black Out Curtains or Blinds

Once baby is old enough to really recognize his surroundings, having him sleep in a room that is nearly pitch black will greatly help his sleep...at least it did in our experience. Christian went from all of a sudden being up every few hours at night, to starting to almost sleep through the night again. His naps also went from 45 min/1 hour to 1.5/2 hours for each nap! And yes, his night time sleep really DID improve! 

4. White Noise 

Just play it. Whether it be straight up white noise, Baby Mozart, a sound machine, or the radio. Background noise will keep baby sleeping. 

5. Good Feedings 

A baby with a full belly is a sleepy baby. So feed baby when he is awake enough to get a full feeding. 

{Thanks for reading} 

:)

Happy Friday! 

Here's to a lot more of this... 

and a productive mommy too!