Daytime routine

[Cinnamon84]

I'm wondering when most people have implemented some sort of daytime routine for their babies?
Still working on it with a 3.5 month old who is impossible to get to nap, so can't see it workring anytime soon, what happens if I never do? Will he constantly be a terrible sleeper if we never have a routine in place?
He still wakes for feeds in the nights but I normally feed him to sleep and he'll sleep for a solid 3-5 hours so I'm not too concerned about that at the mo, it's the day time sleep that's a challenge! (I've already started several threads about this)

[Gardencentregroupie]

Thing is, as soon as you get settled into something like a routine, the little sods move the goalposts and drop naps, get teeth, get poorly etc. On the plus side in about 2 years max, he won't need any sleep in the daytime so day time sleep isn't an issue forever!

Anyway what are your baby's cues? If you watch him, does a pattern start to show? I am fairly sure I was on 4 short-ish naps at 3 months, the first one had to be within an hour of waking and the rest very roughly within 2ish hours of waking from the previous, and DD started with an approximately 8pm bedtime at about that age. So maybe have a few low key days at home and see what happens if you keep a close eye on his tired cues, then go from there.

[Cinnamon84]

Thanks garden- low key is all we ever seem to do these days- he cries in his pram and the car seat now so can't get out much.

Yeah can't wait til I can stop obsessing over how much sleep he gets in the daytime.

[chloechloe]

It's hard isn't it, but 3.5m is really early for them to fall into any kind of routine. DD only used to sleep for 30min in the day so was having 5 daytime naps at that age. I spent half my life trying to get her to sleep! I would agree with PP to putting them down for the first nap 1 hour after waking (maybe even 45min) and then every 1.5 to 2 hours thereafter. I would concentrate on getting them regularly napping when they show signs of needing it rather than trying to get them to sleep at a fixed time. I still went out and about with DD but fortunately she would sleep easily in the pram, so if we were going to a playgroup etc I would just plan to leave in time so she could have a nap on the way there.

She only got into a real routine when she finally started sleeping longer than 30min at 8m when she dropped to a morning and afternoon nap and then again at around 13m when she dropped to one after lunch.

[Heirhelp]

My lo is a really creature of habit but that habit changes. At first she would nap on the pram and then in the cot and then only on me.

She had a routine in that she goes back to sleep 90 mins to 2 hours after she wakes up but if we are out and about she can go for longer without sleep.