Routine ideas for a 5 months old when trying to work around school runs??

[NellyTheElephant]

I'm a creature of habit and i guess my children are too as all three settled very happily into the same predictable routine as babies. Unfortunately school started for the older ones last week, DD1 going to reception and DD2 starting nursery, and it has completely messed up DS' routine so i just wondered if anyone could give me some ideas on how to structure a new routine to work around it.

DS is 5 months. Previously up and fed at 7am, nap 9am - 10 am, fed 10.30 / 11 ish, nap 12.15 - 2pm ish, then fed 2.30, another feed at 4.30 bath at 6pm fed again 6.30pm then into bed 7pm and sleeps through.

Now I have to leave the house just after 8am to drop DD1 for 8.30, then DD2 has to be dropped elsewhere at 9am. Ds usually falls asleep for the 10 mins it takes to get from DD1's school to DD2's nursery, but wakes up while we wait around until 9am and get out of the car to drop DD2. DS then drops off again on the way home, so he's usually had a total of about 15 mins sleep in the car during the school run meaning he will not settle for a nap when we get home - but is still really tired and grumpy.

DD2 has to be picked up at 12pm, I usually walk and then DS drops off in the pushchair. By the time I've picked her up and got home again he's had about 20 / 25 mins so again there is no way he will settle for a proper nap, leaving him grumpy and crying all afternoon. I can't feed him at 2.30pm as I have to leave to pick DD1 up from school, so I try and feed him earlier, but he's not that hungry, which has a knock on effect for the rest of the day and contributes to the grumpiness. So he's gone from the happiest, smiliest, almost never crying baby imaginable to a really cross grumpy one just because I can't work out how to structure the day. He's not getting nearly enough daytime sleep and his feeds are all over the place. I need to start weaning him too. HELP!!

Hi

Could you take him for a walk in the pushchair after the school run in the morning. Dd (7months) always drops off in the pushchair and just before the holidays (so about the same age as your ds is now) I used to go for a walk after I'd dropped my boys off as I knew she would have a good sleep in the pushchair and be in a better mood for the rest of the day as a result. I used to walk for about an hour so that she had a full hour long nap.

Will he stay asleep after the nursery pick up at 12.00 if you leave him in the pushchair when you get home? Alternatively, could you reschedule to do any shopping etc straight after nursery so that he sleeps in the car?

You may find that if you can extend the morning nap he will be in a better mood for the rest of the day and be more flexible about timings. His schedule will probably change anyway when you introduce solids and he starts going longer between milk feeds so you will have more chance to 'shape' him into the best routine then.

Does your five month old sleep in a pram or a push chair. I find my five month old sleeps better in a pram. I can make it a bit darker and distration free by draping a muslim square over the front.

I expect that any routine will go completely and utterly belly up when you introduce solids.

I am not sure what our routine is, we seem to genrally go with the flow and dd is usually asleep by 8pm or sleeps earlier if she doesn't have an evening nap.

I'm afraid I haven't got the solution, but I am in the same boat! I have a 5.5mo DS and a 3yo DD who is starting school on friday, just for a few hours each afternoon. The worst thing is, she changes to mornings after half term and then back to afternoons in the next half term etc etc. I am a big one for routines so I am already trying to work out how I am going to manage it, but at least it should only affect one nap/feed time for me. I am just about to start weaning DS and presume that the routine will be in tatters as a result anyway shortly . However, the idea of an hour long walk sounds good to me - still need to shift the baby weight !!!