GIna devotees only - how & when didyou start trying to put baby in a routine?

[bodenbetty]

I don't want to start anything contentious - just windering how to go about starting teh whole routine thing. DD is only 10 days so probably a little young just yet but am trying to think ahead. her idea of night & mine don't coincide but have stared feeding her in the dark from 7pm on hoping she will get teh message!

I am not a Gina devotee so I won't comment on the advisability of putting a newborn baby on a strict routine, but I would just say that in this weather a baby will be very thirsty and finding it difficult to regulate their temperature. You don't say whether you'r bf or bottlefeeding but in either case I think restricting fluids is not a good idea in such a tiny baby. If you let the baby lead the way as to regulating her fluid intake, imho that would be a better way forward than being guided by a book.hth

that is a VERY good point harpsicorde...

in this weather babies will be more thirsty like the rest of us.... so even if not a 'feed' time they may need some breast just for the liquid... or maybe some cooled boiled water if they are bottle fed babies.

to answer the OP: 'how': I just started by making sure we actually got up in the morning (at 8, not GF's 7). the rest followed from there.

when? from the get-go for both babies. 2 or 3 wks.

You don't suckle a baby every time it cries if you don't have a routine though.

I think most people though would also use their common sense though and not completely follow it 100%. If the baby is thirsty (or it is hot) then yes it should have extra!

thanks agin. I'm (breast) feeding her whenever she seesmto want it at th momemt (bearing in mind how hot it is as one of you said)
I'm going to try to take her out for a little walk this morning around what should be nap time to see what happens. I think i'm findiong it hard that she slepps all afternoon (1-4) then is awake from tehn until about 10pm. I want her to be in her romm when it is nitgh time & not doen stairs with us but it seesm cruel to leave her awake for alength of time on her own so spoend it feeding her in teh dark on my own - not conduicive to a happy mummy.
I am enjoying her - she is a babay we never thought we'd haev I just find it very hard not being in control as I'm a routine person myslef.
All your tips very muc appreciated though
BBx

She's tiny still. Have her downstairs with you if it makes you happy. She won't know different at this age IMO and IME.

If you want a routine, I'd say start with introducing a bath in the evening at about 3 months. Then you start to establish a bedtime routine - we use this as the lynchpin of the day. Think of bedtime as being the start of the day rather than the end.

But honestly, until then, you'll be far happier if as she cluster feeds in the evening, you can sit in front of the TV or on the phone to a friend or online. When she's 3mo and bfeeding's fully established, then worry about routine. I promise you you won't "ruin" her by not doing it before then.

bodenbetty if you have a look on the postnatal thread for july you will see lots of what i have been doing with my baby. It IS possible to start the routine this early, but dont get yourself in a tizz about it Harpsicord did make a very good point but GF routine is NOT restricting fluids...that gives the impression we leave our babies screaming when they are crying for food (milk) which is nonsense, as cece said, just because we follow a book doesnt mean we are incapable of doing anything but what that books tells us to do... if your baby is thirsty then you feed her, wether you follow a routine or not..hardly rocket science is it

I think you will gradually learn that having a baby is a reliquishment of control..

once you can freely and unequivocally accept that then you will relax and feel more contented yourself

and even if having a baby doesn't convince you then having a child will!

I started at about 3 weeks. Combination of GF and a local clinic's advice. Found GF is very orientated towards a BF routine, but followed the general timing. DD's day tended to be 6:30 to 6:30. She started sleeping through at 12 weeks and today is a very happy 16 month old who sleeps like a log, 6:30pm to 8:00am!
I have found a routine really does work well, and although sometimes a little restricting, especially during the day, it's so important to get them into taking good naps even if it means not going somewhere or leaving early to get home in time for their sleep. I found that as soon as DD's naps really kicked in at about 4 months, her sleeping got better and better.
To try and get the night and day confusion sorted, implement a very calm, quiet bedtime routine. Bath, change into pjs in the bedroom, turn down the lights, feed, burp, cuddle and bed. No playing, going downstairs etc.

sorry, happybebe I don't wish to be contentious but never mentioned leaving baby to cry for food (milk) - that wasn't what I was talking about at all.
the GF routine for a week old baby says (for example) not to feed after 8am until 10am. She says " Do not feed after 8am* as it will put baby off his next feed
she repeats this advice from 11.30 - not to feed after 11.30am until 2.30pm.
if the routine says "don't feed after X until Y" that seems to me to be restricting fluids.
imho (and leaving aside whether the baby is crying or not) these are long periods to go without fluids in this weather.

Bodenbetty - with DS1 we started the routine at about 4 weeks, and with DS2 we started at about 1 week, although colic, nursery runs etc meant we were more flexible second time around.
I would recommend starting off with the evening routine from now - bath, boob, bed - and also waking little one up at 10.30/11 for a feed. We found both times that this allowed DH and me to have some grown-up time in the evening, and relax.
Good luck!

thats true harpsicord the book does say that, she also says on page 108 (sorry to quote page numbers!) of CLB 'however if you feel your baby is genuinely hungry before his next feed is due it is commen sense to feed him'

so if you read the whole book properly...you know not to restrict fluids with your baby if he she seems to genuinely need them.

or thirsty of course. I think it is unrealistic (IMO) to expect a new mother with a ten ay old baby to a. read the entire book from cover to cover and remember every word and b. recognise when a baby is "genuinely hungry" whatever that means.

or thirsty of course. I think it is unrealistic (IMO) to expect a new mother with a ten ay old baby to a. read the entire book from cover to cover and remember every word and b. recognise when a baby is "genuinely hungry" whatever that means.

or thirsty of course. I think it is unrealistic (IMO) to expect a new mother with a ten ay old baby to a. read the entire book from cover to cover and remember every word and b. recognise when a baby is "genuinely hungry" whatever that means.

sorry, computer going a bit woozy
will stop now as am a bit cross at the notion of not feedeing a baby today unless he is "genuinely hungry"
so I probably shouldn't post anymore
I couldn't find anything in CLBB about feeding more in hot weather btw

tried last night teh bedtime routine - bath boob ibn teh dark bed - thought we ahd got is sussed as it all went quiet - tehn went back in at 8pm - an hour later & there she was wide awake looking at the ceiling!
i think teh sight of me was bad thing as then she was wide awake & feeding on & off until 10pm.
my MW (who is loively ) says I'll just have to go with it for now.
we went out for a walk this morning at Gina times 9 - 10 - & she is still slepping despite me trying ervy trivk I can think of to wake her & having had a feed.
think I might ahve a right littel contrary one here......

She's still very young Bodenbetty, and it could easily take a few weeks before you start seeing results. Keep doing what you're doing, and before too long it will all fall into place. I find that they tend to sleep a bit more when it's hot, so don't worry too much about that - just make sure that when she's awake she has lots of stimulation so that she can start learning the difference between night and day.

dotn worry bodenbetty, she wont do the exact times yet! i was out this morning with elsie, she woke at 10.30 half an hour later than routine, then went to sleep at twelve, again half an hour out, but it doesnt make a difference when they are this tiny...just do what you can and as your baby becomes more physically able to stay awake longer and feed well etc, the routine will fall into place!

its so hot just now it can be really hard to wake them cant it? i undress elsie down to her nappy and lay her on her changing mat, give her a little top and tail with some lukewarm water and cotton wool, then gently waft a sheet over her to create a little breeze, wakes her everytime and she seems to really enjoy it! i know i would in this heat

I tried the routine at 2 weeks with no luck, then tried again at 5 weeks and ds just slotted into it. Have been doing it ever since - he's now 15 months.

It's difficult if you have older children as well, but you can still adapt the routines. My sister did it with her third, and although she couldn't do the exact times because of school runs, she said following the basic principles like blackout blinds and night feeds in darkness still helped a lot.

I would say she's too little for routines. I tried a routine from around 6 months onwards - it's far easier when they start having 'meals' and start needing less feeds a day to have a general routine for when you will feed them and then when they will sleep.

I don't know about your baby but mine were totally motivated by food/feeding - so if (when she starts on solids) you can start getting her into a regular breakfast, lunch, tea you'll prob find her naps will slot in - so, long one after lunch, quick one in the morning when you're out and then either she'll make it through to 7 or you can slot in a quick one in the afternoon.

hth.

I also think with subsequent babies (i.e. no.2 onwards) you have to learn to be a bit more relaxed because to a certain extent, you need them to be more flexible to fit around no.1.

oh bodenbetty sorry but fgs your baby is 10 days old

of course she feeds on and off until 10pm and wont stay awake

please forget the routines and then do one when she is older, staying awake is the key to any sort of routine and mine never managed to stay awake for any length of time until they were at laeast 6 weeks.

both my kids stayed in their moses baskets wherever we were until they were abotut 2 or 3 months old .. little babies need to be with their parents .. they don't need to be in their 'own room'