Talk to me about baby routines....

[Heatherbell1978]

DS1 is 5 months and I'm starting to worry a bit about our relaxed routine...between 6 and 12 weeks we had a lovely wee routine going simply due to him waking at the same time every day and feeding every 3 hours and napping every 90 mins. Very baby led but it worked. Then we started having issues with breastfeeding and for about 4 weeks he would only feed asleep so that screwed it all up. Then I sadly gave up and we switched to bottle feeding and we've never got back into a feeding schedule as some times he takes 7 Oz, some times 2 oz.....so I'm just feeding on demand. He's going a bit longer between naps although still doing his tiny cat naps. We do have the same bed time every day and he tends to follow the same pattern at night with his feeding and waking. I do think he'd sleep better at night if he slept longer during the day but we just can't get past the 30 min snoozes.

Anyway, I feel a bit all over the place. I feed him when he's hungry, he naps when he's tired but every day is different......I keep reading stuff about babies at 5 months should be doing x and y....but I feel like nothing has really changed since he was small.

I have a baby exactly the same age and we are similarly feeding on demand and his nap needs are still evolving so I can't see that becoming more standard either for a bit. I'm still fitting routine to him because the worst days are always when I set out thinking I'm going to 'do something' about nap times etc! For example today he was awake 3 hours before first nap (longer than usual) but has been asleep over two hours now. Which says to me maybe I've been making him nap when not very sleepy which has led to cat napping recently. I'm pretty watertight on bed routine but day sleep is still as and when he needs it. And while his feeding is pretty much down to 4 bottles spaced between getting up and bedtime, that is also still on demand to a point, his demand has just fallen into a pattern, and he can still sometimes only take a bit and then want more soon after. Generally the day is
Around 7am wakes up, DH gets him up and changes nappy, I follow downstairs after shower
Nap any time between 8-10, can be 45 mins or two hours. The longer he goes awake the longer the subsequent nap. First Feed just before nap.
Play or go out, baby group or Rhymetime. If we don't go out now we go out in afternoon.
12-2ish feed and mini nap depending on when first nap was
Play or go out
I try and get another Nap sometime before 5 for bedtime times. Feed when he wakes usually.
Play
DH home about 6.30-7, I lay out bath and bed stuff, he goes in bath with one of us or on his own.
7-8 feed and down in cot.
Night feeds around 12 and sometimes around 4-5.

Right now it's all so dependant on the first nap time how any sleeps he has until bed. He tends to need bed 2-2.5 hours after last nap too, so while its 7.30 usually it can be 8 if he wakes less. So the middle of the day is fairly fluid!

I'm waiting until weaning and I have to also fit in meals to really push for two naps. Today he might do that for the first time as he's still asleep from first nap, so I'll keep him awake until 4 for a nap until 5- 5.30. If he decides to play ball! 5 months is still so young really, I have as much structure as I can but I am prepared to drop it all and go with the flow too as I let him dictate to me mainly :)

DD is 6 and a half months (5 and a half adjusted). We've never hand a routine! No 2 days are the same. I've tried a few times to set a routine, but nothing has worked, she has other ideas. I've given up now and will just go with the flow.
I have got as far as she wakes between 6 and 7 and will BF. I'll then give solids about an hour later. We then walk the dog and she'll nap. Lunch between 12.30-1 then she tends to have another nap. Bath at 6, massage BF and in bed about 7. Between morning and evening feed she'll feed bout every 3 hours. She used to then wake about midnight and 3am, but for the last week it's been hourly!