Has anyone managed to get their 3 month old into a consistent routine?

[teacher1984]

I did so well with my first born and she was sleeping through by 10 weeks. Latest addition is 12 weeks and we barely have a routine. I'm just finding it so hard second time round.

He does typically go to bed around 8pm and sleeps until 2, feeds, then again at 4-5.30. At least the night time is predictable! It's the day that's completely chaotic. I'd love to have the morning, noon (2 hours), catnap before tea time that my first had as I thrive on having structure to my day, but I can't seem to achieve it.

Love to hear how you're all doing!

Oh and how are you all getting your little ones to sleep in the day? Are you managing to put them down awake? What sleep associations are you using?

Not at 3 months - still going with the flow at that age. I wanted to get the 4 month development leap out of the way before trying to establish too much of a routine that was likely to get disrupted anyway. Although i am a fan of following the EASY steps so although we didn't have a routine by timings there was some predictability to how her day panned out.
Also never managed to put her down awake and she got herself to sleep - would either cuddle, stroke, sing or play her lullabies...
Which makes me sound the opposite of routine when in actual fact I'm a huge follower of routines myself. I just found that it stressed me out more to try and force a routine on my baby unsuccessfully than to just accept routines for me but to be ok when expected timings and routines didn't work on her. Once I accepted that some of the fog (and I suspect minor pnd) lifted and the while household was happier...

Yes I'm trying EASY too but I often have to feed to sleep as that only takes 5 mins max as opposed to forever using any other method. It's ok if we're out and about as any movement will send him off. That obviously goes against the method.

I'm really trying to go with the flow as much as poss. Maybe things will get easier a couple more months down the line.

No routine here and no can't put her down awake. She's 4 months so too young for all that IMO.

She sleeps when tired and I lie her down on my bed when asleep. I feed her when she's hungry etc.

They fall into routines when ready I find.

Hi

I did not follow a routine at the beginning but at 3 months my LO fell into his own routine ie predictable sleeping pattern of catnaps for 45 to an hour at 10.30, 1.30 and 4.30 then bedtime at 7.30/8.

He didn't really sleep longer than 30 mins/45min or max of an hour during the day but now he is on solids and a little bit more active he is starting to sleep for over an hour at 1.30 pm.

At the beginning he wanted to be held and go to sleep downstairs but at week 10 all of sudden he would not settle until he was lying upstairs in bed. Then on I used to breastfeed him to sleep lying down on bed because that's what he wanted. I was cosleeping at the time hence the bed.

At 11 weeks I put the cot next to the bed and he slept in the cot, I used to breastfeed him to sleep then put him in the cot as one side was down.

After a few weeks we put the side up of the cot and moved him further away from our bed. Gradual steps.

Then at 12-14 weeks I used to feed him and put him in his cot awake because by then he was used to his cot. He used to go to sleep because he associated my room with sleep.

At 6.5 months we moved his cot back to the nursery and he was pretty used to sleeping in the cot at this stage and slept okay in his room.

I did have a cot mirror in the cot which he used to play with before going to sleep. I think he thought there was another baby with him and he would always curl towards the mirror which was cute.

At night I used the slumber bee which projects stars on ceiling and plays soothing music and also waterfalls and heartbeat to mimic womb which I put on at night only so be knew it was his bedtime after bath.

Hope the above helps.

Sometimes baby did cry before sleeping but I wanted him to settle himself to sleep rather than associate milk, rocking or breastfeeding with sleep. It will pay off in the long run!!

By this time u can differentiate your LO cry if just making noise or whether really upset. I used to pick him up if he was really upset or cried longer than 5 mins. Gradually it reduced. Then he would cry when I put him in cot and I would say it is nap time or bedtime And walk out of room and he would make crying noises until I shut the door then a few seconds later he would just stop crying.

Just play it by ear that way you don't get stressed out as babies will pick up on that.

Sorry about the essay

Ps don't compare your two children, every child is different some sleep through early whilst others wake up.

Your LO is doing great if only waking up once a night at 1 am..... No harm in giving baby milk when they wake up, their stomachs are only tiny. Baby will give up night feed eventually.

My LO still used to wake up at 6 months at 1.30 for feed which I gave... Recently he been waking up at 3 pm and last night 4.50 pm.....if he wakes up and wants feed I still feed him as I know he will grow out of it and I would rather he had milk rather than go to sleep hungry.

my LO has his own routine. if he doesn't get his nap between 12-1 he let's us know he's moody same between 3-4 and if he's not in his cot by 7ish (depends on his naps during the day it can be later or earlier) he's one moody little man.

food wise. I feed him when he's hungry not when I tell him to feed.

My almost 5 month old has a sort-of routine that she fell into herself but other than that it's still a bit chaotic! I found this with my older DD too and it only really settled down when weaning was well established, as mealtimes gave some sort of structure to the day.

I agree it depends a lot on the individual child. I have friends who have one child that fitted perfectly into a routine early on, while the other child never did. Both of mine favoured the chaos route! I think it's harder with 2 DC as well. I don't want to deprive DD1 of her activities so that DD2 can have a set nap time. DD2 sort of has to sleep on the go!