Do I need a routine for a 4 month old if he sleeps through the night anyway?

[onedaysoonish]

There is so much literature about routines and how important they are but from what I can see most of it is with the aim of getting the baby to sleep through the night. DS started sleeping through the night at ten weeks and has done so every night since. we don't have a routine during the day with set times for things - should we? Are there other benefits ?

Thank you in advance!

Do what works for you; sleeping through at 10 weeks is brilliant!

Routines are to serve your needs, not the other way round! If you’re getting on well playing it by ear there’s no need to change things, especially with so young a baby. You may find as he gets older that a routine benefits you but for now I wouldn’t worry about fixing something that isn’t broken!

Thank you both!

Mine did not sleep through the night (though there is a golden period for sleep between about 9-14 weeks!), but we didn't ever do strict routines. I just followed their natural patterns and also changed things according to what we were doing any given day. I'm not a fan of strict routines. The only people I know who've used them were very stressed out by them. We have a friend now with a 1.5 year old who can't even leave the house or see friends or go for a walk and a coffee because she is so strict about keeping to a routine. I think it's only beneficial and healthy if it works for you and makes it easier for you to enjoy time with your baby. No reason to have one just for the sake of it.

Mine slept through the night 10 hours long from 4 weeks until 4 months. Then she started waking every 2 hours 😂. We didn't have a routine until she needed one. You're doing great, but don't bank on the sleep staying the same, there are so many phases!

Just go with the flow! You’re doing great. My DS is only just into a proper routine now and he’s 10months and that is his routine not ours. They will get themselves into one naturally from my experience x

Having a lose routine does help especially with stopping them getting over tired.

My experience is that it can change in a drop of a hat with sleep regressions so it's always good to have a bit of something so it's easier to get them back on track.

I may be in the minority here but re sleep and routine. The sole goal is not to sleep through the night. The sole goal is to give the baby enough sleep in 24 hours so he is happy and develops right.

Brain needs sleep to develop. Sleeping through is amazing, mine sort of does but what I keep to is enough sleep in 24 hours so not awake too long not to be overtired etc. Routines help with this (because the awake window is always X hence you do get into a routine).

That being said I am not and I never was a slave of a routine so my both sleep in a sling, in a pram, on me, in a cot, travel cot (and other locations that I rather won't mention :-D ) ...wherever needed at the moment so I can have a normal(ish) life.

I've got two - the one who had the routine is a horrible sleeper and the one who didn't is a good sleeper. Do what works for you.

I think I only started doing a proper routine when my baby became more active and alert in the world and needed more stimulation - a bed time routine filled the time and gave us an “activity”! Like around 5 months ish I think. Did a nice long playful bath, reading / singing / last feed etc. i think just go with the flow and you will get a sense of what works for you. My daughter is a child that goes hyperactive when tired and as she has gotten older, the routine has helped I think, in that it’s predictable and she knows what is expected of her at every stage. I think she feels pretty out of control and overwhelmed when she’s tired and the routine gives her structure. I wouldn’t worry too much with young babies but toddlers certainly benefit from routines.

Thank you so much everyone - really appreciate the wisdom!! I think we will keep things as they are for now - I know we're probably due a sleep regression at some point but will stick with what is working until then

@onedaysoonish out if interest is your dc formula fed?

*of

I never had a routine and they all thrived!

@Ahnowcomon yes he is!

I didn’t have a routine at that age; by 6 months my DD had fallen into a routine of when she slept and had feeds so it made it a bit easier and with introducing food you naturally form a routine

My dd was sleeping through at 12 weeks.....yes there were variations on her sleep pattern , and she never really napped in the day, though I wished she had. I just can't do strict routines! you are doing fab!

I never did a routine as such and mine all slept through 8 hours or so by about 7 or 8 weeks and 12 hours by 12 weeks. The only thing I did do was get them dressed every morning and ready for bed every night, kept the room dark and silent overnight and moved them as far across the room as I could by about 6 weeks!!

I had a mild and very annoying sleep regression with the youngest when she was about 10 months but it only lasted about 3 weeks.

There are a lot of scaremongerers on baby websites about how it is the norm for babies not to sleep well til 1, or nasty jibes about sleep regressions around every corner if you DARE say you have a good sleeper before about school age 🤪 but the reality is that the majority of babies settle into a copable routine by about 12 weeks and stay there the majority of the time. It just tends to be that those parents don't go onto sleep forums!! Keep doing what you're doing it, and enjoy it!

Don't fix what's not broken!