Am I being OTT with charting bottle fees and naps?

[LittleLemonPie]

Hi! Not sure this is the correct topic but can’t find one closer to this topic.

As a 2nd time mum to youngest of 5 month old I like to note when my little one has had a bottle and how much and to note how long a nap he’s had so then roughly know when he will next need another nap and make sure he is getting enough daytime sleep as he’s a cat napper etc

Ive done this every day since he was born it feels ingrained into me now but it sometimes is very mentally draining. Ive been using the huckleberry app now for the last couple weeks to try out. I like to know how much oz he’s had over the day etc.

Im not rigid with a routine as such, we have been flexible if we’ve been out with family but I still note the feeds/naps etc.

Im I draining myself? Does anyone else do this? My husband seems to say I don’t need to remember or chart all this stuff because our little one will tell me when he’s tired/hungry. which of course he would but I don’t know if I would just feel anxious if I can’t remember things

Does anyone just go with the flow without physically noting feeds and charts? And it all works out fine?
Am I being OTT? Should I just trust in he’s healthy and gaining weight well and let it go?

Thanks for reading 😊

If you find it draining why do it? Your husband doesn’t feel he needs it and the baby is oblivious, it’s literally just for your preference so if it’s not helping anymore stop doing it. There’s zero benefit to it, particularly for your baby.

We did similar for the first 4-6 weeks or so. Ds was small so we wanted to keep a record of what he was eating.
We did start tonrelax as he got older and was putting on weight and growing well.
We didn't track sleep as we just slept when he was tired (very chilled baby).

You'll probably find that you will cause yourself extra worry and stress if you continue to track sleep and try and predict wake windows over the next few weeks/months as things change and sleep during the day changes/reduces lots from about 5 months onwards.

I used to do this when my DC were babies but I didn't find it draining. If it bothers you then maybe your husband is right and you should stop? How often do you actually check back on the details after noting them?

I used to write down the time of every feed and how much they had. I liked doing it because it helped me see when the next feed was due and also roughly how much milk they were having. I did it all the way until they basically stopped having milk. If it’s useful to you then I don’t see anything wrong with it, but if you don’t want to do it then don’t.

I just liked to know he was getting the recommended amount of milk in 24hrs that’s why I just liked noting it as I was anxious about him not having enough fluids. So in some ways it put my mind at ease knowing he wasn’t falling short but at the same time it is draining.
I guess it’s probably more common to kept note at the start when they are very little….. think I’ve just fell into a habit of doing it without realising until I’m feeling mentally worn out.
You’re right there is no benefit to my baby by me doing it.

I don’t know why I feel so much anxiety about not keeping note of everything 😢

Thank you @ThatGreenFawn @ToKittyornottoKitty for replying.

I check his milk total every night for that day, the app has a timer to start and stop for their naps so I find myself always going on that too to log his naps about 4 times a day.
Maybe I should just use it roughly or just go back to noting it in the notes app on my phone.
I found myself doing it more because for a while I was finding his cues hard to read.
Thank you for your reply.

Yeah that’s exactly why I do it too. I just like seeing instead of guessing.
My husband has said to me today that I’m obsessing and that he will just tell me when he’s hungry/tired. So I just wondered if anyone else did it or if he was right in saying I’m obsessing.
Thank you for your reply.

I personally wouldn't log feeds for any longer than necessary or nappies unless there's any issues like constipation. I loved that I logged all my DS's sleep though, having that recorded was so helpful when trying to get him to sleep better. I could see he had lots of night wakes after too long a nap for instance and slept better with a shorter one.

Just do whatever works for you :)

I never started because I knew for me it would cause more worry than it would solve. I think that is the key for me - is the information helpful for you or a hindrance to your emotional wellbeing.

At think at 5 months you could drop it now. Your baby will be weaning soon and should be on a schedule for naps now.

when mine were young I would keep daily time records of any meds when they were ill because DH and I would switch caring for them during the day and that stopped over dose etc,

If it’s draining you, stop.
I did this with my second for the first 48 hours just while I was getting my bearings after an exhausting labour but then she just let me know when she was tired or wanted milk.

Baby will have days where they’re not as hungry/more hungry/poorly etc. and you may panic looking at the charts rather than baby’s overall behaviour and health and it could spiral into an unhealthy obsession.

We had to do this for the first 12 weeks of DD1s life as she didn't gain weight very fast, so how many oz, how often, poops and wees (not sleep though). We did this for months, and if we left her with my parents or sister, they also did it.

We found the scraps of paper when I was pregnant with DD2 (5 years later) and laughed at how neurotic we were. But ultimately it was a sign of how anxious we were and really wasn't very healthy mentally for either of us.

With DD2 we were lucky that she didn't need any intervention and it was SO much more relaxed, she ate what she ate. The different in our mental health and then that translating into the home environment was massive.

Unless you HAVE to track babies feeds due to slow growth or another health reason I would really try and stop, you don't realise how much it affects you until later.