typical day with 2 month old

73trix

Hi. Trying to establish a shadow of a routine now with our 2 month old. Interested in what works for others -mainly as regards sleep routine and naps. Do you bring baby back to his cot for naps or let him nap where you are if at home? We gave up on trying the naps in moses basket/bassinet when in living room during the day and now trying to put him in cot for naps. In morning it works but not sure about rest of the day. We had a v low base - baby who doesn't sleep during the day but then over tired which is a pain to manage.

I realise he is still v young but surely we should have a vague routine? what is your typical day? Thanks. I'm breastfeeding with one bottle formula at nite... whenever he takes it..that is...

Moonbeam

2 months is to young for a routine.
They eat when they are hungry and sleep when they are tired.
It is a great age because you can pretty much do and go where you want with them so you still have most of your freedom.

I would let mine nap in the bouncer/buggy/sling during the day and in their cot at night to keep the separation there for them.

Are you feeling ok? the first few weeks can be so tiring and draining.

Sligo1

We had absolutely no routine with out daughter for the first few months. Kind of had a night routine but no day routine whatsoever. She was exclusively breastfed aswell so during the day she just fed on demand. That could have been every 30 min or every 2,3 or 4 hours... There was absolutely no nap routine for the first 4-5 months either. At nighttime she was managing to go down around 10-11ish and waking for one breastfeed during the night. But I put that down to munching all day! Lol. 2 months is very early to implement any sort of routine... Especially if you're breastfeeding on demand.

How Strange

I 100% agree that 2 months is fat too soon for any routine or to try and make one. Let him sleep where he wants and don't restrict or isolate yourself at this time by trying to force a routine of napping in a cot or Moses basket.

Enjoy the freedom you have with one baby who is so young. You can go anywhere at this stage. Believe me it doesn't last long and in a few months you'll find yourself with a baby who will be cranky if his routine is broken.

Both of mine fell into a routine of their own making between 4-7 months. The only things I did were to put them to bed around 7-8pm from 11 weeks in my son and 16 on my daughter. That was more for my own sanity than anything else. Other than that I watched for the first signs of crankiness and I'd have them in the buggy, car or whatever as soon as possible to get them to nap. I did a lot of walking in the park or blanchardstown shopping centre with my son. My daughter preferred to nap lying on me.

monflat

To be honest the best thing is not to listen to what anyone else is doing your baby is part of you part of your oh and of course a person of their own.
So they will have their own little personality.
It takes a while to get to know each other.

Do you find the days long? Is there any mother and baby /mother and toddler group near you.
Would you try to meet up with other mothers.

However on our first we all think that other people's babies are "perfect " and sleep well and feed well etc.
However that's not always the case.

There are so many different stages in a baby /child development and each and every one of them can throw different challenges to us as parents.
Some babies are real quiet as babies but turn inside out as toddlers.
Some babies that are difficult to feed \settle can be quite good as toddlers.


However try not to focus too much on what others babies are like.
Or what us random strangers on boards are like

People don't always be honest!

Jerrica

Totally agree with what everyone has said, routines tend not to exist with a breastfeeding two month old! I think I managed to get a three hour routine going for all of a week with my little girl (almost four months now) which lasted all of a week and now that we're in leap 4 that's out the window! I think bottle fed babies tend to be able to get into a routine quicker but when they're feeding off the boob anything goes - some feeds are hunger, some are for comfort, usually it's a bit of both as and when it's needed.

The lack of routine can be a mixed blessing, you're not tied to a schedule but it's hard to plan in advance. The one thing we did try to get a routine around was bed time, and for the last three weeks she goes down pretty well between six and half six after a bath, book, and feed. Other than that we try and make sure she gets a sleep within an hour after waking, and then a morning., lunch and afternoon nap. Leap 4 has made those almost non existent though! If you're happy to don't be afraid to let your baby take the lead for now

firestarter51

we dont really have a routine for daytime, just feed him when he is hungry
normally breast fed, he tends to relaz while doing that and falls asleep, could be for 5 minutes or 3 hours, we never know, so we have a swing to put him in downstairs so he is secure and then the housework or cooking gets done
we take him up to his crib (basket is too small already) when we go to bed around midnight
he wakes once for a feed every night, sometimes twice rarely three times
too early to have a set nap time
friends ask us over and mam wants to go xmas shopping, uh hello small baby
he does love sleeping in the car though when we do go out

ariana`

In my experience, life gets much harder once baby is in a routine becase you're rushing home to get them to bed at naptime and trying to avoid going anywhere in the car/buggy coming close to naptime as you don't want them to fall asleep and ruin their nap. You're constantly planning the day around naps. I would enjoy this time while you've no routine and can come and go with baby as you please. Get out for lots of walks and let baby sleep in the pram, or go for coffee, meet friends, and hopefully baby will sleep through it in a sling or a pram. I know all babies are different but lots of babies sleep soundly in noisy cafes whereas at home getting them to sleep can be an uphill battle at times.

Mine both fell into a solid nap routine at around the 6mth mark, they did it by themselves to be honest. Before 6 mths they cat napped throughout the day and fed on demand. Around 6mth they fell into a 2 solid naps a day routine (one around 9am, and an afternoon nap), and then gradually at about 12-14mths the 2 naps turned to 1 long midday nap which lasted til 2.5-3yrs. Routines have there advantages but they tie you down as well.

Neyite

I remember trying a routine one day, at 9am I was so smug because we were still on track, by midday I was in tears at my perceived incompetence as a mother that I couldn't even get 5 hours of a routine down before it all went pear shaped.

The baby just resisted routine. Never did what the books said that babies should be doing.

So I abandoned it, and let us find our own rhythm. And I realised he DID have a routine - a pattern, just one that was unique to him. And once I fell into his routine, we were both a LOT happier and a lot less stressed. For instance, feeding was never an issue with him, I was grand on that score, but naps were short, sporadic and unpredictable. But when I logged his naps, I noticed that he slept between 30-40 mins, and would get about 1.5 hrs between naps, with his bedtime at 8pm.

So what I would suggest is, spend a few days noting the baby's demands as the are already - when they get hungry, when they want to sleep, recognise the cues and build a time line. You can maybe try to nudge the timings a little, but tbh, you wont get a baby to sleep when they are wide awake, but you could gradually work on bringing a nocturnal baby a bit more into line for instance by ensuring daytimes are in a daylight room with the telly or radio on or the washing machine going and night times from a preferred bedtime, there is dim lighting and minimum noise /distractions/ stimulations.

Above all, don't feel bad if your baby resists a routine. Its not something you can largely control sometimes.

pwurple

For me, the baby put me in a routine, rather than the other way around.

I tried to pay attention to when she was hungry, when she was tired, and wrote it down for a few days until I noticed a pattern. For example, she would get sleepy about 1.5 hours after waking up during the day, so I just noted time she woke and kept an eye on it. That gave me a general idea of a routine.

Naps, I don't like to be tied to the house, and I'm a big fan of fresh air, so she sleeps in buggy... usually outdoors.

73trix

Thanks all. I realise he is still v young but the main thing is how to manage naps and thus get a nap and a break myself and avoid walking the hall for hours with an overtired v cranky baby who doesn't sleep during the day. Yes he sleeps in car and buggy but don't want to rely on having to leave the house and sometimes I just a want to nap myself as he wakes regularly during the nite to feed so I'm wrecked during the day. Everyone says sleep when baby sleeps. That's all very fine if he sleeps at home. How do I sleep if I'm driving him around or walking the buggy? It ll get there in the end but I wondered how others manage.

Sligo1

73trix wrote: »

Thanks all. I realise he is still v young but the main thing is how to manage naps and thus get a nap and a break myself and avoid walking the hall for hours with an overtired v cranky baby who doesn't sleep during the day. Yes he sleeps in car and buggy but don't want to rely on having to leave the house and sometimes I just a want to nap myself as he wakes regularly during the nite to feed so I'm wrecked during the day. Everyone says sleep when baby sleeps. That's all very fine if he sleeps at home. How do I sleep if I'm driving him around or walking the buggy? It ll get there in the end but I wondered how others manage.

Does he ever fall asleep on the breast? My wee girl used to fall asleep on the breast and then I'd "very carefully" pop her into her Moses basket. Obviously we broke the falling asleep at the breast habit later on... But at 2 months they are so young and there's no harm in it?

ariana`

73trix wrote: »

Thanks all. I realise he is still v young but the main thing is how to manage naps and thus get a nap and a break myself and avoid walking the hall for hours with an overtired v cranky baby who doesn't sleep during the day. Yes he sleeps in car and buggy but don't want to rely on having to leave the house and sometimes I just a want to nap myself as he wakes regularly during the nite to feed so I'm wrecked during the day. Everyone says sleep when baby sleeps. That's all very fine if he sleeps at home. How do I sleep if I'm driving him around or walking the buggy? It ll get there in the end but I wondered how others manage.

Sleeping when the baby sleeps is great in theory but in my experience it doesn't really work, not in the early weeks anyhow, when typically you need it most, unless maybe with "textbook babies" but i know nothing about them :rolleyes:

Ok on your 1st you might get the odd nap/rest/break but once you're on your 2nd/3rd/4th you've no chance. There are too many jobs to be done and older kids to be looked after when/if the baby sleeps. But at least when you've just 1 young baby you can console yourself with a cuppa & biccy and they're usually happy just to look at you or mooch around in a bouncer or travel cot. It gets harder when you've a 2,3,4,5yr old and you're trying to smuggle a chocolate biscuit cos war world 3 will errupt if they even get a whiff of chocolate goodies

ariana`

Sligo1 wrote: »

Does he ever fall asleep on the breast? My wee girl used to fall asleep on the breast and then I'd "very carefully" pop her into her Moses basket. Obviously we broke the falling asleep at the breast habit later on... But at 2 months they are so young and there's no harm in it?

I did this on my 1st as well but he usually woke when i moved him so sometimes if i knew i could afford a wee nap myself i'd feed lying down in my bed and then when he'd fall asleep i'd just move a bit over and sleep myself. That brings back lovely warm fuzzy memories, sigh. Funny how you miss them when they're not babies are more, but it's so hard when you're living it.

It does get easier as the weeks tick by and the night feeds get less, you start to feel more human slowly.

73trix

Sligo1 wrote: »

Does he ever fall asleep on the breast? My wee girl used to fall asleep on the breast and then I'd "very carefully" pop her into her Moses basket. Obviously we broke the falling asleep at the breast habit later on... But at 2 months they are so young and there's no harm in it?

Yes he does. Forgot to say. Last nite I let him sleep there for ages but for me to get a lie down I'd love him to sleep off me an odd time too. Feeding him on the bed during the day might work on odd timex

Moonbeam

I only survived by sleeping when mine were sleeping.
Is there something bothering the baby that is making him upset and cry?

73trix

Moonbeam wrote: »

I only survived by sleeping when mine were sleeping.
Is there something bothering the baby that is making him upset and cry?

It's only in the evenings he gets cranky but we believe he is overtired if didn't sleep much that day. He doesn't cry otherwise unless hungry and that s quickly sorted. He will nap on me/ in buggy/ when I drive him. I would like him to sleep in cot/ bassinet even for an hour a day so I could nap but he's not keen. He hated moses basket from day one. I guess my main issue is trying to get h I m to nap independently...sometimes! He likes being held and carried as they all do. Not keen being put down!

Neyite

73trix wrote: »

It's only in the evenings he gets cranky but we believe he is overtired if didn't sleep much that day. He doesn't cry otherwise unless hungry and that s quickly sorted. He will nap on me/ in buggy/ when I drive him. I would like him to sleep in cot/ bassinet even for an hour a day so I could nap but he's not keen. He hated moses basket from day one. I guess my main issue is trying to get h I m to nap independently...sometimes! He likes being held and carried as they all do. Not keen being put down!

When my guy was like that, occasionally I used to secure him in the sling, and doze in the rocking chair with my feet up. Not exactly a nap, but I was taking anything I could get those days!

What I will say though, is, it WILL pass. I'd say you'll start to see things kind of fall into place soon, it happened for me between 2 & 3 months. My lad's biggest nap was the morning one - 9am, so I'd make sure I didn't have coffee /get out of pj's and the second he nodded off, I was into that bed like a shot with the phone on silent!

He would usually do an hour long one then, whereas the later ones in the afternoon were usually shorter - anything from 20 mins to 40 mins but invariably only 20 on the days I was utterly shattered by 2pm!

By about 3 months, though he was still not napping, it was more regular and I was getting that 9am nap, then we'd be up and out and about by 11 for the day.

Another way of coping was to feed the baby as normal on the bedtime feed, say around 8 then let Dad give the dream-feed around 11 - either expressed or formula, and let yourself go to bed early to get a good run at sleep before the night feeds begin. My sister did that and it worked well for her. She would go to bed around 8.30 and the first wake she got was around 2 sometimes even 4.

livinsane

It can be so frustrating. Sometimes it can take you so much energy to get the baby to sleep, you don't benefit from it at all!

My tips are:

If it doesn't take long to put the baby to sleep in the buggy, push him outside the house and go straight back inside once he falls asleep. Sometimes I would push my son around the back garden so I could leave him outside and watch him from the kitchen. He slept a bit better out in the fresh air where there was a nice level of background noise.

If using the car to put him to sleep, work out a nearby destination that is nice to park at, and that you know he will be asleep by. Bring a book and some food and try to relax why he sleeps.

Feeding to sleep in the bed was the best way for me to get some sleep. I still do it at 13 months. I find it very hard to switch off and go to sleep even when I am wrecked but I find nursing to be great for relaxing me as well as him.

pwurple

When i needed a nap myself, I walk around the outside of the house til they are asleep in the buggy. As soon as the eyes are closed, park buggy by sofa. Zzzzzz for me.

madeinamerica

It is so reassuring to read these posts.

My guy is 13 weeks today and really I'm just going by what he wants, have been from the start. Babies develop their own rhythms in time, there isn't much point in forcing it too early as they just biologically can't do it. I kind of just accepted that it was going to be tough for a while but it will pass, and I think it made it easier to cope with. There is a bit of a pattern emerging now.

On the 'sleep when baby sleeps', I find it impossible. I've been able to do that successfully only twicebn 13 weeks, despite trying a few times. I just can't switch off to sleep during the day and there is always something else to do (boards posts to be read etc!).

I heard a tip at my breastfeeding group yesterday: if baby doesn't like sleeping on a flat mattress, roll up a long towel and put it underneath the mattress sheet in a 'U' shape, the put baby into the 'U' with heels towardsvthe bottom of the 'U', taking care that it isn't up as far as his face. They said it would kind of create a feeling of being nestled rather than being flat out on a mattress.

madeinamerica

I hope the images come up OK...
A friend who works in sleep research gave me this card. This is an image of the first 26 weeks of an infant's life. Each line across is 2 days, black lines are sleep, dots are feeding. White is awake. It's the pattern of one baby from an old study that asked new mothers to track their babies. So if your baby has no routine at 2 months, you are not alone but it gets better!

(The second image is the reference.)

newtoboards

The best thing we did for our son was to introduce a daytime/nighttime routine; this is not for everyone but it made him more calm. He had reflux and vomited a lot which was made way worse by over-tiredness; I don't like to remember that time with all the crying as it nearly broke me.
We also introduced sleep aids at 8 weeks so a little routine was established around sleepy time (ours was into a dark room, nappy change, quick story, starlight music thing, dodi and me out the door). This meant that I was tied to the house rather than him sleeping in buggy or car unless he was awake but it paid off for us and he still gets sleepy if we start changing his nappy in his room as he thinks he's off to bed.

So this is what I did:
I first learned how long my son lasted without sleep (at that stage it was at most an hour and a half) and then ensured to put him down before he got overtired - I didn't even wait for a yawn as by then it was too late for him.
I then would have to wake him if he didn't wake himself an hour to an hour and a half during the day due to the reflux as we had to have small feeds every 2.5/3 hours at most during the day (the nonsense that you never wake a sleeping baby doesn't apply when you have a baby screaming because he's hungry and the very thing supposed to make him feel full was making him sick so yes I woke my son and I was happy to do it).
Every evening he was bathed 7 and in bed by 7.30 and we fed him then and then a dream-feed. He would then go for a big stretch of sleep (about 4/5 hours) and feed again and then go till morning (morning being any time after 6).

As he has gotten older I have stretched out the gap between sleeps and we're now down to one sleep. That all goes out the window though if he's sick as he needs as much sleep as he needs.

73trix

My fab little guy has just slept from 12-6am! ! I'm stunned! Hopefully the start of better sleeps for mammy although we did have a very busy day yest, the mite! :-)