Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Scheduling a Routine

So Blueberry (aka Squirmy) decided that 6:15 was a great time to wake up and be sociable this morning. How does one explain to a two month old that she needs to be quiet and go back to sleep? Yeah, that's what I thought. You don't.

So it's now 6:45 and she is wiggling and wiggling beside me, albeit beginning to look a bit sleepy again--good, maybe she's changed her mind on this whole 6am is a suitable time to wake up in the morning idea.

All the "experts" say that it's good for babies to be in routines. And while I can logically agree with that sentiment, I would beg the question of how, exactly, does one get a baby into a routine.

I've been trying to keep a close eye on her own natural patterns. And yes, she kind of has some; however, she does keep switching up her own clock and schedule (like today!). And second, just because I want her to go to bed (or nap) at a certain time (and even if she looks and is acting sleepy), we can do all the routine in the world but it doesn't mean she wants to go to sleep at that time. And as she is a very sociable little girl who wants to be involved in whatever is going on, if I insist that she lay down for bed prior to her deciding that she's really willing to quit fighting sleeping, all we do is wind up with a shrieking, sobbing child and a frustrated (and sometimes sobbing) mommy!

And can someone please explain to me how one is supposed to fit vital things in life like grocery shopping and dentist appointments into a baby's routine? Because, so far, I'm not quite sure how to make that work.

Generally, I've been going shopping in the morning. Well, as she no longer will be obliging and sleep anywhere and everywhere, it means she's not getting her morning naps. Which means she comes home over tired and even less likely to take a good afternoon nap! Which, then, leads to an afternoon of, well, crankiness.

I'm going to attempt to do the shopping this afternoon instead of in the morning today and see if that helps....Figuring out how to mesh everything is definitely a lot more challenging than I ever thought.

3 comments:

HAPTeach said...

Awww. It takes a lot to figure everything out and basically it could all change in a month! Don't force the issue of going grocery shopping or to appointments until you feel more at ease doing so. Brian and I used to (and sometimes still do) go grocery shopping as a family. This way if one gets fussy then we have each other to help out. It takes a lot of rearranging and testing but you CAN do it :)

Hillery said...

all I can say is : I understand, completely. Suggestion, have someone watch her for one morning for vital errands if possible. The sleeping thing is just what it is.

almamater said...

Everything is in such flux at this stage. It is a difficult age to nail down to a schedule or routine. You will grow into routines as BB gets older and the phases don't change so quickly. Having a flexible outlook to the day will keep you both happy.

That said, I do better with knowing JuJu will take a nice morning nap if I get her up first thing rather than nursing her back to sleep so I can lay in bed longer. It is hard for me, but I am grateful when she lays down for the nap mid-morning. I find this really sets the tone for the day. Frustrating is: she keeps ending up with a late afternoon/early evening nap and then staying up way too late at night. I am working on that one. So, you see, it is an ongoing challenge, different with each baby and ever so fluid.

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