From the minute MB was born everyone said “she needs to be on a schedule” or “get that baby on a schedule or you will be sorry later.” But no one tells you how to do this or that there are literally thousands of books and theories on schedules!
As a new mom this, for me, was VERY overwhelming! Even at two weeks old people were telling me that I was already setting us up for failure down the road because we had no schedule. Seriously? At two weeks I was barely sleeping and eating myself, yet I was supposed to find time to sit down and figure out a schedule that worked best for us and then start implementing it? Umm no way that’s happening!
I got so stressed out over the whole idea because it felt like no matter what I did I was failing. If I didn’t have a schedule I was creating issues down the line, yet when I tried to get us on a schedule MB never was able to fall into it; she’d wake up too late or not sleep very long, eat more than usual or not eat very much… it was always something so I was never on schedule and that just made me more frustrated with the transition into Mommyhood. I was so stressed out that I was in tears multiple times. I finally gave up and stopped worrying about it, I just followed her cues.
At around three months we started having napping and eating issues so I revisited the idea of a schedule, something to get us on a normal routine so that maybe her napping and eating would improve. I searched and searched but found that I liked parts of multiple styles of parenting and the schedules that were suggested by each, there wasn’t just one that stood out.
I found a lot of people recommend books like Babywise, The No-Cry Sleep Solution, The Happiest Baby on the Block, and Secrets of The Baby Whisperer. I tried to read them all but in reality I couldn’t do it. I ended up skimming most of them. Frankly Babywise was too structured even for myself so that one was out fairly quickly. The two that I found most helpful were The Happiest Baby on the Block and The Baby Whisperer.
The 5 S’s from The Happiest Baby on the Block were a life saver! I was shocked how well it worked to calm her down! (and side note: Swaddle blankets with the velcro were AMAZING for MB!) Also the “milkshake” burping technique was spot on!
When it comes to The Baby Whisperer I really like the idea of the E.A.S.Y. schedule. Mainly because it wasn’t really a “schedule” per-say, more like a routine that created predictability in our lives. Granted in the book she sets times so it can be used like a schedule (7am – Wake/eat, 8am activity..), but I just started it at whatever time we woke up in the morning rather than waking MB up if she slept past 7am.
The EASY schedule:
E- Eat
A- Activity
S- Sleep
Y- Your Time! (What?! Your time? aka ME time? I didn’t know this still existed!)
When we started this MB was 3 months old so we were on the “3 hour EASY” which basically meant that the schedule repeats every 3 hours or so. Don’t get caught up in the specific time, read your baby’s cues. This it how our days went most of the time:
A – 7:30 – Activity (Play mat, toys, books, stories…)
S – 8:30 – AM Sleepytime (aka 5 S’s Time from The Happiest Baby on the Block)
Y – 8:45 – Your Time (aka my attempted nap or cleaning time)
E – 10:00 – Feed
A – 10:30 – Activity
S – 11:30 – Mid Morning Sleepytime
Y – 11:45 – Your time
E – 1:00 – Feed
A – 1:30 – Activity
S – 2:30 – Afternoon Sleepytime
Y – 2:45 – Your time
E – 4:00 – Feed
A – 4:30 – Activity
S – 5:30 – Evening Sleepytime (usually a bit shorter or a catnap)
Y – 5:45 – Your time
E – 6:30 – 1st Cluster Feed
A – 7:00 – Activity
S – 7:30 – Bath then Story (our bedtime routine)
E – 8:00 – 2nd Cluster Feed
8:15/8:30 – Bedtime
Between 10-11 – Dream Feed (Dream Feed means you feed your baby while he/she’s asleep. Just pick up, feed, and back in crib. No talking or diaper changes and time your dream feed 2.5-4 hours after the final feeding of the day)
Now this was our general routine, some days we started at 6:00am and others not til 8:00am or even 9:00am. Don’t worry about what the clock says, it’s mainly the routine that you are teaching. It gives baby (and you) predictability of what come next.
I also want to mention that I did struggle to get through the book, there is a lot of stories and examples to back up her ideas and I frequently began skimming. I feared I may have missed a few points (I wanted to be sure I was implementing it correctly before I started) and googled a few things about it which led me to Noob Mommy. I have to say this was a great resource for me! Sure I had “read” the book, but Noob Mommy spelled it out for me! I bookmarked this page and frequently visited! I highly recommend you check Noob Mommy after you’ve read (or skimmed) the book, especially if you think this may work for you. Even if you aren’t keen on this schedule idea, check her out anyway!