Did you inforce routines?

Did you inforce your routine or did you let your baby make there own? I am interested because i am not sure if i should make a routine happen or let them do what they want.
Thanks shelly.

I have had to with my first but my second just followed his routine and my third has made her own. They are happy and so am I so I don't bother being too strict.

Hi Shelly

I have used a routine as much as possible with my 6 month old, but I'm not so strict that its inflexible. For example, from about 2 weeks of age, after Olivia would wake up in the morning and have her breastfeed, we would go for a pram ride up to my favourite cafe (25minute walk) have a capuccino then head home. That was my exercise and sanity check for the day. I would then follow the feed, play , sleep routine for 3 more rounds until it was about 5.15pm when we would go downstairs and ALWAYS have bath, pyjamas, breastfeed, sleep at 6ish.

It was good that Olivia knew what was going on and what to expect (particularly at the end of the day) but it was also good for me to know how to organise my time and when to make appointments etc. Olivia would call the shots in terms of when she would wake up (sometimes 6 am,sometimes 6,30...) but i would then work around that.

hope this is helpful
susan

I had a routine with my first as she was bottle fed and I didnt want to 'waste' too much formula as she needed the most expensive one around. but with my second who is 7 months old and breastfed she doesnt have a routine but sometimes she makes her own for a few days then changes so I just go with the flow and it is more convinent for me because we can work around my toddlers activities

they do need a basic routine to form some boundaries, but you can still be flexible... if we're home, the children have their regular sleeps (my baby has one in morning and one in arvo, & toddler has one in arvo), but if we're out, we make do with what we can.... night time is usually the same - unless like i said we aren't home to do it.

i went with the flow to start with because i am a first time mum and didnt completely know where to start (or finish for that matter) i gradually worked out what his routine was and then went from there.

It is much strickter the older he has gotten. As i realise anything out of the ordinary much sooner and can cope better when i know what has gone on.

Hope this helps