How to get into a routine?
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My baby is 7 months old and still no routine :(
Yes follow wake windows for right now. Have a set bedtime routine so she’s knows it’s bedtime. My daughter is 4 months old and her longest nap is her second nap of the day with her last one being the shortest. She’ll decide the length of the naps but the wake windows for my little girl is 1.5-2 hours. I lay her down quite a bit as I have a toddler to deal with and if she starts fussing when I put her down that’s how I know she’s tired, otherwise she’s usually content just laying down on the carpet reaching for toys
Do not worry my son was 15 months before I really started a routine that was early but during the first year of his life it just wasn’t happening we lived like teenagers😂 i tried everything some babies just don’t want to sleep yet it’s a lot easier to sleep train when there abit older in my opinion took a week of being exhausted and he sleeps 8-8 now x maybe try a pink noise machine? baths before bed and reading a book and then no phones etc no screens 2 hours before bed - as in avoid using them around baby putting baby in bedroom for an hour together having a cuddle to bed but at 17 weeks i wouldn’t worry to much purely because teething will be starting and honestly some babies just don’t sleep when you want them to really it does get better though!
Following wake wake windows is not formal sleep training they are 2 separate things … Following the he wake windows will just allow you to start to have a routine so your baby knows what to expect and start to learn the routine and when it’s time to sleep etc so when/ if you start to sleep train at the appropriate time you will have an easier transition . Also helps them to not become over tired which in my opinion makes everything so much harder .
It’s hard for awhile and then it is constantly changing. I’d do at least a bedtime routine, that will get you started and get baby use to it too.
My LO is 6 months old and she has set her routine. She feeds when she wants and naps when she wants, these have sort of fallen into similar timeframes so then I now can gauge when to try achieve a chore at what time. Some days this is thrown out and we spend more time snuggling. When she is awake we have walks, dance, sing, do household chores etc and then she’ll soon tell me she’s ready for milk and a sleep.
Following their suggested wake windows for her she is a good place to start with trying to implement a routine For a 4 month old it’s suggested they nap every 1.5 - 2.5 hours . And eat every 2.5-3 hours ! So for example if they wake up at 8- feed 9:30 nap 11 feed : And so on … next nap would depend on when they wake up ! Shorter wake windows in the morning then gradually lengthen to the last wake window before bed bring 2.5 hours