I Need a Schedule!!!!

I also read Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and really liked it. It gives you plans for each stage of your child's development and tells you what is appropriate to expect at each age. With my son, this book has always been spot-on in describing what he was going through at each stage. My son is a great sleeper now and was sleeping through the night from an early age (I believe, thanks to the book. And when I say "sleeping through the night, this just means sleeping a 7 or 8 hour stretch at around 3-4 months).

I know in my case, I was so overwhelmed by the lack of sleep and exhaustion of being a new parent that I had no idea (or energy) how to come up with any plan to get my son to sleep better. The book helped me formulate a schedule and I really think that CONSISTENCY is the biggest key in getting your baby to sleep better. Come up with a plan that works for you (either using the book, or just on your own) and then just stick with it. After a week, you'll be amazed at the difference. I think at three months, it's still reasonable to expect to get up a couple of times a night for feedings, however, you can start feeding at regular intervals and gradually moving toward more predictable naps of longer duration.

Good luck - the first few months are SO hard, but you'll get through it!

Only you can answer the question if it's too early or not to put your son on a schedule. I put our third kid on a schedule when he was about 5 months old (and I loved it!). There is a book called BabyWise; you may have to order it off of Amazon.com because I am not sure it is in print anymore. However, you will have to take what you want out of it when you read it. There were things in the book I didin't necessarily agree with, but it was a HUGE help in getting me started toward a schedule.

The premise is: nap, eat, play, nap, eat, play - so that your child doesn't need to nurse/bottle feed to eat - this was a huge lifesaver and I wish I would have done this for all three of our kids.

Good luck
R.

Hi D.,
I HIGHLY recommend reading "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth to understand biological sleep rhythms and how to sync them with naps and bedtimes. I started using his methods with my daughter, now 3 yrs old, since she was born with terrific success. Dr. Weissbluth is a pediatrician of 30+ yrs with extensive experience in sleep. Every baby's rhythms evolve/mature at different rates and his book helps you identify them. One of the BIGGEST mistakes Dr. Weissbluth says parents make is putting children to bed at night too late. At 3 months old, my daughter was waking up around 6:30-7am, morning nap around 9am, early afternoon nap at 1pm, quick afternoon nap at 4pm and asleep for the night by 7pm. When I noticed her taking a longer late nap I eliminated it and moved her bedtime to 6pm. Some babies this age need to be put back to bed after no more than 2 hours of wakefulness though. For me, the biggest clue that I was putting her down to sleep at the right times was that she would go right to sleep with little or no protesting. Dr. Weissbluth's advice really works and he gives other options besides letting them cry it out. I suggest skipping the intro at first, unless you have some time, as it can be a little dry but explains about sleep rhythms and the need for quality/restorative sleep. I would L. to give you some more tips on his methods if you want to email me.
Sincerely,
L.

I'm with Rhonda - "On Becoming BabyWise" saved me. It's a quick read and very easy to implement. You'll wish you'd done it from day one! (I used this method with my youngest and she slept through the night at a month old - it was so wonderful!) Funny, when I told my grandmother (mother of 7) about this method, she looked at me like I was crazy and told me that that was how EVERYONE raised their kids prior to the 70's. She pointed out that in those days nobody had issues with babies' sleep schedules, and I guess that was why! Who knew! Anyhow, good luck and enjoy sleeping through the night. =)

3 months old is kinda early in my opinion. My son is almost 5 months and is just now starting to get into a routine. At 3 months they are just about to hit another growth spurt and you will feel like your work is all being undone. You sound like you're a type A personality! Just try to relax and let things happen! Enjoy motherhood! :)

I don't think it is too early to start moving towards a feeding schedule and then in about a month start working toward a napping & sleeping schedule. At 3 months my daughter was sleeping through the night (8+ hours) and by 5 months around 11 hours. It can be done with a lot of consistency. They usually have to be a certain weight to sleep that long. At around 3-4 months old I fed my daughter at 9AM, Noon, 3PM, 6PM & 9PM and she was happy and healthy. At around 5 months she was on a 9-11 and 1-3 nap schedule and often a 5-6 nap. She cut down to only 2 naps at around 6 months. I think the biggest problem people have with getting their babies to be good sleepers is feeding them to sleep. The baby never learns to soothe itself back to sleep. I think 3-4 months is a good time to start developing habits that you want your baby to have. By 6 months old it gets more difficult to establish routines, because babies become more aware of whats going on.
Good Luck

I hate to be the one to say it but you may be wasting your time trying to put him on a scheldule right now. My son wass 7 months before he took to any kind of a schedule. Particulary if you are breast fedding. It sucks but that is feed on demand. I tryed every book out there and ever method suggested to me but nothing worked. It was not until he was weened and eating sold foods 4 times a day that he started to sleep good. So i wish you teh best of luck and hope it really really reallly works out for you but be perpared if it does not.
A.