What is your daily routines like? - Pregnancy and Par...

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What is your daily routines like?

littlebean profile image
12 Replies

Hi ladies, I just wondered what your daily routines are like? Mine & my LOs seems to revolve around his feeds & naps & feel like not alot else. We normally get up around 7 & he gets his morning bottle then I have breakfast & after that give him his porridge. Then he would be due a nap 3 hours later around 10, can sleep for up to two hours then bottle, my lunch his lunch & he's due another nap around 3 hours after he gets up & then same repeated for dinner then bed between 7-8. He does not sleep if we're out & about unless its driving so I feel abit trapped in the house & down mood wise. Just wanted an idea of what other mummy's do & wondered should I not leaving a gap between bottles & meals. He takes most of his 8oz bottles 4 times a day & 3 spoon Feds a day. Am I over feeding?

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littlebean profile image
littlebean
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12 Replies
cheekymonkey3791 profile image
cheekymonkey3791

How old is he? He naps well doesn't he, are you homebound everyday with this routine? x

littlebean profile image
littlebean

He's nearly 7 months old, yes im pretty restricted but I don't know if I'm doing something wrong. It's kinda getting to me abit I feel like we never get out of the house & I feel myself getting down. He's getting alot better on the sleep front but only downside is he does really sleep unless he's at home in his cot.

cheekymonkey3791 profile image
cheekymonkey3791 in reply to littlebean

Of course your not, you do what fits best with him as an individual, can you find time in your routine to get you out and about more, even just for a daily walk especially with the warm weather upon us (well nearly). What time does he normally go down for afternoon nap, you said 3 hours after he gets up so what about 2 or 3pm? If I were you with the routine the way it is I would pick some nice days this week to go off with him and have a picnic at the park, finger foods for you both and his bottle, let him go on the swings....etc....you should have that 2-3 hour window to do this and might make you feel better. Have you friends with babies maybe similar age that could join you?

When I do solid feeds with my little man, we eat at the same time, spoon for him, spoon for me...sandwiches, pitta's, snacks for lunch so again we eat together. We did our 1st picnic at the park last week :-)

littlebean profile image
littlebean

I think I'm going to have to plan stuff for the afternoon & see how it goes. I'm wondering if maybe I should cut back on one of his bottles & plan to eat on the go & see how his naps work out. I think the benefits of that for me & him will out weigh the upset to his routine.

cheekymonkey3791 profile image
cheekymonkey3791 in reply to littlebean

My LO is 8 months today and he is EBF and slow on the uptake with the weaning. The HV last week said I should be BF 5 times in 24 hours and then 3 solids (+ 2 snacks - which I forget as not really settled into this routine yet as in the throws of sleep training so a bit up in the air). Have you weighed recently?

We get out most days...I go stir crazy being indoors for too many days back to back so I am thankful for the good weather I have gone for some real long walks in lovely green belt locations, I do have home days too as it does him good to be home in familiar surroundings doing 'regular' boy stuff and playing, its about balance I guess :-)

My LO will sleep in the car or buggy but naps his average 40 minutes so I work around them, plan my journeys for him to rest so he normally naps mid morning and early afternoon

littlebean profile image
littlebean

No I think I'll take him to get weighed on mon at baby clinic & talk to the HV there about his milk intake. Do you leave a gap between BF & solid food to allow him to be ready for the solid or do you offer the solid first & then BF to top up? We are just moving off puréed food now to lumpy food & he is taking alot longer with his meals as just getting used to the texture & moving it around his mouth.

cheekymonkey3791 profile image
cheekymonkey3791 in reply to littlebean

He has a milk (BF) then about an hour later solids and yes feeding does take time, we have not done puree but baby led finger family foods and textured/lumpy foods from 6 months.

I am trying to do as follows as a rough routine once the nights sorted out...and this is based purely on me reading his tired/hungry signals.

7am BF

8am Solid Breakfast

Between 10-10.30 goes down for Morning Nap (40 mins ish which is one sleep cycle)

11/11.30 BF

12.30 Solid Lunch

Between 14-15.00 goes down Afternoon Nap (40-60 mins ish)

When wakes BF ~ 15.30

17.00 Solid Dinner

19.00 Bedtime Routine and BF

19.45 Asleep (usually like clockwork)

At the moment I am allowing 1 feed overnight if he wakes no earlier then 2am but HV said he should sleep through until 4am really before needing a feed but she does not know my child. I really need to get 5 BF's in the day to sustain him in the night.

Milk is still their primary source of nutrition up until 1 year and solids secondary so always offered later. The HV I spoke to said see their feed time as an extention to their playtime and don't work yourself up too much, everything happens in their own good time....Archie is very keen to eat what I have (whish is usually not suitable) and to mimic me eating as that's how he learns (very monkey planet like haha) ;-)

Lovestar profile image
Lovestar

I feel your pain littlebean! It does seem to take up half the day just feeding Lo doesn't it?! I've tried to approach the whole parenting thing in a relaxed freestyle way so on days when I want to go out I feed her, bath her, take my shower and get ready etc then feed her again - the out we go! I mostly breastfeed but I always take a bottle of formula out with me too incase she isn't satisfied with a breastfeed whilst out. I live in the centre of town so I normally go for a bit of a power walk through town, I normally have some sort of errand to run (go to the bank or post office etc). My LO is usually awake throughout our outing and when she gets hungry I head to my nearest 'breastfeeding place' eg baby room in Boots, breastfeeding pods in shopping centre, disabled toilet in M&S etc. I know it's difficult and extremely stressful but my advice would be to just go out when you want and where you want and LO will have to fit into your routine instead of the other way round. I personally have chosen not to have a routine so that LO is adaptable to different situations - everyday is unique (some are plain sailing and some are stressful as hell!) Don't be hard on yourself, plan a short outing to start with and progress from there :)

littlebean profile image
littlebean

Thanks ladies, I really appreciate the advice, I think I've been over focusing on getting him moved onto food cos I'm due to go back to work soon & wanted the majority of it done before he has to go to childcare. It sounds like you are both alot more relaxed about it & I think I'll try to do that & work weaning around my plans and not the other way about. I am grateful for the help x

cheekymonkey3791 profile image
cheekymonkey3791 in reply to littlebean

Glad to have helped, bubs is awake so looks like my night shift is starting...might be the windy stormy weather! x

mummymummy profile image
mummymummy

Yeah try and get out a couple of days a week. .. Have u been to ur children's centre they do loads of stuff for lo's ... our routine is all over the place tbh I find it hard to get a good time to put him to bed of I do it before my boys they can play up at bed time and wake him up but if I do it after then I have to do it so he doesn't wake them up which is feeding u go till he is asleep! :(

hey, my son is 8 months and in last few days we have stopped breastfeeding but our day is

7.30 wake up and bottle,

8.30 breakfast, play till 9.30/10 then a nap till 12ish, lunch then a play or whatever till 3ish then bottle and a nap at about 3.30 till 5ish then dinner, play till 6.30 then bath, another little play till 7.45 then bed and bottle. I try to go out everyday even if to a play date with friends, I work shifts so am finding new groups to go to as the one I went to was on a Wednesday and not always poss to go, xx

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