Discover the virtues of organization by reading this article by a mother of three. Advice and concrete examples here for those who are going through a second maternity! Or a third!
With only one baby, there is little need to make a daily schedule. They get used to any schedule, sleep in the stroller, in the car, in their swing. But together, we quickly discover the virtues of the schedule! This makes it possible to plan a time for each thing and for each person.
From three months, the routine gradually sets in and we finally manage to breathe a little better even if baby takes up most of our time. This is when it is easier to make a schedule. If you don't have a routine yet, it's not too late to start!
By creating a schedule, you make sure to devote time to each child and reserve some for yourself (and your boyfriend!). This also reassures the child since he knows that he will be en titled to a period of time with his beloved mother. We can also plan a moment alone with baby (other than at night, of course!) to continue the discovery of this little being.
To prepare a schedule, the ideal isobserve and record baby's feeding and waking times for 4 to 7 days. This will give you a good idea of the natural routine that has already taken hold in your little family.
Do not plan too many outings during this period as you may bias the results.
Here are two sample routines and schedules at 3 months and 6 months.
Baby 3 months
Time Routine
| 24:30 | Drink | ||
| 4:30 | Drink | ||
| 6:30 a.m. | Drink |
6:30 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. |
Drink |
|
7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. |
Get up and eat lunch |
||
|
8:30 to 10:00 |
Sports activity with child and baby (take a walk, slide, shovel, go to the park, play ball, etc.) |
||
| 10 o'clock | Drink |
10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. |
Drink then baby nap |
|
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
Nap | 10:30 a.m. |
Child snack |
|
11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. |
Quiet activity for mother and child (crafts, drawing, reading, etc.) |
||
|
11:45 to 12:00 |
Prepare dinner |
||
|
12 to 12:30 |
Dinner | ||
| 12:45 |
Child nap |
||
|
12:45 p.m. to 2 p.m. |
Time for mom and to tidy up |
||
| 2 p.m. | Drink |
2 p.m. to 2:30 |
Baby wake up and drink |
|
14 30 to 3:30 |
Games with baby |
||
| 3:30 PM |
Child's alarm clock and snack |
||
|
3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
Child and baby activity |
||
| 4:30 p.m. | Drink | 4:30 p.m. |
Drink then baby nap |
|
4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. |
Nap | 5 p.m. |
Supper preparation |
| 5:30 PM | Drink | 5:30 PM |
Baby wake up and drink |
|
6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. |
Dinner | ||
|
6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. |
Family games or bathtime |
||
|
7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. |
Adult activity with the child and bedtime routine |
||
| 7:30 PM | Drink | 7:30 PM | Drink |
| 9 PM | Drink | 9 PM | Drink |
| 9:30 PM | Sleep | 9:30 PM | Bedtime baby |
| 11:30 PM | Drink |
For the adult activity, you can put baby in his bed for a period of 15 minutes so that mom and dad are both available. Dad can also do one or two special evenings, alone with his child.
6 month old baby
Routine |
Schedule | ||
| 5 hrs | Drink | ||
|
7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. |
Get up and eat lunch |
||
|
8:30 to 9:00 |
Quiet activity with child and baby |
||
| 9 o'clock | Drink |
9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. |
Drink |
|
9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. |
Sports activity with child and baby (take a walk, go to the park, play ball, etc.) |
||
|
10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. |
Nap |
10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. |
Nap baby Quiet activity for mother and child (crafts, drawing, reading, etc.) |
|
11:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. |
Prepare dinner |
||
|
11:45 to 12:15 |
Mom and Kid Dinner |
||
| 12:30 |
Drink and Dine |
12:30 |
Baby wake up and drink |
| 12:45 |
Child nap and baby dinner |
||
|
1 to 3:30 p.m. |
Time for mom and to tidy up, then play with baby |
||
|
3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. |
Drink (if necessary) and nap |
3:30 PM |
Child alarm clock and snack, baby nap |
|
3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
Mom and child activity |
||
|
4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. |
Time to tidy up and prepare dinner |
||
| 5:30 PM |
Drinks and Supper |
5:30 PM |
Baby wake up and drink |
| 6 p.m. | Dinner | ||
|
6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. |
Family games or bathtime |
||
|
7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. |
Adult activity with the child and bedtime routine |
||
| 7:30 PM | Drink | 7:30 PM | Drink |
| 8:15 PM | Sleep | 8:15 PM | Sleep |
You can show the routine to your child by illustrating it on a board or card. He will know how the day is going. For illustrations (going to the park, meal, nap) the Internet is a real little gold mine. And to illustrate peoplewho participate in the activity (mom and baby, mom and child, the whole family) you can use photos of each member of the family.
Two more tips…
Feedings
At the second, we are sometimes tempted to feed only one breast and then return to our child until the baby asks for the breast again. NOT TO DO!!! You will find yourself breastfeeding for less time, yes, but also more often. I made the mistake with my daughter and ended up breastfeeding her every hour. The return to normal, a full drink every three hours, was long and difficult. In addition, you will quickly realize that a baby who drinks little during the day drinks more at night…
Baby's development
What do you want, things are like this, we always push the first child to do more, while we let the second, or even the third, go at their own pace! Thus, we sometimes forget to take out the baby toys (the first one already had a panoply of them hanging on his car seat at 2 weeks!). The best advice is to go back to the guide offered by the government or other books, to relearn the stages of a baby's development and offer him toys at his level. And do not be surprised to see that your second does not learn things in the same way, or at the same speed as the first. It's normal! Do not forget that they are two people in their own right and very different from each other.
