@terrastorm Our little one has just turned 1yo. Up until about 7 months we were very baby led and that worked just fine. He napped when he wanted to nap, ate when he was hungry, played when he was playful etc. We just went with his flow. Eventually we needed to put him on a two nap schedule and a meal times schedule when he went on solids, but those routines came as he needed them. We didn’t sweat it. He’s an absolute delight. You’re doing just fine and aren’t harming him in any way. Just worry about skin to skin and tummy time and those things that may not come naturally.
Setting up a routine isn’t a priority right now
- Thread starter terrastorm
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@terrastorm We had no semblance of routine until 6 months. Still no schedule, just a general routine. Up until then it’s caring for basic needs as best you can! At 6 months my baby started being awake for a lot longer so we were able to get into a wake, play, eat, sleep kind of thing. His naps are still chaotic though! Some 30 minutes, some 2.5 hours. It’s tough.
shaulwalter
New member
@terrastorm If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Now approaching month 4 with a 'go with the flow' approach, and my baby has gotten himself into his own little routine. The most frustrating weeks I've had so far were the ones where I tried to, e.g., shift bedtime back from 9pm to 8pm, or track naps very carefully, and baby just didn't want to.
@terrastorm People confuse routine with schedule. There probably is a rhythm to your day— dictated by your baby’s flow, of course. I say that IS a routine. My LO is 1 yo and we still don’t have a schedule. We have routines/going with the flow. Whatever works for you!
katrina2017
New member
@terrastorm I stressed so much about a routine at 2 months. I went as far as to set up timers in every room to try and figure out his nap length and wake windows. Needless to say I burnt myself out pretty darn quickly and gave up. Now at nearly 4 months I have a much better idea of his “schedule” as it naturally fell into place.
josephjourneyman
New member
@terrastorm My kid is 13 months and we still don't have a strict routine, and so far he seems to be a pretty go with the flow kid as long as his needs are met.
@terrastorm I don’t feel like a routine is important at 2mo
I feel like our routine came out when she started sleeping training at 4mo. I didn’t force it, it came naturally, but my husband and I do function better on a routine ourselves. That may have translated to our child
Like people recommend just keeping new borns in pjs all the time because they find it easier. For me I was the total opposite because it helped break up the day and I felt more human getting my LO and myself dressed everyday
At 2mo try to do what feels comfortable to you and helps you get through the day
I feel like our routine came out when she started sleeping training at 4mo. I didn’t force it, it came naturally, but my husband and I do function better on a routine ourselves. That may have translated to our child
Like people recommend just keeping new borns in pjs all the time because they find it easier. For me I was the total opposite because it helped break up the day and I felt more human getting my LO and myself dressed everyday
At 2mo try to do what feels comfortable to you and helps you get through the day
@terrastorm When people ask me about “routine” they are often referring to a “schedule” in my experience. I do not have a strict schedule with my almost 3 year old because it drove me absolutely insane to have one. We follow her cues for feeding and sleep which has resulted in her naps and bed/wake time to be consistent from day to day. It allows us to be flexible. We have a simple nap and bedtime routine we follow, but that’s about it.
This works for us, and different routines/schedules work for different people and babies. I also get weird looks when I say we don’t necessarily follow a schedule.
This works for us, and different routines/schedules work for different people and babies. I also get weird looks when I say we don’t necessarily follow a schedule.
originalconfidence
New member
@terrastorm At 8 months we’re starting to get into a pretty good routine (still working on it) but at 2 months we were not even close! The first 3 months are survival mode in my opinion. Their naps are all over the place still at that point. Just relax and go with the flow. You’ll start to naturally fall into a routine. You’re doing great 
riftvalley84
New member
@terrastorm we had zero routine until probably about 4/5 months. and our baby’s sleep was so AWFUL that the routine we did have at that point wasn’t very successful LOL
it honestly wasn’t until 7 months that I felt we had a great routine established. this was also when we went down to 2 naps. until then, nap times and wake windows were just all over the place.
it honestly wasn’t until 7 months that I felt we had a great routine established. this was also when we went down to 2 naps. until then, nap times and wake windows were just all over the place.
sunflowerbee
New member
@terrastorm FTM to a 10 week old here. The only “routine” we have is to get LO out for a walk in the morning so she can be exposed to some natural light and fresh air. We take her out to more walks in the afternoon to extend her wake window a little bit. Otherwise she sleeps so much in the morning and early afternoon and will not sleep at all at night. So we had to balance that out for our sake. But we feed and change diapers on demand. My nipples are sore from the on demand comfort feeding she does but I love those moments so it’s worth it.
mommylovesgod
New member
@terrastorm 3 month old here and we’re also going with the flow, but I have felt pressure from things I’ve read online to build a routine. I am SO glad I came across this thread! Incredibly helpful. Makes me not feel like a failure for not having a schedule in place. Thank you for posting this question!
leakyfaucet
New member
@terrastorm My baby is just about 3 months and I still go with the flow. He eats on demand, and sleeps on demand. Only thing now is that I have to look for his sleep cues and help him get to sleep. He's very loosely come up with his own schedule. He likes to be down for the night by 8, and likes to be up around 7. He will take a long 2-3 1/2 hour nap either in the morning or the afternoon, and the other naps will be 30min-1 1/2 hours long. The only routine I've set is I shower with him before bed, and Sundays and Wednesdays he gets an actual bath. I figure that as long as he's happy he's good to go right now.
@terrastorm Same here with my 2 month old.
He’s a horrible sleeper, the longest he’s ever slept since coming home from the nicu is 2 hours. I’m so tired
Everyone suggests a routine. But how?!
He’s a horrible sleeper, the longest he’s ever slept since coming home from the nicu is 2 hours. I’m so tired
Everyone suggests a routine. But how?!
emmanuelkagie
New member
@terrastorm You have a routine - you feed your baby. You change their diaper. You make sure they nap. And you give them a bath. You may not have a schedule and that’s ok at that age. You’ll get there. We didn’t have one til she was about 3.5 months old.
@terrastorm We were definitely still in survival mode at 2 months. A little less emotional but still flying by the seat of our pants. I’d say month 3 was when we started forming a routine.
susanllanos
New member
@terrastorm Baby’s generally set their own routine I find. Not forcing one won’t do you or baby any harm, and will probably save you a lot of stress.
@terrastorm We hit 2 months on Thursday and we’re basically just hanging on for dear life. He’s alive. Everything else is a bonus.
@terrastorm We are 4 months and I’m still “go with the flow” — you’re doing great!
@terrastorm I don’t have any intention of setting a “routine” until it works for all of us. Sure, there are things that are similar from day to day, but I don’t see any reason to put even more pressure on myself as a parent to make sure baby is napping or eating at X time. My MIL was trying to insist we wake baby up last night because she didn’t think she’d sleep when we got home and I was like absolutely not, she will sleep when she needs to sleep. And guess who slept great when she got home