New baby sleeping and feeding routines
I’ve been revising my knowledge of Gina Ford’s baby routines like a fiend since getting a new copy of her latest edition of the
‘The New Contented Little Baby Book: The Secret to Calm and Confident Parenting‘ .
When we first had the twins 5 years ago I was ready to put both babies out for collection with the glass recycling by the time we’d had them at home for 10 weeks. I could never leave the house, one or other or both were always crying, finding time to get myself dressed let alone getting teeth brushed and deodorant applied was tricky. On top of this we were invariably up feeding at least two - four times each night. For us it was hellish.
Respite came in the form of discovering Gina Ford and her miraculous baby routines when a copy of the TAMBA (Twins & Multiple Birth Association) magazine arrived with an article entitled ‘Do Parents of Twins Ever Sleep Again?’.
The article was all about introducing a tried and tested regular daily routine which meant each baby was fed before it was screaming the house down with dehydration/hunger, each baby was settled into their cot with curtains drawn at the precise moment they showed signs of being tired and the parents were secure in the knowledge that there would be several baby-free slots in the day (nap times) where essential chores could be achieved as well as the frequently overlooked tasks of eating & drinking (especially important for nursing mothers) and ‘luxury’ tasks like brushing hair, cooking dinner, speaking to a member of the outside world on the phone could be fitted in, even anticipated!
Five years on our kids are still in the same Gina Ford routine but obviously with no milk feeds or daytime sleeps. They get up at 7am (never before) and are in bed snuggling down for sleep at 7pm. In between they have breakfast at 7.30am, lunch at 12 noon and tea at 5pm. It works for us still as we rarely have kids whingeing due to hunger/tiredness and we also have the luxury of every evening being For Us.
With the imminent arrival of a teeny new baby I’m not brave enough to be relaxed and laid back like many of my friends have been about when their baby sleeps and eats. For me knowing that I’ve got 20 minutes until I’ll be settling down for a 30 minute feed is important. I like to know what is happening when rather than being told (and having to guess) while a distressed babe makes lots of noise. We also have a family business to run and two small kids to feed, take to school, bathe and read stories to so it makes absolute sense to aim to have a dependable routine for the newbie from Day 1 so that the whole family’s needs are met.
Several of my friends who were able to be ad-hoc and flexible with how their babies’ days were structured early on are now finding themselves with bigger babies/toddlers who still expect to be nursed to sleep several times each night, have to be continually rocked until they fall asleep (hard with a chunky little monkey), get overtired and overwrought during the day and are now making the decision to start introducing regular feed/sleep times for their Little Ones.
Other friends who have gone on to have a second baby are discovering Gina Ford’s routines as they already have a daily structure in place with their first born and are gratified to find that from a few weeks after their baby’s arrival they are getting far more sleep and far less crying & colic related anxiety than they did first time round.
I reserve the right to eat my words but the plan for us is to follow Gina Fords recommendations to the letter from soon after Titch’s arrival so that very soon I will be able to get dressed, do a bit of housework during the baby’s morning nap, work on the computer for the business during the lunchtime napathon, collect the older children from school with a recently fed/non-crying baby sibling and get all three of them fed, bathed and settled down for a good night’s sleep at 7pm. In between there will be plenty of time for cuddling and bonding with the littlest member of the familybut as Gina stresses it will be when he/she is well fed, well rested and will enjoy being held, sang to, played with.
Fingers crossed!
NB: Before I got the copy of Gina Ford’s book I had devised this routine which is based on the same structure but covers the first 6 months. Gina has her routines change a little as the baby grows and develops every few weeks (based on the principles that babies stomachs can hold more milk, as they get older they can go a little longer between nap times, they have growth spurts at certain points and if you can get as much milk down them during the day they are less likely to need sustenance from you in the middle of the night).
Baby & Kids Routines up to 6 Months
- 6.30am:
Mummy: Up dressed, express, coffee/breakfast, washing on - 7am –
Mummy: Feeding baby/twins
Baby: Awake and feeding/
Twins: Having breakfast/Getting dressed, washed and ready for school - 8.30-9am -
Mummy: Driving to school & then back home again (walk if leaving the car in the village)
Baby: Nap-time
Twins: Getting to school/reading in car/playing in playground - 10am -
Mummy & Baby: Awake and feeding - 11.30am -
Baby: Lonnng Nap-time
Mummy: Lunch, chores & office work - 2pm -
Mummy & Baby: Awake and feeding - 2.45pm:
Mummy: Collect twins from school & have snack
Twins: Have snack - 4-5pm -
Baby: Nap-time
Twins: Play
Mummy: Make packed lunches, tea & dinner - 5pm –
Baby: Awake and feeding
Twins: Teatime - 6pm -
Baby: Bath and bedtime routine/last feed?
Twins: Bath and bedtime routine - 8pm:
Mummy: Dinner & relax/bath & bed - 10-11pm -
Baby: Awake and feeding
Daddy: Feed baby - 2-3am -
Baby: Awake and feeding
January 13th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Hi,
Good luck with the routine; Kat seems to be planning to do a “I’ll deal with it as it comes” approach.
We did wonder whether you’d be subject to any serious flooding the other day, which could have made things interesting….
Good luck,
David.
January 14th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
I absolutely love Gina Ford - really she was the key to getting my sanity back on not to drift off too far into PND.
I also joined her forum - which cost £40 but was well worth it - at least for me - Gina phoned me several times when I was really down about things and was sooooo lovely to me.
Each to their own but the routine works for us. My daughter goes to bed at 7, gets up at 7 most of the time (unless teething is really bad) and sleeps 2 hours at lunch. People often think we are nuts because we don’t drag her out for evening meals with friends etc. But I think a child deserves to know where she stands. Our little one is happy - a truly contented little toddler!
Good luck
January 14th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Really enjoyed your battle plan!
I hope the new baby complies!!
Spent new years day reading your blog from start to finish really enjoyed getting to know your family
We have the dream rural life self sufficiency etc but finding somewhere to do it locally proving difficult…………….if it’s meant to happen it will(Hubbys a buddhist)
Good luck
Sharronx
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Cathie says:
Hello Sharron,
Thanks so very much for the lovely comment. I seem to have gotten back into writing again after a period of no writing pr sporadic infrequent writing. The lovely comments spur me on to think of other bits & pieces to waffle on about.
For us the dream + reality of leaving the city and setting up home in the country happened extremely fast. It was just a matter of weeks between realizing how cheap rents were here compared to our mortgage and that my husband was willing and able to leave his previous company to start another that we were booking the removal men, househunting and I was giving my notice to my employers. I do think once you acknowledge a dream then you become receptive to loads of opportunities that you might not have seen had you not both expressed out loud the wishes you have.
We have an idea but no plans to live abroad somewhere one day. We don’t know for how long or where (NZ, Malta, France, Spain have all been cited as possibilities) but I guess we will do it only when the time is right for all of our family.
Good luck & thanks again for the comment.
Cathie
January 16th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Did you read The Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg? I’m reading it now in preparation for a future baby and she seems to advocate a similar routine. She describes it with the acronym E.A.S.Y. which outlines the routine for baby and mother: eat, activity, sleep, your time (for mother). The two authors’ approaches sound similar in that a baby is fed, stimulated, and put to bed as soon as cues are witnessed, and therefore noisy meltdowns largely avoided.
I’m intrigued to read your recommendation now too.
January 17th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Hi Jaimie
I did read Tracy Hogg’s Baby Whisperer at the same time as a friend had really found it helpful but as my two babies were so different in their natural feeding/sleeping pattern I really don’t think I would have ever got out the house (due to one or other of them needing or doing something) had I not followed Gina’s prescriptive routines to the letter and v. quickly had *both* doing the same thing at the same time. I’ve heard the same from many other mums of multiple babies that it really is so different to having one baby to look after.
Perhaps with this new arrival I will be able to slack off the Gina routines and have the confidence of knowing my own solo baby’s cues which I did not have the luxury of last time. I really didn’t know whether I was coming or going before I discovered Gina!
Good luck!
Cathie
June 3rd, 2008 at 10:07 pm
Hi. I am seriously considering starting the Gina Ford routine as soon as my 1st baby (due at the end of June) is only 1 week old. Would you recommed this at such a young age? Also, how long should I expect it to take to work? Thanks! Emma