Putting your baby on a schedule is probably one of the most controversial topics in motherhood. How soon is too soon? How long do I let them cry for (if at all)? What if it doesn’t work? What even is eat. wake. sleep? etc. etc. We definitely asked all of these questions and definitely do not have all the answers. But here’s our journey so far.
For the first 2 months of Miles’ life we really had no routine. I fed him when he was hungry, he slept when he was tired, and was awake when he wanted to be. When they’re so little they can’t really be put on a strict schedule. HOWEVER. At 8 weeks we went to Florida with my husband Nick’s family. Day 3 I was literally exhausted. Miles had me up every 2 hours and I was not thriving. Something had to change because I could not survive on this little sleep. (something to note – I cannot nap. I’ve tried. So nighttime sleep was a need).
Desperate Times
Nick’s mom had all of her kids sleeping through the night at 6 weeks, so I thought “perfect, I’ll ask the professional”. Her advice was rather than focus on keeping him awake more during the day (which was my current plan – waking him up if he slept more than 2 hours) focus on eat. wake. sleep. I had heard this little slogan multiple times before but it never really registered. Desperate times opened my heart. I tried it.
Implementation
After I fed Miles I would interact with him right away – change his diaper, talk to him, etc, to prevent his usual drousy nap he often fell into while feeding. Then after some wake time he would get fussy and I would put him to sleep. Don’t get me wrong, he definitely fought it sometimes (and still does) but he eventually would go down. And then when he woke up I would feed him again and the cycle would repeat. Eat. Wake. Sleep. YOU GUYS. The first night (after a day of this cycle) he woke up only TWICE (compared with the 4-5 he was doing). We continued to solidify the schedule and I felt like a new girl. Not only was Miles thriving, but I was thriving. 1. Because I was getting more sleep at night, but 2. Because now knew what he wanted!! It took the guesswork out of his tears. When he woke up, he was hungry. After he’d been awake for a while, he was tired (which I often confused for hungry). I feel like a much better mom knowing why he’s crying and being able to do something about it.
Improvements
It’s not perfect by any means. There are definitely variations to the schedule. Anytime we get in the car for longer than 20 minutes he falls asleep (regardless of when I fed him). And sometimes when he has an extra long wake window he gets hungry again before he goes to sleep. But overall, I’m a huge fan of eat. wake. sleep. It allows us to be flexible with our day yet still have some structure. It may not be for everyone, but it’s a win win for Miles and for me.
Speaking of structure, our next milestone is bedtime. We love flexibility but think some consistency will help Miles sleep even better. We’re currently on that journey, so look out for a post about nap and bedtime schedules soon! Comment below all your thoughts/tips on sleep, would love to hear what you think! In the meantime, click here to read about my positive birth story!
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