Our days are starting to be a bit more structured which both George and I are greatly benefitting from. I was very much into the no regimented life/baby schedule but found I wasn’t enjoying my days because I couldn’t plan anything. I couldn’t even plan when we’d go for a walk! Aaaaand after a few tears and a good ol’ chat with hubs, I came to the conclusion to start implementing a day to day routine. It’s flexi but it’s a routine (and I love it!).
As GBB will be eight months in a few short days (seriously, time you are a thief!), we have made our way gradiently from four naps to two naps during the day…all of which happened organically + was entirely led by GBB. I’m impressed with him, but honestly, if I was him, I would’ve kept a third nap because naps are the best. If only I could cash in those naps I refused as a child + use them now…
As a first-time mama, I didn’t know what our day to day routine should look like, so I googled it. Ha. Seriously. I google too much.
And then I discovered my obsession with reading sample schedules of babies’ daily routines. Like I’m literally obsessed with it. I guess this makes sense seeing as I am a planner/type A…
ANYWAY.
I thought I’d share our flexible day to day routine! I say flexible because I don’t feed George solids at the exact same time every day (some days he’s not into it and solely wants to nurse!) and he wakes and goes to sleep at different times too. For example, he woke up at 5:30am two days ago and then went to sleep at 5:30pm and then yesterday woke up at 7am and went to sleep at 7pm. It’s pretty much how that works so I gauge his day by the time he wakes (usually within 5:30-7am band!) and go from there. It seems to be working really well for us.
And it should be noted that he has been starting his nighttimes in his very own bed in his very own room + I am so unbelievably proud of him; I usually bring him into bed around 11pm-12am (mostly because that little mattress on the floor is too tiny for me to fall asleep on + breastfeeding at night is so much easier when we bed share. Oh, and he’s the cutest). I nurse him to sleep (after our very simple sleep routine) and then place him on his little mattress on the floor and boom! I’m outtaaaa there. Sometimes I have to go back in within the hour because he will wake but he’s doing so well + growing and changing by the minute.
Ok, so here is our fairly flexible but pretty accurate day-to-day schedule.
George wakes up SMILING at around 6:30am + is thrilled to be awake to see his daddy get ready for his day. We get cuddles + kisses from daddy before he leaves for work.
I will change his diaper + nurse him in bed. Typically, I will play with him in bed for a little bit because I am slowly waking up and our bed is extra comfy in the mornings.
Around 7:15am, I will place GBB in the living room surrounded by his toys while I mom-bie walk to the kitchen and make a coffee and use the bathroom + wash my face. Sometimes I will wake starving and I will make myself breakfast too. I eat my breakfast in the living room and sip my coffee to the sounds of George cooing excitedly + baby hulk-smashing his toys against one another. It’s the cutest. Oh, and if I wasn’t awake before the baby hulk-smashes, I definitely am once it starts. Ha.
We play on the floor together until around 8:30am; we are working on his crawling + sitting up from laying on his back. His baby crunches are so good + he is on the verge of crawling and then life as I know it will be changed forever.
George is a very content baby but when he starts rubbing his little eyes, I know it is time for sleep! Around 9am, it is nap time. I follow his lead of course, so sometimes it’s before 9am and sometimes it is after.
9am, nap time. I make sure the sound machine is on, the blackout curtains are drawn, and his diaper is fresh. I turn on his little light beside the glider + wrap him in his blanket and read two books to him. I read the same two books in the exact same way. The books are “I Love You Through and Through” and “Kiss Goodnight Sam”. I nurse him while I read. Once the books are done, I turn off the light and place his glowing musical seahorse close by + turn it on. We rock and nurse to the sounds of the seahorse songs and he drifts off to baby dreamland so peacefully + quick.
^ That is literally the sleep routine I do with every nap + bedtime. The only difference with bedtime is that he has a bath beforehand; more on that below.
It should be mentioned that he currently sleeps in my arms for his naps. I have transferred him to his bed for naps but he doesn’t sleep as long + when he’s napping, I just want to watch Netflix or catch up on my social media…so I stash my headphones behind a pillow on his glider + once GBB is snoozing, I plug in my headphones and let him sleep cuddled on me + I get to enjoy episodes of Full House or stories on Snapchat (which I’m obsessed with…it’s a problem, ha).
Once George wakes, which is typically 1-2 hours after he falls asleep, so, let’s say 11am, I nurse him, change his diaper + dress him (sometimes we stay in our pjs but you guys, I’m really trying these days!). This is when I make food for myself if I haven’t had breakfast super early + a second cup of coffee. I will put George in his highchair and make some cereal and fruit puree for him too. I’m very new to the solid baby food train, so it isn’t as consistent as I’m sure other mamas are, but again, we’re working on it.
Oh, and I breastfeed on demand so I couldn’t even tell you how many times I feed him or for how long. It really depends on him.
We will have some playtime (on the floor/jolly jumper), go for a walk (thank goodness for warmer weather!! I’m thrilled spring is here!), and sometimes I will pop him in the Ergo + do a few chores (laundry/sweeping etc). GBB has been really interested in being close to me lately + I’ve noticed he really reacts when I’m not in the room with him, he can’t see me, or I am gone too long. Not a huge deal thanks to my Ergo (seriously, if you don’t have one, get one. You’re welcome).
By 2pm, it is nap time again. And like I mentioned above, some days it is earlier and some days it is later; I follow George’s lead + try not to look to the clock for sleep time and look to GBB’s sleepy cues. I do the exact same sleep routine as I mentioned above.
When he wakes around 3-4pm, I nurse him, change his diaper, and we usually head to the kitchen for a snack/lunch for mommy + some playtime in the highchair or the exersaucer (lately, he has not been super into it + I need to find something else for him to play with/sit in for the kitchen!) and then we play, do a few more chores, and get dinner stuff semi-ready. A lot of the days, I am scrambling at this time to get dishes done at the same time as entertaining and playing with George + I can sometimes be found in the living room playing with GBB and watching Paw Patrol/Curious George or my PVRed Greys or Scandal + ignoring my dishes/dinner. I’m the worst. Ha. Also, the above run-on sentence is exactly my level of crazy at this time of day; my own personal witching hour.
Daddy comes home anytime between 4-6pm and that is always a super exciting time for both George and I. GBB lights up when he sees his daddy. He can hear the truck backing up into the driveway + is always always always craning his neck to look at the back door. It’s the sweetest.
George usually eats his dinner at 5:30pm, which consists of veggies, fruit, and sometimes cereal. Around 5:45pm, we have bath time + daddy is typically on bath duty if he hasn’t just got home or is finishing the half-dinner I made. After all the splish splashing, GBB is in his pyjamas and playing quietly in his room or in the living room. We try and keep the house more chill at this time with little to no television sounds, dimmed lights, etc.
By 6:15pm-6:30pm, I am putting him to sleep with our routine + I stay in the glider until he is in a very deep sleep and then put him in his bed! He is usually sleeping by 7pm.
It can be touch and go some nights where he can be slightly fussier and not settle or he wants to cuddle and nurse more. I just go with the flow + sometimes end up in his room for over an hour after he’s fallen asleep.
I’d be lying if I said there weren’t nights that I was super over the bedtime routine but those nights are far and few between. I really enjoy rocking, cuddling, and nursing my little dude to sleep. Even if that means that hubs + I have been eating our dinner in the kitchen with dining room chairs and no table so we can be less noisy, ha. It’s pretty hilarious but oh so wonderful all at the same time.
Once 9pm-10pm hits, hubs and I are ready for bed ourselves. We are total grannies + have to work at staying up later…one day.
What’s your average day-to-day look like? I wanna know. I’m obsessed, remember?
XO
PS. Thank you Uncle Jake for taking these pictures :)