Saturday, October 17, 2009
Creating a Schedule?
I've decided that I need to get myself on a schedule. With all this drama of Logan not giving me a good nights rest, I think it may help. The only problem is...HOW? I have never created a schedule...or stuck to one in my life. I'm kind of a last minute do-er. I've got a 5 yr old in school every day, who also buses to another school twice a week for additional schooling. My 2 year old hasn't been getting naps, but since she's been getting up early to get her sister off to school...she is more tired and crabby in the day and has been falling asleep on the couch in the late evening. Logan just gets shuffled around whatever is going on, so he has NO schedule or structure. I don't even time his sleep and eating patterns. The weekends are crazy because Alex is home. So my daily schedule is all over the place. If you are a "scheduled person"...any advice is welcomed. Wish me luck.
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I would die without a schedule. I'm a very scheduled/has to be planned out type of person. Dejah is done by lunch right? About 1:00 every day is nap time/ quiet time. If Dejah doesn't nap (which Bailey doesn't) I get a pillow and blanket and put her on the couch for quiet time with a movie. (I need quiet because she never stops talking) Mycah should probably nap for you still. As for Logan... babies are babies, he's probably around the age to still have 3 naps a day. If he's not needing 3 then he would be at a morning nap (9ish at our house) and an afternoon nap (somewhere around 2-3:00) You'll probably just feel a lot better if you have the older 2 on a schedule. That's just kindof our schedule and it works.
ReplyDeleteWe have a crazy schedule with work and school but Carter started sleeping much better once we got him on a schedule. He doesn't go to bed until 10 pm because we have school until 9 but he sleeps until about 6:30 and then goes back to bed (after eating) until 9 am. We play for a while and then he takes his first nap at 11. He usually takes a second nap around 3 with daddy after work. Then he eats solids after that nap and gets ready to go to bed around 9:45 songs and prayer and then in the crib he goes. We have gotten to the point where he doesn't even cry when we put him down awake.. big accomplishment for this boy. At first he would cry for up to 45 mins but he has gotten used to his schedule now.
ReplyDeleteSomething that really helped me was getting up BEFORE brigitte. I know thats early!!!! But if you can get up and shower, get ready (work out, whatever) and get a start on the day before kids wake up and your focus turns to them, it really helps. Then you wont be so rushed and hassled in the morning, and you might even get to have family breakfast or scripture time before everyone goes their separate ways.
ReplyDeleteThen I would definitely baby wise logan. I think mitzi has the books. It might take 3 days, but then he will run like clockwork, and you will know exactly when you can plan activities or even get a nap in yourself.
Also, when you have downtime at home, plan an activity to engage in with the kids. The day always feels longer to me when I have nothing going on and I end up doing laundry or watching tivo constantly trying to keep brigitte playing with her toys. Its always better to head to the library for an hour, or do kindermusic or whatever. Even just go for a walk.
Id sit and write down your schedule on paper. And then stick to it for one day and see what happens!
Good luck!
I'm also a pretty scheduled person. If I were you I would start with eating your meals at a regular time. We always have breakfast as soon as we get up. Lunch is at 11:30 or 12:00 and dinner is always at 5:30. I kind of plan my day around the meal times. We rarely deviate from this schedule.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Christy that it is a great idea for moms to get up early and get themselves exercised and ready. I however have not become that motivated yet. I get ready after breakfast and it can be annoying trying to keep Corbin entertained during that time.
I also agree that Logan would benefit from a stricter schedule (as would your other children). I do have Baby Wise if you want to borrow it. I think this is the reason that Corbin continues to be a great eater and sleeper.
In the end do whatever works for you and your family, although for me I thrive on the consistency of a schedule.
I am NOT a schedule person, but Cledi has forced me into having to keep one. Here a few bits of advice:
ReplyDelete1. Just jot down how long after Logan wakes up is he acting tired. If you don't want to do a rigid, fixed schedule, you can do a flexible schedule based on what time he got up. Nash likes to nap between 2 and 2 1/2 hours after he wakes up.
2. Expect to make tradeoffs for the schedule. Leni is still taking a nap every day, but it is definitely a commitment for the family. Just weigh out the costs and benefits. For me, the extra 2 hours does wonders for my sanity and for her behavior. I try to be home by noon everyday to eat lunch and then settle down until 1:30. She goes down around then.
3. Chances are, your kids have somewhat of a schedule. I think the biggest "A-Ha" moment with Cledi was when I finally had to write it down for my mom to help me with her. She had much more of a schedule than I thought. As soon as it was in writing, I found it much easier to follow the same patterns everyday and even Cledi, who is incredibly difficult to get on a schedule, started adapting and thriving on the schedule.