You Make Me Live

We didn’t consciously put Harper on a schedule when she was first born. She ate and slept whenever she wanted and that worked for us. I think it helped make her into the easy going/go with the flow kid that she is. When she started baby school (at 1 year old), they had set times when the kids ate and slept. We try to match that schedule at home and now we have a set bedtime too. It seems to be working well for her and us. I think we avoid a lot of typical 2 year old issues because she knows what to expect. It’s not something we had a strict plan for, but it’s evolved into something that works well for our family. And, really that’s the most important thing. You have to find something that works for you.

Just my view as a very involved Aunt – we were very strict with my first born nephew which was great because we knew when he would be napping, eating, etc. When my niece was born all schedules went out the window {my sister found herself being a single parent} BUT it was just as easy to schedule things because she would nap when she felt like it, maybe in the car or in my arms, but she napped. Now that they’re 3 and 5 you really can’t tell which one was on a schedule and which one wasn’t. I think it’s what works best for you and your family. Plus – life is rarely routine, so you’re introducing Corbin to normal life. Gotta make the best out of what you’ve got! Good luck

Welcome to motherhood, and the challenges that come with it! Corbin will find a great routine in no time. Fortunately for you, it sounds like he’s sleeping great at night, which is one of the most sought after goals for any new parent! It’s quite possible that if he’s sleeping so great at night, that he may not be tired enough to nap every day. You may want to confirm the total number of hours your pediatrician recommends that he sleeps in a 24 hour period, and see about splitting the time up between sleeping all night and implementing a nap during the day. Some kids just don’t nap, and maybe he doesn’t want to miss out on all of the fun time with you by taking a nap . What you’re touching on here is something I still struggle with, which is finding the appropriate “balance” between being productive at work, being productive at home, spending quality time with your child, spending quality time with your spouse and spending quality time for yourself. Unfortunately, from my experience, this “balance” is unattainable. There is a perception out there that some people have it, and they don’t. If they tell you that they do, they’re lying! You only have so much energy, capacity, time, etc., in a day, and you will probably have to pick and choose how you will be spending your time. For me, I keep my weekends sacred to spend with my family. Yes, I try to run some errands and catch up on laundry, but it doesn’t rule my weekend. This means I can’t really ever get all of my laundry done, but I’ve learned to be okay with it. I also decided to pay to have someone clean my house every 2 weeks, so I didn’t feel like that was cutting into my family time. It’s well worth it and not as expensive as one might think! You all will find out what works well for your family, and I think that having a routine for Corbin will help you all out, but strict schedules can be pretty limiting. I think Elle is as well-rounded as she is because of our crazy, busy, lifestyle!

i feel ya to the tee! nori has actually put herself on a schedule. it just kinda works out that shes tired and hungry at the same times each day. but i dont plan around it. the beauty of breastfeeding…wherever u are, shes hungry, you feed her! but i used to wonder if id be more productive if she was routined, it just kinda worked itself out.:) the older he gets, the more he’ll set his own sched. thats my 2cents.

Kelly I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I think people get too stressed out about having strict schedules and it ends up making things more complicated and a lot less fun for the whole family. While it’s good to do some things regularly, you still have to do what’s best for you guys, and no one knows that except you guys. As a mom of 3, I’ve just found that it’s easier to adapt to a baby, than to have a baby adapt to you. When he’s hungry- you know, when he’s tired-you know, and obviously he’s a bright healthy baby who seems to be thriving. For me, I like having a nap schedule just so I know when my little ones are going to sleep at night, get up in the morning, and sleep during the day and I somewhat plan around that, but every day is definitely not the same and we all adapt. And we didn’t have a sleep schedule at all until our kids were probably around 6-9 months, and then it just seemed like they came up with a schedule for themselves. So I definitely wouldn’t worry about it-you’re a great mom and no matter what, you have to do what’s best for your family-schedule or not. Thanks!