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At that age, i just went by the EASY routine. And the afternoon nap would try to correspond with my toddler’s. I would typically try to get the baby up around the same time as the toddler (or right after she has breakfast if it was a rough night) and then bedtime was typically a bit before the toddler’s because that was her preference. With the second, i really didn’t sweat a schedule otherwise we’d be trapped in the house which would have been worse for us all.

Yes its possible. I actually have detailed notes from this age.

Our 2 boys are 20 months apart. DS1 was in fulltime daycare the first few weeks DS2 was born, but then our daycare shut down suddenly, so he was home with me!
It was bonkers.

DS1 is a very routine driven child, so his schedule was military precise. At that age, he was up at 730am, snack at 10am, lunch at 1130pm, nap at 1230pm, snack at 330pm, dinner at 500pm, bedtime at 730pm. Literally. He is like Rainman.

DS2 is way more easy going, but because DS1 needed that rigid schedule, we basically adjusted DS2's schedule to fit DS1's as much as possible. We used eat, play, sleep, a set bedtime and waketime, a strict bedtime routine, scheduled feedings every 2.5-3 hours at 3 weeks old, and putting down drowsy but awake for sleep. DS2 (like DS1) had reflux and once he was medicated, I let him fuss for 10 minutes at a time (around 6-8 weeks old?) before naps and waited 5 minutes before getting him if he cried (and I knew he wasn't hungry).

At 8 weeks, DS2 was eating every 3 hours and had 1 hour wake times, so we started the day at about 7-715am for him so that he was changed and fed by the time we had to get DS1 up. We'd put baby on the floor in his play gym and let them coo at each other. Then we'd give DS1 breakfast, and by the time DS1 was finishing up around 8am, DS2 would be getting drowsy. I'd throw on a video (like a Tayo episode that runs like 12 minutes) and I'd use that time to put DS2 down for nap. We had a very quick sleep routine for our kids - dark room, white noise, swaddle, 2 songs, prayer, and down.

Then DS1 and I would have some time together to hang out in the yard or a quiet craft to let DS2 sleep. We'd have a small snack and then DS2 would be up around 10am. DS1 would then go into independent play time in his room (we put up a baby gate, gave him some toys set aside for that period, and I would set a timer for 30 minutes while I went to feed baby in the room next door. I could watch him on the monitor.

Boys would play/coo at each other with the baby back on the floor from 1030-11am, then baby would be ready for his next nap, I'd put him down while DS1 got to play with my phone or something for a few minutes, and then when I came out, we'd get his lunch ready and eat at 1130am. We'd run around in the yard and hopefully get DS1 to poop before nap, he'd go down at 1230pm. He was then down for nap for 2.5-3 hours.

I would have about 30 minutes of downtime before DS2 woke up at 1pm, so I'd pump. Then I would feed him and hang out and put him back down at 2pm. I would then get another 30-60 minutes to myself, during which I would nap if I could.

DS1 would be up at 3-330pm, I would get him settled with a snack, and then DS2 would be up at 4pm. I would usually bottle feed pumped milk that I pumped during naps at this feeding because it was quicker. (DS1 had a real problem with watching me feed his brother -breast or bottle - so I had to keep it quick and keep them separated).

Baby would be back on the floor or in a bouncer chair, DS2 would play toys around him, and I would watch them from 6 feet away while I put something quick together for dinner. DS2 would go back down at 5pm for a nap of about 45 minutes to an hour, during which we had dinner. Then DS2 would be up again, we'd have family time, and then at 6pm baby would have bath. I'd start feeding baby at 630pm, at which point DH would be bathing DS1. Baby would be down for bed at 7pm, DS1 would be starting his bedtime routine with DH at that point, and he would be down at 730pm. Then we'd dreamfeed the baby around 10pm and hope he'd give us a good long stretch.

Over time, we kept tweaking the schedules because DS2 stretched to eating every 4 hours and would be able to stay awake longer. Eventually, I worked to have overlapping PM naps as much as possible. We also moved DS1 to 5 day a week preschool a few months later, so that helped things a lot.

I fully admit that I live in nap jail for most of the first year of a baby's life. If we mess with a nap, its usually not going to be that first morning nap, so either I hustle to get back home before the baby's first morning nap or I have someone else take my older son to school. I also made liberal use of a mommy's helper when DS1 was home full time with us because it was a lot. I was very tired and I couldn't run my son to the park for a good long romp like he wanted because the baby would need to sleep. So I hired someone when I could and I have no regrets.

I can't imagine not having a schedule. It made a chaotic time so much less hectic, it was so easy for a babysitter or my husband to step in because they knew exactly when things needed to happen, and I felt like I had some sanity. Obviously, growth spurts and regressions happen, but mostly it would be a rough week or two, and then things would go back. And if the baby isn't sleeping well or fussing, you can triage what's going on because you can ask yourself is he hungry, does he need to stay up a little bit longer now, is there a wonder week, is he overtired because he didn't sleep well last night, etc.

Good luck. I promise it gets better!

@Mamag511: I just saw your comment about spacing out feedings. How many oz is he getting in each bottle?

@Mamag511: could it be reflux? Reflux babies comfort eat to soothe the pain but then it makes it worse. 3 hours between feedings outside growth spurts should be doable at this age if he's taking about 4oz a feed.

@Mamag511: Hi! I have 2 boys who both had reflux, so I have a lot of say on the matter. But I'll spare you unless you need the info - feel free to ask questions if you need anything.

One thing I will say is that Zantac dosaging is weight specific. You may find it works well for a few weeks and then he starts fussing and not sleeping again. If that's the case, you can ask for a dosage adjustment. HOWEVER, its also possible (and fairly common despite what your doctor will tell you) that Zantac stops working on some kids. (True of DS1 - he was happier for 2 weeks and then it was worse than ever). If that's the case, ask for Prilosec, ask for it to be compounded into a syrup, and be advised that your kid may temporarily be a zillion times worse for the first week or two while transitioning to the new meds. For DS1, the first week was ROUGH but then he was like a completely different child. With DS2, I knew he had reflux and declined Zantac and demanded Prilosec from the jump and he was better almost immediately. Both boys were off meds quickly - DS1 by 5.5 months, DS2 by 4 months - and its typical that babies outgrow it by 6 months.