In a prenatal class we had yesterday, the nurse had us complete a 24-hour "schedule" where we had to figure out when we'd feed the baby, when to cook, clean, nap, shower, etc.... I thought it was really interesting, however, her point was not to make us really think about what a day would look like; but to make us realize that we'd be very, very busy.
So, for those who are there, or who have been there, can you tell me: what do your typical 24h cycle look like, from 6am to 6am the next day?
apricot / 498 posts
Our boy is 2 months old:
7:30 wake up and first feeding. He's usually already in my bed after fussing around 5am.
8am done with food, in bouncy chair on our bed. Watch news, cup of coffee, pick up stuff.
8:30 he's asleep
9am I'm in the shower, dry hair get dressed etc. If he's still asleep I'll start laundry, check email eat breakfast.
9:30 he's awake, move out to living room, watch Today show while cleaning kitchen. He's in and out of sleep depending on day.
10:30/11am- second feeding
We run errands after that or go for a walk. Usually back by 2.
2ish- another feeding then a nap. Usually will sleep until 4/5pm. I go to the gym during this time when my husband gets home. He feeds him while I'm gone.
6:30 dinner, clean kitchen more laundry. Wine. Another shower.
7:30 his bath, pick up his room, bottle and start to get ready to put him down. He'll be up for a little while. We all watch tv. Well, he doesn't really watch...
9pm, he's in his crib.
2am, small feeding.
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
For us I pretty much consider "day" to be 8 am until 8 pm and "night" 8 pm until 8 am.
Day starts around 8. Baby wakes up for feeding (30-45 min). It is clear she is not tired after this. Usually has a big dirty diaper after this. That is cleaned up by 9. We are in a good mood so we play for a bit which is talking on the changing table or playing on our play mat. After 30 min or so (9:30) we are getting fussy and start requiring more attention an wants to be held. I finish up whatever I was doing because by 10 am we are back on the couch for another feeding. After that feeding at 10:30 sometimes I can put her in the swing for a little cat nap. We don't get much done before the next feeding at noon and after that she goes down for a good nap in the swing or car seat while I am running errands.
Around 2 or so she wakes up and is hungry. Again it takes about 30 min to feed plus some time for diaper changes which leaves about 30 minutes where she will play or sit by herself and 30 min where she starts getting fussy for the next feeding. Ears pretty much every two hours (2,4,6,8)
After the 8 pm feeding we swaddle and get in bed. She wakes about every 4 hours at night ( around midnight and 4 am).
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
That's an interesting exercise! I used to keep pretty detailed logs about our days, but I just tossed all that paper because I realized I wasn't using them for any kind of reference.
One thing that I had to change in my schedule was when I showered. I used to do it in the morning, but now that I am staying at home, I do it at night, when my husband is home. It's my 10 minutes of uninterrupted time.
kiwi / 623 posts
@venice4504: Ooo this is really helpful! Thanks so much! As a soon-to-be mommy, this really helps to get an idea of what life will be like after baby comes. You seem to make great use of your time too when your LO is napping =)
coffee bean / 25 posts
@enjollah: Yes, I find this very helpful, too! In the class, the nurse had us believe that we'd never have time for anything else than feedings and diaper changes, and the result was a bunch of overwhelmed parents to be! I'd like to hear more great schedules.
apricot / 498 posts
I have found that most mom's like to make you think that you're life ends when you have a kid and you never have a moment to yourself. It's totally not true (at least for me, with one kid) as longs as you make it a priority to have some time to yourself and your husband is able to help you make that time. Trust me, it was scary the first few times to take him out by myself and I would hurry home before he needed to have a bottle but now we're in a groove and we'll go out and I'm not worried anymore. Routines don't come automatically though and we totally have those days that nothing comes together.
apricot / 489 posts
I think what helped us was to realize we wouldn't be able to adhere to the schedule we had in our minds. My baby tended to wake up a lot, like every 1.5 hours for the first few days. We tried to sleep during those times and my husband would grab take out in between. Cooking and cleaning, even showering really weren't a priority at all. Once she began sleeping in longer intervals, like 3 hours, things started to be easier. We just kinda threw in the chores/errands where we could. I think it's best to not worry about it and see what happens as it happens, you'll get a routine going in no time.
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