Hellobee Boards Topic: Is a schedule at 4 weeks possible?

Hellobee Boards Topic: Is a schedule at 4 weeks possible? https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 25 Apr 2026 09:13:23 +0000 sarac on "Is a schedule at 4 weeks possible?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-a-schedule-at-4-weeks-possible#post-404043 Sat, 17 Nov 2012 13:31:25 +0000 sarac 404043@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Reading that just baffles me - my daughter would never have politely taken to being told when to nurse. Not at 4 weeks, and not now. I also don't get to choose her naptimes. Do some babies really permit that? Weagle on "Is a schedule at 4 weeks possible?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-a-schedule-at-4-weeks-possible#post-403891 Sat, 17 Nov 2012 10:55:58 +0000 Weagle 403891@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Beebug: I posted that link, and I'll say that we had NO schedule at that time. In my limited one child experience, I think it would have been impossible to have any sort of regular routine or schedule at 4 weeks. They change SO much in the first few months! I followed LO's cues until almost 6 months. At that point LO became so aware of her surroundings that she obviously needed a routine. Now we follow the 6 month schedule pretty loosely. It's more of a routine than an absolute every day thing. ETA: We did start a bedtime routine around 6 weeks that we've tried to stick to since then. But the daytime was different every day. tysonja on "Is a schedule at 4 weeks possible?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-a-schedule-at-4-weeks-possible#post-403426 Fri, 16 Nov 2012 20:19:26 +0000 tysonja 403426@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @krsmall: we did a similar schedule as you from the first few weeks. of course it varies + or - a few minutes from day to day but having guidelines helped me stay sane and it seemed that he liked having a rhythm to the day, too. he's always been a good eater/sleeper. when we went out with him we kept the same schedule, just stopped to feed him wherever we were and put him to sleep in the carseat for naps. sarac on "Is a schedule at 4 weeks possible?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-a-schedule-at-4-weeks-possible#post-403397 Fri, 16 Nov 2012 19:55:42 +0000 sarac 403397@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I didn't have any kind of predictable schedule until about 7 months, and it's remained about the same since then. Some babies form their own schedules, I think, some are more receptive to you leading them to one, and some (like mine) will do what they want, when they want. I'd also say that if you need to get out of the house to be sane, do that. Make it happen. I was so tired early on that I didn't always make the effort, and it made me so unhappy. I didn't understand that the simple act of leaving the house for a few hours made me 500% happier. Now that I know that any future babies will be out in the world from the start, no matter how tired I am. Running Elley on "Is a schedule at 4 weeks possible?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-a-schedule-at-4-weeks-possible#post-403334 Fri, 16 Nov 2012 18:59:14 +0000 Running Elley 403334@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Elliot is basically on a schedule thats similar. He feeds between 6 and 7, naps again until about 10, feeds, plays until about 12, takes a catnap, feeds at around 1:30, naps from 2 to 4:30 or 5, feeds again, takes a short nap (about 30-45 minutes), plays until 7:30, feeds, gets put into his swaddle and goes down in his crib. He usually wakes up to eat at around 1am and then sleeps until his morning feed. And repeat. However, we're not strict with it (we adapt to him) and we don't CIO. If he fusses or cries in his crib we go in, put in his pacifier and rock him (if necessary) back to sleep. MamaMoose on "Is a schedule at 4 weeks possible?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-a-schedule-at-4-weeks-possible#post-403330 Fri, 16 Nov 2012 18:57:14 +0000 MamaMoose 403330@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We will attempt to loosely follow the schedule laid out in babywise. For our family I think getting on a schedule sooner rather than later will be best. But obviously we will make adjustments depending on how receptive LO is to it. dookie32 on "Is a schedule at 4 weeks possible?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-a-schedule-at-4-weeks-possible#post-403314 Fri, 16 Nov 2012 18:40:21 +0000 dookie32 403314@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @daniellemybelle: I think that schedule implies a consistent length of naps (which I never experienced). So I would guess to stick to the schedule you are supposed to wake them up if the nap goes longer than the time blocked out for it. Same thing for the "catnaps". I don't think you should wake up babies that young. They need sleep when they need sleep- not when it's convenient for us. And what do you do if they wake up sooner? Then you force them to stay up until the next designated naptime? To me trying to adhere to that timing sounds more stressful than just letting the baby do its thing. But I also would never in a million years done CIO that young so clearly this philosophy is not for me :). littlek on "Is a schedule at 4 weeks possible?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-a-schedule-at-4-weeks-possible#post-403308 Fri, 16 Nov 2012 18:35:37 +0000 littlek 403308@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Our LO has been on a schedule since day 1. He was put on schedule at NICU and feeds at 6 am, 9 am, noon, 3 pm and 6 pm night feed. When he was younger he also feed at 9 pm, midnight and 3 am but he dropped those around 3 months when he started sleeping through the night. daniellemybelle on "Is a schedule at 4 weeks possible?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-a-schedule-at-4-weeks-possible#post-403288 Fri, 16 Nov 2012 18:17:34 +0000 daniellemybelle 403288@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @LemonLong: It's great that your LO has really settled into her schedule! On the other thread, most seemed to think that CIO at all for a baby that young - even for 5 minutes - is not a good idea... daniellemybelle on "Is a schedule at 4 weeks possible?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-a-schedule-at-4-weeks-possible#post-403286 Fri, 16 Nov 2012 18:16:31 +0000 daniellemybelle 403286@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @dookie32: Honestly asking, what is different in that schedule above other than being consistent with bedtime and feeding? Is it the nighttime wakeups/feedings? dookie32 on "Is a schedule at 4 weeks possible?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-a-schedule-at-4-weeks-possible#post-403263 Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:58:27 +0000 dookie32 403263@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I say this as a control freak- a schedule for a 4 week old sounds absolutely insane to me. I'm sorry- they are babies, not robots to be programmed. My son is 8 months old and we're consistent with bedtime and feeding schedules but that's about it. LemonLong on "Is a schedule at 4 weeks possible?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-a-schedule-at-4-weeks-possible#post-403259 Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:52:05 +0000 LemonLong 403259@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @daniellemybelle: oops forgot to use the reply function! See my response above. For 3-8 week olds Moms on Call uses 5 minute intervals of CIO, and the longest you go is 15 minutes of crying before you do the night feed. I don't have the book in front of me, so I can't remember what it recommends for older babies. LemonLong on "Is a schedule at 4 weeks possible?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-a-schedule-at-4-weeks-possible#post-403256 Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:47:08 +0000 LemonLong 403256@https://boards.hellobee.com/ So far no, but my LO hardly ever cries. The only time she cries is during diaper changes. At night she will fuss, and I wait to see if it stops before I check on her. She's only about 3 weeks old right now though, so we'll have to see if that changes as she gets older. daniellemybelle on "Is a schedule at 4 weeks possible?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-a-schedule-at-4-weeks-possible#post-403251 Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:35:11 +0000 daniellemybelle 403251@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @LemonLong: I posted about this elsewhere a few days ago, but has your LO already cried it out at 3 weeks old? I haven't read any of Moms On Call's books or anything but it seems like that is what they suggest to get your LO on a schedule at a young age? LemonLong on "Is a schedule at 4 weeks possible?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-a-schedule-at-4-weeks-possible#post-403245 Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:25:56 +0000 LemonLong 403245@https://boards.hellobee.com/ My LO is almost 3 weeks old and she follows a schedule more or less. I feed her every 3 hours during the day. In between feedings she naps and has some activity time (she's just starting to have more awake time). Her supper feed is at 6 pm, then she has active time and a nap. At 8:30 she has a bath/hair washing, diaper change and pajamas and then story time. At 9 pm she feeds again and I put her down for the night. During the night she feeds at 1 am and then she's good until 5 or 6 am. We used the Moms on Call schedule and so far she's doing well with it. Beebug on "Is a schedule at 4 weeks possible?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-a-schedule-at-4-weeks-possible#post-403217 Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:04:31 +0000 Beebug 403217@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I'll start by saying, I have no desire to get my 4 week old LO on a schedule yet!!! I was skimming posts here on HB during a middle-of-the-night nursing session last night and came across a post, and a fellow HB'er posted this link: <a href="http://noobmommy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/EASY-Schedule-Cheat-Sheet.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://noobmommy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/EASY-Schedule-Cheat-Sheet.pdf</a> The post was for a 5-6 month old, but in the pdf was the 4 week old schedule in there, and as I skimmed it, I thought "WHAAAAT" when I saw the sched for the four week old. One......has anyone done this (or something similar, any type of routine/schedule) at/around this age? Two....personally I have no idea how it's possible, I feel like every day is still so different, and each week she is just changing a lot, that a schedule seems impossible. I know every baby is different, and huge kudos to anyone who has achieved some schedule/routine at this age! Three.....if you did achieve a schedule this young, what happened when you went out? I feel like this is a stay home always schedule and since my head is much better if I get out in at least the morning or afternoon, something like the above link wouldn't work for me. Sometimes LO just wants to sleep longer, or shorter.....or doesn't settle in good time, and what about this schedule and nothing listed through the overnight? What time did you achieve a "schedule" if you did? I think my only eventual hope is to start establishing a nighttime/evening/bedtime routine, beyond that...daytime is somewhat of a free for all, for now, anyways!