What Works for You

Doesn't necessarily work for me! My aunt who I love dearly has been telling my mother that I need to get Donovan on a schedule and stop letting him run my house so he can sleep through the night. Background, my aunt has a friend who she treats more like her daughter who recently had a baby. Her baby Caleb is three weeks younger than Donnie and he's sttn..so she thinks my son should be doing the same thing. She says they keep him up during the day so he can sleep at night. Now I'll explain why that's not the case for my household.

First off Caleb's Mom has help from her husband and her mother who lives with them where as my hubs works the night shift so I don't have the extra help to try to establish a routine just yet. Seriously I have Donnie anywhere from 13-20 hours a day depending on if the hubs is working a 12 or 16 hr shift. He has to sleep and include travel time so I may get about 2-3 hours for myself a day. Now I understand that plenty of people raise babies alone so it can be done but I'm just sharing my situation.

Second my son has just gotten over a bout of colic and wanting to be held constantly and only falling asleep on our chests (which may not be the safest but it was the ONLY way he would sleep and it kept me sane.) He has just started back sleeping in his Fischer Price rock and play. So I've finally gotten some freedom to use the bathroom and quickly scarf down a meal. I would seriously go without eating until 7:00 pm from just dealing with him and not being able to put him down. When it gets really bad I do break out the Sleepy Wrap to get somethings done.

Third I'm a night owl, I like being up at night so I guess when I see the clock roll around to 10-11pm and Donnie is up eating or playing with me it doesn't bother me.

Finally the biggest reason is because EVERY BABY IS DIFFERENT. Donnie sleeps fine throughout the day, he takes plenty of naps and can do some 3-5 hour stretches, just because it may not always be at night does that make me a bad Mommy?

I plan to implement some type of routine with Donnie within the next month but a full on schedule I think (and have read to confirm) is too soon. My mother who has been over here with us for a few days has agreed to come and help out 1-2 days during the week, which I think KNOW will make a world of difference with getting things done and allow me to establish a nightly routine with my son. Until then...let me do what works for ME!