New DCG 6mo Old, No Schedule!!! Help!

[LaLa1923]

I have a new DCG starting soon, she will be 6 months old. This is DCM first baby and so far she has no schedule. She often goes to bed at 11-1230at night!!
She seems to nap only at 30min intervals...... HELP! What do I do? I cannot imagine a baby not having a bedtime routine at least.......
Do I get her on a schedule here or let her do her own thing?
She wants to be constantly held, yet she also likes exploring.
I think it will be hard to let her to her own thing and hold her all day. I will always be feeding her or letting her cat nap....


Advice please!

[cheerfuldom]

you HAVE to get her on a schedule ASAP! no way can you continue long in daycare if you are constantly feeding and entertaining one child, its just not realistic for a daycare setting.

what time does she get there? what time is pickup? how many days a week do you have her?

the best scenario is to have her full time with the same drop off and pickup each day.

[LaLa1923]

you HAVE to get her on a schedule ASAP! no way can you continue long in daycare if you are constantly feeding and entertaining one child, its just not realistic for a daycare setting.

what time does she get there? what time is pickup? how many days a week do you have her?

the best scenario is to have her full time with the same drop off and pickup each day.

I will have her full time, Monday-Friday 8-530. Her mom has been very understanding and is ok with her being on a schedule. I just hope she follows the same at home....

[kitykids3]

I usually stress to first time moms to do what they can to have their child on as consistent schedule as is possible before they start. Since she will be fulltime with you, you do what you can at your house and then tell mom the things you're doing there and tell her it is best for baby for her to try to follow thru on the weekends. Tell her overall baby will adjust easier to going between the 2 places and will lead to a happier baby while at your house. If mom understands that it is all for a healthier, happier baby, then hopefully she'll keep her on a schedule at home. Explain to her that at daycare babies can't always be held and it is better for her development to have floor/explore time and consistent schedule. Don't tell her what to do per say, just that you'll be trying to get a consistent routine for her (of course following her needs) and perhaps give her some tips as to the types of needs 6 month old babies have, such as amount of sleep per night/day, average feeding amounts, etc.).

[Michael]

Here are some more threads on Infant Schedules: https://www.daycare.com/forum/tags.p...ant+-+schedule

[cheerfuldom]

I will have her full time, Monday-Friday 8-530. Her mom has been very understanding and is ok with her being on a schedule. I just hope she follows the same at home....

Hey thats great! The good news is that you can quickly get her on a routine, even if the mom does not fully cooperate at home. You have this child for most of her waking hours so you do have a huge amount of influence over this.

I dont "tell" parents what to do at home. I let them know what routine their child is on at daycare. My routine is not negotiable although I am happy to accommodate if possible when parents have specific requests but like the PP said, naps and playing independently are not negotiable.

For 6 months old, I would do two naps a day. Usually between 4 and 6 months is when I transition from three naps down to two naps a day. What nap schedule are your other kids on? I would do on early nap and then one afternoon nap that is the same time as the older kids afternoon nap. For me that becomes 9-11 and 1-3. (I always wake baby if need be for the morning nap, but I dont for the second nap....thats just me). I do a pack n play (with no toys or suffocating hazards) in a darkened room with white noise and no one else in there if possible. I tuck them in and thats where they stay for the whole nap time, whether they sleep or not. I do check on them....peek in where they cant see me checking on them. but I do not "do" anything else. No rocking, no bottle to bed or anything else like that. I will offer a paci but I dont keep putting it back in their mouth over and over. yes they will cry and its up to you if you want to try something to soothe or try a gentler method but in my experience, the crying doesnt last long (two weeks?) and once they can get to sleep on their own, everyone is happier.

for playing, again, I think it is easier to just do it cold turkey. put the baby down in a safe place with age appropriate activities and let them work it out on their own. lots of floor time will help baby develop appropriately. they will cry but thats okay. try to keep from carrying them too much. it is better to sit on the floor next to them or even with them in your lap but this way, they dont get too attached to the constant motion and bouncing.

now is the time to get all this worked out because otherwise, you will be posting in the next few months when you have an exhausted baby that cannot do anything on their own. by 9 or 10 months, it will be too much and you will end up terming. now is your chance to get her used to daycare!

[daycaremom76]

A few months ago I had a 5 month old the same way but it was Mom's second baby. She breastfed so the baby just ate whenever she cried while mom was on maternity leave. When I got her there was no schedule other then "cry feed her" I was feeding her like every two hours and it was wreaking havok on my daily schedule with my toddlers! And she didn't just cry she SCREAMED! It took me about 2 weeks to get her on a good schedule and she was good for like 2 months. Then her family got the bug and she was out for almost 2 weeks home with Mom still breastfeeding on demand only. So when she came back it was the nightmare all over again. I couldn't get her back on schedule to save my life after about a month of her constantly screaming all day I ended up letting them go!