Infant Schedule is Backwards

[Alwaysgreener]

Normally a baby goes down for a nap right after a bottle for me. My new DCB has a different schedule than the avg baby. DCM wants him to wake after his bottle, she says he does not sleep well if he gets laid down right away. He is to play for an hour then, when he gets tired lay him down. He falls asleep on his own when he is laid down.

Has anyone had an infant with this kind of schedule before, did it work well?

[Baby Beluga]

Yup. Both of my kids.

Sounds like it's an eat, play, sleep cycle. Is he/she babywise baby?

The eat, play, sleep cycle worked well for us because 1) DS was a huge reflux baby and had to be totally upright for 30 minutes after eating and 2) it helped to not make food/sleep associations which in turned helped with him sleeping own his own.

Even now I usually have my DCK's read for about 20 minutes after lunch before laying down. Unless they are being unruly, in which case lunch then nap it is ::

[boy_mom]

Yes, I did this with both my children and encouraged it with most of my daycare babies. I just preferred to not have children associate food/eating with part of the sleep routine. I never had any issues!

[TheMisplacedMidwestMom]

Yes, sounds like an EASY schedule (Eat, Activity, Sleep, Your time). Both my kids were on that routine, and it is also what I work toward with the daycare babies. For me it's easier to predict. I know they will be ready to eat when they wake up, then when tired cues hit it's time to lay down. No "oh man, he looks tired, I need to go make a bottle" only to have them fall asleep halfway through. And then have them wake up when I try to transfer!

[sammie]

I did this with both of my kids also. It's nice because they learn how to fall asleep on their own.

[amberrose3dg]

Normally a baby goes down for a nap right after a bottle for me. My new DCB has a different schedule than the avg baby. DCM wants him to wake after his bottle, she says he does not sleep well if he gets laid down right away. He is to play for an hour then, when he gets tired lay him down. He falls asleep on his own when he is laid down.

Has anyone had an infant with this kind of schedule before, did it work well?

A young infant typically is good with eating and then sleeping. Once I start working with them on sleep training and a routine I feed them on demand but try to feed them an hour or so before afternoon nap. They play and usually go down without much issues. As long as the baby is happy and eating/ sleeping ok I think whatever works. The sooner they get used to a routine they are happier IMO.

[daycarediva]

Normally a baby goes down for a nap right after a bottle for me. My new DCB has a different schedule than the avg baby. DCM wants him to wake after his bottle, she says he does not sleep well if he gets laid down right away. He is to play for an hour then, when he gets tired lay him down. He falls asleep on his own when he is laid down.

Has anyone had an infant with this kind of schedule before, did it work well?

This is how my grandbaby is. Eat/play/sleep. She is 5m and goes down completely on her own. Her cues are easy, too. Rubbing eyes, time for nap.

[Alwaysgreener]

Thanks all. I seriously have never had an infant on this schedule but I'm glad to hear that it is more common than I thought. DCB is here today and it seems to be working out great just like some of you said his hungry and sleep cues are easier to detect. The other baby I have in care is on the schedule that I consider average eat sleep play. So it's interesting to have two different infant on two different schedules.

I do have one question how does the schedule work for middle-of-the-night feedings? Does the infant expect to stay up and play then too?

[TheMisplacedMidwestMom]

Thanks all. I seriously have never had an infant on this schedule but I'm glad to hear that it is more common than I thought. DCB is here today and it seems to be working out great just like some of you said his hungry and sleep cues are easier to detect. The other baby I have in care is on the schedule that I consider average eat sleep play. So it's interesting to have two different infant on two different schedules.

I do have one question how does the schedule work for middle-of-the-night feedings? Does the infant expect to stay up and play then too?

I started the EASY schedule after reading "The Baby Whisperer" with my first child. The author recommends a "dream feed", where you put the child down for normal bedtime and then come in a couple hours later and only wake them enough to "top off the tank". With DD on the dream feed she slept through the night from 4 months on. DS still woke around 3am until 7 months, but it was eat then right back to sleep with no issues.

[HappyEverAfter]

This is how all my dck do it. Eat, play and be upright (especially my reflux baby) and then 30-60 min later they’re drowsy and fall right to sleep. I think it’s better this way so that they don’t think “I need a bottle or I won’t be able to nap”.

[mommyneedsadayoff]

Thanks all. I seriously have never had an infant on this schedule but I'm glad to hear that it is more common than I thought. DCB is here today and it seems to be working out great just like some of you said his hungry and sleep cues are easier to detect. The other baby I have in care is on the schedule that I consider average eat sleep play. So it's interesting to have two different infant on two different schedules.

I do have one question how does the schedule work for middle-of-the-night feedings? Does the infant expect to stay up and play then too?

No, they tend to sleep through the night. During the day, you maintain the eat, play, sleep on a 3-4 hour schedule, but at night, you let them wake on their own, feed, right back to bed. Because they stay on a steady cycle during the day, they get enough feeds to satisfy them through the night much earlier, ime. They learn the difference between day and night much more quickly.

[daycarediva]

No, they tend to sleep through the night. During the day, you maintain the eat, play, sleep on a 3-4 hour schedule, but at night, you let them wake on their own, feed, right back to bed. Because they stay on a steady cycle during the day, they get enough feeds to satisfy them through the night much earlier, ime. They learn the difference between day and night much more quickly.

This...

and I think they don't associate hunger with sleep. They don't need to eat to fall asleep, which is hard to break, imho.

[Alwaysgreener]

Follow up Question

I need help nailing down DCB schedule to fit with my other children's schedule.

DCB schedule
arrives at 8 and DCM has fed him at 630
naps 830-930
Change 930
bottle 945-10
change/nap 11
wakes/change 1-130
bottle 130
nap 230
wakes/change 330-345
leaves 420-430


Once 4 hits, DH and dd come home and all p/u and drop-offs happen and things are hectic until 430 when all the kids are gone.

According to the schedule DCM has him on, he should have another bottle before he goes home. Should I / would you try to squeeze another bottle in after the last nap?

[mommyneedsadayoff]

I need help nailing down DCB schedule to fit with my other children's schedule.

DCB schedule
arrives at 8 and DCM has fed him at 630
naps 830-930
Change 930
bottle 945-10
change/nap 11
wakes/change 1-130
bottle 130
nap 230
wakes/change 330-345
leaves 420-430


Once 4 hits, DH and dd come home and all p/u and drop-offs happen and things are hectic until 430 when all the kids are gone.

According to the schedule DCM has him on, he should have another bottle before he goes home. Should I / would you try to squeeze another bottle in after the last nap?

How old is he? I would give him a third bottle before pick up, otherwise he is going a long time between feeds and will prob be very hungry on the way home.

I base everything off of feed time. Here's an example of what I would do in your case, but age would affect this slightly.

Bottle 6:30
Nap 8-9:30
Bottle 9:45
Nap 11-12:30
Bottle 12:45
Nap 2-3:30
Bottle 3:45
Play and watch the other kids till pick up at 4/4:30

Like I said, it would adjust for age and how much/often they eat, but this based on about a 3 hr schedule. You can adjust based on the first feed, so if he comes and mom says he ate at 7 am, he would have bottles around 10, 1, 4, 7, 10. As he gets older and can drink more at one sitting, you begin to drop the snack feeds. The ones at 10 and 4 go away, so that you end up having him eat at breakfast, lunch, and dinner like the other kids. His naps eventually reduce to two a day as well, since he can go longer before eating. But again this depends on age. If he still pretty little, he'll have to keep the three hours schedule for a while, but this is the routine I do with all my kids and it works well.

[Alwaysgreener]

How old is he? I would give him a third bottle before pick up, otherwise he is going a long time between feeds and will prob be very hungry on the way home.

I base everything off of feed time. Here's an example of what I would do in your case, but age would affect this slightly.

Bottle 6:30
Nap 8-9:30
Bottle 9:45
Nap 11-12:30
Bottle 12:45
Nap 2-3:30
Bottle 3:45
Play and watch the other kids till pick up at 4/4:30

Like I said, it would adjust for age and how much/often they eat, but this based on about a 3 hr schedule. You can adjust based on the first feed, so if he comes and mom says he ate at 7 am, he would have bottles around 10, 1, 4, 7, 10. As he gets older and can drink more at one sitting, you begin to drop the snack feeds. The ones at 10 and 4 go away, so that you end up having him eat at breakfast, lunch, and dinner like the other kids. His naps eventually reduce to two a day as well, since he can go longer before eating. But again this depends on age. If he still pretty little, he'll have to keep the three hours schedule for a while, but this is the routine I do with all my kids and it works well.

He is 3 months.

I have another infant (8 months) that arrives at 915, she normally gets a bottle at 945-1015. Today, I got his bottle ready when she arrived, to see if I could move a few things up so I could have time to squeeze in a 3rd bottle and because I did not give it to her she spent the whole 20 minutes crying. She does not give up either.

He is scheduled to leave at 5 but last week DCM comes earlier 420 before the other family left. I had scheduled to give dcb a bottle after the other family left but she showed up early. Then yesterday, she came later and I was not prepared for that as I was expecting her earlier, just as I was going to warm the bottle she pulls in. DCM says that last week she was leaving work early, so 430-435 will be her time window for now on.

I hate feeding a baby a bottle when a parent arrives, I am never sure if I should hand off the baby and bottle or finish feeding the baby myself.