Let's talk routines

I often get asked how I cope with four sons. Well really its easy with the exception of occasional bouts of squabbling. We have a really strict routine that we follow religiously.
During the week we start at 7:30am. All down for breakfast and done by 7:50. Then all get washed, brushed and dressed and out the door by 8:30. After everyone strapped in and car warmed up, we are on the road by 8:37. This gives us 10 min to get to the school and 8 min before the morning bell. I return home by 9:10am.....this is my usual morning routine. If anything goes wrong my entire schedule is screwed and my morning is a mad rush. The evening ends with dinner at 5, then baths then bed. Little ones at 6 and older ones by 8. My routine ends at 8pm when all the kids are sleeping and I can be Ricki again.
Just curious about your routines/schedules. Im a strict believe in routines/schedules and as soon as I bring the new baby home from the hospital I try to get him used to the routine as soon as possible. I think routines/schedules are very important and they keep the kids happy and "non-bratty".

I never used any kind of mechanically performed routine/schedule with my two and they are not 'bratty'...wonder how that happened?  Hadn't thought about it until now, really.   Hmmm...

I hope to have two or more children in the future, and enjoy our rhythms as a family so far.   When the babies come, I just feed when they show signs of wanting to, they can sleep when they will.  Well I guess that's what my toddlers do now, too.   Somehow, we're all in bed at a decent hour and enjoy our naps, eat when we're hungry, etc.

I see that G. Ford will be doing a programme on BBC soon - the schedule evangelist herself!

We have a routine as well.  We are blessed w/a good sleeper.  Aillidh wakes at 9.  I go to work at 8.20 and phone the hubby at 9.  Then brekkie.  She plays, then has a 2 hour walk at noon.  Lunch, more play.  Then a 1.5 hour nap at 3.  Snack, then tea at 6.  More play.  Bath, bottle with story, then pj's, brush teeth and bed by 8. 

She gets very narky if her routine is thrown off for more than a day.  She likes her nap! 

I never used any kind of mechanically performed routine/schedule with my two and they are not 'bratty'...wonder how that happened?  Hadn't thought about it until now, really.   Hmmm...

I hope to have two or more children in the future, and enjoy our rhythms as a family so far.   When the babies come, I just feed when they show signs of wanting to, they can sleep when they will.  Well I guess that's what my toddlers do now, too.   Somehow, we're all in bed at a decent hour and enjoy our naps, eat when we're hungry, etc.

I see that G. Ford will be doing a programme on BBC soon - the schedule evangelist herself!

Ugh I read that Gina Ford book when I was pregnant and resolved NEVER to put anything she said into practice! A certian amount of routine is all well and good and I like what Pebbles does, but Gina Ford is way over the top.  I don't have Ethan in a a routine as such, he is still finding his rhythm.

I've always just gone with the baby's natural routine.  For example, I've found that the baby will go several months wanting a nap not long after everyone else leaves the house in the morning - maybe around 9 or 9.30.  Then it switches to after lunch for a few month.  I am happy to work my day around these naps, and don't object to taking a sleeping baby to engagements that I have not control over.  I don't do the same things at the same time every day, so I don't expect my baby to do that either.  I'm probably creating a rod for my own back 

One thing I notice in the UK is that British moms seem to get their babies off to sleep for the night at 6 or 6.30pm.  I'm in awe of them.  I really don't know how they do it. 

My son (14 months) is a very inconsistent napper.  One day he'll sleep for an hour in the morning and afternoon, the next he'll sleep once for two hours.  Some days I'm lucky if he'll go down for 45 minutes. Has anyone been able to create some semblance of a routine with a child who only seems to nap when it's least convenient?  I keep trying, but it's starting to seem useless.   

I am not a parent, but I am a nanny for 5 month old twins and their parents have them on a schedule that's pretty tight, and after a few months it becomes more natural.  When it's nap time, usually between 8:30 and 9 am, they get put in their cribs awake and fall asleep on their own.  They are up for a few hours, have a feeding and unless we have outside time planned (now it's getting to cold) they get put back down for their naps anytime between 12 and 1:30, depending on how long they slept in the am.  I think that a schedule can be important for both the babies and parents because you know when they are hungry, wet, going to have a dirty diaper (it's like clockwork) but there is still room for flexibility.  When they cry, I can rule out things much faster than if I tried feeding them every time they seemed hungry.  They also will know what to expect.  Maybe it's more critical with twins, but if I ever decide to have children I will definetley have them on a schedule like this--they slept thru the night at 3 months (7pm-7am) and love to be in their cribs! 

That's interesting Jackie because although I don't have Ethan (3 months old) in a set routine he has his own natural rhythm and ways of letting me know if he is hungry or needs a nappy change or whatever.  His feeding is like clockwork, every fluid oz he consumes lasts him about an hour, so for example at the moment he is on 6 fluid oz and goes 5-6 hours between feeds, unless he is on a growth spurt.  He has different cries for being hungry, having a wet nappy etc  so it is a rare occasion when I try and give him a bottle and it is a nappy change that he needs. He naps at similar times each day and even poos around the same time.  And he is sleeping around 8-10 hours or more at night now (touch wood!).  Not trying to say I'm a perfect mother here, I'm just saying I think babies will get themeselves into a routine whether you give them set nap, feeding etc  times or not.  Or maybe I just got lucky?

That's interesting Jackie because although I don't have Ethan (3 months old) in a set routine he has his own natural rhythm and ways of letting me know if he is hungry or needs a nappy change or whatever.  His feeding is like clockwork, every fluid oz he consumes lasts him about an hour, so for example at the moment he is on 6 fluid oz and goes 5-6 hours between feeds, unless he is on a growth spurt.  He has different cries for being hungry, having a wet nappy etc  so it is a rare occasion when I try and give him a bottle and it is a nappy change that he needs. He naps at similar times each day and even poos around the same time.  And he is sleeping around 8-10 hours or more at night now (touch wood!).  Not trying to say I'm a perfect mother here, I'm just saying I think babies will get themeselves into a routine whether you give them set nap, feeding etc  times or not.  Or maybe I just got lucky?

I think you and I just got lucky.  My daughter is still like that.  I never realised how lucky we were till we talked to other parents. 

oh well lucky me then

I think what works for child number one doesnt necessarily follow for child number two. My eldest loved naps - he'd go down for 3 hours plus and only gave them up when he was 3. Child number two hated naps; I think he was convinced he'd miss something. I had to put him down daily after lunch for a nap and then he'd cry himself to sleep most days for about 10 mins before going out for the count. He gave these up promptly shortly before he turned two and never looked back

I too believe in schedules and have always remained faithful to that. I deviate from other friends who eat their dinner at 5.00. If I did that, their father would miss out and I think its more important to sit down as a family, rather than father missing out on it all (although some fathers I guess dont mind?) WE eat at 6.00, bath at 7.00, bed at 8.00 or a bit earlier. Now that we're in bunkbeds, I cant say they go to sleep straightaway but at least they get thru the nights. 

I go back to work in Jan and wont be off work until 5.00 so I imagine dinner will get pushed back a bit later..but I guess i'm living on borrowed time anyway with the joy of having children to bed at 8.0. What happens when they want to stay up all night with you??

What happens when they want to stay up all night with you??

Are you at all religious?  My dad used what he called 'The Power of God' to break us of the 'I'm not tired' blues.  We grew up Roman Catholic. 

Everytime we came up with the 'I'm not tired' routine, he'd say, 'Oh, great!  Let's say The Rosary then!  Let me just go get the beads and the prayer book so we can say a few Litanies if you're still not sleepy after The Rosary.'  Or, if we asked for stories ad nauseum, he'd tell us, 'Let me to get the Bible.  That's full of stories!'  And he followed it up, too.  If he got started on The Rosary, we were going to have to stay up for the entire thing, b/c he wouldn't allow us to disrepect Mary by falling asleep.  If he started a Biblical story, he'd see it through to completion.

My sister, a Catholic school teacher near Houston, has also used 'The Power of God' to help her kids off to sleep when need be. 

We learned that if we weren't tired, it was best to keep it to ourselves.   

That is fabulous!! Thanks for the laugh. Your pater sounds like my kind of man!

That is fabulous!! Thanks for the laugh. Your pater sounds like my kind of man!

He is brill!  He was always full of retorts when we were growing up.  'It's not fair, Daddy.' 'Well, neither is the tax structure in this country, kiddo!  Get used to it!'  'If I cried every time things went wrong in my life, there'd be a river called Charlie . . .' and on and on.  Funny thing is, my sister uses them all on her 8- and 10-year-olds!

He is brill!  He was always full of retorts when we were growing up.  'It's not fair, Daddy.' 'Well, neither is the tax structure in this country, kiddo!  Get used to it!' 

LOVE IT!!!!!!!!