A Schedule for Adelaida

Adelaida sleeping in her bouncy chair, one week old

After Adelaida was born, we made it a point to continue doing things we had done before she arrived: things like hiking, going out for dinner occasionally, shopping, and working around the house. We certainly weren't going to leave her behind for any of these events, so got into the habit of taking her with us, wherever we went. She has always been a happy, content baby and was able to sleep anywhere (in the hiking backpack, in the car, in our arms), so this worked out well for all of us.

one-month-old Adelaida sleeps on her Grandpa Steve's chest	sleeping on her Daddy's chest at eight months old

eleven months old, asleep in her crib, legs through the crib slats, with one sock on the floor!

In addition to sleeping well during the day, no matter where she was, Adelaida has also been very good about sleeping in her crib at night. She's been sleeping through the night (most nights) since she was about six weeks old. She'd wake up once during the night about two or three nights a week, want to be fed, then go right back to sleep -- all very reasonable for such a young infant! Because she slept so well from such a young age, Dale and I have always gotten up and taken care of her during the night, never thinking about "weaning" her from the middle-of-the-night feedings.

Adelaida sleeping in her crib, eight months old

All that changed about a month ago, when I started waking Adelaida up before I went to sleep (one to two hours after she had gone to sleep) for an extra nursing session. Within a week, she was waking up every night crying, wanting to be nursed in the middle of the night -- sometimes three or four times a night! I was really struggling with getting enough sleep and considered putting her back to bed without nursing her, but it was just so much easier to nurse her than listen to her cry! And so we found ourselves in a pattern of waking up several times a night with a baby who formerly slept through the night consistently.

asleep in the car, six months old

A month or so before her nighttime sleep patterns changed, we noticed that Adelaida didn't sleep very well (or very often, or very long) unless she was in her crib. She would still sleep in the car, but often for only five or ten minutes of the thirty-minute drive in to Albuquerque, and sleeping on Dale's or my chest during a walk was becoming a rarity. Of course she still needed a lot of daytime sleep, but kept herself awake whenever there were interesting things to see, and refused to sleep when she was over-tired.

All of this added up to a cranky baby, which is not like Adelaida!

before she was mobile, Adelaida often slept in the closet when we traveled! (seven months old)

Earlier this week, we decided to make some changes, starting with a more consistent routine that included frequent naptimes in her own bed. At the same time, I stopped feeding her before I went to bed and are increasing the amount of time between nursings at night. Our new routine goes something like this:

between 5:45 and 6:30: wake up (if she's still asleep at 6:30, we will wake her up)

6:30 - 8:00: nurse, get dressed, eat "first breakfast," play, nurse

8:00 - 9:00: naptime (if she's still asleep at 9:00, wake her up)

9:00 - 12:00: eat "second breakfast," nurse, play, eat lunch, nurse

12:00 - 2:15: naptime (if she's still asleep at 2:15, wake her up)

2:15 - 4:30: nurse, eat midafternoon snack, play, nurse

4:30 - 5:30: naptime (if she's still asleep at 5:30, wake her up)

5:30 - 7:00: play, eat dinner, nurse, play

7:00 - 8:00: bath, pajamas, nurse, quiet play, nurse

8:00 bedtime

A happy, well-rested eleven-month-old baby!

We've only be sticking to this routine for a few days, but it has worked wonderfully! She has been happier during the day, goes down for her naps without any protest, and is sleeping longer stretches at night (including ten hours last night!). This is the happy Adelaida we know and love :)