Day Schedule & Night Time Routine

Ok guys, let’s talk about baby routines! I’ve heard it all before, “Jackie you can’t tell a baby when to eat, when to sleep, when to poop, etc.” or people have asked “Is it really true you have your babies on a schedule?” The answer is yes I do, and yes it’s possible and you can too!

The first few weeks home with the girls I was so lost as a new mom. I basically took each day as they came, moment by moment and was in total survival mode. I remember thinking does this last forever? Is it going to be this hard for forever? And no, of course not it was just super hard at the time, in the moment. When my grandmother passed back in May of this year, we took our 2 month old twins down to Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was there that I realized I can’t keep going on like this, my kids can’t keep going on like this. They were tired and cranky and I felt like we were just struggling. When we got back home I decided we needed some structure. I’m a very organized person to begin with. I literally have a place for everything I own, I make labels and one of my favorite stores in the container store. Why I didn’t think about a schedule before is beyond me. I hope you can take some of these tips and tricks to help you with your little ones.

My girls have always eaten every 3/4 hours; adjust your times as needed to fit your schedule. Helpful Hint: While baby is sleeping - eat, do chores, or take a nap yourself, or all three! Remember to take care of you too!

7:00am Wake Up, Change Diapers, Feed

7:30 – 8:30am Play/Awake time

8:30 – 11:30am Morning Nap / Quiet time. It’s important to note that your baby is not going to follow any type of sleep schedule perfectly. What you want is for them to sleep at least 30+ minutes during this time. If you can get an hour, great and if you can get them to sleep the full 3 hours, even better!

11:30am Change Diapers, Feed

12:00 – 2:00pm Play/Awake Time. You’ll have to change baby during these times as needed.

2:30pm Feed

3:00 – 5:00pm Afternoon Nap. Again any amount of sleep you can get them to do will be great for you.

5:00pm Change Diapers, Feed

5:30 – 7:00pm Play/Awake Time. At our house this is the time everyone is coming home and they get lots of hugs and kisses.

7:00 – 8:00pm Take baby into their room. Strip them down to their diaper or allow them to lay naked. One study I was reading said that if you allow baby to lay naked, and use the restroom they will have an easier time adjusting when you’re trying to potty-train. The reason behind this is because toddlers have become so use to using the bathroom in a diaper since they were a baby that it’s a foreign concept to them to go to the bathroom naked. Obviously I’m not at the potty-training stage yet so we’re not sure if this is accurate for us but we’re definitely testing that theory. We have the girls lay naked on chucks (puppy pads) on the floor and talk with them, give them toys, exercise their arms and legs. This is more baby bonding time for you guys.

8:00 – 8:30pm Bath Time.

8:30 – 9:00pm Last Feed. Okay, I know the “experts” tell you to not let your baby fall asleep at the breast, or at the bottle and that you’re supposed to feed them an hour or so before bed. Well that NEVER worked for us. My kids needed that comfort feeding and it has worked great for us.

9:00pm Bed Time. After their bottle I kiss my girls and tell them I love thee. I place each one in their own crib, and tell them goodnight. My eldest will suck her fingers, roll over and go to sleep. The younger one if she’s tired enough will fall right to sleep but sometimes I have to sit on the bed so she can see me. She usually will look at me, smile and eventually fall asleep. And then there are some nights when she just needs that extra cuddle and falls asleep in my arms. If that happens, I just place her in bed and she stays asleep.

I’m lucky that both my girls sleep through the night until 7:00am. I need to mention they are formula fed (breastfeeding babies are different) but if you want to read about some sleeping tips and tricks head over HERE.

As always thanks for being here with me and reading through my twin journey. What is your day schedule and night routine? Do you have one? Did you try one and it didn't work? Comment down below, I would love to see some others. And until next time!!

XOXOXO