Advice on routine for newborn and child in all day nurse Post Reply

[SJH Mummy]

Advice on routine newborn and child in all day nursery

Can anyone offer some practical advice on routines for bed and bath time for 2 children as follows:
1 month old - currently feeding 3-hourly
3.5 yo at day nursery from 8-5.30pm each day

My 3 yo is brilliant, we do pick up at 5.30, home by 5.45 for playing, bath at 6/6.30, TV for a bit then bed for stories at 7.15 ish, no problems getting her to bed by 7.30pm
How do I fit in newborn who is feeding at 5pm and on 3 hour routine? Ideally I'd like to get our evenings back and settle both?
I used Gina ford successfully with my 3 yo and am keen to try again but I can't work out how to do it?
Anyone got any tips? Or is 4 week old too young?

[NorthcoteLuvvie]

Hi
Its a while since we used Gina but I'm pretty sure she had a suggestion for this?

I'm sure we used to do a dream feed at 10pm but I guess that means a 7pm feed as well and therefore crashing your toddlers bedtime routine.

Racking my brains for what we used to do!

[Watermelon]

I would highly reccommend - Alison Scott Wright - sensational sleep plan. My little girl was sleeping through at 9 weeks and it is much more flexible than Gina Ford. You can feed at 4pm and 7pm.

[SJH Mummy]

Yep Gina does suggest routine but its with a toddler who is at non-full time nursery so not that great.
Any idea if there are online details of Alison Scott-Wright or do indeed to get the book?
Thanks all

[Watermelon]

I have just looked online and annoyingly I think you have to buy the book. I would lend you mine but have actually just lent to another friend! It pretty straightforward - feeding every 3 hours but probably best to read the book to get the full concept

[SJH Mummy]

Thanks watermelon, I'll order it now

[coolclapham]

Argh putting two to bed can be tricky to start with, but you'll get into the swing of things! Could you do a split feed at 5/6:30 (i.e. one boob or half a bottle at each)? I think that's a Gina suggestion actually. My babies couldn't always stretch to 3 hours, so I usually had to give them a small feed to get them through bath time and they'd still take another feed at 6:30.

When my second was tiny (my older daughter was 2 when she was born), I did bath time for both at 6, then fed the baby at about 6:30 while reading a story to the toddler. Then I set up the toddler with Peppa Pig on loop while I settled the baby, before a final story with the toddler. That meant some nights leaving the toddler for half an hour while I dealt with a screaming baby... but I couldn't keep the baby awake any longer without a meltdown, and at least I got one-on-one time with the toddler afterwards. I usually got the baby down at around 7 and the toddler by 7:30. There were some nights when things went pear shaped and I had to just stick the baby in the sling and deal with the toddler first (4 weeks is really little, so don't worry if you have to do a lot of making it up as you go along!)

When the baby got older and easier to settle I was able to relax the timings and cut out the iPad time, but apart from that we still follow a similar pattern (the baby is now one).

Also, I read the Alison Scott Wright book and the timings were similar to baby whisperer (ie roughly every three hours, and they both mention a top-up feed early evening), but she is anti dream feed.

Hope that helps!