Hello Hun's
I hope you are all well, its about the time I feel I need to get back on the blog post! This week marks Matilda turning 3 months old!!!! How is that even possible? 2 lots of vaccinations, still chuffed I am breast feeding and growing out of clothes so quickly....Waaahhhhh!
Now we are 12 weeks in, we've got our evening routine well and truly in place! And I won't lie I am really happy to have my evenings back with the hubby. If you read my previous blog you'll see that from around 4-6 weeks old I started taking Matilda upstairs around 6-7pm and was feeding in a calm dark environment so that she could tell the difference from Day to Night, I continued with that religiously and it definitely worked as she is so ready for her little evening routine now at 12 weeks old. So we do bath time at 6pm, sometimes Harry joins sometimes he doesn't, and will sit downstairs with daddy. Bath time we spend anywhere from 15 minutes to 30 mins I look for her ques and if she's yawning a lot then I will cut bath time shorter as she will become over tired. I use the angel care bath seat which I LOVE!!!! and also Tesco bath time bubbles or Johnson's bubble bath! I use a little cup to pour over her body when she's in the bath so she's always warm as the seat sits slightly above the water, and will also pour a little bit of water over her head and face as Harry used to scream blue murder at around 18 months if water got in his face/eyes and when trying to wash his hair it was bloody hard work! Thank fully he is now over this phase, but I am not taking any chances with Matilda so I am getting her used to water over the face and eyes etc
Once out of the bath, we use the Aveeno baby lotion and do a little massage from head to toe which she loves!!!! Lots of smiles and giggles, and then her nappy and baby grow goes on. At this point she is starting to get a little hungry/thirsty so I give her a feed, bring her downstairs to see harry and daddy, she usually sits in her chair for around 15 minutes and will soon start to show signs she's ready to go to sleep so I take her back up, feed her again from the other breast in the dark with the curtains closed and then she goes down for the night somewhere between 7pm - 7.30pm.
My toddler usually wakes between 6.30am-7.30am so once he is up, I am and we head downstairs, sometimes Matilda is still asleep so I will leave her upstairs with the monitor on.
I don't have a strict day time routine and although I am a huge believer in routine I don't stress hugely on the day time routine whilst she's this young, so I follow her and this how it goes for the moment;
7am - Awake
Feed (Cant state oz as she is breast fed)
Sits in her chair whilst I make Harry's breakfast
8.30am - Sleep (this is where i usually get showered/dressed for the day! If I don't its a struggle to get out the door otherwise!)
9.30/10am - Awake/Play time/Feed/Head out to tots groups or shops
11-30/12pm - Sleep so if at home will snooze or if out and about will sleep in car seat/pram
1pm - Awake/as above so play time, feed nappy change etc
3/3.30pm - Sleep
4pm/4.30pm - Awake, feed, nappy change, play etc
This point of the day she goes her longest time awake, I don't know why I just presume because she knows the next lot of sleep is night time sleep? Who knows but I am going with it and following her.
6pm - Evening routine begins! & down for the night usually 7.15.
Just for any breast feeding mummies or pregnant mummies who are hoping to breast feed, during her time awake I can go from feeding her once in that time or maybe twice sometimes it all depends how she feels, sometimes she'll take a big long feed when she wakes up or other times she will have a little drink and then play/wiggle on the playmat and will then want some more, so I literally just feed on demand.
From my experience with Harry I assume as she gets bigger she will be awake for longer periods of time? Therefore her naps will club together rather than the odd hour here and there but whilst still young most babies can only handle so much and will need to sleep again or that how it seems for Matilda anyways. If you have baby thats slightly older than Matilda would love to hear your day time routines please send them to me!
Any Q's about our routine so far just drop me a message and don't forget to follow me on Instagram @mama.lauraelizabeth
xxxxx
