I sit at the dining table, just having put Bean to bed at 7:45 p.m. Husband is out seeing a movie with a friend; he deserves an occasional fun outing too. The challenge has been that last week I started doing something different with Bean’s schedule, and today I’ve decided it probably isn’t working out.<\/p>\n
Before last week, our routine was thus: <\/p>\n
Wake at 5:45 or 6:00 a.m., have a bottle
\nPlay until sleepy around 7:30-8:00 a.m., go down for a nap
\nUp around 9:00 or 9:30 a.m., eat breakfast, play or go out
\nBottle at 11-ish, play, then a second nap around 12:30
\nUp at 1:30 or 2:00, lunch, more play
\nAnother nap around 3:30 or 4:00 sometimes
\nDinner at 5:30, play, Husband home for dinner at 6:30
\nPlay, bath, bed at 7:45 or 8:00<\/p>\n
Last week I began trying:
\nWake at 5:45 or 6:00 a.m., have a bottle
\nBack to sleep in the crib until she wakes at 8:00 or 8:30
\nBreakfast at 9:00
\nBottle at 11:30
\nNap at 1:00
\nLunch at 2:00, bottle later, then dinner
\nUp until 7:45 or 8:00<\/p>\n
Even though she is getting the same number of hours of sleep, I noticed with the new schedule she is cranky, more tearful, and tired. She seems<\/em> to need a nap at 10 or so, but she won’t fall asleep. She has a mid-day long nap, but then ends up exhausted, clingy, and whiny in late afternoon; however, she won’t nap then either. So it makes for many many hours between sleep periods where she is just not her best self.<\/p>\n Tomorrow I’ll return to the former schedule and observe how this works over the next week. My hope is that she regains her cheerful balance. I think she simply needs more frequent, if shorter, naps.<\/p>\n I wish I had more to say, but at this time of day I’m lucky if I can form a thought at all! A novel and bed await.
\n—<\/p>\n