Our Daily Routine : Brody 4-8 Weeks Old

I love it when people post their daily routine and I’m really not sure why.  It’s funny that we find it fascinating, but I guess we’re just curious {hence the millions of reality TV shows out there}.  I wanted to write this because Brody will be 8 weeks tomorrow and I know our schedules will change significantly as he continues to get older and I want to be able to look back at what it was like in the beginning.  

We have mostly followed the routines outlined in our “Moms on Call” book thus far.  Those routines change depending on age.  We didn’t start any type of routine until Brody was 4 weeks old.  We really just went with the flow the first month.  We had a lot of company and people in our house, he slept in a cradle next to our bed, we bathed him whatever time was convenient and he stayed up later so I could give him one late feeding (1030 or 11pm).  That way I was only having to wake up once or maybe twice a night for feedings.  He usually would wake up sometime between 2am-4am and then between 6-8am.    He did come home from the hospital on a pretty good feeding schedule of every three hours, but ultimately, we just fed on demand.  

I absolutely love my days with this little guy.  It is amazing to watch how much he changes every day and the new things that he learns.  I feel so lucky to have him!

Here’s an idea of our schedule from 4-8 weeks old:

6am – 7am | Brody wakes up.  Matt usually gets him out of the crib, changes his diaper, and brings him to me in the bedroom to feed.  He starts the days off so sweet and happy with lots of smiles.

7:30am | Brody hangs out while I shower, brush my teeth, throw on workout clothes and we go downstairs for coffee.  I usually set him in his swing and he falls back to sleep rather quickly.  This is when I make my coffee, breakfast, turn on the Today show and sit with my computer to catch up on my favorite blog reads.

9am | Brody feeds again.  He usually feeds for about 30 mins.  After feeding, he plays on his activity mat for about 30 mins and we practice tummy time and release some energy.  While he’s playing, I usually pump after this feeding because this is when I get the most milk because it has built up all night long.  

(This is about 1 min long, but it is me trying to get Brody to roll on his belly by himself)

10am | Brody goes back down for a nap usually in his swing.  The MOC book recommends to get at least one to two naps a day in their crib, but honestly that hasn’t worked out great for us so I haven’t stressed about it much.  While he is sleeping, I prep my lunch for the day which is usually just a salad with whatever leftover meat or seafood we have from the night before.  But it helps for me to put it all together and stick it in the fridge until I’m ready to eat it.  I’ll throw in some laundry or do the dishes/clean parts from the pump.  

12pm |  Feeding time again.  We feed for approx 30 min and then play until about 1pm.  While he is playing (either on activity mat or recently in the Bumbo), I eat my lunch.  

1pm |  Lays back down for a nap.  This is when I typically try to put in one of my workout videos.  Either my Pure Barre workouts or more recently Jillian Michaels 30 day Shred because it is only 20 min long and sometimes that’s all I can squeeze in.  Sometimes it might just be some random push-ups, squats and ab work, but I try to do something.  

3pm | Feed time.  He spends this hour eating and playing again.  While he is playing, I am usually ready for a snack and I will either make a green juice or a smoothie to drink.  I usually have Ina Garten from the Food Network on TV and love watching what she throws together.  

4pm |  The afternoon naps seem to be a bit trickier.  He doesn’t always nap as well in the afternoons, but we still try.  It’s usually these later afternoon naps that he doesn’t always fall asleep or at least not for long.  I usually hang out close by on my computer and work on a blog post, play online, or start prepping for dinner if I can. 

This was actually his face when Bella barked at the TV and woke him up from his nap. It was hilarious. He has quite the bottom lip.

5:30pm |  Supper feed (last feeding before bedtime).  After this feeding is when things really start to get fun.  Brody tends to be nice and fussy starting around 6pm so this is when I either put him in the stroller and we go for a 30 or 40 min walk or Matt’s home and we all go sit outside on the pier and catch up on the day, start cocktail hour and let Brody enjoy the fresh air breeze.  

6:30pm | I try to get him down for a short nap at this point maybe even feeding him a little to try and put him to sleep.  Matt or I work on prepping dinner, whoever has a free hand, and we try and eat while he is asleep.  This doesn’t always work out perfectly, so sometimes we just have to go with the flow.

8pm | Bath time. And I’m always looking forward to this! Bath time is always great because he loves it. If he has been fussy, then it helps calm him down and it means that it’s almost bed time.  I bathe him in his bathroom and then give him a little baby massage with some oil. He loves his massage and is back to smiling and happy as well as moving his little mouth open trying to tell me how hungry he is.  I swaddle him up and get him ready for his last feeding.

8:30pm | Final feeding.  I usually feed him in my bed while I watch a little TV {I should be feeding him in the quietness of his own room, but I don’t}.  After he feeds, I place him in his crib and kiss him goodnight!  

9pm |  I’m usually pretty exhausted at this point.  I either go back downstairs for a little while and watch TV with Matt or I may just get ready for bed and wait for him to come upstairs.  I like to go to bed as early as I can because it’s best to sleep when the baby is sleeping 🙂  He usually wakes between 3am-4am for a night time feeding, so I have to be ready for that! 

And then we wake up and do it all over again!!  Oh and I forgot to mention things like this that might happen in between during our precious little day:  

A new schedule begins in the book at 8 weeks to 16 weeks and it’s amazing to see that he has really already naturally started progressing to that new schedule.  It is one less feeding and nap time and it puts him to bed earlier which he really has started to do on his own recently.  We will officially start the new routine today.  

*** Routines aren’t for everybody and some people don’t believe in putting their babies on a routine, but I believe that babies naturally follow a routine and they do look for guidance.  It’s worked great for us and sure makes for a happier Mama.  I have been lucky to have awesome grand parents that can watch little Brody and either let me go out for a few hours and run errands or allow Matt and I to go have a date night.  It’s so refreshing and healthy for both of us.