This was our daily scheduled when Bella was roughly 7 to 9 months old. Remember that she is about 2-3 months delayed in development, so if your baby was born on time (meaning close to your due date), then this schedule would compare better to a baby who is roughly 4 or 5 to 6 or 7 months old.
Some parents like for their baby to be on a schedule, and some don't! I like to be on a schedule because I think it helps prevent meltdowns and fussiness. If I make sure she is fed and napped, it prevents her from getting to a point of fussiness. I also think it helps the baby feel more content and less scattered/unsure of what is going on. I think routine is good for all children, including babies. I've observed a lot of young children's behavior through my work, and *definitely* notice a difference in behavior and mood from kids who are in a routine and those who are not.
A few things to note, we are entirely on formula at this point, no more pumping or breastfeeding. Also, we are in a habit of holding Bella while she naps, and she sleeps in our bed at night. Our pediatrician pointed out that we are taking on the parenting style of 'attachment parenting.' Labels aside, this is what we enjoy, but I know this is not practical for everyone. This is also why its tough for me to get anything done! At this point I spend about 7 hours per day just trying to put her to sleep, and holding her through her naps. So here it is:
7:30 am wake up, 6 ounce bottle
9-10:30am nap in mom's arms in rocking chair. Use a little bit more bottle to help fall asleep, bounce bella in arms while rocking and walking around her room with rainforest music playing. Tough to get her to fall asleep sometimes, which is part of why we hold her until she wakes up, in fear that she will wake up if we try to put her down, which she usually would. While Bella naps, mom reads aka scrolls instagram, returns any work emails, texts dad and family cute photos of Bella, etc.
10:30am wake up from nap, 6 ounce bottle. Sometimes we would have a pureed food pouch. She likes Earth's Best and Once Upon A Farm mostly. The 'Wild Rumpus Avocado' from Once Upon A Farm is a great introductory food!
11am go for walk outside with dogs
noon - 1pmish nap again, same routine as the 9am nap. Usually feed her another bottle before nap if she wants it.
1-3 wake up and try for another bottle if she will take it. If we have any outings, we usually do them during this time. Otherwise she loved to sit in her bouncy chair from her swing, or go in jumper. She also liked to go on walks outside in her stroller or in baby carrier. I would often try to get work done during this time and she was happiest in my front pack while I tried to do things on computer.
3-4pm final nap of the day, same routine as previous two naps. If we did this nap too late in the day, it would mess up her bedtime aka our 'freedom' time.
4-7pm: This time of day was usually hectic because I'm waiting for Adam to get home to take the dogs out, and if he was late then the dogs would get *very* whiney and drive me nuts! So sometimes Me, Bella and both dogs would go for another walk like we do in the morning. Then I try to pick up and prep dinner, but I wasn't doing a ton of cooking at this stage. I still felt pretty pressed for time. Bella wanted to be held all the time. Often times we would make a large meal to feed us for a few nights, or Adam would pick something up on his way home from work, or my Mom would bring us dinner. So Adam and I would eat, and during this time Bella would usually sit in her bouncy chair and watch us, or one of us would eat while the other held her, then we would switch. Often times we gave her a bottle while we ate.
7:30 bedtime! She always had a full bottle before bed to make sure she sleeps a long time. We keep the house quiet and calm as much as possible leading up to bedtime. We put her to sleep the same way as for all her daily naps, and in the same room, with the same playlist. I think the sleep and nap routine is really important for babies. Around 8:30 or 9pm, I would lay her in her bassinet/crib and she would stay asleep until about 7:30am most nights! HOORAY! We would do a happy dance once she was down, high five eachother, and whisper-scream 'freedom'! As much as we love her, the few hours of silence in the evening while she slept were so nice.
Bassinet to crib transition: So I didn't do very well on this transition. Once she outgrew the bassinet around 8 months, we had her sleep in her crib for about one month. During this month, I slept on a futon mattress folded out on her bedroom floor and would wake at her every toss and turn. She kept flipping to her stomach and I was so afraid she wouldn't move her head sideways enough. She would usually wake up in the crib, and not fall back asleep unless it was on me on the futon floor mattress. I was too afraid to have her sleep in a different room. I think that our nicu experience has made me feel extra attached and worried at the same time. I don't know if it would be easier for me to let her 'cry it out' if we didn't have the nicu/preemie experience.
Failed crib attempt to co-sleeping: After a month of trying the crib (so now about 9 months), we decided to just let her sleep in our bed. She sleeps the best here. Its a California King so there is plenty of space, and we have not had any issues of SIDS, rolling over on her, etc. We love snuggling her and waking up to her *so* much. It is one of our favorite things about her right now, so we figure, why stop something if it is bringing us so much happiness? I'm not sure how long she will sleep in our bed, but we will try for the crib/toddler bed eventually.
At her 9 month check-up, our pediatrician referred to our parenting style as 'attachment parenting'. I've heard the term, but never realized that is what we were doing by holding her through her naps and having her sleep in our bed. I don't really like to label parenting styles, eating habits, etc., but I do think it fits, and I'm okay with that.
