Parenting: Developing Your Routine

I spent the first 6 months of Isabelle’s life feeling jealous of others and rather let down by myself that Isabelle had no form of routine. She ate when she wanted, slept when she wanted. I did not want a strict routine but something would have been nice, even just to let me know what was due next and if we could go out places. Don’t get me wrong she wasn’t a bad sleeper, she had been sleeping through for a long time. It was the getting her to sleep in the first place. I never knew what time she would go to bed or get up in the morning, I was not a big fan of this. Some nights she would sleep at 10pm but never earlier, most nights it was later. As much as I love her, I was exhausted.
I was envious of other mums that had been sat down for the evening with their partners with their children sound asleep whilst I was still battling with a stroppy baby willing her to go to sleep. We had tried getting her into various routines, none of which were suitable for us (OK so she just point blank refused them) not for the want of trying we were beginning to feel defeated, defeated by a baby. We prayed that she would go down to sleep for just an hour earlier so we could have some mummy and daddy time to ourselves (not the bomb-chicka-wow-wah times). Our time had to come?

Well it did, after 6 months of despair and Isabelle refusing to go to bed at a reasonable time we did it, we bloody cracked it. After a tiresome day we gave Isabelle her dinner and let her play for half an hour (still covered in dinner remnants) before her evening bath. Bath Time continued as normal and once she was dry she was taken upstairs to her cot and provided with a tempting warm bottle. Hallelujah! as soon as she started drinking her little eyes started rolling in that freaky sleepy way and within five minutes she was sleeping. At that moment we were the most awesome parent in the world and we were invincible. We told everyone who in turn told us not to get too excited, it had only been one night. Well the same happened for the following few nights, we had cracked it. We were parents that could sit down together in the evenings, it was bliss.

Even now we have not had any relapses and she is generally in bed before 8pm every night. She will sleep through until 8.30 the following morning for her morning bottle with a nap at 1pm for an hour.

I can now say that I am a proud mummy with a routine and it only took me 6 months to get there.