Pure Parents

Question:

Yes, you are.  And you are damned lucky to be.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> My MIL asked yesterday if our 4 week on was "on a schedule yet." What does > that mean? What kind of schedule is a 4 week old supposed to have? We have > not gotten him a Palm Pilot yet. We figured we would wait until he figured > out that those hands attached to him are his! Are babies "supposed" to be on > some kind of schedule? He and I go to bed at approximately the same time > every night. We get up approximately the same time every morning. But that > has to do more to do with when he wakes up all alert than it does with our > alarm clock. During the day he eats when he is hungry, sleeps when he is > tired and we play when he is awake. Am I missing something? > Thanks > Stephanie

Response:

Don’t you just love MIL’s??   You are doing exactly what you should be doing.  Your baby will naturally fall into a schedule a few months down the road but to enforce specific feeding times on your newborn is ridiculous. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> My MIL asked yesterday if our 4 week on was "on a schedule yet." What does > that mean? What kind of schedule is a 4 week old supposed to have? We have > not gotten him a Palm Pilot yet. We figured we would wait until he figured > out that those hands attached to him are his! Are babies "supposed" to be >on > some kind of schedule? He and I go to bed at approximately the same time > every night. We get up approximately the same time every morning. But that > has to do more to do with when he wakes up all alert than it does with our > alarm clock. During the day he eats when he is hungry, sleeps when he is > tired and we play when he is awake. Am I missing something? >You are doing fine.  Your mom must be of the generation where moms did not >feed babies when they cried, they put them on a schedule of feedings.  I >think these feedings were about every four hours and usually the babies were >bottle fed.  The baby might be crying and crying but you did not feed them >until the schedule said you did.  You might want to gently teach her about >feeding on demand, particularly if you are planning to use her as a baby >sitting resource before baby is starting solids.  This can be a very touchy >subject because it can essentially make some people feel quite negatively >judged as you are finding their parenting choice flawed.  Good luck. >-Aula, who was on a schedule as an infant.

Response:

My MIL asked yesterday if our 4 week on was "on a schedule yet." What does that mean? What kind of schedule is a 4 week old supposed to have? We have not gotten him a Palm Pilot yet. We figured we would wait until he figured out that those hands attached to him are his! Are babies "supposed" to be on some kind of schedule? He and I go to bed at approximately the same time every night. We get up approximately the same time every morning. But that has to do more to do with when he wakes up all alert than it does with our alarm clock. During the day he eats when he is hungry, sleeps when he is tired and we play when he is awake. Am I missing something? Thanks Stephanie

Response:

>Am I missing something? >Thanks

Nope.  Sounds like you are doing fine. Mary HodgePodge:info on Homeschooling, Hereditary Spherocytosis and Fanfiction: http://hometown.aol.com/marimc25/index.html

Response:

>Am I missing something? >Thanks

Nope, keep doing what you’re doing.  (Loved the Palm Pilot remark.  Lol.) Our kids had their own schedules, not ones we made for them.  At about 6 months we did start giving them a bedtime (usually between 7 and 8 pm).  But definitely not at 4 *weeks*. You’re going to get A LOT of advice, ignore most of it.  Lol.  :) Later, Sophie mom to Charlotte (2.6 yrs) and Patrick (13 months)

Response:

> My MIL asked yesterday if our 4 week on was "on a schedule yet." What does > that mean? What kind of schedule is a 4 week old supposed to have? We have > not gotten him a Palm Pilot yet. We figured we would wait until he figured > out that those hands attached to him are his! Are babies "supposed" to be on > some kind of schedule? He and I go to bed at approximately the same time > every night. We get up approximately the same time every morning. But that > has to do more to do with when he wakes up all alert than it does with our > alarm clock. During the day he eats when he is hungry, sleeps when he is > tired and we play when he is awake. Am I missing something?

You are doing fine.  Your mom must be of the generation where moms did not feed babies when they cried, they put them on a schedule of feedings.  I think these feedings were about every four hours and usually the babies were bottle fed.  The baby might be crying and crying but you did not feed them until the schedule said you did.  You might want to gently teach her about feeding on demand, particularly if you are planning to use her as a baby sitting resource before baby is starting solids.  This can be a very touchy subject because it can essentially make some people feel quite negatively judged as you are finding their parenting choice flawed.  Good luck. -Aula, who was on a schedule as an infant.

Response: