Schedule

Does this boy look sleep deprived....Nope

I would like to think I am a "Baby Wise" mom. Feed, wake, sleep......schedule. As a new mother I read a lot of books. "On Becoming Baby Wise" was the one book that came highly recommended. It was referenced as the baby bible. Kris and I both read it, referenced it when Jonah arrived and saw for ourselves that it worked. Even more literature teaches about how important it is for a schedule to be developed with a baby and how this schedule helps through toddler years.

Jonah is scheduled. We have the same routine in the morning, take the same way to daycare, have a nightime routine that never diviates. But there are times where I find myself too caught up in "the schedule". Let's take Birthday parties for instance. For me, I have found it hard to coordinate a naptime schedule the day of a birthday party. It seems that the time of the party is always during his nap or his nap goes into the party time. I think about it all day and try to map out how the day will go and the schedule we must keep to fit in a nap and a birthday party. It hasn't worked yet. We are always late to the party, or sleeping during the party. I get stressed out. I am too caught up in schedule. The crazy thing is Jonah would be just fine. He has gone without naps before and we all survived without too much public meltdown.

With the summer months comes the beach and longer days. Both of these things are a lot of fun as a family. As working parents, Kris and I become stingy with the time we get to spend with Jonah during the work week. This most of the time leads to more outside play before dinner, which puts dinner late, which trickles down to a later bed time. Jonah does great in the evening but can be hard to get out of bed for school. This can make for hard mornings sometimes. During these times I vow to get him to bed earlier. Kris and I always try, but it doesn't always work out. I find myself sitting back and thinking, it was worth it to play with my little boy for a couple more minutes before the day ended. This feels bad to say and good to say at the same time.

Looking back now, I have recognized that schedule can rule over everything else if you let it. Sometimes I just need to stop and listen to Jonah and pay attention to the signs he gives. If he looks sleepy, it is time for nap (even if it is 11:30 on Saturday and he normally naps at 1:00). If he is acting up in the evening then I know bedtime must come sooner rather than later. It will be more fun to go to the birthday party (even if it causes a melt down later in the day).

Schedules are a good thing. It provides stabilization to the child and comfort, but I will work harder on not letting it rule life.