Baby: To Schedule, or Not To Schedule?

My husband and I never considered putting our baby on a schedule while I was pregnant, and we didn’t think about it after she was born. When we thought she was hungry, I nursed her, and when she seemed tired, we let her sleep.

I thought that was what most parents did, but as we talked to more and more new parents, we realized it’s very common for parents to get their babies on a regular schedule almost immediately.

I admit that there were some days when I wondered if I was hurting our daughter by having a “go-with-the-flow” attitude. I wondered if she might benefit from a more regular eating and sleeping routine. I usually dismissed those thoughts, though, because she was happy, and my husband and I were happy.

In addition to being happy, my daughter was also well-fed and well-rested.

Because I nursed her on demand, I never had trouble with low milk supply. Maybe my body would have produced an abundance of milk whether I fed her on demand or not, but I’ve read about and heard first-hand stories where women had extremely low amounts milk as a result of trying to get their babies on a schedule.

We never tried to force her to sleep when she wasn’t tired, and we never tried to keep her awake if she wanted to sleep, regardless of the time of day or night. This might have been easier for us than other families because she was our only child and we didn’t have to coordinate naps and bedtimes. In addition, I stay at home with her, so I can usually nap when she naps. Either way, it worked very well for us. Naps and bedtime weren’t stressful – we just waited until she was tired, then let her sleep (often in our arms and in our bed).

This non-schedule continued until she was about 5 ½ months old. At this time, she began making her own schedule. I noticed that she was getting tired, hungry, and ready for bed at about the same time each day. It was nice to follow her cues and plan her naps, feedings, and bedtimes accordingly.

Instead of wondering whether a parent-imposed routine would be a good idea or not, I’m confident and at peace with the routine our daughter chose for herself. It might not work for every family or with every child, but it sure worked for us!

When to Introduce Solids

Our daughter is approaching the age when solid foods can be introduced. She’s 5 1/2 months old and currently is exclusively breastfed. I’m going back and forth on when we’re going to start giving her solids.

She’s gaining weight fine on breast milk alone (hello, I think weighing 17 pounds at 4 ½ months probably means she’s getting enough!), and I hesitate to mess with something that is going so well. I know there are people who are of the opinion that breast milk alone isn’t enough for a baby once they reach six months of age, but I’ve witnessed cases where babies had only breast milk until they were one and had no negative effects from it. One might even argue that these children benefited from not eating solids until later.

I’ve read about possible allergies that can be caused by introducing solids too early, and putting food off seems like such an easy thing to do to avoid what might be a lifelong allergy.

I also love the bond we have with breastfeeding. As of right now, I am the only person who can feed her. If we are in a group of people who all want to hold her and she gets hungry, whoever is holding her has to give her back to me. When she is fussy, I can always comfort and soothe her through breastfeeding. And, when someone else is holding her, even if she isn’t hungry or fussy but I can tell she wants me, I can always use the excuse of, “Well, she’s probably hungry,” and take her immediately. This helps me avoid hurting anyone’s feelings or making anyone mad, because no one can argue or feel inadequate when I truly am the only person with the ability to give her anything to eat.

On the other hand, I’m so excited about the thought of her eating real food! I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she first tastes rice cereal, squash, sweet potatoes, pears. I see her curiosity when we eat, and notice how she watches what we do. I watch my friends feeding their babies, see how anxious and excited their little faces get when they see the food coming, watch as the drool drips down their chubby little lips and chins in anticipation.

Even with all the excitement surrounding a baby’s first taste of “real” food, I don’t feel any sort of rush to get started on it. I suppose there is no hurry in doing “big kid” things with her. Once we start solids, we probably won’t go back. Someday, chances are, I’ll look back and wish I hadn’t been in such a rush. I’ll probably think back to the days when life was simpler, when what my baby wanted or needed didn’t have to be opened, heated, or spoon-fed. I’ll think back to the days when lunchtime meant snuggling up on the couch, then taking a nap afterwards.

Solid foods? Those can wait.