I heard somewhere that babies thrive on routine. When they know what to expect for the day, they are happier. For us to implement an expected daily schedule, I would have be a full-time, stay-at-home mom, and currently, these boys have multiple environments and caretakers as I work 3 days out of the week. So I see following a routine as a luxury in its own way.
I’m a believer of routines.
Routine looks like doing a sequence of activities at the same time everyday. Well, that sounds like the perfect day for me! NOT. I do NOT like routine. I am total go-with-the-flow kinda gal. I like spontaneity. I like new challenges. I like meeting new people and attending events. I like a change in environment. However, I am a total believer for this whole routine schedule thing to keep your babies happy. While I feel very trapped in following a schedule sometimes, I do want to help my babies to be happy babies so I do try to adhere to this schedule as much as I can. Personally, I think my twinnies are generally well-tempered and resilient because they still manage to be happy babies despite the changes.
Our 9 Month Schedule
With that said, I wanted to share a sample of what our day-to-day schedule looks like at 9 months! Just keep in mind that this is a snapshot. During wake/play periods, sometimes we take them out like going out on errands or meeting friends or family. Sometimes, their naptime moves around a bit. And they also get snacks at different times throughout the day. But what I try my best to not change is their main feeding times and night sleeping time. The general rule is wake 3 hours, nap 2 hours, wake 3 hours, nap 1 hour, wake 3 hours, sleep 12 hours. And that is our 24-hour day.
My boys were sleep trained at 5 months, started sleeping a solid 12 hours at 6 months, which is also when they started solids. They were pretty good sleepers but terrible nappers at that time. I have been following a similar schedule to this one since 7 months, but I feel like they mastered their naps right around 8.5 months (only 1 month ago). It’s been easier for me as I can actually take a quick break during their naps. But at the end of each day, I always feel so defeated and exhausted from caring for these guys. Still, I consider it my accomplishment in being able to get TWO babies on the same schedule so it’s worth a share. (P.S. I’m so proud of myself for making this little pinterest friendly graphic hehe)
