Marigold’s Sleep Schedule
When Marigold was a newborn she was (and still is) such a dream of a baby. Super easy going, happy, not fussy at all and loved to snooze. I googled incessantly about newborn sleep worried she was getting too much. I called her doctor to ask if this much sleep was “normal” and for the first little while, I had to wake her every few hours to feed her. That’s how often she was out cold. I feel like I barely saw her eyes for the first month and a half. I was so blown away by this dreamy babe I actually said to Randall several times that I’d have another one. Weeks after giving birth I declared I wanted another baby.
We had her in the Snoo from night one and as I’ve said before, it was a game changer. She took to it right away and continued to fall asleep in it without any issues. By 4 weeks she was giving us 5+ hour stretches!! After about 5 weeks she started to resist being swaddled in and managed to bust her arms out of the velcro belt AND the zipper sack but continued to sleep as well as Randall does after a night of poker and beer. See why I wanted another one?! DREAMBOAT BABY!
Then somewhere around 14 weeks (about 3.5 months), things went sideways. She wanted to be up ALL THE TIME during the day. She’d nap for 30 mins then would be wide-awake. The only way to get her to sleep was to nurse her, which was creating a habit I really didn’t want to start. It meant only me and my boobs could get her to sleep for naps (which were crap by this point) or bedtime. Speaking of bedtime, it was getting later and later; like 11pm most nights, and even then she was fighting it. She was SO exhausted from being up most of the day and having super-short naps she went into crazy-overtired-baby mode. I was quickly reminded of the adage “sleep begets sleep” with babies. Once they become overtired they get flooded with adreline and then at bedtime they are wired as if they’ve been chasing espresso shots with redbull. Tired and frustrated we decided it was time to call in the pros.
Hallelujah for Alanna from Good Night Sleep Site who immediately responded to my SOS email (that was actually the subject line I sent her) and set up a call. Talking to her immediately put me at ease. This was just a phase, all normal baby behaviours, any “habits” can be changed and we will teach Miss Marigold how to become and independent sleeper. I cried with relief after hanging up that call.
Alanna asked that we wait to start training until 16 weeks, I’m not sure why that’s the ideal age, but it is. Just before she hit that magic 16 week mark, Alanna and I spoke again and she laided out Marigold’s customized sleep plan. Along with that she provided a “Gradual Check Chart” as well as Goodnight Sleep Site’s “Sleep Handbook.” I read it all and then wrote out the schedule and taped it to the fridge for easy reference.
Here’s how things looked when we first started:
16 Weeks (4 months) Schedule
6:30 – 7 Wake for the day & feed
8:30 – 10:30 Nap #1
10:30 - 11:00 Feed
12:30 – 2:30 Nap #2
2:30 - 3:00 Feed
4:00 Catnap
4:45 Wake
6:00 Bath & feed
6:30 Goodnight Marigold!
10:30 Dream feed
When I first saw the schedule I was shocked at how early bedtime would be. But also very excited at the idea of a little time to ourselves at night; a concept so foreign with a 4 year old and a 4 month old.
On that first day (and for a while after that) I set an alarm to wake her up. I’ll admit I was nervous about that first nap; just putting her down without nursing her to sleep then carrying her while tip-toeing like a ninja to place her in her crib. She squawked for a few mins, cried out a couple of times then put her thumb in her mouth and PUT HERSELF TO SLEEP for 2 straight hours. When I went in to get her she kicked and grinned and flailed her little arms with such joy. Same for nap #2 and her catnap. At bedtime there were a few more tears but it was only a couple of minutes before she was sound asleep.
The wee bit of sqwuaking and minor crying only lasted about 3 days. By then she’d caught on to our routine that let her know it was time for sleeping:
I turn the white noise machine on
Then put her in her sleep sack
I sing a little song to her as I place her in her crib
Pat her belly and tell her she’s a good girl and it’s time to go to sleep
Turn off the light and close the door
Typically she’s asleep within 2 minutes.
At around 5 months she stopped taking the catnap so we adjusted her schedule accordingly based on Alanna’s recommendations:
5 Months Schedule
6:30 – 7 Wake for the day & feed
8:30 – 10:30 Nap #1
10:30 - 11:00 Feed
12:30 – 2:30 Nap #2
2:30 - 3:00 Feed
5:00 Bath and feed
5:30 Goodnight, Marigold!
10:30 Dream feed
Again, I was totally shocked at such an early bedtime thinking for sure it would result in a super early wakeup, but as I’ve learned that’s not the case at all. An earlier bedtime actually encourages a later wake time! There have been mornings where that delicious baby wakes up at 5am and is babbling away in her crib. We check the monitor to make sure she’s ok and safe and we leave her be. 100% of the time she’s fallen back asleep until her normal wake up at 6:30 – 7am. Both of her naps are consistently 2 hours long.
And just a few minor changes once she hit the 6 month mark. She was showing signs she wasn’t interested in the dream feed so we dropped it. We also introduced solids and Marigold is LOVING it!!
6 Months Schedule
6:30 – 7 Wake for the day & feed
8:00 Breakfast solid food
8:30 – 10:30 Nap #1
10:30 - 11:00 Feed
12:00 Lunch solid food
12:30 – 2:30 Nap #2
2:30 - 3:00 Feed
5:00 Dinner solid food
Bath and feed
5:30 Goodnight, Marigold!
This is what works for our baby and our family, but as we all know every baby is different and each family’s needs vary. I understand some people believe that sleep training isn’t for them. For us, sleep training guided by a professional is one of the best things we’ve done for our girls
Bea was also trained as a baby and now at 4 years old she is still a wonderfully independent sleeper who has an incredibly healthy relationship with rest and bedtime. And while a set schedule such as Marigold’s can be perceived to be restrictive, for us it allows carved-out and predictable time in the day to do what we need to do. Like writing posts like this that hopefully help another Mama out!
Big love,
Danielle