The amazing thing about babies is that things change day to day.
The terrifying thing about babies is that things change day to day.
When we brought Hailey home, I had to abandon any concept or hope of a daily routine and just take every hour as it came. But around the 6-week mark, I definitely started to see some more patterns in her needs.
Thankfully, that allowed me to plan ahead at least a little bit, and try to schedule other things through our day.
At six weeks old, I started to feel more comfortable going out with Hailey, because I also felt more confident in my abilities to calm her.
I owe this largely to the fact that she was a good baby and didn’t really fuss unless she was hungry, tired or needed to burp 🙂
Even as a crazy Type A scheduler, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to count on a strict schedule at 6 weeks (and I really didn’t want to — I loved all of the surprise developments I saw with Hailey. I know that if I had pushed too hard to follow a pre-determined routine, I would have missed some of the joy of just being with her).
But for both of us, I tried to find a few consistencies in the natural ebb and flow of daily life and create a loose schedule around that.
I documented an average day with a 6-week-old baby and since I always love to sneak peeks at other family’s lives, I am sharing it here with you!
A Day in the Life of a 6-Week-Old Baby
| 7:15 AM | Wake up. Feeding takes about 15 minutes. Change diaper. Dress Hailey and play until I see clear signs of sleepiness. |
| 8:45 AM | Hailey goes down for a nap. I quickly get dressed and run to the computer to blog. |
| 9:45 AM | Hailey wakes up. Change diaper. |
| 10:00 AM | Feed again. Takes anywhere from 20-30 minutes if we take our time. Usually she ‘works things’ through while eating (FYI: breast milk acts as a laxative) and that drags things out. During this I play on twitter and read blogs on my phone. Again, we play (go on walk, tummy time, make faces, sing songs, wiggle, etc) until I start seeing big yawns and sleepy eyes. |
| 11:15 AM | Change diaper and put Hailey down for a (hopefully) long nap. During this time I return emails, do work, prep dinner, do laundry, make phone calls, run errands, eat lunch, etc. |
| 1:15 PM | Hailey wakes up and it’s time to eat again. Usually we change another diaper, too. And, we play! Then I see sleepy signals… |
| 2:30 PM | Hailey goes down for another nap. I try to squeeze in some more work and emails. Also, I’ll stock diapers, empty the trash, pick up the house, acknowledge Koda, etc. Truly, it’s amazing how efficient I am nowadays. |
| 3:15 PM | Hailey is up. Let’s change another diaper. Why not, right? That’s usually the last real nap of the day. From here on out, it’s mostly Hailey time. |
| 4:00 PM | Feeding time! |
| 4:30 PM | From here on, it’s a mixture of playing and cat napping. Once 5pm hits, I turn on the news to feel connected to the world. During a cat nap, I’ll finalize dinner prep (or call Hubbs and ask him to pick something up depending on how the day has gone ;)). We also wander outside, check the mail, let Koda run and chat with the neighbors. |
| 7:00 PM | Time to eat. Hailey eats again, and Hubbs and I eat sometime between now and 8:30, too (depending on when he gets home). Play, rocking in the glider and cat naps continue through the evening while we work in the office, chat or watch TV. We change a diaper or two throughout this time, too. |
| 8:30 PM | I pull out the ‘ol pump and pump both sides (usually results in about 7-8 oz of milk total). During this, Hailey gets tummy time on dad’s chest. She loves it! |
| 9:15 PM | Hubbs gives Hailey a bottle (sometimes well, sometimes it’s more a challenge). She eats about 3.5-4 oz. |
| 9:45 PM | If it’s a bath night (about every 2 days) we give her a bath. She loves it. Then we towel her off and use a hair dryer on low to make sure we dry the creases really well so she doesn’t get neck cheese. It’s real. And it stinks! |
| 10:00 PM | Hailey gets a fresh diaper, then Hubbs swaddles her nice and tight, using 2 blankets. We put her into the Moses Basket by our bed and turn on the hair dryer. I turn off the overhead light while we brush our teeth and get ready for bed. We crawl into bed about 10:15 and I turn off the hairdryer and turn on the Sleep Sheep. Good night to all of us! |
Like I said, this wasn’t exactly what everyday looked like, but it’s close to what most days mimicked.
In terms of sleep, Hailey was really good — ranging from 10pm to 4:30-7:30am.
If she woke up before 5:30, I’d feed her (a quick one, about 10 minutes total), change a very dirty diaper and then put her back down so we could both get a little more sleep.
If she woke after 6:15ish, I did the same routine, but I’d usually stay up and get a jump start on computer work.
This is what we did when we had one baby. When we grew to a family of four…well, things changed.
You can see all of my motherhood posts here!
Bobby DeMuro says
Your schedule makes me never want to have kids… That’s a TON of work!
Jessica says
Try having a high maintenance kid… this isn’t bad at all.
Lindsay @ Pinch of Yum says
Cute post Brittany! Congrats on your sweetheart. She’s adorable!
Carolyn @ Eat.Live.Be Well says
Really? I didn’t think it looked so bad.
It was all the diaper changes that got me. 😉
Lauren says
I remember those days…I have a 3 1/2 year old little princess…and the days never get any easier…but I say that with a temendous amount of joy because every new stage brings more responsibilities but they are all soo rewarding!! It is awesome being a Mama!! 🙂 She is precious by the way…it looks as if you are having the time of your life! 🙂
Susan @ Real Life Travels says
Oh the glory of naps days … Feels so long ago but it wasn’t at all!! Nice work mama!
Amanda @ Sistas of Strength says
I second that. Enjoy those nice long naps while you can. 🙂
Tina @ Faith Fitness Fun says
That sounds like a GREAT routine! And I think having a routine is so important with kids. It makes such a huge difference in my opinion. Of course, nothing strict because things come up…but a bit of knowing what to expect goes a long way for both mom and baby. You are doing such a fabulous job. And while I know you think you don’t have it well balanced at times, I see that you DO. 😉
Jen says
Thanks so much for sharing your routine, Brittany! I am so impressed by how much you get done throughout the day! And I seriously can’t believe she is 6 weeks old. So, so cute 🙂
Brooke @ Veggie Table says
That is one heck of a day – I know it’s worth every minute though! She is sooooooooooo cute!!!
blackhuff says
With a child/baby, one’s routine do differ each and every day. Children do not come with a schedule, I know 🙂
Noelle (@singerinkitchen) says
Great post! I am awaiting the arrival of our little princess so this has been very helpful especially the neck cheese portion, LOL THANKS!
Jamie @ FoodinRealLife says
Thanks for sharing! It’s so insightful to me as a mom-to-be to understand what my days ahead (may) look like.
Amanda @ Sistas of Strength says
I love seeing other mom’s schedules and this one was actually somewhat similar to mine for awhile. I’m amazed at how quickly things change though! 🙂 Just when you think you’ve got her completely scheduled she’ll change her mind and it will be time for a new one. hehe
Samantha Angela @ Bikini Birthday says
That schedule is fuly loaded. But it sounds like you’ve got everything very organized.
Jenny says
Soinds like the two of you are doing great and your schedule is very similar to ours now but we’re down to 3 naps usually totaling 4 hours and a bedtime between 7:30 and 8 (which is great because it gives Dan and I some down time before bed! Keep up the good work can’t wait to see you guys on Saturday!
Paulina says
Thanks for sharing with us! It might sound silly, but I am really so glad to have found your blog earlier this year. My daughter is 3 weeks old and I’ve been following your blog throughout your pregnancy and now as a new mom. My days are not really on any kind of routine yet, but I love reading about your experiences as something I can hope for in a few weeks! Nursing is not as difficult as I expected, but it is still a lot of work.
I’ve been wondering what you do if your out with Hailey and she gets hungry…do you nurse in public? I’m still nervous about going out with my girl. Also, when you pump at night, is that instead of nursing her, so you save the pumped milk for later? Or do you give it to her by bottle instead of her nursing from the breast?
Jessie @ Graze With Me says
Wow, 6 weeks old already. Time sure flies!
I wish Lyric napped that much, she’s pretty much against daytime sleep. Grrr. But at least she sleeps at night! Keeps me sane (sorta).
I can’t believe you get that much when pumping! I just got 3 oz this am and I thought that was a lot!
Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean says
have you tried using a white noise machine or downloading a white noise app to your phone instead of using a hairdryer? might be safer? just wondering. i think it’s awesome that it helps her sleep so well.
Jen says
Your day looks very familiar, since I have a 7 week old daughter 🙂
If your last time feeding Hailey is 8:30 pm and she gets a bottle after that, why don’t you try going to sleep right after that feeding some nights? You can get an extra couple hours of sleep that way, which makes a huge difference!
Brittney says
This is really interesting! I have kind of always wondered exactly what a day in the life looked like, so thanks so much for sharing! I am also freaked out about neck cheese! Ewww!
Donna @ Life of a Happy Blonde says
Neck cheese? oh my gosh that made me giggle
I won’t be having kids for another year or so but i love reading posts like this from new mums, i like to think of it as prep 🙂
Great post and i love the outfits!
Marie says
As an about to be first time time mom, just curious as to when you started pumping / using a bottle? Thanks.
Sarah says
Neck cheese…?!? Eewww! What is that?
Well she is super cute, “neck cheese” and all 😀
Lee says
I’m curious about Koda. How is he taking not being the center of attention anymore?
Sophie @ LoveLiveAndLearn says
I’m not a mother and won’t be anytime soon so I have nothing constructive to contribute 😛
I just want to say that Hailey is absolutely beautiful, just like her mama 🙂
I love all of her little outfits!
Katie @ Legally Fit says
This post is so fun! Audrey and I aren’t really on a schedule yet- I am very impressed with yours! She basically eats, sleeps and poops and I just try to get stuff done when she is sleeping 🙂
Stacy K says
I’m not a mom yet, but hopefully next year we will start trying. I’m always interested in seeing other peoples schedules. I started following your blog when you first blogged Hailey’s birth story I was just wondering, did you work before you had Hailey? Are you going back to work or will you be a stay-at- home mom? I’m only asking, because once we have kids I will take maternity leave, but will probably return back to work after 3-6 months depending on our situation and I’m curious how your routine will change.
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen says
I think I may be scarred for life after hearing the term “neck cheese!” Ewww. haha
marci says
So interesting and helpful! What did you read to learn about infant care? I’m starting to phase out of pregnancy books and into infant care books. Starting with Babywise. Looking cute–both of you!
R @ Learning As I Chop says
Wow, I am impressed. It seems like you’re able to get in a good amount of time for yourself/chores/errands which is great.
Sabrina says
seriously jealous. you know what you’re doing! we only get 30 min naps during the day, and not consistently. hoping to ve lik you by 6 weeks!
Keri says
How often did you feed her/did she nap in the beginning? Mine is 1week old and I can’t seem to grip that it won’t be this hard forever!
Roz says
Hi Brittany. For the record, I get fussy if I have to burp too! 🙂 Joking aside, sure seems like you have this mom thing down!!! LOVE the goat picture, I could think of a few hilarious “captions” that could be added! Have a wonderful day!!!
JenRD says
Thanks for this! Where does she nap during the day? Maya often falls asleep in her stroller when we are out for walks or while she is in her sling, or her swing. I often wonder if I am setting up bad habits by not always putting her down in her pack n play napped (where she sleeps at night), but she isn’t always interested in that during the day–and I love to cuddle with her in the sling!
Oh, and neck cheese is smelly! It took me a few days to figure out what the stink was!
ashley says
You’re a mommy natural! Couple of questions. 🙂
Does Hailey fall asleep when you feed her during the day? My 4 week old always does. I’m not sure if it’s normal. What do you play when she’s playing? We’re only two weeks behind you guys and mine only eats,sleeps, and goes to the bathroom. I wonder if im not stimulating enough. Our little bit of play time comes in the evening after dinner. Do you nap when she’s napping? I find I’m still exhausted from the night before. You seem to have it down. Help!!
Trainer Kjirsten @ Balanced Healthy Life says
You are busy busy busy! I planning on staying at home with my little one when she arrives in a few months but have been thinking about going to work for a few hours a couple days a week. Just to keep my sanity and get out of the house…only if my husband agrees to play stay at home daddy on those days for a few hours! I’m a complete schedule freak and can’t wait to get onto a schedule with my little family! It looks like you are doing a great job! You’re keeping my faith up that you can maintain a normal life with an infant!
Michaela says
I know I say it every time, but Hailey is just such a cutie pie!
Also, I just saw the healthy blogger video and I love it! I think all of ye were doing so well and the information is very interesting and informative! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Jen@FoodFamilyFitness says
Looks like a fabulous schedule you guys have!! Scheduling and a routine is SO important. I only have the 3.5 year old at home during the day right now, but our days are still pretty structured and I love the fact that he still takes a 3 hour nap every afternoon 🙂
Nicole says
Kind of unrelated question…how do you like the Peg Perego infant seat. We got it but babys not here yet. Do you find it extra heavy? Thanks!
Marci says
Now that I have my own five week old, I am going back to rea this and relate much more! I have the same daytime feed times but nursing takes much longer for us, and 7 pm is our last feeding time. And he’s not so good at daytime naps. I also pump daily but wow you get a lot! I’m still learning so much, maybe I’ll email you soon. 🙂
telecharger-teamviewer.blogspot.com says
My brother suggested I might like this web site. He was entirely right.
This submit actually made my day. You cann’t imagine just how so much time I had
spent for this info! Thank you!
nancy says
Thank you for your great post Emily! I have a 6 week old newborn who is my first child and I am actually struggling with his sleeping habits. I want to try to stick to a routine because I noticed that he gets to 8 pm and he is overtired and fuss until 10 pm before finally settling down to sleep (This happens every night! literally!). I have a couple of questions for you hoping that you could answer:
– How do you put your 6 week old to sleep during the day? In crib and patting? In swing and rocking? My baby wont settle down or sleep unless held to the chest and I am not sure how to fix this since sleep training /coaching is not recommended for this age
– How long does it take for baby to fall asleep during the day? What happens if baby takes almost as much time to fall asleep as the time between the feed and next weet awake time? With this, he would have missed one nap. What do you do in this case?
– In order to establish this routine, do you wake your baby up at the times set for feeds or play? or you leave him until he wakes himsef up?
I would really appreciate your response as I am going crazy trying to settle my baby down and getting good sleep myself at night.
Thanks!