Do you control your baby? or does your baby control you?

Question

Do you make YOUR schedule and YOUR plans around your baby?

-or-

Do you make YOUR plans and YOUR schedule and make the baby 'adjust' to it?

Like for going out .. going shopping .. going on vacation, etc.

Answer 1

To be quite honest, he's the king of the roost around here. Everything is usually planned around him and to adjust to his needs.

Also, wanted to throw in... thanks for your answer on my other question. If I find out the site, I will let you know what it is too. I'm still looking. ;]

Answer 2

i guess it sort of depends on the baby... with my first, i made my schedule around hers cause it was hard to put her to sleep and if she woke up, she'd be really upset and it was even harder to put her back to sleep... so i made sure to go out when she was all rested... with my second though, we go about our schedule and even if she's sleeping when we want to take our toddler out, we'll take her along... she's a very good sleeper, even if she wakes up when i'm dressing her, she'll slowly put herself back to sleep with no fuss...

so, if your baby is not bothered by it, by all means, go about your schedule and make the baby adjust to it.

good luck

Answer 3

Really I think it depends on the personality of the child(ren). Me, I have five kids..some of them are anti-schedule, and some are all for it. I have one chaotic hectic mess going on in my house. I do not think I am winning the battle..LOL

Answer 4

If we go out it's usually after our baby has had a nap and has been fed. It's just easier that way so he's not overly cranky while we're out.

Answer 5

Oh my kids are the ones who control what i do! I'm trying to sort out a party for my birthday next month and am starting now so I can get the kids sorted first. I don't like messing my youngests schedule up so organise things around it as much as I can though I don't go all psycho if I can't, i'll just let him stay up later or eat earlier, etc.

Answer 6

For everyday life and such,I made the schedule based on what worked best for us.Usually baby just adjusts to what we are doing.I try to make sure that he has had a nap an he is fed before going somewhere but that doesn't always happen.

Answer 7

my daughter made her own schedule but i dnt mind it at all... she goes to bed between 930-1030 and wakes up between 630-830. She eats every 3 hrs pretty much on the dot except for when shes sleeping at night and when we go out shes perfect.. she just looks around and takes it all in when she hungry we feed her when she needs a diaper change we change her and shes happy to be whereever you are.

Answer 8

well i work round her, but only to make things easier for me. i.e i will bath her, give her lunch, then go out - so i know i can get things done and she wont be hungry and mostly she will have a nap.

but  if i have plans to meet someone etc, ill try to have her eat or whatever, but if she wont then she wont, and it doesnt take long to stop and give her something to eat.

Answer 9

Neither.  Few things in life are as simple as black and white, and this isn't an exception.

We share the control of everything in our family, even with our baby.  I am aware of his needs and try to incorporate them as much as possible into our plans.  When I can't, it's fine.  The things that we can't completely accommodate we do our best and then just let them play themselves out.  I try to schedule trips and errands so that they don't interfere with meals or naps, but some times they have to.  If they do I'll take some snacks and easy to eat foods with me so he can eat in the shopping cart or car seat.  I'll take his special snuggly toy and his blanket so that he can nap in the car, and we just make the best of it.  

A lot of times we run errands after dinner because of my husband's work schedule, and even though we try to make it our priority to get our son back for his bed time, we can't always do that.  One night last week we needed to be out while my hubby was doing some work, and we didn't leave to come home until midnight.  We took our son in his pajamas with some of his sleepy time things, took a few things to help keep him occupied, hoped that he would fall asleep, but just dealt with it when he didn't.  We didn't make our plans to be out that late and just hopped that he would adjust, but we didn't leave just so that we could have him to bed on time either.

Parenting, even with babies, should never be considered a battle for control.  Parents need to give some control on their terms or their kids (even babies) will take a lot of control on their terms.

Answer 10

I have a routine for my baby that suits us both. She is only hungry every 4 hours so I devised a routine that fits in around her eating at those set times. I'd love to be able to feed her at any given time but with a 4 year old as well, i don't think we would have a very happy house. The routine isn't a strict one, and we can be felixble with it incase she gets hungry early etc..

Answer 11

Im not relly a parint but i have had to take care of my brothers and sisters and its not all that easy to ajust there schedule i think it would be also healthyer for you to ajust yours and than when the kids like 3or 4 than they will have done ajusted thers as well becouse when they git older they dont sleep as long and  you dont relly have to bother them that much or thats what id think  my brothers 3  and he is around my moms and my schedual he wasnt ever forced to switch his  

Answer 12

It's a team effort with compromise.  It's not about control.  You love your kids so you do what's necessary to help them grow up healthy and happy, yes it means you sacrifice but that's being a parent.  Later, when their older you can begin to have your own plans and your child will have to learn that other people's needs are important too.  When you have a baby though, you should follow their schedule...they have a lot of needs and it's not about you anymore!

Answer 13

For the most part I plan my schedule around hers.  It makes for a happier baby, which makes for a happier ME! If there's something that I have to do during her naptime (doctors appointment) I'll definitely do it, but if it's just errands like grocery shopping then I work around her naps.  The one exception is the exercise class I go to a few times a week. i fiddle with her schedule so I can make it to my class because getting in shape is a priority of mine.

We're going to hawaii in a month and it will make her schedule go to h**l, but, we're still going.  Having a baby doesn't mean you have to sacrifice vacations and things like that.  But on a day-to-day basis I try to make sure she gets her naps. she really needs them and is so much happier when she follows her schedule.  

Answer 14

I control my son but let him think he's in control.  Truth is he goes where me and his mother go, sleeps when we say so, and is picking up mannerisms from us.  Hope I helped lady