Help with Baby/toddler Schedule!

My kids have never really been on a schedule so I am no help there.

I just wanted to let you know that there is no reason you need to be worried that your 7 month old is not eating solids. They don't need them at this point and it seems like is stressing you out. I didn't even try solids with my last one until 10 months and she went straight to table food. I would wait a few months and try again.

It will be harder until she is down to one nap...and having 2 kids is chaos. Wish I could help out more.

Work out a schedule that fits your lifestyle. Be willing to be flexible with it when you need to be. I have 3 kids - a 1 yo a 4 yo and a 5 yo. I'm a WAHM (P/T) and the 4 and 5 yr olds are in school M-F till 3 pm. Our schedule is:

Baby wakes up 7 am, change diaper and clothes, eat breakfast and have a bottle. Play a little while we get the big kids ready for school.

5 yo on the bus at 8.
4 yo walks to pre-k, which starts at 8:45. Baby goes in his stroller, we take a pleasant walk there and home by 9, he goes down for his nap. Naps till between 11 and 12. (This varies depending on if he poops while he sleeps, which will wake him up).

Change diaper, eat lunch, playtime, sometimes runs errands with me.
2:30 walk to the 4 yo's pre-K, pick her up. (Has a snack and a 2nd bottle here).
Home by 3, 5 yo off the bus.
Nap #2 is a one hour from 3 -4.
Wakes up, change, playtime then dinner by 6.
Then a bath and into pjs and a 3rd and final bottle at 7 and into bed between 7 and 7:30.

We're flexible on the weekends if we're going out somewhere.

We're flexible about nap #2 if I'm taking the girls somewhere.
I try and stick to the morning nap as much as possible. M-F that's when I work.

This is what works for us. Having a schedule and sticking to it without killing myself over it has worked really well for our family. I have 3 great sleepers. No kids in my bed and no nighttime drama.

Good luck!

Babywise. It's a series of books focusing mainly on keeping a schedule.

note though that the first issue I see - the baby's nap schedule. I would suggest a little bit more "self soothing" on her part, and let her work out those naps herself.

Every baby can sleep 2 hours straight. The issue is when they transition from hour one (relaxation) to hour two (deep sleep).

That was how we found out about Babywise. Our son wouldn't regularly take a 2 hour nap, and we were pulling our hair out. We asked around, and a friend who had 5 very well behaved and successful kids suggested that book.

Turns out he had to "learn" how to make that transition from hour one to hour two on his own. We were only hindering his learning by trying to rescue him midway through a nap. We let him whine about 10 minutes...and suddenly we had a 2 nap a day, 2 hours at a time baby.

Which then lead us to sleep training at night - but that's another story.

You're the mom, you set the schedule! :)

babies dont have to eat solid food for hte first year.. breast milk will give her all she needs.. maybe take a break from food and try again in a week or so.. but dont stress about food.. the nutrition comes from milk. the food is just practice for eating later.

at this age.. your baby should wake up .. stay up for about 2 hours then take a nap.. then be up for about 2-3 hours then take a nap.. then up for a while then bedtime.

So on the days your son goes to preschool.. come home and put the baby to bed for a nap. she shoudl sleep the entire time he is in school.. then you run around and clean and do all of your housework. Ont he days he doesnt go to preschool. put her to bed at the same time...use the time baby is sleeping to play with and teach your son. Does your son nap.. if so try to get baby and older child down at the same time and you get a break.

To me naptime was sacred.. I was always home in time for a nap. If I had to do errands I would do them after the babies morrning nap.. but before the afternoon nap.

So I really had a schedule from very early.. also my younger child switched to one nap a day at 9 months.. so that was easier.. I had 4 hours in the am to get out.. then I had to be home by 11 for nap..

FYI- if you are interested in continuing breastfeeding, Babywise is not great. Perhaps it's an interesting read for helping to develop a general routine, but the Ezzos have no clue about breastfeeding, although they seem to think they do. And with a child who isn't taking to solids right now, that's pretty important. Just take what they say with a big ole lick of salt.

I think you may be getting hung up on what you think you *should* be doing.
None of mine (also breastfed) ate much in the way of solids until around 12 months.
We had a routine, but it was pretty loose, and nothing I would call a schedule. My kids were easy going when they were little, happy, not clingy, easy to travel with and do things with and I think much of that had to do with the fact they were NOT on a rigid schedule. I LOVED that they could nap anywhere, anytime. When you have more than one that is especially important.
If it's working, don't fix it!!!
Go with the flow, and do what works for YOU and your family :)