Before having Christopher and Ryan, my now 10-month-old twins, I’d had no real experience with children.
One of the first times the boys played together.
In fact, I don’t even remember changing a diaper before. So it probably comes as no surprise that I had a million questions once I brought them home.
The biggest one, by far, being whether I should let them feed and sleep on-demand or put them on schedules…
They’d been on strict schedules in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) their first 6 weeks of life, but I wasn’t sure how to put an effective one together at home—or if I even should.
So I asked around. I asked friends and family. I asked on social networks. I also read countless articles on the subject. But the more I read and the more I asked, the more confused I became.
Everyone was incredibly passionate in their views. But they were all so different.
The second time I was able to hold Christopher. He was 4 weeks old. I also had bells palsy in this photo. I developed it 7 days after the twins were born & was unable to move the left side of my face for three weeks. I couldn't even close my left eye!
I had to sift through all of the information I’d gathered, figure out what resonated with me the most, then decide which path would be best for me and my young twin boys.
In the end, I decided that they needed a schedule.
I knew that I needed to be the one who was in charge. Even if I wasn’t a seasoned mom (not by a long shot!), I possessed a little more knowledge than my two-month old babies did. I knew more about what they needed… and when they needed it.
I just wanted to wait until after Christopher recovered from his second heart surgery. He was going through so much and the last thing I wanted was to cause him more distress—something new schedules can do to anyone.
Desert Ryan!!
So I set out to figure out how to design a schedule—and just as I did, an online friend of mine suggested I read The Contented Little Baby: The Simple Secrets of Calm, Confident Parenting
Quite the testimony, I thought… but, if it was just one-tenth as helpful as she thought it was, I knew it could benefit us.
Nonetheless, I didn’t get too excited.
I was too EXHAUSTED to be excited. 
Daddy and Grandma with Christopher & Ryan
So I ordered the book and quickly flipped to the back—where the daily schedules are (by age). I opened an MS Word document, copied the information, then played with the times until I was satisfied that they’d work for our family.
When I was finished, I shared the schedule with my husband and we decided to try it out. Neither of us really expected much out of it. It just seemed too good to be true that we could go from constant chaos with two young babies to a pre-determined schedule.
Especially one that called for the boys to go to bed at 7pm and wake again at 7am.
Grandma with a very sleepy Christopher
I committed to giving it two weeks to take hold, praying that I’d see at least three hours of uninterrupted sleep from it. That we’d at least get that far.
To my surprise, though, the babies responded to the schedule from day 1. They even slept from 7pm to 7am (!!!) the second day into the schedule… and did so most evenings/mornings ever since.
Friends and family, some who’d initially seemed skeptical, would come to the house and wouldn’t believe their eyes when we’d put the boys to bed for a nap and they’d just roll onto their sides and fall asleep.
Of course, it didn’t work perfectly every time. Sometimes there were tears, but most times there weren’t. And when there have been, there aren’t many. Not nearly as many as there were pre-schedules.
My gorgeous little men.
Some of Ford’s Wisdom:
- It’s essential for baby’s mental and physical development that he gets enough sleep.
- She’s convinced that colic occurs when babies feed too often, eating a meal before the last meal has been properly digested.
- Whether it’s A.M. or P.M. sleep, your baby’s room needs to be completely dark because chemicals in the brain alter in the dark, conditioning it for better sleep.
If you are at home with a fussy baby (or babies) and a consistent schedule sounds at least a little seductive right about now, you might want to give a good sleep/feeding schedule a chance.
Here’s the schedule I used with my boys when they were 6-months old. It’s an adaptation of the one Ford designed–and it worked wonderfully for us.
Of course, just because schedules were right for us doesn’t mean they will be right for you. But if you’re at your wit’s end and found this post because you’re in need of trying something different, know there’s hope!
With love and oodles of encouragement,
I’m glad this worked for you and your family. My concern is that Ms. Fords advice is not backed up by any science or evidence or long term studies. It is in fact necessary that babies wake during the night. Her ideas are only ideas and are not backed up by anything. I would be hesitant to encourage other parents to get their babies to something that goes against their physiology.
Again, I am glad this worked for you and your beautiful family. But as my grandfather used to say, “Even a broken clock is right twice a day.”
Hi Gena. Thanks for your comment!
I agree that this method isn’t for every baby, especially very young ones who have to eat every 3 to 4 hours & it definitely isn’t for young breast-fed babies. If, at any point, I felt that my babies were waking out of hunger, I would have promptly fed them and made alterations to their schedules. I would *never* deprive them of food or any of their needs.
However, that did not happen. My sons did & are still doing very well on their schedules–and are thriving. Sufficient sleep is vital for babies for their growth and development–and my guys get a lot of quality, uninterrupted sleep. In good part because of this, they are extremely happy children who rarely ever cry.
I do want to emphasize that we never “forced” them to sleep through the night. In fact, after structuring their daytime sleep and feeding schedules & ensuring that we kept their sleeping quarters very dark, they slept through the night on their own. It was a natural process.
I now know several families who have had amazing success when implementing Ms. Ford’s advice. However, as I said at the beginning of this comment, I know that this method isn’t for every baby and every family. It’s every parent’s responsibility to do their own research and find out what works best for their children. I’m simply sharing what worked out very well for us.
Best,
Jennifer