Cooper's 3 Month Schedule

So far we have resisted trying to put Cooper on any type of schedule, but now that he's 3 months we are thinking it may be time to start. For now though, we have noticed the Cooper has got himself on a schedule of his own, so we are going to stick with his routine for another couple of weeks before we try to make any changes.

Here's what Cooper is doing at 3 months:

He's eating 8 times a day (almost consistently). Once in a while he eats 7 times and sometimes he still eats 9, but overall he is regularly eating 8 times and we can count on the approximate hours: 5am, 8am, 10:30am, 12:30pm, 3:00pm, 5:30pm, 8:00pm, 10:45pm. Cooper is sleeping 6 hours a night, sometimes 5 and sometimes 7, but mostly, he has settled on 6 hours. Which isn't bad when he actually sleeps. He stirs a lot though, and doesn't actually wake up to eat, but mommy has to pop in the soother and sooth him back to sleep a couple times through the night.

5am -- Cooper wakes up and eats while in bed. This is where the co-sleeping comes in really handy, as nobody has to get up. Cooper is unswaddled at this point. Daddy wakes up and heads to the gym. Comes home, has his shower, does some email and gets ready for work while mom and Cooper continue to sleep.

7:30 or 8am -- Cooper is ready to eat again. Again, nobody has to wake all the way up. We can just hang out in bed. If daddy is still home, he takes Cooper and changes him and brings him back to bed before he leaves.

8-9am -- Cooper and mommy hang out in bed. Cooper is awake and talks and gurgles and holds his stuffed animal and wakes up slowly.

9am -- Mommy changes Cooper and then we heads downstairs to check email and let mommy eat her breakfast. Cooper hangs out in the basinet still, and amuses himself with his dangly toys. He talks and coos at them. But it won't be long until he has outgrown the basinet. Already he is almost the full length! Pretty soon we'll need a new 'dining room station' for Cooper to hang out in.

9:30-10:00am -- Mommy has a shower, makes the bed and gets ready while Cooper hangs out in the basinet and listens to music and holds his stuffed toys. Once again, Cooper is fine in here for now, but we will almost need a new 'bedroom station' for Cooper too. He is still small enough for the basinet, but now that he is such a wiggle worm, it won't be long before he can sit up or roll over and could fall out. But for a now, he's still happy to lay on his back.

10:00-10:30am -- Mommy and Cooper play on Cooper's play mat. He still loves his jungle gym and now really talks and grabs at the dangling toys. He also likes the play mat. He's holding his head up for 5-10 minutes at a time now during his tummy time and holding toys in his hand in this position. And we have also added rolling around -- mommy helps him try to roll from back to tummy -- he's not there yet, but he's getting stronger and I have a feeling it won't be long. He also now has his bumbo chair that he can practice sitting and holding up his head for short periods at a time. And he also like to practice standing and sitting as mommy pulls him up with her hands.

10:30am -- By this time Cooper is hungry and wants to eat again. He is changed, gets dressed into his day clothes.

11:00-12:00 -- At this point, we go for a walk if it's sunny, play on the mats again if it's rainy. Sometimes we practice sitting up. And sometimes Cooper has a sleep. It's hard to say what exactly will happen during this time.

12:30pm -- Cooper eats lunch.

1:00-2:00pm -- Mommy eats her lunch and does any of her own work that needs to be done, that is, if she's not holding her sleeping baby. Sometimes at this point, he naps in his swing or beside mommy on the couch.

2:30-3:00pm -- Cooper eats again. He is changed. And depending on the weather we decide what to do next.

3:00-5:00pm - Cooper and mommy hang out and play. We either go for a walk, play on his mats, walk around the house and look at things, or whatever else we can think of.

5:00-6:00pm -- Cooper eats and is changed. Mommy makes dinner, and daddy comes home.

6:00-6:30pm -- Mommy and daddy eat dinner. Cooper sits in his pea-pod swing chair up to the table and watches.

6:30-8:00pm -- Daddy plays with Cooper on his play matt. Sits with him on the couch, and walks him around the house. Sometimes we all go for a little walk (in the dark) around the block. Cooper loves having daddy home and another face to look at.

8:00pm -- Cooper eats again. Daddy changes him.

8:30-10:30pm -- Mommy and Daddy hang out, watch some TV, play with Cooper, read him a story, or just cuddle him.

10:45pm --Daddy changes Cooper and puts him in a onesie for bed. Mommy feeds Cooper for the last time of the night up in the nursery while daddy gets the bed ready and crawls im.

11:00pm -- Cooper is swaddled and is put in bed. He has now outgrown his swaddle blankets, so we made a couple bigger one's for him! We know we have to give up the swaddle soon, but we're holding off a little longer because it really helps him sleep.

He falls asleep at 11pm and then soothes him down throughout the night as necessary and tries to hold him off until at least 5am.

And then, it starts all over again!

I must say, even though Cooper is still eating every 2-3 hours throughout the day, it's nice to have some predictability around his schedule. And a few times this week he has even gone 4 hours between feedings, so dare I say, that he might be starting to go a bit longer?? I guess only time will tell.

We can't beleive how much he has grown in the last month, and all the new things he can do!!

And we can't imagine what it will be like a month from now!