by Jodie Chadwick

Created on: October 17, 2007   Last Updated: January 20, 2009

I have 6 month old twins who have been under a strict schedule and who have slept through the night since they were 6 weeks old! It was very hard to get them into a feeding pattern at first but we persevered and it paid off in the end! I work from home and also have a three year old therefore throughout the day i am constantly busy. My day starts at 7am and doesn't end until 8pm when all the children are in bed. during the day i have to do the housework, look after the children's needs and get some work done! If i didn't have a routine then my children would be the ones who suffered because it would stress me out immensely.

I believe that every child no matter what age should have a schedule not only for feeds but in everything they do. If you don't have some sort of routine then nothing ever gets done! You are constantly worrying about what needs doing but with a routine at least you know what is going to get done and when! It takes the stress out of a mothers life and every mother knows how stressful it can be!

I think that if you feed on demand then you are making a rod for your own back! The things you really need to consider is When will this feeding on demand stop? When will you get some peace if your baby suddenly decides that not only does he or she want feeds on demand but wants everything else on demand as well? There is no way that a child is ever going to sleep through the night or be at peace during the day if every time he or she screams they have milk shoved in their mouth. Babies can't tell you when they are hungry and therefore when they scream you will automatically think that that is what they want. They could end up being over fed and over weight! At least with a routine you are able to have some time to yourself and the baby is also able to sit and relax and play.

This is probably why the children in society today are spoiled and selfish because they have all been given what they want when they want. They say learning starts from birth and i believe that is true. Start your babies life as you mean to go on. Having a routine does not mean you are strict or uncaring and it will be hard to get your baby into a routine (as a mother of twins i know) but please persevere and you will get there in the end. It may take 6 days, 6 weeks or 6 months but keep at it, if not for yourself then for your child because children really do benefit from a little stable routine in their lives.

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