Baby Pattern

Question: About baby patterns and routines?

(Posted by: k on 2010-11-03 21:17:10)

My baby will be 3 months old in a few days. the other day i skipped a family reunion because it started too late in the evening and would run till late in the night and i didn& #039;t think that would be good for baby. needless to say the family is now upset, and they all say it is perfectly safe to disrupt baby& #039;s routine every now and again for family reunions. i disagree, because you cannot disrupt a routine that is not fully established yet, and because at the end of the day when my baby gets cranky it is only I who has to deal with it, but i thought i would ask and see what answers i get. is it ok to take baby out like this? since this is my first baby everyone feels entitled to disregard my opinions in the name of experience. i am even getting advice from people who don& #039;t have kids. what do you think, was i right or wrong, and why?

Posted by: Rachel D on 2010-11-03, 21:26:02

I 'd have gone. I 've gotten my little one on a routine before and didn 't change anything myself and she still managed to get out of wack on her own. I 've also had instances where her routine was disrupted and she actually benefited from that, for some reason sleeping more and longer after the fact. I have a child that is my priority, but life doesn 't stop when you become a mom. Sure pass up movies or dinner out, but a family reunion is what, once a year. My family would be worth the risk of some sleepless nights.

Posted by: mama on 2010-11-03, 21:27:05

You did the right thing. Next time this sort of thing happens its a good idea to suggest an alternative, such as "an evening get together doesn 't suit us. But we 'd love to see you the following morning if you like? " and see anyone the day after the event instead. Otherwise, i would just put the whole thing out of your head. The MOST important thing is looking after your baby. And for a near 3mth old, that means staying at home in the evenings.

Posted by: always getting suspended lol on 2010-11-03, 21:44:06

You should have gone, it was a family reunion after all. You should of at least turned up even if it was for a little while if you were there and explained to them that ya had to leave early cos of baby im sure they would of understood rather than you just not turn up at all.

Posted by: Arya MistWolf on 2010-11-03, 21:48:44

I think you did right, Of course some babies might react more than others to a disrupted routine but they all feel it and 3 months is a very young baby. Your family will have to come to understand that you are now in charged of a life, and your decisions will have to be respected. Of course, as it has been suggested you can suggest alternatives, and those who care will understand. When my first baby was born our true friends changed their routines and started coming for dinners at home instead of going to bars or restaurants, that way I could put the baby to sleep and still enjoy the company. Some of my relatives weren´t so understanding at the beginning, and insisted on us joining them at late parties but now, that I have my second baby they are starting to organize lunch meetings instead of dinners, maybe because they know they won´t have us any other way or maybe because now they see my older kid and they realize it has all been worth it. who knows? the important thing is for you to feel confident in that you are doing the best for your baby and this won´t last forever, you will have many many years to go out sooner than you think. Try to enjoy your present with all that comes with it. Enjoy your baby.... Best wishes

Posted by: Little Guy on 2010-11-03, 22:14:12

You did what you thought was best at the time so who cares what anyone say. You 're the mother so it 's your choice. And you learn by trial and error. But to play devil 's advocate here. I would have gone. Family reunion is a big thing especially when most of them may not have met your baby yet. My 7 mos old son has a routine that we follow everyday. But his routine does not dictate every single moment of our lives. I mean if it 's something important that we need to attend we would do it. Disrupting one day of his routine will not hurt him. Sure I may pay the price but that 's comes with the territory you know.