Our schedules are meant to be flexible! The only reason we’ve included the exact times is to take the guesswork out for you. So not only can you adjust the entire schedule’s times to fit your lifestyle, you can and should adjust for the expected and unexpected disruptions. It’s all a numbers game!

1. How to change the scheduled times to meet your family’s schedule better:

Go ahead and make the schedules work best for your family! For example, if your schedule warrants a different morning start time or you want your baby’s awake time to coincide with when you’re home at a certain time in the evenings, permanently adjust the whole schedule you’re using by an hour or an half an hour.

For example, in the Birth-3 Weeks Schedule, Option A, you can change: 

7, 10, 1, 4, 7, 10, 1, 4

to:

6:30, 9:30, 12:30, 3:30, 6:30, 9:30, 12:30, 3:30

or:

6, 9, 12, 3, 6, 9, 12, 3

or you can adjust it to a later start time, like:

8, 11, 2, 5, 8, 11, 2, 5

No matter which schedule you’re changing, it’s not the times that are as important as being consistent, keeping to regularly spaced-out intervals, and adhering to the FEED-PLAY-SLEEP cycle (always in that order).

Tip: Remind yourself of the benefits of scheduling for your baby and your family by reading (or re-reading!) Why Use Our Schedules? post.

why-ppb-post-our-schedules

2. How to adjust the schedule if your baby cried for all three “15-Minute Rule” intervals:

* If your baby has less than 25 minutes left of her nap time when you go in to get her up:

go into the nursery and get your baby up, feed her, and then keep her awake via activity time until the next nap time — no need to adjust the schedule! It is important, however, to try your hardest to keep your baby awake ALL THE WAY until the next nap time — and that can feel like a super long time! But this way she’ll be truly ready for her next nap.

Tip: Use our Baby Activity Times post for help in keeping your baby up.

playtime activities art

* If your baby has cried through three attempts of using our 15-Minute Rule AND the first of your 3 attempts started near the beginning of the nap time:

you will be getting her up and feeding her with 25-45 minutes left in the nap and you will need to adjust the schedule by that many minutes for the next nap. Here’s what we mean by that: if you got your baby up with 25 minutes left in nap time, adjust the schedule by putting her down for her next nap 25 minutes early and then let her sleep the 25 minutes plus the whole allotted next nap time, if she can. Then she will be caught up! If she has a hard time sleeping until the end of that nap, get her up before that end of that nap time by “X” amount of minutes, then put her down by that same “X” amount of minutes earlier for the next nap with the goal being to lessen the minutes each time — to get closer to the end of nap time with each nap as the day progresses.

Get creative with the numbers when you have to and do what you can to get her caught up quickly. You’ll be an expert at it soon enough, even if you’re bad at math!

Tip: Make sure you’re doing the 15-Minute Rule Right by reading (or re-reading!) Are You Doing Our 15 -Minute Rule Right?

15-Minute-Rule-Right! 3

 

Related Posts: Scheduling LogsThe 15-Minute RuleNursery Night One!3-Key Burping BasicsCrib SoothersSoother Sound of MagicMagical Nighttime RoutineCrib EssentialsNursery Organization Must-HavesWhy is My Baby Crying?Crying FactsPPB FAQ’sSolve Early Nap WakingSleeping MilestonesPut Baby Down AwakeWedge of ReasonNapping No-No’sTroubleshooting NapsBaby MonitorsSwaddling 

 

 

 

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