Sunday, January 18, 2009

Routine, routine, routine

Is there such a thing as too much routine when it comes to a baby? Mark and I don't keep Alessia on a strict schedule, time-wise, but we do have a routine we typically stick to. After spending a week at my mom's while he was on a business trip, I began to wonder if our nightime routine is, well, too routine. Here's what we do:
  • some after dinner silliness downstairs - usually some more playing or goofing around in front of the hallway mirror
  • bathtime - and this has its own routine:
  • silly dancing around to the Black Eye Peas "Pump it" (Alessia just loves it) and stripping down for the bath
  • watching daddy fill the tub and play hide-and-seek with the baby in the mirror
  • bath time - always the three of us
  • some more mirror sillyness while daddy cleans the tub and toys
  • play with the cheesy electric light-up fish tank while I moisturize her and put on her diaper
  • "latte" and story time: Mark and I read to her as she nurses
  • Daddy and Alessia play around with their mirror counterparts
  • Spell Alessia's name on her door (she has an adorable sign that she always looks at and makes her smile)
  • And finally, put her down to sleep.
This routine just kind of evolved since I went back to work, and it works for us. The problem arose when I tried to do it alone or with my mom's help last week. Alessia screamed bloody murder at bathtime and tried to climb out of the tub. All week I could only manage to give her spongebaths and putting on her pjs was a struggle. I guess she was looking for daddy. She tolerated mommy-only story time and me putting her down, but man was it a rough week. We're both glad daddy came home!
Now Mark and I are wondering if we're too routine with her. She can tolerate differences when we're home, for example when our weekly dinners with Danielle go late and we have to skip a bath, she's perfectly fine. I dunno. What do you think? Is it possible to be too routine?

2 comments:

Danielle said...

I tink E is the same way...and she won't nap anywhere but home You got me? hee hee

Dana said...

i don't think it's bad to break routine if it doesn't bother her ya know!!!!