A day in the life of our (nearly) 3 month old

I have been reading "The Baby Whisperer" and the author's methods seem sound. So I've decided to follow her advice. They had him on a 3 hour schedule in the NICU, but then when we got home, he worked himself down to a 2 hour routine and then back into a 3 hour routine since he has gained weight. Because he was already on a 3 hour schedule on his own,  incorporating the new routine was easy.

The author recommends an EASY routine. E-eat, A-activity, S-sleep, Y-time for yourself. I wanted to follow this routine for a very specific reason. I need something that will be easy for Nate when I return to work. I also want him to be a good sleeper because I need my rest too. I don't want to have to nurse him to sleep every night and for naps. This routine teaches babies over time to settle themselves down and put themselves back to sleep if they wake during the night. Also, this will be easier for Nate to follow as a stay at home dad. For some people, not nursing a baby to sleep seems ridiculous, but actually, for us, it is already working well. He eats as soon as he wakes, so he is more alert and eats better and more. He spits up less because he is not laying down right after eating. When he is fussy and yawning it is time for a nap, not a rush to get the boob in his mouth to calm. He is not outright showing signs that he knows what is coming next in the routine, but he does seem more content and less agitated.

For his age and weight a 3 hour routine is recommended, but then at about 4 months the author recommends a 4 hour routine, so after I go back to work, we will start transitioning. As of right now, he still is on the 3 hour routine around the clock, but we are trying to get him to drop at least one feed during the night in favor of a longer sleeping time. As a side note, you skip the A-part of the routine after he "goes to sleep for the night" around 8 pm. Also, you don't do a diaper change overnight unless necessary. As he gets older, the A-Activity part will increase in length and the S-sleep with decrease.

Other reasons I like this plan is because it is a routine, not a schedule, the order is specific but the timing is less important. Also, this routine has nothing to do with Cry it Out and the author firmly states that she is against CIO. She has recommendations for children who have trouble with the S-sleep part of the routine and it has nothing to do with CIO. 

For right now this is what our routine looks like:

7:00 AM: E-wake up and eat
7:30 AM: A-diaper change and time in the swing while mom eats breakfast and feeds the dogs
8:30 AM: S-1st nap, usually about 1.5 hours, in bassinet in our bedroom
8:45 AM; Y-mom makes bed, showers, does laundry etc.
10:00 AM: E-wake up and eat
10:30 AM: A-diaper change and time on his play mat, usually tummy time, sometimes this is time to run errands
11:00 AM: S-2nd nap, usually about 1.5 hours, in bassinet in our bedroom
11:15 AM: Y-Continuation of chores, also eat lunch
1:00 PM: E-wake up and eat
1:30 PM: A-diaper change and hold him on the couch or time with daddy
2:30 PM: S-3rd nap, usually about 1.5 hours, in bassinet in our bedroom
2:45 PM: Y-Continuation of chores, workout if haven't done it already
4:00 PM: E-wake up and eat
4:30 PM: A-diaper change, time in swing or hold him at computer
5:00 PM: S-nap in swing but he may not sleep
5:15 PM: Y-cook and eat dinner
7:00 PM: E-wake up and eat
7:30 PM: A-bath, diaper (load up on diaper cream), read a story
8:00 PM: S-bedtime in bassinet in bedroom
8:15 PM: Y- enjoy short evening
10:00 PM: E-dream feed then go to bed myself
1:00 AM: E-feed and diaper change, lots of diaper cream
4:00 AM: E-dream feed
7:00 AM: Start over

Do what works, right? For an almost 3 month old, this is what our daily routine looks like.