If you follow me on Instagram, I’ve mentioned a few times that we are following the Moms On Call for our baby boy Huxley. The Moms On Call is a series of three books that is full of helpful tips for your new baby. I wish I would’ve started this method as soon as he was born, but we started it at six months. One of the great things with this method, is you can really start at any age!
We’ve been following the Moms On Call for thirty days now, and let me just say, it’s been amazing! The books go over almost anything you can think of when it comes to your baby. The things I was most excited about was the sleep and feeding schedule.
Huxley has been sleeping amazing! Like, I can’t believe how well this routine has been going. He usually has his first bottle at 7am, we take Hadley to school after his bottle, then he’ll have some baby food and formula in a sippy cup at 8am, then his first nap at 9am. I’ll try to fit in a workout or a load of laundry sometime in the morning. The second bottle is at 11am, then baby food and sippy cup with formula at Noon, then his second nap at 12:30pm. We leave at 2pm to pick up Hadley at school, most of the time he wakes up before 2pm, but sometimes I do have to wake him. The third bottle is at 3pm, then baby food and sippy cup with formula at 4pm, and then anytime between 5-6pm he takes a short catnap if he needs it. Majority of the time, he will take a short catnap. Bedtime routine is a bath at 6:30pm, last bottle at 7pm, then bed at 7:30pm. All of this might sound like a lot, but after a few days, and/or a week or two, it really does get easier.
Moms On Call is all about getting your baby on a schedule, in the books, they do give you what a typical day will look like each day. We are following the schedule pretty closely for his age. And I can’t say enough good things about the method!
Having a baby on a schedule sounds pretty amazing, however, it can have its issues. Keeping up with a schedule, having a family, a husband, and life in general, is not an easy task! Getting Huxley on a schedule did not happen overnight. I started to see some slight changes after a few days, but after two weeks or so I could tell, he was beginning to click with a schedule. Every baby is different, and it might take your baby longer, or even quicker to get it, but I really do believe in this method if you’re willing to be patient.
One of the things that was very hard for me about this method, was when Huxley would go to bed, he would cry a little harder than normal, and this method suggests to not go in the room. Almost like the cry it out method. I would let him cry for about 30 minutes, and then I had to go in. This only happened twice, I would go in his room, change his diaper, and stand up and rock him for a few minutes. He would calm down and fall asleep once I laid him down. After those two times of crying super hard, he would barely cry each day after. Now, thirty days into this method, he doesn’t cry at all! He sometimes talks and makes noises for like five to ten minutes, but that is it! The part about this routine is, for every nap and bedtime he is awake. I lay him down awake every time, and he falls asleep on his own. I am still so amazed that I lay him down awake! With my daughter Hadley, who is now seven, I remember always putting her to sleep in my arms and hoping she didn’t wake up when we transferred her to the crib.
One other thing that has been a little hard for me, and still currently is, is having your baby on a schedule, and having to go off the schedule. When we have sports, plans, or even traveling, following a schedule can be a little tricky. I mean, having a 7:30pm bedtime is pretty early, and sometimes sports might last until 7:30pm, or dinner plans, etc. So that part is hard for me, but Huxley seems to do pretty well being off his schedule from time to time. I will say, we don’t go off the schedule that much at all. There are times here and there where we will go off the schedule, and we make do, but we do try really hard to stay with the schedule. My husband and I will work together, and one of us might stay home, or leave wherever early, if it can work out that way.
Lastly, I’ve realized that it’s okay to not follow the schedule precisely. Life happens, and it’s okay to modify the day to make it fit your needs. For example, if you need to change the time of the first feeding to make it work for your schedule, then do that. In the end, the schedule is all about getting your baby on a routine. However the schedule may work for your life, you can make it work!
- 7am bottle
- 8am food / sippy cup with formula
- 9am nap (sleep for 1-2 hours)
- 11am bottle
- 12pm food / sippy cup with formula
- 12:30pm nap (sleep for 1-2 hours)
- 3pm bottle
- 4pm food / sippy cup with formula
- 5-6pm nap (30-45min nap)
- 6:30pm bath
- 7pm bottle
- 7:30pm bed
3pm / third bottle (no photo)
7pm bottle (no photo)
7:30pm bed (no photo)
Please remember, every baby is different! I have no idea if the Moms On Call will work for every baby, but I have a pretty good feeling it will if you are willing to put in the work. It is a lot of work, and I mean a lot of work. But to have your kid go to bed at 7:30pm, and sleep until 6:30am/7am the next day? Sign me up! I tend to stay up super late after Huxley and Hadley go to bed, so I can have time for myself that lasts longer than an hour during nap times. The days sure go by fast, and I feel like I’m constantly rushing and trying to get everything done. There are days where I don’t rush, and don’t care if the dishes get done, or the laundry gets folded, I know it will get done in due time. Some days I just need a day to be lazy and do nothing, but I try to not get in those modes because it’s easy to get in a rut. For me at least!
If you are interested in the Moms On Call method, you can purchase the book here on Amazon.
Any new moms out there reading this? Have you done Moms On Call? Did it work for you? What are your thoughts? There are three books in the series, I’m currently on Book 2 since my son is 7 months old.
As always, thank you for reading!
