Fed-up mum: ‘I’m sick of people ignoring my baby’s routine!’

For many parents of babies who hate sleep, the only way to get through this really tough time is to have a consistent routine and stick to it.

But not everyone gets this. 

One fed-up mum has taken to Reddit to express her frustration about people not caring about her son’s routine.

“My one-year-old has a very set schedule when it comes to naps. He’s up for two hours then he naps, wake up, up for three hours another nap, and he’s good till bedtime. It keeps him happy, it keeps me sane,” she says.

“But no one seems to care!”

The mum says that her family isn’t being respectful of her schedule. 

“Grandma coming over? ‘Oh yeah I’m just getting dressed’, 40 minutes later, ‘gotta walk the dogs’, 30 minutes later ‘I’m leaving soon!’ Well great because by the time you get here he’ll be ready for a nap!” she says. 

“But no you’ll want to play with him! And I’ll get to deal with an angry baby.”

Her friends aren’t much better. 

“Of course on the same day, playdate mama is giving me the old, ‘Oh I don’t know when we’ll be free so just sit around all day waiting for me to text you!” the mum explains. “Because I have nothing else I could be doing on the one day this week there might be someone around to help me run errands.”

“I think they forget that we have schedules”

It seems this mum isn’t alone. Lots of parents commented saying they know exactly how she feels.

“My MIL also does not adhere to a schedule. I think it must be a retired person thing. Once we called her when she hadn’t arrived at our house on time, and she hadn’t even left her house yet. I think they forget that we have schedules that are pressing”, says one parent.

Another says: “My mum ALWAYS visits when the kids are either just about to nap or already napping and then gets all sad face about not getting to see them. We tell her when nap time is every time and it’s still somehow always a surprise.”

“He doesn’t seem tired”

Others say they have experienced something similar where people try to convince them to stray from the routine or tell them their kids aren’t tired yet. 

“The ‘he doesn’t seem tired’ is the worst thing ever. No shit. Some kids don’t show major tired signs, like my son, because he’s an energetic maniac like his father,” writes one commenter.

“I’ve very recently grown more of a backbone to say no when my baby needs to sleep,” another mum chimed in. “There was a final straw incident where I let people twist my arm into taking my baby to a restaurant when I knew she was too tired (we were on vacation and it was near her bedtime). It was a nightmare, and it really stressed me out.”

We get it!

And we get it! When sleep-deprived parents weigh up the pros and cons of messing with their little one’s routine, sleep wins every.single.time. For some parents, nothing is more important than sleep. You can’t function without it. If having a strict routine is the only thing that helps everyone (including your baby) get a little bit more sleep, then it’s okay to prioritise your child’s routine without feeling guilty.

Remember: you know what’s best for your baby!