Scheduling Post-Pandemic

So, a whole pandemic just went by and maybe you had a baby (or two. Hey- it was a long pandemic!)

Maybe you sleep trained and are on a fantastic schedule. Good for you, you’re ahead of the game!

However, you’re now faced with a new challenge and you’re not sure where to go from here: how do you adapt a schedule for a baby that has barely ever had their schedule disrupted during the pandemic?

Extra curriculars, grocery shopping, school pickups, late night events – for some of us, our babies have never experienced any of these things in their schedule and as parents trying to navigate a schedule, it might not be easy to try to fit it all in when you’re so used to being home all day long with almost no social obligations. So how do we get our feet wet and start being able to manage all the things in our lives without too much disruption?

 Here are some tips for how to get started on going out again when you’re not used to it:

1)    Plan outings during awake times when possible.

Whenever possible, try to complete errands or plan when you’ll be out of the house during awake times. If your baby’s wake windows are too short to accommodate this yet, pick one nap time to be the “on the go” nap (I usually suggest the final nap of the day, that way you can compensate with an early bedtime if it doesn’t go well).

2)    Actively try to nap your baby in different places.

Especially if your baby is on the younger side, it’s a good idea to try keeping the naps on the same schedule but perhaps in different places to get the baby accommodated to sleeping outside their own room. I recommend bringing a pack n play along when visiting friends/relatives and setting up a nap space for baby. It’s more convenient for you to get your baby used to sleeping in unfamiliar places so they can adapt better in the future.

3)    Schedule times when you’ll be “off schedule”

It sound counter-intuitive, but hear me out! While we advocate keeping to a schedule as best you can, life still happens and we need to be able to adjust sometimes. When those times come when we need to adjust, be prepared to compensate for the adjustments made and plan accordingly. For example, if you have a wedding in the evening and you know baby will be up late for it, try to keep the daytime schedule on track so that baby isn’t cranky once the event rolls around. Similarly, if there’s an all-day event, plan for a short “on the go” nap and make sure you leave yourself enough time to get home for an early night. Even if your day gets all wonky – maybe compensate with a low-key day tomorrow. Leaving yourself enough wiggle room in your schedule makes it livable and manageable.

Pandemic parents – don’t fret too much! Even though it might be nerve-wracking to leave the comfort of a home-bound schedule, it’s also good to venture out of the house every once in a while. Enjoy it, and don’t hesitate to check in with us at Nighttime Heroes Sleep Schedule Coaching for more tips and tricks.