Joanie's 4 Month Schedule & Update
I wanted to share Joanie’s 4 month schedule today, as well as an update on what’s been going on and working for us! I love reading blog posts from other bloggers about their babies’ updates— I’ve learned lots of tricks and tips from them that I’ve used with Joanie. Now what works for me and Joanie may not work for you and your baby, and that’s okay! What I’ve been struggling to accept is that every baby is different and will not reach milestones and do things the same way as other babies that are the same age. If you need to hear this today… you’re doing a great job mama!
4 Month Updates and Milestones:
We just had her 4 month checkup and she weighs 13 pounds (24% for weight), 24” tall (36% for height), and head circumference is 11% (baby girl has a small head!)
Drooling! The doctor says she’s beginning the teething stage and will literally drool all day every day on everything!
Loves to smile and will laugh more often (esp. if mom does something funny like trip over something)
Enjoying tummy time more and will pull herself up on her arms now. We just got this tummy time water mat and she tries to grab the little objects floating inside!
Starting to roll over from tummy to back— she’s done it a few times now!
Naps in her Merlin Magic Suit- I don’t put her to sleep in it at night since I worry she’ll get too hot
Trying to sit up on her own (can maybe last 5 seconds!)
Reaching for toys, picking them up, and trying to put them in her mouth
Still loves car rides, her activity center, her baby carrier that faces outward, bath time, and walks in her stroller every night.
She LOVES to stand and will stand every opportunity she gets!
Joanie went to her very first concert & it was at the Grand Ole Opry! She also experienced downtown Nashville on Broadway, and did her first Escape Game!
We discovered Joanie had a stage 4 posterior tongue tie, stage 4 lip tie, and cheek ties on both sides this month. The pediatric dentist did the laser revisions, and we had to do mouth stretches for 21 days this month every 4 hours. This mama was so so tired, but it ended up being so worth it! She has been able to latch without a nipple shield and the gassiness has almost completely stopped (probably due to swallowing air from a bad latch). She will make so many more noises now too that she can move her mouth better! I’ll do a full breastfeeding journey blog post soon talking about everything in more detail.
Joanie’s Schedule
Joanie’s schedule varies day by day, but we have tried to keep things consistent by following an eat, play, sleep routine. This doesn’t always get to happen if I want to have any kind of a life, or if Joanie’s just not having it that day. Instead of getting upset that her schedule is off, I’ve realized that it all ends up being okay. This is what we typically try and follow— a modified version of Mom’s on Call, which is a great resource for those who haven’t read it, it’s a super quick and easy read!
7-8am: Joanie sleeps in her miracle swaddle still in our bassinet next to our bed, and will typically wake up sometime between 7 and 8. I’ll hear her start talking to herself and trying to escape her swaddle and I know it’s time to wake up.
7-8am: Eat- Joanie will typically nurse for 8-10 minutes right when she wakes up. Then I’ll change her diaper and outfit.
8-9:30: Play time! Joanie will play with her veggie mat and activity center after she eats. During this time, I always pump. Music toys have been her favorite lately too.
9:30-11:00/11:30: Nap! She’ll normally have her longest nap of the day in the morning. It’s always so weird to me since she just slept at night. I’m always like how could she be ready for a nap?! She naps in her crib in her Merlin Suit.
11:30: Eat- She’ll typically nurse for 8-10 minutes.
11:30-1:00: Play
1:00-2:30: Nap
2:30: Eat (sometimes is finicky nursing around this time, I sometimes have to pump and give her a bottle)
2:30-4:00 Play
4:00-5:30 Nap
5:30 Eat (sometimes is finicky nursing around this time, I sometimes have to pump and give her a bottle)
5:30-7:00 Play
7:00 Cat nap (we’ll try to eat dinner during this nap!)
7:30 Walk outside with the stroller
8:00-8:30: I call this time the 3 B’s: Bath time/bottle/bed. She loves bath time and I always give her a bottle before bed time so I know she’s really full. Typically between 4-5 oz. and I’ll pump after I put her down for the night so I can sleep longer.
3-5am: Joanie always wakes up sometime in this window to nurse and then will immediately go back down to sleep for a few more hours. She ends up falling asleep nursing and I just put her back in the bassinet.
This schedule changes literally every day, but overall we try to stick to something along these lines! Bed time always stays the same, as does our nighttime routine. She always knows she’s going to eat after her bath and that’s typically one of her best feeds of the day!
I hope ya’ll enjoyed reading about her milestones and updates this month! Her little personality is starting to really shine through and I’m loving every minute with our sweet Jo. Can’t wait to see what changes month 5 will bring! We’re going to start her on some solids this month too, so there will be an update on that next month!
