I’ve written about routines a number of times and believe that we couldn’t cope without one. However, so many people look horrified when we tell them about the girls’ routine and what it involves. This leads me to wonder – are we too strict with them?
Here’s a typical day (at home – working/nursery days are obviously a little different) in the House of Twins:

6.30am Alarm goes off. Snooze button gets hit.

6.44am Alarm goes off a third time. Get up. Go downstairs. Sort out morning bottles, get clean clothes, nappies ready (if not done the night before)

6.50am Get R up. Take her downstairs, change, etc.

6.55am Get G up (see above)

7am 1st bottles (9oz each)

7.30 – 8.30 (or when they look sleepy) Play time (usually in bouncy chairs so they can see what’s going on)

8.30 – 10 (ish) Nap upstairs in cots (there is a blackout blind in the room so it is dark and quiet)

10-ish – 10.45 Play time (varies, but often on play mat/activity gym)

10.45 – 11am Nappy changes. Get bottles ready

11am 2nd bottles (9oz each)

11.30 – 12pm (ish, or when they look tired) Playtime. Often involves a story e.g. a picture book, lots of chatting, songs, etc.

12 – 2 Nap upstairs in cots

2 – 2.45 Play time. Usually something quite energetic, like bouncing in the door bouncer, ‘dancing’ to music, etc.

2.45-3pm Nappy changes, get bottles and food ready

3pm 3rd bottles (9oz) plus food (started weaning three weeks ago)

3.30 – 4pm Story/play time

4 – 5.30/6pm Go out for a walk in the buggy. They have a little doze but prefer to stay awake and be nosey these days

6pm Prepare for bedtime

6 – 6.60pm. Get bottles ready. Change nappies and put on clean bodysuits – long sleeved if cold, short-sleeved if warm. Top and tail if necessary.

6.30pm 4th bottles (9oz) upstairs in nursery with lights dimmed. Nappies are changed before they are put in their cots. They sleep in Grobags and wear gloves if it is cold. Kiss goodnight and lots of whispering. Monitor goes on. Come downstairs.

If they cry – usually R just wants to sleep but G sometimes fights it – we leave it a few minutes and if she’s still crying one of us goes upstairs and gently pats her and shushes. This usually does the trick. R rarely wakes in the night these days. In fact, I can’t recall the last time she did. G wakes once or twice a week but usually because she’s shuffled into an awkward position or just wants a bit of reassurance, not for hunger.

It may look very militant but a lot of the times indicated are ‘ish’ times. The only timings that are particularly rigid are the feeding times and even they move by a few minutes either way depending on what else is going on.

This isn’t a routine from a book, or one that we’ve been advised to implement by an outsider. I made a decision not to read any of the baby guru books, although I did watch ‘Bringing up baby’ when I was pregnant and recall being quite angry about it at the time. It is entirely our (really my) creation. If someone had shown me this a year ago I would have been horrified by it.
I know that with a single baby we would have been much less strict. Our one ‘designer’ baby would probably live our life, be carried around in a sling most of the time, not have a strict bedtime and would want for nothing in terms of material needs and attention. However, as dh and I work full-time (shifts and flexible working, but even so) there are long periods of time where only one of us is at home or able to look after the girls. Therefore I feel it is important for all of us to have a structure to work within.

‘The routine’ might seem scary to outsiders but it works for the girls – I’m sure they would let us know if they weren’t happy with it – and it works for us. So, am I an evil 1950s-style tyrannical monster who is going to cause lots of harm to her children in the long run or have I just got a system that works for all of us?
Answers on a postcard!