A frugal life is an easy life!

Being a dad who looks after a baby, the phrase I hear most is, "You have to get a baby into a routine!"

Although I have a different outlook and approach, this being our second child, although to the onlooker my system appears in disarray, how I operate has one major benefit... it works!

A classic example is made clear by the fact that I am posting this, at gone 1am on a week night and as I type, sprog2 is happily and contently shouting from her "rest chair" whilst playing with a piece of thread coming off a towel, keeping most of those in the house wide awake.
Mum is down for the week, a huge help make no mistake. However, there are times when not listening to what I say and going about things differently to how I would normally do them, can have a major impact.

Although I purposely aim for no routines at home, my casual approach has served us all well and ended up saving money and time, creating a happy and content home life (as well as being frugal!)
Previously, sprog2 would "rest" in her chair around 10pm every evening, nodding off in her own time, so that come after 11pm, she would be sound asleep. A quick pick up and transfer to her cot and I wouldn't hear a peep from her until around 10am the next morning.
Between 10am and 10.30am, whilst gradually waking up, a top up bottle and bowl full of weetabix would be devoured, leaving me 30 minutes free to scoff my own breakfast.
One all over wash or bath later and sprog2 would be content and watching TV (apart from wednesdays - when we attempt a silence morning speaking in basic baby sign language) where sprog2 would casually drop off into the land of nod around 11.30am and snooze through until about 1.30pm

This respite is an ideal time to get things done, like housework or maybe a bit of plastering.
Come 1.30pm, we have some playtime, until the gurning starts, signalling feeding time.
A bowl full of dinner, followed by a choice of sugar free pudding or mashed fruit, then a cup of drink, normally boiled water and sprog2 would be quite content to play in her baby prison for a couple of hours once she's had her nappy changed.

This sees us through until teatime, whereby sprog2 would watch me eat my tea, whilst noshing on some of it, then scoffing a bowl full of her own.
More playtime follows this and we are into early evening and an hour or so snoozing in her rest chair.
Another wash later and jimjams are on, followed by more playtime, maybe a story, then it's a top up bottle, then we are approaching 10pm, time for a chill out in her rest chair and the cycle begins again.

Throughout each day, we have an understanding.
Attention gurning is simply ignored, it's a process that serves no purpose. Be it habit or baby understanding, put simply, it achieves nothing. This means that unless peggies are coming through, rarely does it happen.
I can sit at the side of sprog and sprog chills out, but on the understanding that this is only a certain times of each day.
The huge benefit I get from this, is that if sprog2 is gurning I know all is not well. Usually it is her peggies coming through, only once so far has it indicated illness (measles).

Now compare this to the approach being used during my mum's stay:
Don't get me wrong - mum being here this week is as good as it always is, a huge help and good for sprog2. The example I am about to give could just as easily be anyone who steps in or visits.

Sprog2, has for the past two days, been woken up "early" - shouldn't be left to sleep in - around an hour earlier and woken up, not allowed to stir and wake up herself.
The top up bottle and weetabix is served an hour earlier, the wash and change happens earlier and sprog2 is put down for her rest. Problem is, this is an hour earlier and she is simply not tired.
Sprog2 becomes restless and irritable.
Without her nap, she is moved to feeding, earlier than normal, but she now leaves half her dinner and no top up bottle.

The afternoon arrives and its playtime, instead of being full of energy, she is now cranky, still no snoozing. Eventually, she is placed in her rest chair, but instead of drifting into the land of nod, she stares at the TV or watches what is happening around her.
By teatime she is very irritable, loud continuous gurning, won't settle at anything.
Sprog2 has her tea, again not eating all of it then wants to play, right in the middle of parent's teatime.

Patience has now gone out of the window, as instead of being left in the baby prison to chill out and potter on with playing, she has now gotten used to being picked up or distracted with a new thing everytime she gurns consistantly louder.
Mum is now snappy with dad, dad is now snappy with everyone, getting tired of the constant grumpyness of the sprog.
By 7pm the onslaught of tiredness has decended upon sprog2 and she is out for the count.
By 10pm, sprog2 is awake and full of energy, whilst parents are worn out and in need of sleep.
Mum heads off to bed, sprog2 comes back down and dad is sat up for hours keeping her entertained whilst tiring her out at the same time. A top up bottle later and, if I'm lucky, sprog2 may drop off to sleep around 1.30am

Just one little change in her morning wake up pattern, to try to get her into a "routine" has left everyone in the house grumpy and with no energy to devote the time to sprog2. Interaction is now reactive, after long bouts of gurning for attention.
Half meals are being left, sleeping patterns have gone out of the window. Not an ideal scenario all round.

Running up and down the front room playing "brum brums" at 1am is not good!
This my friends is why I get the impression sometimes, that I am talking chinese.
My methods may have look like a dogs dinner, but they were effective. Imposing a sudden change of methodology (is that even a word?) and it's mayhem.
Just occasionally, it maybe worth listening to the men folk, as on rare occasions we have been known to get things right?