I have been doing a lot of reflecting recently looking at how we are raising Thomas, are we meeting all his needs? Do we do enough with him during the day? Being a first time parent is a rollercoaster ride, everything is  a “First” for us and quite often you just have to take the “Suck it and see” view and just get on with things stop analysing everything! Todays blog is a bit of  a I wonder if…. kind of blog, is there a loose correlation somewhere there between a strict routine and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). I am by no means experienced in this topic, or qualified so please do not take this as scientific fact. I would be interested in reading more about the topic if there are any papers out there, but I very much doubt that there is a significant enough correlation between the two.

Nathan and I have a strict bedtime routine with Thomas that we go through every night – It works for us! Thomas knows he has a bath followed by some playtime in his bedroom, we close the curtains,  Turn the TV off, brush teeth and then a warm bottle of milk with mummy. After his milk a kiss from daddy then I take him up to bed. Thomas usually settles to sleep straight away. On valentines day Nathan and I had a table booked for 8pm in our local Indian restaurant. We thought that would be enough time as Thomas usually goes to bed at 7pm – We stuck to our routine as we always do, we even delayed getting dressed until after Thomas had gone to bed as we didnt want him to think anything was different.

I put Thomas to bed as usual, then I went into my bedroom to quickly get changed, usually I would go into my bedroom get the baby monitor and then go straight downstairs. But this night I went into my bedroom and stayed there in there a little longer then usual….Well that was it! I think Thomas listens out for me going straight downstairs and so on that particular night things were slightly different therefore he decided to play up a little. He clapped his hands, made noises, stood up in his cot…Basically anything but sleep. It got to 8pm the babysitter was here, I was a little nervous about leaving him awake as I know what he can be like, but Nathan convinced me to. The good news is Thomas did finally settle around half an hour after we had left when I heard that I could finally relax and enjoy the night.

The next day I thought to myself – Is our strict bedtime routine doing more harm then good? Could a strict routine encourage OCD? Does it encourage you to expect things to be done in a set way? For instance Thomas expected me to go straight downstairs after putting him to bed, he was probably listening out for the living room door closing as I do every night. The door did not close therefore he was unsettled as the usual routing had not been adhered to. I can see how there may be a loose correlation between the two, but on the other side where would we be without our routines. It is important that babies know what to expect, they know when its settle down time and when its playtime.

Because of this I dont intend to scrap our good route we have spent time building, I think next time I will get changed downstairs What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you think there is a link between a routine for your baby and OCD? I would love to hear your thoughts!

I dont know what to do for the best! Thomas is now 13 Months old, he only has two bottles a day now one in the morning before his breakfast and one at night before bed. I tried warming some cows milk and giving it to him in a bottle but he just doesnt drink it, I have tried some cows milk in a cup again he refuses to drink it – He is too used to the taste of his formula. It is strange as he is happy to eat cows milk when its over his Weetabix for breakfast but just not from a bottle. I have taken to putting him on a follow on Cow And Gate Formula milk number 3. But the number 3 Cow and Gate says give roughly a 7 Ounce beaker worth a day – Thomas has more then 7 Ounce he would probably have around 5 Ounce in the morning and 7 Ounce at night. So I have been giving him number 3 Follow On Cow And Gate formula in the morning and number 1 Cow And Gate at night. But I know I can’t keep buying two types of Formula.

I was talking to a friend at mums and tots who’s little on is exactly the same, she has moved him onto the Cow And Gate 1yr+. She said the guidlines on the amount of a follow on baby can have in a day is just an approximate guide, so I would be ok just giving Thomas the one type of milk morning and night.

I tried again with the cows milk this morning, again Thomas just played with it in his mouth before spitting it out. I am seriously considering putting him on the 1yr+ milk for the time being, I worry that he is not getting enough calcium, I dont want to drop his milk as he needs calcium so if he wont have it through cows milk I will have to keep him on formula for a little longer and keep trying cows milk until he eventually takes to it.

Any advice for a first time parent would be greatly appreciated if you leave a comment I will read all the comments.