Because Charlie had three different caretakers — me, Mr. Bee, and our nanny — it was really helpful to have a written schedule of when he ate, slept, pooped, and peed that all of us could easily access. So I created a form in Excel, made copies, had it bound into a book and all three of us filled it in daily beyond Charlie’s first birthday. We didn’t need to keep records for that long, but after awhile it just became a habit. Now I’m glad that we have such great records regarding Charlie’s eating and sleeping so I can reference them when baby bee #2 comes home. I also love to give these books as gifts for my pregnant friends!
Minhee made it all pretty and designed it in two different colors for you! Click here for the yellow printable pdf, and here for the gray printable pdf.
If you’re old school and want my original Excel template, you can download that here. Each sheet allows you to fill in two days’ worth of records in this version. Just don’t bag on my nonexistent Excel skills if anything looks funky. :-) I’ve filled it in with some sample text so you can see how it works.
Did you keep a daily schedule for your baby?
GOLD / cantaloupe / 5604 posts
thanks! i’ll need this in a few months!
persimmon / 1250 posts
I started out using paper as well until I found the Baby ESP app that synced between my and my husband’s phones (android). I still use paper for when other people babysit though. Great simple format :)
GOLD / nectarine / 2368 posts
That is so perfect! I still write down my LO’s schedule in a mini notebook to keep track of his feedings and diapers. I also jot down my pump sessions as well. I love the layout of the schedule! So neat and organized!
olive / 70 posts
Nice printout! I used to document all my feedings and poopings in a little journal that I still keep. It reminds me of how many times I had to change that diaper. It’s going to fun to look back when I have the second babes.
cherry / 127 posts
In the beginning I used paper, but then I switched to the Total Baby app for the iPhone. (I still use it to record sleep even though my son is now 2.) It was much easier to just hit buttons on my phone instead of trying to reach for the pencil and paper and squint at the clock in the middle of the night. I did keep a form similar to your Excel that I’d have babysitters fill out so that I could figure out what had happened while I was gone.