The Katz Nest

Bringing home a baby is completely life-changing—but that doesn’t mean it has to change everything about your life.

That might sound like the same thing, but the difference is important.

Letting Life Flow (Instead of Forcing It)

There’s a lot of advice out there about putting your baby on a strict schedule—when they sleep, when they eat, when they’re awake.

And for some families, that works.

But for us—and for many families I’ve talked to—it looked a little different.

We found a balance.

My baby comes with us everywhere. My husband and I are in our mid-20s, and while we’re not out at bars or staying up all night, we still enjoy spending time with friends, going to the park, and being social throughout the week.

So instead of building our lives around a rigid baby schedule, our baby adjusted to our rhythm.

He sleeps when he’s tired, eats when he’s hungry, and joins us in our day-to-day life. As long as he gets to bed at a reasonable time, everything else tends to fall into place.

And when it came to our pets, I approached things the same way.

The One Thing That Made the Biggest Difference

Instead of completely changing our lives, I kept our pets’ routines the same—I just added a baby into the mix.

This was especially important for our free-roaming pets: our three cats and two dogs.

And honestly? It was simpler than it sounds.

Our Daily Routine

When I say “routine,” I don’t mean everything happens at the exact same minute every day.

But the order of events stays consistent:

Morning:
Dogs go outside → dogs eat → cats eat

Afternoon/Evening (between 3–6):
Dogs go out → cats eat → dogs eat

Night:
Dogs go out → cats get food

That’s it.

That consistency helped my pets understand when food was coming and what to expect from their day. They weren’t left wondering or feeling uncertain—and that made a huge difference in how they handled the transition.

When their basic needs felt predictable and secure, they had a much easier time adjusting to the baby.

But routine alone wasn’t enough.

Making Sure They Still Felt Included

Even with a solid routine, I knew my pets still needed to feel like part of the family.

Because from their perspective, a brand-new (and very loud) tiny human had just entered their world—and suddenly, everything felt different.

Keeping their routine gave them stability.

But making them feel included? That’s what helped them truly adjust.

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👉 In Part 4, I’ll share how I balanced giving my pets attention, setting boundaries, and safely including them in life with a newborn.