some people recommend a eat/wake/eat/sleep schedule to ensure baby nourishment and milk production

infant feeding schedule routine (eat/wake/sleep) by weeks

-from Jennifer of Suite101.com Infants and Toddlers

You can wait 10-15 minutes before feeding and that is fine. That is, if your baby will wait. A lot of babies are very hungry and ready for food when they wake up--that is how my Brayden (now 2.5) was. Anne Marie also said,

"I have shared with mom's as their baby is on a good routine, got this nursing thing down, milk supply is great etc. and that usually is all in place between 4 - 6 weeks, that it's probably a good idea to have a short space of time between getting baby up and sitting down to feed, so that baby isn't 'conditioned' to think, as soon as I wake up I need to eat."

- from Plowmanators of Chronicles of a Babywise Mom

how to establish a baby schedule

from riddlej of Life with Little Children

Naps are not punitive. On the contrary, giving rest to a child that needs it (a.k.a, a toddler who interrupts and whines and disobeys and throws fits) is the loving thing to do.

The Lord, our Shepherd, "makes [us] lie down" to restore our souls. He gives sleep to those He loves. Throughout Scripture, peaceful, secure homes, countries, and places are described as quiet resting places. Indeed, a disciplined child gives rest to his parents. God even planned a day of "rest" in the weekly routine. Regular times of rest are a centerpiece of a well-ordered home.

BUILD A REGULAR HABIT OF REST
This has been a natural part of our home-- as infants, our children take multiple naps throughout the day and sleep well at night. Around 5-6 months, they transition to a two-nap routine (a cumulative four-five hours, split between morning and afternoon naps, with eight-eleven hours of sleep at night), and around 12-18 months, they usually transition to a one-nap routine, which lasts around 2-3 hours, and they keep that up until around age four.

...

However you go about it, I would encourage you to build in a natural cycle of rest into your family's daily life. This does mean that you'll have to be "working at home" and won't be galavanting around the town each afternoon, it's true... but there are worse things than having 2-3 quiet hours to yourself. For example, having 2-3 hours of a whiny toddler throwing tantrums and raising your blood pressure until you pop. That would be worse. Or, having two such children who argue and fight with each other and don't obey and allow no one in the home to have a moment's peace. That would be worse.

But getting rest? Some peace and quiet? Oh, yes, please! If you don't already, build it into your family routine. Your kids (though they may not verbally express it) will voice their thanks over the course of time through good attitudes and a cheerful countenance.

WHAT DO THE KIDS DO DURING REST TIME?
Well, the obvious first thing to do is rest. I strongly believe that until a child can cheerfully occupy himself for the 2-3 hour quiet time AND control his own attitude for the remainder of the day, he needs a nap. Every day.

And yes, sometimes that will mean that you try giving up naptime, only to find that little Sally isn't ready for nap-free life yet (which will be evidenced by her emotional fragility and tantrums thrown throughout the remainder of the evening). So, the next day, back down she goes. Trial and error.

But at some point (which, as I mentioned, with our own children typically happens around four years of age), your child will pass the stage for daily naps. Occasional naps may still be needed, but this child has mastered her own attitudes and isn't crying out (literally) for naps each day.

So when a child reaches the age where they may not sleep during the day, that child still can have a time of rest. For us, what that typically looks like is quietly hanging out with a huge stack of books. I'll find that child a spot somewhere in the house (sometimes on our bed, sometimes on the couch, sometimes at the table on the balcony, sometimes in a cozy corner), and he will read quietly. As the child develops a pattern of consistent awake rest and quiet time, I'll sometimes open up that daily time to include quiet toys (by himself) or coloring. The point is that it will be a time of rest... a quiet, peaceful couple of hours for everyone in the middle of each day.

EXPANDING THIS PRINCIPLE AS THE CHILDREN GROW
As the children grow, I can foresee this being a time of quiet reading, research, journaling, or going for a walk. And as they approach adulthood, this could transition to a time of work-- working with dad, cooking or doing chores, or doing schoolwork.

from Jess at Making Home

We operate on a flexible routine as a family, particularly regarding sleep and meals. We're not extra planned-out sort of people, but for us, having an expected naptime and a certain bedtime for all children makes things much easier. For example, in our home, all kids four and under take naps in the afternoon, every afternoon. Around age four is when, if their attitude allows it, they may begin staying up during naptime. Even still, they must have a quiet reading time for 1 & 1/2 to 2 hours every afternoon. It's good for everyone to have a bit of a mid-day rest and some quiet time each day.

- Jess of Making Home

I have done this little cycle with all 8 of mine, so it’s not a fluke (after two or three, I could have thought it was a fluke, but after eight, I don’t see that it’s just luck…) I always start nursing them on a schedule from day one because my newborns are so sleepy that I have to wake them to feed them anyway. By the time they are more wakeful- voila!- they are used to eating, then being awake a little while, then sleeping until the next feeding.

The key, really, is the cycle: Eat, Wake, Sleep. My newborns have a hard time with the “Wake” part, so I usually just try to keep them awake for five or ten minutes after a half hour or so of nursing. Baby goes back to sleep and is awakened by me to feed 2 1/2 to 3 hours later.

- Kendra of Preschoolers and Peace

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Keep that baby sleeping! When he gets up at night to eat or because he's wet DON'T talk to him. DON'T turn on lights. DON'T do anything to make nighttime interesting. Take care of his needs, lay him down, and get out.

- Erin Warmbier

Get that baby sleeping! Around week 7 start working on a bedtime routine. This can be as simple as changing him and then singing to him and praying with him in the same place at the same time each night.

- Erin Warmbier