Preparing your baby for routine

Every family is different and every mother is different, some require a lot of routine while others are more flexible. Regardless of where you are on the scale, establishing a routine with your baby is a good idea. Routines help babies to feel secure, they know what to expect and it is particularly helpful to teach your new-born the difference between day and night in those early days. 

I am one of those mom’s who doesn’t need strict routine, I am more flexible but from day one with all of my children we established a bath/bedtime routine. It is still my one non-negotiable, the children know it is bath time, story then bed so when you implement your routines, make sure that it is in line with your life and not something you have to force. 

So how do you develop a routine?

Do the same thing at the same time every day.  Whether it is nap time, bath time, exercise time, make sure you do the same activity at the same time every day. 

Establish a routine within a routine. Maybe before nap time you sit with your baby or read to them or as they get older allow them to watch their favourite show, try to do the same thing each time. Your child will learn to associate that activity with what is about to happen. 

Start small. Implement a bath time routine first, as your baby gets older start implementing more and more routines. Your baby will only be ready for routines between 2 and 4 months, so don’t try to implement too many routines before then. 

It is also important to remember to be flexible when it comes to setting routines for your baby. You may all be in a structured routine that works for everyone but then your baby has a growth spurt and suddenly they are not sleeping and your routine flies out the window.

These are bumps in the road that can be fixed. Simple reset the routine, it may take a little while but eventually your baby will respond and life will return to order again.

This post was sponsored by Pampers.  You can follow them on Facebook and YouTube.

 
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