Your life doesn’t have to revolve around your baby’s routine!
The topic of baby routine comes up frequently when I am working with clients. Having a routine is your choice as the parent, and some decide to go with the flow. Others want to give the day some structure. As a baby care specialist, I recommend creating a loose routine for your baby. I don’t recommend making the routine so rigid that the day consists of watching the clock. We want to set ourselves up for success, not put expectations on ourselves and the baby that may cause unnecessary stress down the road.
Contrary to all the opinions out there, you do not need to be putting yourself under pressure to get your baby to follow a routine in the first six weeks at a minimum. You’ve just had a baby, you’re tired, the baby is adjusting to life on the outside, and this is the time to be bonding as a family unit. If you are breastfeeding, the first six weeks are crucial for establishing your supply, and the baby is likely to feed on demand. Suppose you decide that having a routine is the right thing for your family. In that case, you can slowly start to implement some structure after this early period.
Am I ready for a routine?
Before introducing a routine, consider the following factors:
Is baby gaining weight well?
Has your baby had any discomfort issues?
How are you feeling? Do you feel ready?
If you can answer yes to these questions, you should be fine to go ahead. If not, I recommend making sure you address any potential feeding/weight/digestive issues before anything else.
How do I structure my baby’s routine?
The standard routine structure is the feed – play – sleep routine. I like to use the E-A-S-Y acronym. E for Eat, A for Activity, S for Sleep, Y for Your Time. I gravitate towards this structure because it creates a sustainable, low-stress routine. Things don’t always go as planned, and breaking your day up into blocks of time means you can catch up quickly if you need to. As a general rule, I encourage my clients to get out and about. Still, they should aim to have 1-2 naps at home as a general rule to allow for good restorative naps for the baby. Structure your blocks of time around your baby’s existing feeding and sleeping patterns. Taking this approach makes it easier to implement and is less stressful for the caregiver and baby.
The Steps
EAT
Time for a feed! Offer your baby the breast or bottle. Aim to get baby to take a full feed by offering both sides or taking regular breaks when bottle feeding – frequent winding reduces potential digestive issues. If you struggle to get a full feed in one sitting, return to the feed later on and offer baby milk again.
BB Tip: Have a snack yourself while feeding baby to keep your energy levels up as well. Trail mix, granola bars, and fresh fruit are examples of one-handed snacks that you can easily eat while feeding. Keep a straw bottle with water next to you while nursing to keep your hydration levels up.
ACTIVITY
For a newborn, the activity is likely to be nothing more than a nappy change. For an older infant, playtime can be time on the play-mat. If there are other siblings in the house, sitting in the bouncer for some family playtime is an excellent way to include your baby. Take this time to interact with your baby through play, singing, high contrast books, and physical touch.
Consider the ideal awake windows for your baby’s age, and look for early sleep cues to give baby the best experience going to bed for their sleep. An overtired baby will struggle to get to sleep vs. a baby who is settled off to sleep before late sleep cues become apparent. Crying is considered a late sleep cue. A baby disengaging from an activity or looking away from you are two common early sleep cues.
SLEEP
Time for a nap! I like to introduce a lovely calming nap time/bedtime routine to help the baby identify that it is time to sleep. For a baby who naps independently, this will usually consist of a quick milk top-up if needed. Follow that with a nappy change, into the swaddle or sleeping bag, maybe a short book, closing the curtains, and then a cuddle before going down to settle themselves off to sleep. If there are other children in the house, I recommend that you do the top-up feed with your other child/ren and then settle your baby in the sleep space. I’ve found that big siblings love to be part of the routine as well. Ask them to close the curtains, let them turn on the sound machine, and allow them to switch off the light for you are all ways you can involve them.
YOUR TIME
The reason I like to use the E-A-S-Y acronym! We have a tendency to forget to look after ourselves, a sleeping baby means time for yourself. You might take a nap, make something to eat, grab a cup of tea and sit down on the couch while your older children play, or pull something up on Netflix to watch. It is vital that you take care of yourself, so try not to use up all your time while your baby is sleeping to clean and pick up around the house. There will be time to clean up later. Taking care of a baby isn’t easy. You deserve some chill time too!
And there you have it! When you first introduce your routine, acknowledge that there will be an adjustment period, and while in some moments it will be challenging, it’s worth it when you come out the other side of it.
If you need some help with creating a routine for your baby or are having issues with your existing routine, get in touch to find out how I can help you!
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