Your guide to routines
Getting your child into a routine is the bane of most new parents' lives and probably dominates most new-mum discussions.
There is no right or wrong when it comes to putting your child into a routine, but it is useful to give some form of structure to your baby’s day so that your baby knows what is coming next and you can start to feel less chaotic.
Babies love routines but parents love them too. It’s great to know that you’ll be having a bit of ‘you’ time between 7-11pm, for example. If you try to do the same thing each night, bathtime, a story, pyjamas, a cuddle and bed, your baby will start to know what comes next and bedtime won’t be a shock.
gurgle expert Sue Whytock, a nursery nurse for many years, maternity nurse and recently presenter of programmes such as ‘Help – I’m a teenage mum’ and ‘Britain’s youngest mums and dads’, has provided gurgle with some tried and tested routines for parents to follow. The first routine is a routine suitable from birth to two-and-a-half months and the second is from two-and-a-half months onwards.
The trick is to follow the routine but also be flexible with your baby. The routine shouldn’t take over your life or stop you from leaving the house. In essence it is to be taken with a pinch of salt! You will probably add your own quirks to these routines, but you can use them as a good starting point.
Routine – 3 hours
From birth to two-and-a-half months
7am – Wash and change ready for food, then feed.
8am – Playtime on mat
8.30am – Sleep back in cot or moses basket
10am – Another feed
11am – Playtime or out for a walk
1pm – Feed
2.30pm – Sleep in cot
3.45pm – Wake up ready for feed
4.00pm – Feed - Some babies will sleep after this feed and others will lose this nap and stay awake till their next feed.
5.45-6pm – Bathtime
6.30-6.45pm – Feed then bed. Feed your baby in his room. Keep it semi-dark and quiet and settle your baby down for the night after his feed. When you leave the room turn the night light off.
10.30-11.00pm – Feed. Change your baby’s nappy to wake them up so that he feeds well before going back to sleep.
3.00am – Feed. Do not change the nappy unless you have to as this will wake your baby up completely and you want to keep him sleepy so he falls back to sleep.
Routine – 4 hours
From two-and-a-half months onwards
7am – Wash and change ready for first feed of the day. Feed.
8.45-9am – Sleep
10.00-10.45am – Wake-up from nap
11.00am – Feed
12.45pm – Sleep in cot
2.45pm – Wake up and change nappy
3.00pm – Feed and playtime
5.45-6pm – Bathtime
6.30-6.45pm – Feed. Always give a little more at this feed (although if breastfeeding this may be difficult). Feed in the baby’s room and keep it semi-dark and quiet so that the baby settles for the night. When the baby is settled, leave the room and turn off any night lights. If you can encourage your baby to fall asleep on his own (without being rocked or cuddled or fed to sleep) it will be better for you as, once your baby learns to fall asleep on his own, he will put himself back to sleep at night. For young babies this will take some time.
11pm – Feed. Change the nappy to wake your baby up so he feeds well. Keep the room semi-dark and quiet so he goes back to sleep after his feed.
4.00-4.30pm – Feed (after about three-and-a-half months you can start thinking about encouraging your baby to sleep through the night. Read our article about Sleeping through the night for more help with this).
Why keep the room dark at night?
This is so your baby stays in a sleepy mood and doesn't wake up completely. You want to encourage him to sleep after you have fed and winded him so try to make eye contact minimal, keep the room dark and avoid playing any games with him.
What if my baby wakes more than once at night?
Small babies have even smaller stomachs. This means that they may need feeding more regularly and some need feeding every two hours when they are very small. This should settle down once your baby grows a bit bigger and is able to take in a bigger feed.
Will lullabies help?
Playing lullabies or classical music can help to relax your baby and settle him to sleep at night. If he is sleeping in your room it can help to relax you too!
Isn't it too early to read bedtime stories to small babies?
Even if they don't understand the stories babies will love to hear the sound of your voice. Getting into the habit of reading will also help your baby to hear words being said often and will eventually help with speech and understanding. In short, it is never too early to read to your child.
Don't forget to wind your baby after each feed!