routines

Routines

Routines help you give structure to you (and your childrens) day and in turn possibly reducing the everyday stresses of looking after babies and children. They give you control over the situation, which also reduces anxiety because both you and your baby will come to know what to expect next.

When it comes to implementing a routine into your life, flexibility plays a vital role.

Routine and ritual means that something, like an act, is repeated and reinforced. Routines structure the way we handle the things in a child’s life like waking, eating, bath time, bedtime etc. We do a lot of these rituals unconsciously, like the way we kiss our child goodbye, give them a morning hug or a wave bye-bye. These rituals enable a child to understand what’s coming next, what they can expect and what is expected of them. It helps them make better sense of the world around them.

Routines also help babies learn to self-settle and how to be great sleepers. It also helps children deal with separation from their parents and allows them to feel secure and safe.

Following are ideal routines for babies from newborn age to 12months. Please remember that these routines are meant as a guideline only but can help give you a plan to follow and an idea about sleeping, feeding and activity for your baby.

Newborn to 6 weeks