Baby Talk - 8/29/19

Some of the following routines will help baby experience a predictable world and develop a sense of security

• Bedtime routines – Setting up a bedtime routine for a newborn is not suggested during the first weeks. By the second or third month, however, you can begin to introduce a simple routine to help baby understand the difference between daytime and nighttime. When baby wakes up after your regular bedtime, keep the light dim, your voice low, and limit activities. When baby is up during the day, take a walk, sing songs, read baby a book, or engage in other favorite activities with baby. The goal is to lay a foundation for baby to understand the routines associated with sleep time.

• Nap routines – Generally around three months, baby’s sleep begins to follow a pattern. Some babies take naps like clockwork – same times every day. Other babies may not follow the clock as closely, but when they fall asleep it is usually for about two hours. Recognizing your baby’s sleep pattern will help you to develop a napping routine. Regularly singing the same lullaby, reading the same book, rubbing baby’s back, darkening the room, or engaging in other consistent activities, develops a routine that baby associates with napping.

• Mealtime routines – When baby is ready to eat solid foods, usually around six months, include baby in regular family mealtimes. Baby may need extra attention during the early stages of eating solid food, so you may find it less stressing to sit with baby one-on-one before dinner for most of her/his feeding time. Once everyone else joins in for dinner, pull baby right up to the table and have her/him self-feed with softer foods. This establishes an eating routine that introduces baby to language and social skills, as well as family time.

Above all, remain flexible. Sometimes just when you have a routine down and it’s working well, things are suddenly amiss. This is to be expected as baby goes through various developmental stages. Be willing to step back, recognize when baby is going through a change, and adjust the routine accordingly.

What suggestions do you have for developing baby routines? Please, share.