Is Your Baby on a Routine?
Is Your Baby on a Routine?
Is Your Baby on a Routine?
Recently, a first time pregnant woman told me, When the baby arrives, my life won't change too much, I'm too busy. The baby will just have to fit in with me.' While her intentions are perfectly fair, how possible is it to actually take up all of the same hobbies and activities that filled the calendar before the baby came home from the hospital? All the books and magazines recommend schedules and routines as a way of new parents reclaiming some of their former lives back and it's certainly tempting. Who wants to spend each and every day running from one chaotic milk spill to the next? But the truth is that having a baby can be chaotic and new parents should sometimes put the manuals down for a moment and let their baby guide them instead.
Flexibility is key
It's true that babies do need routines, but they certainly don't need parents who panic when they aren't near a bath at six o'clock of an evening. As newborns, the routine should be basic yet flexible- feed, sleep, feed, sleep, feed, sleep... As they get older, babies need more awake time and so their routine might be a little different- feed, play, sleep, feed, play, and sleep, perhaps. But that's it. A routine doesn't have to be restrictive, as a schedule may be. A schedule means that baby must wake at a certain time each day (even if you have only just got her back to sleep after a restless night) and must feed at the same time each day and this requires real discipline.
The ever-changing baby
So what happens if your baby is resisting their routine? Some babies seem to respond really well to flexible routines that cater to their basic needs- but wouldn't we all? If we were getting fed regularly and put to bed when we're tired, would we have much to complain about? What about if we're being fed when we're full, or put to bed when we want to play? The thing about babies is that they are constantly changing and adapting to their surroundings. Lots of babies don't respond well to routines because they are simply too young! They may want an eleven clock nap one morning but the next morning they may not. Each and every baby is different and no amount of parenting manuals can ever account for that.
Establishing rituals
As babies grow older, they do seem to naturally fall into their own routine, as their body clocks adjust and they begin to anticipate certain rituals, such as bath time or quiet play times. New parents may find that their baby becomes sleepy right after their bath, even if they have just had a short nap in the car. For many babies, bath time signals bed time and so there are other triggers in baby's day that can have the same effect. By the age of six months, most babies are in a routine of sorts and-hopefully- sleeping well at night. Many new moms have looked back at the early days and wondered why they spent so long trying to enforce a routine when their newborn's needs were changing so much.
Let your baby guide you
The manuals may tell you that routines are important and while they aren't entirely wrong, it's important to remember that the only person who knows your baby is you. If your baby is tired at seven in the morning- let her sleep! If your baby prefers lunch at one, adjust the time of your coffee morning and let her eat then! By listening to your baby, you will be meeting her needs and eventually, over time, you will find a routine that suits you both.
http://www.articlesbase.com/parenting-articles/is-your-baby-on-a-routine-4563445.html
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