The question of when and how to accustom a child to a routine inevitably arises before young parents. Develop a daily routine infant- means creating a routine for feeding, sleeping, bathing and walking that promotes normal physical and mental development child. It is important that the given rhythm is comfortable for both the baby and all family members.
When can you start accustoming your child to a routine?
Many parents are in a hurry to accustom their infants to a sleep schedule as early as possible. But in the first month after birth children's body only adapts to life in new conditions for him, while experiencing stress. Therefore, at first you should simply observe the newborn: how long he can sleep without a break, how often he asks for food, what excites him and what has a calming effect. In order to establish an optimal daily routine in the future, at the initial stage it is worth completely adapting to the natural needs of the baby.
It is helpful to record your observations of your baby sleeping and eating, noting the time. This data will help identify the rhythm of his life and serve as the basis for building his daily routine in the future.
Starting from the age of two months, you can gradually accustom your newborn to a regimen based on some of his already established habits. To make this process successful and painless for all participants, several recommendations should be followed:
- maintain consistency and punctuality in everything that concerns the baby;
- provide the child with a calm environment: exclude loud music, do not watch TV in the children's room;
- refrain from guests in the first months: the appearance of new people can cause anxiety in the baby;
- to not allow conflict situations in family.
Benefits of Maintaining and Eliminating
A child's needs for food, play and rest replace each other at certain intervals. A properly established daily routine helps your baby:
- get used to distinguishing day from night - this skill will be appreciated, first of all, by his parents, especially if the newborn is on breastfeeding and the father cannot replace the nursing mother at night to give the child a bottle of formula;
- avoid overwork - a small organism will know at the level of reflexes what to expect after certain actions and procedures, which will reduce the cost of energy and time for the transition to a new type of activity;
- to develop harmoniously mentally and physically - a correctly structured sequence of alternating periods of rest and activity contributes to the most efficient distribution of the body's resources.
Just like an adult, a child may get tired earlier than usual or, conversely, become overexcited. In such cases, you cannot demand that he strictly follow the regime - do not let him fall asleep until a certain time or try to rock him to sleep, despite the desire to play. Such tactics will not bring joy to either the baby or his parents.
Considering that the child develops very quickly, it will not be possible to establish a clear regime once and for all: during the first year of life it will have to be changed several times. It is necessary to respond sensitively to changes in the baby's needs and adjust the daily routine, while maintaining timely observance of basic rituals.
The importance of rituals in a child's daily routine
The following types of activities can act as reference points in the daily routine of a newborn child up to one year of age:
- bathing;
- gymnastics;
- massage;
- walks;
- games.
As for the primary needs of the body - food and sleep - it is necessary to listen more to the child’s desires, without trying to strictly follow the schedule. This does not mean that feeding and rest should be completely unsystematic - they can and should be organized. If they are successfully integrated into the sequence of other actions and procedures, then there will be few exceptions to the regime, and it will not be difficult to restore the usual rhythm after them.
Feeding
Depending on artificial feeding baby or on breastfeeding, he can receive food at different frequencies and in different quantities: the mixture is easy to measure, but it is difficult to prepare it on demand every time, and mother’s milk is always ready for use, but it is very difficult to measure how much the baby drank. In both cases, it is easy to predict when the child will get hungry, if you remember that increased appetite is promoted by:
- gaming, developmental activities, during which children spend a lot of energy processing information coming from outside;
- gymnastics and massage to speed up metabolism;
- water procedures, which involve both physical activity, and game elements.
The optimal break between feedings of a newborn baby in the first 1-2 months of life is 2–2.5 hours. Over time, this gap gradually increases. You need to increase the time between meals to 4 hours starting from 3-4 months.
A good appetite is a sign of a properly structured diet. If your baby begins to eat poorly, you should take care of his health.
Dream
The second most important component of a child's routine is sleep. In order to develop a system of day and night rest that suits everyone, you need to remember the following.
- Throughout the day, and especially before bedtime, the room in which the crib is located should be well ventilated.
- During the day, sleep should not be accompanied by complete silence and darkness - dim light and moderate noise will help the baby distinguish the time of day. Perfect nap combined with a walk in the fresh air, provided the weather is good.
- Evening bathing and subsequent feeding will set the baby up for a long night's rest.
The older the child gets, the longer his periods of wakefulness turn out to be. The total duration of sleep per day changes as follows:
- in 1 month – up to 20 hours;
- at 2 months – 17–18 hours;
- from 3 months to six months – 15–16 hours;
- from 6 months to a year – 14–15 hours.
Accordingly, the baby gradually begins to sleep less and less:
- in the first month - 5–6 times per day;
- every six months - 3–4 times;
- at one year of age - up to 1–2 times.
The quality of a baby's sleep largely depends on what emotions he experienced while awake, and how he slept, in turn, directly affects his mood. A well-balanced and convenient routine not only helps to organize the baby’s life, but also makes him more balanced and cheerful.
We will try to help mothers manage their time correctly so that they have time to take care of the baby, household chores and themselves.
Newborn feeding regimen
The time has long passed when mothers breastfed strictly according to the clock; now the most popular mode of feeding is according to the “baby’s first squeak”. Just a few years ago, even in the maternity hospital, babies were brought in for feeding every three hours. Today the newborn lies in the room with his mother, and she herself breastfeeds him as soon as he is hungry. Someone may complain that the baby hangs endlessly on the chest and the mother has no time left for other things. However, this state of affairs can only be observed in the very first days after the birth of the baby, and then newborn's daily routine will be established, her own nutrition schedule will be developed, and mom will have more time for her own affairs.
Newborn sleep pattern
At night, the baby sleeps eleven to twelve hours. Many babies wake up for night feedings, so some moms prefer to be with their baby. This is the most acceptable option for both the nursing mother and the baby. Firstly, a woman does not need to constantly get up; she will breastfeed her baby while lying down. Secondly, a newborn baby feels his mother very strongly, his mother’s breath and smell calm him, so he feels much more confident and adapts faster.
IN daytime newborn's daily routine practically consists of sleep. A healthy baby wakes up only to nurse and then goes back to sleep. Previously, our grandmothers believed that sleep was even more beneficial for a baby than food. And this is an absolutely correct statement, since during sleep the baby develops a healthy nervous system.
In a three-month-old baby, it is already possible to clearly identify three or four periods during the day when he sleeps. At this time, it is very useful to walk with him and be in the fresh air. After the baby turns one month old, relatives and friends begin to come to give him a gift and congratulate his mother. Many people do not know how to wish health to a child correctly, because there are many signs and folk beliefs, but you don’t want to get into trouble at all. Therefore, it is better to find out about everything in advance; mothers are very superstitious people.
Outdoor walks and baby hygiene
It is necessary to walk with your baby; fresh air is simply vital for him. In addition to oxygen, the baby receives a prophylactic dose during the walk ultraviolet rays. In the first month of your life, you need to walk with your baby for at least an hour and a half, twice a day.
Baby hygiene is very simple. All hygiene procedures are carried out during the day when necessary. In the evening the baby is bathed, usually an hour before bedtime.
How to set a newborn's daily routine?
Any loving and caring mother will determine for herself newborn mode, because she understands the physiological needs of her child better than anyone. After birth, the baby has short periods of activity; if nothing bothers him, he will sleep peacefully. However, in those moments when he is awake, the mother needs to give the baby maximum attention. It is advisable to take him in your arms, talk, give him a massage. Let the little one feel in his mother’s arms that he is the most beloved person in the world!
- A newborn baby sleeps at least eleven hours at night.
- The baby's daytime sleep ranges from one and a half to three hours three or four times.
- Washing your face in the morning and bathing at night is a must.
- You need to walk with your baby twice, for at least an hour and a half.
- The mother should be next to the baby at all times when he is not sleeping.
In this age baby is sleeping up to 14-15 hours a day, and can already dream for about 7 hours without waking up. If a child sleeps for more than 10 hours in a row, then most likely he still wakes up briefly, but has already learned to fall asleep on his own. He should sleep no more than twice during the day. Now we need to establish the correct sleep schedule for this age.
How to put to bed
Stick to your chosen schedule and continue to put your child to bed and wake up at the same time, as well as carry out the ritual that you came up with earlier. From this age, the baby will already consciously participate in it. Such a ritual before bed could be a lullaby, a fairy tale, an evening bath, stroking the back before bed, etc.Baby's daily routine
Watch your baby, perhaps he will be more comfortable if you change something in his daily routine, because he is growing and maturing rapidly, becoming calmer and more conscious. Try to ensure that all your actions are repeated day after day, this does not mean that there must be precision in time down to the second, but it is imperative to follow the sequence of actions. This way, the baby’s biological clock will quickly adjust to the routine, and it will be easier for him to fall asleep at the same time.Fall asleep on your own
If, before the age of 6 months, your attempts to teach your baby to sleep on his own were unsuccessful, you need to try again now that he is a little older. It will be better for both the baby and you if he learns to fall asleep on his own. Rock him and put him sleepy in the crib, if he is naughty, wait a while, and if the baby does not want to calm down at all, then come to him.Features of age
At this age, your baby may wake up at night and cry for fear of losing his mother. Common cause The whims of the night are the teeth that are actively erupting at this age. In addition, a child at this age is actively growing and developing, he constantly acquires new skills, how to roll over, sit down, crawl, and stand up. This is continuously associated with the active activity of the brain, and therefore the baby may wake up at night, try out his new skills, and then for a long time not be able to calm down on his own. Therefore, during this period, he simply needs his mother’s help and rocking, but still try to calm him down in his own crib; you should not take the baby in your arms and feed him every time in order for him to fall asleep. Supporters of an organized daily routine argue that the child needs a routine for general organization and teaches punctuality, order and discipline. Opponents of scheduled living say the regime suppresses individuality and limits personal freedom. Child psychologists, doctors and teachers believe that the truth, as usual, is in the middle.
Of course, a daily routine is very necessary. And not only for children, but also for their parents, as it helps organize their day. The usual routine includes time for feeding, walks, games and activities, for the necessary daytime rest and strong night sleep.
However, it is necessary to take into account individual characteristics child and parents, their habits and desires. This is very important so that everyone can live comfortably and at a given rhythm, following the established family routine.
What is it for and how to accustom a child to a daily routine and sleep pattern during the day? Let's talk about this in more detail on the Popular About Health website:
What is the mode for??
Every mother knows that small child I really need a nap during the day. If, for some reason, he does not sleep during the day, he becomes capricious, difficult to control and quickly gets tired. And what younger child, the more difficult it is for him to bear his absence. At the same time, many children continue to need daytime sleep until they are 5-6 years old.
Therefore, it is simply necessary to determine the hour when the baby will sleep during the day. During this time, mom can plan some housework, do something she loves, or just relax.
And in general, to make everyone comfortable and comfortable, it is useful to plan your day in advance: determine the time for activities with the baby, games, walks, daytime rest, bedtime at night and a specific meal hour.
A night-day routine established and controlled by parents for a child helps his body to evenly distribute forces physiologically, physically and mentally, and establishes and aligns biological rhythms.
In addition, it produces conditioned reflexes: by a certain hour of eating there is a feeling of hunger, evening hygiene procedures, turning off the lights in the room serves as a signal to go to bed, etc.
In the future, a child accustomed to the regime will better adapt to the routine in kindergarten and school, it is easier to learn new rules and tolerate stress. And most importantly, the regime forms psychological self-confidence in a growing person.
How to accustom a child to a daily and sleep schedule?
You need to set a consistent time for the main activities you do every day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, walks, games, daytime and night sleep - must have their own hour, which should be observed unquestioningly. The baby will gradually get used to it and you will have free time.
When putting your child to bed at a certain time in the evening, be firm and persistent. No “well, mommy, just five more minutes...”. To sleep means to sleep. If he doesn’t want to go to bed, but, on the contrary, drags you into the game, starts to play around, show with all your appearance that it’s time to get ready to go to bed, so you will play with him tomorrow.
At the same time, behave not only firmly and persistently, but also calmly. This is very important for the baby’s psychological mood. Your screams will only provoke tears, or even hysteria. In the future, such pressure will cause him to reject the regime in general.
Therefore, be wise and insist firmly but gently. A calm, gentle voice will convey to him a signal of calm and he will quickly understand what you want from him. Gradually he will get used to it and will go to bed without any pressure.
You should also not practice night feedings, as this is not beneficial for the baby, and for his mother, daily interruption of sleep for the child is a lot of stress for the body. It is very important for a breastfeeding woman to get enough sleep.
Repeatedly getting up at night at the baby's first request will soon cause nervous exhaustion and other Negative consequences for good health.
To help your baby quickly learn to sleep peacefully throughout the night, slightly limit his daytime sleep.
To make your baby less capricious and nervous while accustoming him to a daily routine, increase the amount of calcium-rich foods in his diet. In general, watch your diet - it should be balanced, varied, fortified and stimulate appetite.
Walk more often, increase your walking time. Breathe fresh air, the baby will eat better during the day and will definitely want to sleep. Walks, outdoor games, classes, trips to the playground - all this is very necessary to get used to the regime. The busier his day, the faster and more peacefully he will fall asleep in the evening.
Only, all of the listed events must take place at the same, strictly defined time.
However, when creating a general daily routine, it is important to leave hours for free time when the child can do what he wants. Then the regime will not burden him, which means that the habit of discipline will be formed more easily, and the skills of responsibility and organization necessary for the future student will appear.
And also, in order for the baby to quickly get used to the regime, he needs psychological comfort. Therefore, try to create as calm an environment as possible in the family. Screaming, quarrels, and loud conversations do not contribute to this.
Many child psychologists insist that a properly designed daily routine greatly contributes to proper physiological development children under three years of age.
He teaches older children to be independent, responsible and disciplined. It is important to maintain a pre-established routine. However, if necessary, make adjustments to it, depending on the changing biorhythms, loads and desires of the child.
By the age of seven, he should go to bed on his own at a certain time. Get up independently in the morning when the alarm goes off. By the age of ten, the child himself becomes responsible for observing the regime. The role of parents should be assigned only to periodic control.
In conclusion, we note that you should not create a too tight, strict daily schedule, which will tire the child and, in the end, he will rebel. First of all, take a closer look at his preferences and habits, listen to his desires. Determine his biorhythms. So you the best way Determine the most comfortable time for the child to feed, play and walk. Accordingly, it will be easy to accustom him to sleep and wakefulness.
Record your baby's routine. A good place to start is to buy a notebook in which you can write down your child's daily schedule. This will help you determine if your new routine is working.
- On the first page of your notebook, draw a simple table with the following columns: time, activity, note. Write down every major daily activity during the day, every day of the week. For example: 6:00: the child woke up, 9:00: the child ate, 11:00: the child fell asleep, etc.
- Instead, you can record your child's routine in spreadsheets on your computer or use an online tracker like Trixie Tracker or any other.
Make a schedule according to your child's biorhythms. Try to find out if there is a pattern to your child's current sleep and eating patterns.
- If you notice that your baby needs a diaper change or becomes fussy at certain times of the day, you can work it into your schedule.
- This will help compile new schedule and plan your day according to your baby's needs.
- A child who has slept well and is not hungry will be much happier and will be ready to play, cuddle and learn new things.
Try to set a wake-up time. Babies usually sleep a lot during the day. For the first few weeks, they should sleep 16 hours a day.
- Since sleep is the main activity for newborns, it is necessary to introduce some order into these "sleeping activities" so that they do not wake up in the middle of the night.
The first thing to do is set your wake-up time. Although it can be difficult, you should wake your child up at the same time every day. If he tends to wake up earlier than his preferred wake-up time, you will have to adjust his sleep schedule so he falls asleep later.
Feed, change diapers and play with your baby. As soon as your baby wakes up, change the diapers and dress your baby. Then take him in and feed him. Whether you breastfeed or formula feed your baby, your baby needs closeness.
- After feeding, play with your baby. Talk to him, sing him a song, hug him. He will enjoy your smell, voice and closeness.
- After this, put the baby in the crib and let him sleep. Do this as soon as you notice signs of fatigue, for example, your baby is yawning, irritated, crying, or rubbing his nose.
Let the child sleep for 2-3 hours. It is likely that the baby will wake up on his own in 2-3 hours. If he doesn't wake up, you need to wake him up. A child who sleeps too much does not eat enough during the day; this can lead to dehydration and weight loss.
Repeat this cycle throughout the day. You can repeat the above cycle throughout the day, except feed your baby before changing diapers and playing. Many children remove their diaper while eating. This way you won't have to swaddle your baby twice. So:
- Wake up the baby
- Feed
- Change the diaper, play with the baby for a while, talk to him, sing a song, cuddle him.
- Put the baby to bed.
Distinguish between daytime and nighttime sleep. In order to accustom your child to a routine, it is important to distinguish between night and daytime sleep.
- You can do this by putting your baby to sleep in a room with bright lighting during the day and a dark room at night. If you put your baby to sleep during the day in a dark room, you will simply confuse him and the whole regime will be disrupted.
- Also, don't be afraid to make noise when your baby sleeps during the day - he should get used to it. Leave the radio on, vacuum, and talk as usual.
Feed your baby when he is hungry. It's important to note that you should always feed your baby when he's hungry, even if it doesn't fit into your schedule.
- It is unfair to leave a newborn hungry just because it is not the time to feed according to the schedule.
- Signs your baby is hungry is crying and hand sucking.
