Babies thrive when they have a consistent, comfortable routine to their lives. This does not mean creating a rigid, regimented schedule, but rather creating a daily set of activities that is firm yet flexible to adjust based on your baby's needs.
Why is a daily schedule important?
Think about how it feels when you know what to expect from your day. You feel safe, at ease, and better able to function when you can go through your typical routine without significant disruption. Your baby is the same way; a daily schedule allows your baby to know what to expect from you as well as his or her surroundings, helping to manage his or her level of comfort and security.
Comfort and security, in fact, are two very important parts of why a daily schedule is important to your baby. He or she depends on you completely for physical and emotional reassurance, and a predictable schedule helps create trust and confidence. In other words, your baby knows the routine and knows how to act instead of being constantly thrown into unfamiliar (and potentially frightening) situations every single day.
What should a daily schedule include?
Your baby's daily schedule should include a relatively consistent order of events that occur at about the same time each day. These events should typically include some combination of the following:
- Waking up
- Eating breakfast
- Getting dressed
- Play time
- Nap time
- Snack time
- Eating lunch
- Activity time
- Eating dinner
- Story time
- Bath time
- Snuggle time
Now, every baby is different so you need to let his or her needs help guide you as you put together a daily routine. Some babies like to go back to sleep for a while after eating breakfast, while others prefer to stay awake for a while. Also, your baby's needs will change somewhat as he or she gets older and starts to spend more time awake and active.
The bed time routine
An important part of your baby's daily routine comes at bed time. A comforting, consistent bed time routine helps signal your baby that it’s time to settle down for the night and also eases the transition from being awake to being asleep. It's a winding down time for you and your baby, as well as being a great time for bonding and snuggling together.
In most cases, the simpler the bed time routine the better off you are. The more lengthy and complicated the routine, the more it actually stimulates your baby and works against what you are trying to achieve. A typical bed time routine might include a warm bath, putting on pajamas, and then reading a book in the rocking chair. Some babies will also want one last feeding before bed, too.
As your baby becomes accustomed to the routine, he or she will start to naturally get sleepy each evening as you go through it. Another advantage to a bed time routine comes when you are visiting out of town relatives, vacationing, or otherwise out of your usual daily schedule. Taking the bed time routine with you helps your baby feel comfortable and confident, signaling when it’s time to go to sleep even if the rest of the day has been different or unusual.