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Top Tips to Establishing a Routine

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From the start, work towards a bedtime routine. About an hour before bedtime calm the baby down. Don’t stimulate her. Try a warm bath, massage, softly singing or music. Always change her into nightclothes. Feed her, then cuddle and put her down. She should be awake when placed in the cot so that she can learn to put herself to sleep.

As soon as your baby is able to look at pictures establish the routine of a book before bedtime. Avoid naps, if possible, for 2 hours before bedtime.

Put the baby to sleep in the same place every night. Make the room very dark. Use black out lining on your curtains. When feeding at night use only a soft light. Don’t have a radio or television on. Be brisk and business like with the feeds, avoiding stimulating the baby.

Only change night time nappies if very wet or dirty Research has shown that babies who sleep well during the day will sleep well at night. Try to put the baby down in her cot, pram or basket at the same time, twice a day. Again work towards putting her down when awake so that she can learn to self-comfort herself to sleep. This is often the most difficult thing to achieve but worth the effort.

If breast-feeding try to give long feeds in order for the baby to get the hind breast milk. Avoid quick, short feeds.

Try to take the baby out after one of her sleeps, once a day. Set aside play and stimulation time each day. Tell your baby what you are doing. They quickly learn what “let’s change your nappy” or “bath time!” means.

Try to set a little time for you in the daily routine. Easier said than done in the early days but just ensuring time for a shower or making a few phone calls is essential to survival!

Yvonne Heavyside

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