Establish a Routine
*A baby learns through experience, and so if you are trying to help your child learn how to sleep, it is important that you follow a routine and keep fairly consistent. By following a routine, you are creating familiarity in the day to day, which helps babies feel calmer and more secure.
*Routines help set and regulate baby’s body clocks and their digestion
*A child’s sleep is directly related to their daily routine and nutrition. If they are not meeting these needs during the day, it is fair to say that they are going to be looking to meet these needs at night.
*By establishing a routine, we want to give you, the parent, the knowledge and reassurance that all your child’s needs are being met during the day, so you can be more confident in your behaviour when settling your child. We are also teaching your child that they can expect that today will be pretty similar to yesterday and your reaction to their behaviour will also be similar.
*When parents are following a routine, days become more predictable; they can then learn THEIR child’s different cues, different cries, which helps them to meet these needs more easily.
* Remember that the firm boundaries and repetition of a routine are like a big hug to babies and children; they represent safety, love, and reassurance. Quite often simply structuring your babies daily milk feeds and sleep into a routine and allowing 5 minutes to self soothe when putting down for sleep can be enough to correct a child’s sleeping problems. Starting like this at a young age with your baby almost guarantees a contented baby who is a good feeder and sleeper.
The flow of your Daily Routine
Wake up and start the day– Try to start your day at around the same time every day. Open the curtains bring your baby out to the living area and offer them a feed in lots of daylight to signal the start of the day.
Following a Feed Play Sleep Routine
Try to feed soon after waking to avoid feeding and sleeping associations. If your baby needs a top-up before the nap that’s fine but try not to make it as part of their nap time routine.
Have a daytime nap routine
Follow a consistent, repetitive nap time routine every day to help you baby know that it’s in nap time and trigger the tired cues.
Have a consistent nighttime Bath and Bedtime Routine
Move from the living area to the bathroom to the bedroom and not back into the living area. This should be the longest routine of the day in preparation for the longest sleep of the day.
Falling asleep in the cot – Avoid the drowsy – we want to aim for calm awake and aware of the routine and ready for bed. Place your baby in the cot awake to fall asleep so that the bed becomes the familiar place to fall asleep
A consistent end time to your day
Aim to finish your day at around the same time every day.
Following all the above recommendations for your routine will help regulate your baby circadian rhythm. If you have a consistent start and end time to your day The bits in between will become more consistent.
The flow is more important than the time on the clock. Your baby will learn through repetition and consistency
