Does My Baby Need a Routine?

Another of the big baby questions! If you read some baby books, you would have your baby in a strict routine from day one. At The Sleep Store, we believe a structured routine is far more appropriate for babies over 4 months of age.

Routine for Newborns

Newborns have generally not read the same sleep books as mum and dad, and often do not remotely want to follow a set schedule for when they feed and sleep....Trying to make your newborn fit into a routine can be stressful and unpleasant for both of you!

However some relaxed structure to your day will help you read your baby's cues and learn what your baby needs, when.

We believe that the most essential routine for a newborn is feed, play, sleep. This means feed your baby when you get her out of bed, then change her nappy and have a short awake time. Then swaddle her and pop her back to bed. Awake time for a newborn (including feeding) is no more than an hour, before you risk her getting over-tired.

But won't a routine mean I am stuck at home?

We think quite the reverse is true! If you have no routine, how do you know when is a good time to go out? How do you know when to make an appointment or when you baby will be sleeping?

If your baby has set sleep times, you can be much more confident your baby is getting the day sleep she needs and you can go out at times she will be awake. or go out knowing when she needs to sleep and be prepared!

Early waking and catnapping

Both these issues can often by solved by using the right routine.

If your baby currently wakes very early and therefore has an early morning nap, this nap time can in fact be reinforcing the early waking. So gradually move the time of her first morning sleep back by 5 minutes a day, and see if the waking time also gradually gets later.

If your baby is being put down for naps too soon, she may not be tired...and only need a catnap.

Also if your baby is napping in the car at random times and for short periods, this too can result in ongoing catnapping.

Feeding to sleep

This is one of the main causes of ongoing catnapping and night-waking, as babies who are fed to sleep are generally not able to self settle at the end of a sleep cycle. Also as they fall asleep on mum, they will often wake if transferred to their cot as they are confused when they wake and mum is missing.

Using a structured routine will mean you feed your baby when she wakes, rather than before you put her to bed. This breaks the sleep association of feeding to sleep and your baby will learn she can fall asleep in her bed without relying on feeding to get to sleep.

Read more about teaching your baby to self settle

How do I get my baby into a routine?

• First write down what you are doing now, and see if there is a pattern. A good starting point is noting the amount of time between your baby's feeds and how long she can stay awake for, as these are the essential elements of a routine.

• See what time your baby generally wakes in the morning, as you may want to base your routine from there.

• Research suitable routines for the age of your baby and the waking and feeding times you recorded. See below for links to some sample routines and books with routine information.

• Read our information on weaning your baby off feeding to sleep if relevant.

• Start the new routine when you can have a few days at home and see if your baby can manage the times suggested for feeds and sleeps in the sample routine. If she can't stay awake for that time, try the routine for younger babies and start with that.

• You can also work on gradually increasing the space between feeds or sleeps, such as moving the times later by 5-10 minutes per day.

• Accept that not every day will exactly fit the routine!!!

• Accept that it may take a week or two before you and your baby settle into your new routine!!!

Possible Routines for Babies 4-12 Months

• * Just omit the times for solids until these are introduced at 6 months or so.

• Dreamfeeds are best done when your baby is ASLEEP, as this means she is not aware of having the feed or relying on it to get back to sleep.

• If your baby normally wakes for a feed around this time, do your dreamfeed 15 minutes earlier.

• To stop the dreamfeed, gradually bring the time forward by 15 minutes per evening until it is at about 8.30pm. Then drop altogether and see if your baby's sleep is effected.

For more information on routines