There are few things that a new parent wishes for more than sleep. But, as a new parent, you may be…
There are few things that a new parent wishes for more than sleep. But, as a new parent, you may be struggling to find a way for baby -- and you -- to get some sleep. So, what’s the secret? 😴
A solid routine.
This doesn’t mean a regimented schedule where at 5:30pm on the dot your little one must have their bottle or that 8:00pm is the only right bedtime for children under the age of three. It simply means that your child will thrive if you offer them some predictability to their day - however that might look for you and your family. My family used the EASY method. A regular routine of eat, activity, sleep and ‘you’ time. A method created by Tracy Hogg, The Baby Whisperer. We liked it because it wasn’t rigid, but it was predictable and our babies seemed to thrive with the routine.
So, what do other family routines look like? We had a few of our moms share with us in our mom.life community and while each one looks a little bit different, they all have their set predictable pattern to the day:
➡️ 4-month-old daily routine:
Wake up for the day 6:00am
Baby is down for a morning nap at 8:00am
Baby wakes, is dressed for the day and has playtime by 9:00am
Another short nap around 11:30am before lunch
Lunch and playtime from 12:00pm until afternoon nap.
Afternoon nap at 3:30pm until time to get dad from work
A little evening snooze from 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Time for a dinner feeding at 7:00pm
Bedtime prep with a bath and jammies from 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Baby goes to bed at 8:00pm
➡️ 6-month-old evening routine:
Bath at 5:00pm
Read and nurse until 6:00pm
Daddy snuggles until he falls asleep (usually by 6:30pm)
Awake at 11:00pm to nurse or receive a bottle from daddy
Asleep until 4:00am or 5:00am
Mom says: “My day begins at 4:00am, so we love his schedule!”
➡️ 2-year-old evening routine:
Eat dinner around 6:00pm
Bath shortly after dinner
Tuck into bed at 7:30pm
7:30-8:00pm watch a cartoon DVD
8:00pm - says her prayers and goes to sleep
8:00pm-11:00pm - mom cleans up and relaxes
Mom says: “It will all change once baby #2 is here in October!”
What we love about these is that each family has found a routine that works for them. Don’t be afraid to tweak your routine along the way if something isn’t working out for your family. You will find your groove in time. Consistency, with a little bit of flexibility is key. 🙋
What does your evening routine look like right now? How old are your children?
Jamie·
Мама подростка
almost sounds like it. but my 2 year old makes up at 7am and we have play/ reading time untill breakfast @ 9 and the. we go outside and play for a hour in his sandbox :) then inside we go and watch a t.v show 10:30/11 at noon we relax and play with toys around 1:30 we have lunch and after we have homework time :) work on his words and vocabulary for an hour and then after that we play untill dinner time around 6:30 /7 and after that we watch one show then bath Tim at 7:40 and bed time @8pm :)
💞Astrid💞·
I have a routine with my 4mo which I like better because we sleep the whole morning so I'm not too tired through the day. Everyday could vary half hour or an hour depends on how much he sleeps during the day. Approx wakes up at 7am, drink his bottle and falls asleep again, I put some vegetables and meat to cook for his lunch and go to sleep along with him until 12pm. Wakes up again and I give him his bath time playing all the time and singing. He has his lunch at 1pm and falls asleep for a short nap. From there he wakes up to be up all afternoon eating , taking really short naps through the day, playing and watching cartoons until approx 11pm he drinks his last bottle until next day. He doesn't eat every 3 hours like before . He gets hungry every four or five hours.
Mayfield, Ky·
Многодетная мама (5 детей)
I have twins born on the 16th of August and I am currently following their lead right now but is there a way to put them on a routine in a matter of speaking with them only being 2-3 weeks old? @preggie.daily
Stacie·
Мама двоих (младенец)
My 6 month old has been sleeping through the night since a month old. Routine is everything. There are some nights he does wake up to eat or a diaper change but never have a hard time getting him back to sleep. He sleeps from 11pm to 7 or 8am.
Kayleigh Sosa·
I never could get my baby to stick to a routine, we tried the baby wise routine for 2 months and it was the worst 2 months ever. she was constantly upset. now we don't really do a strict routine, we let her lead her own sleep. it's just made her so much happier. she gets 2 naps a day and sleeps all night till about 6:30!!!!!
Jackee·
Многодетная мама (6 детей)
we are totally unpredictable around my house but we do have a bedtime routine. so anything goes throughout the day..I pretty much let Genevieve eat and nap whenever she pleases but once 8:30 pm hits, it's routine time. I give her a nice warm bath and put her in her footie pajamas then we go downstairs and play for a bit and then she has her night time feeding and after she goes right to sleep. works every time and she usually doesn't wake until later in the early morning hours. It came so easy for us and I'm so glad we have a routine down at 3 months because I've never been able to accomplish this so early with any of my other babies.
Brittney Massallo·
Мама сына-младенца
my 7 week old sleeps 8-9 hours a night and has been since 3 weeks old. he just fell into his own routine