Why do babies need to follow a routine schedule? There are so many benefits to enforcing a routine for your little one. I cannot stress the importance of routine baby scheduling. As a baby there is so much left unknow that scheduling helps them feel in control. Abrupt change is never good for anyone especially a baby so this helps them understand what’s coming next.
Ever feel like you are always screaming at your kids to get them to do what they need to? We have all been there but scheduling can definitely help with this. Things such as cleaning up the playroom, shutting off the tv before meals, brushing teeth before bed will all start to become the norm. Consistency is key here. Yes, there will be those days where you go off schedule but that is ok. The rest of the days you HAVE to be discipline with yourself and your child to stay on track. I promise, it will pay off in the long run. Simple things that used to be a battle for us such as putting on his bib before meals, he now does on his own. He knows that the bib means food is coming next.
The first three months were really just go with the flow and then we slowly started introducing a bed time and then structured meal times. I would say once Daniel was approximately 6 months old, we started to enforce a routine and get things on a schedule. We started by following the natural flow of his own schedule. We looked for cues from Daniel such as rubbing his eyes which meant he was tired or putting things in his mouth which meant he was usually hungry and then worked off that. The key thing was to get him to bed before the crankiness kicked in and feed him before he would get ‘hangry’.
As he grows we tweak the schedule to adapt to the new demands. You will figure out what works best for you, just try your best to stick with it. It will pay off in the end… I promise!
Listed below are some sample schedules by age group that have worked for us. They may work for you too but if not, don’t be afraid to switch yours around.
