Newborns and Establishing Routines

One question many parents have after bringing their newborn home is “Can I have a routine with my new baby?" The answer is yes, but it may not be on your schedule and it may not happen right away. A feeding, sleeping and diapering routine will fall into place after a few weeks and eventually turn into a schedule you can follow.

Feeding

The most important part of your new routine will be feeding. New babies have small tummies and need to eat frequently, but as they grow their feeding needs will change and so will your feeding schedule.

• Once home from the hospital, plan to feed baby every two to three hours.
• When baby starts sleeping for longer periods, the need for nightly feedings will decrease.
• As the weeks go on and your baby grows, the time between feedings will increase.

Sleeping

Expect a disrupted sleep schedule for both you and baby after you come home from the hospital. Every baby is different in terms of when and how much they sleep, so you'll hear a variety of experiences from other parents.

• Mom should nap whenever baby is laying down. Let someone else take care of cleaning or making dinner.
• Usually in the second month, baby will start getting a day/night cycle going. You'll have more feedings during the day, and longer stretches of sleep at night.

Helping baby learn when and how to sleep can be accomplished several ways. However, the most common way is to get them used to “self-soothing" themselves into a full sleep rather than falling asleep when being fed or rocked or held by you. Around the two month mark, you can try sleep training your baby.

• Try laying baby down just as they're starting to fall asleep before they are fully asleep.
• Slowly and over time, lay baby down as they are more and more awake so they learn to fall asleep on their own
• Eventually, they'll be less likely to cry in the middle of the night when they briefly wake up.

If needed, true sleep training can start after 4 months of age. You can also help your baby learn to self-soothe by letting them cry themselves to sleep. This method is a bit more difficult because of the noise baby is making and your concern for them, but it is one way to help baby learn. It's also a way to make sure that you and the other members of the household get enough sleep.

• With the “cry it out" method, lay your baby down when it is time for them to sleep. Be sure baby has a full tummy and a clean diaper.
• You can check on them to make sure they're okay but avoid picking them up to soothe them.

Remember, sleep is just as important for parents, siblings and caregivers as it is for baby.