Baby Routines

Do not confuse routines with rigid schedules. Arrange a solid base so that you can flex it, to the contrary your daily life will turn into chaos and the baby will turn into a tyrant of time. This does not mean to let the baby cry for a long time, or not pay attention when he or she is crying though.

Parents that have problems in establishing a routine with their baby are generally disorganized people that cannot establish a practical intelligence of common sense.

Babies don’t like surprises, they need to take a play, take a bath, eat and sleep at the same time every day in the same order, this way you will avoid, amongst other things, the baby from becoming dependent to sleep with the bottle or the breast.

At first, it will be the baby who will set his or her own schedule. Once this has been established, try to follow along with some margins of tolerance. When weaning a baby from the breast to the bottle you will also need to change routines, since breast milk digests quicker.

During the first three months there is somewhat of an established average: feeding should be done for 15 to 20 minutes, every two hours and a half to three hours, stimulation for 10 to 15 minutes, sleep time between 15 to 18 hours a day.

Keep a meticulous registration of the baby’s habits: such as the time the baby got up, what breast he drank from last, how many ounces he drank, how much time the baby was up, what exercises he did, how the baby responded, how many times the baby dirtied the diaper, what color the bowel movements were, as well as the color and texture. How many times the baby peed, how he or she responded to bath time, how much time nap time lasted, how many hours the baby slept at night etc. etc.

There are babies that adapt to a routine quicker than others. Some sleep like angels most of the night, while there are others that do this every blue moon, and there are babies that can take several months to acquire a new sleeping routine. Babies that are under four months of age should not spend more than four hours without breastfeeding because they can suffer of hypoglycemia (have convulsions and in extreme cases, it can even cause death). Observe the baby to identify what is happening. Observe the baby to identify what is happening. Maybe you are feeding the baby as soon as he or she cries or maybe you are letting the baby sleep too much during the day.