Life officially changes the moment you bring home your new baby from the hospital. All your old routines will officially be a thing of the past. It’s a little confusing trying to figure out what to do and how to achieve harmony in your home while keeping your baby happy too. But by establishing new routines that work for parents and baby, you’ll be on your way to a houseful of accord. While newborns certainly have a mind of their own, it’s still important to attempt to establish a routine so that after your baby hits 3 months in age, he’ll know what to expect and when to expect it.
Bedtime Small babies are able to understand the difference between night and day based on the things you do. In the daytime, open the curtains and let the sun brighten your rooms. Make noise and be active. When night rolls around, dim the lights. Calm your activities as well as your voice. After a few weeks, your baby will make the connection that night is for sleeping and day is for playing. Also try to put your baby down for bed at the same time each night with the same routine leading up to bedtime, such as bath, story, and sleep. These will eventually make him sleepy because he’ll associate them with bedtime.
Bath time Every time you give your baby a bath, do the same things in the same order. Many babies initially don’t like bath time but if you keep everything in the same order, your baby will come to understand the routine and not be afraid of it.
Meal time When your baby begins eating solid foods, you should have her join you at the table during meals. She can have baby foods to feed herself with. Once she’s even bigger, you can serve her what you’re eating cut into little pieces. By sitting down together, your child will learn healthy eating habits. She’ll also learn proper social interaction from joining you at the table.
Flex time As helpful as routines are for the whole family, babies grow and change at a constant rate, so you’ll need to be flexible to change your routine almost as quickly as you begin it. Look for the cues from your baby. If he starts getting sleepy before lunchtime, you’ll suddenly find yourself having to put him down for a nap. Don’t let the change set you back. Use this sudden free time to take care of chores or other things you need. Just go with it and you’ll find that your house is a happier place to be.