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What kind of routine should a child have? Is a routine necessary at all? Things needed for a newborn baby in the postpartum department

There are many opinions about whether a newborn needs a daily routine. In this article we will discuss the positive aspects of having a daily routine, how to build it, and how it should change as your baby grows.

What is the mode for?

If parents establish a daily routine for their newborn from birth, it will make life easier not only for the baby, but for the entire family. After all, it’s nice when mom knows that somewhere from the 2nd to the 4th day, for example, she will have free time that she can spend on herself: doing what she loves, relaxing, getting a manicure, or taking on the job that she wants to do. impossible to perform with an awake baby in your arms.

"Everything has its time"

A harmonious structure of the day will affect not only the health of the child, but also the nervous system of other family members. After all, if the baby confuses day with night and the parents alternately entertain him until the morning, dad will go to work, it’s clear in what mood, and mom, also exhausted, will be able to do little around the house.

How to set the mode?

First of all, it is important to understand that setting up such an important process will take some time - not a day or two. Therefore, parents are required to be patient. Try to approach the issue without fanaticism. You should not squeeze your child into a “rigid framework” and describe his life down to the minute. Your baby is unique and one of a kind, which means his daily routine should also be individual, suitable for him.

For example, some children maintain an interval of four hours from feeding to feeding, while others persistently express their needs after two. There are sleepyheads who like to sleep longer, and there are larks who sleep little and get up early. Take the baby’s personal routine as a basis and adjust it, shifting it 10-15 minutes in the right direction throughout the week, and then consolidate the result.

To see a clear picture of how your day is organized and the need to adjust it, you can make notes in a journal about how your day is going: what time did your baby wake up, eat, what time did you go for a walk, etc. This will help you figure out what time direction to work.

Let's look at what the approximate daily routine of an infant looks like and how it changes from month to month.

First month of life

At this time, the baby and mother adapt to each other. The main needs are sleep, food and communication with parents.

Dream

Babies sleep almost all the time until they are one month old. Sleep can take up to 20 hours a day. They wake up to eat. Towards the end of the first month, the child is interested in looking at the objects around him, he listens to sounds, especially his mother's voice.

Sleep is the most important component of infants' regimen

Nutrition

Breastfed babies are practically not amenable to the regimen at first, since feeding occurs on demand, and intervals can be of different durations: from 1 to 3 hours.

With bottle-fed babies, everything is simpler in the sense that formula takes longer to digest in the stomach, and thanks to the bottle, it’s easy to measure out the right amount of food. Therefore, the interval between feedings increases to 3 hours.

Normally, the daily need for milk or formula in the first month of life is up to 90 ml. Try not to overfeed your toddler.

Bathing

Water procedures should also have their own regime. They usually bathe the baby in the evening, before evening feeding. This good habit will contribute to sound, healthy sleep.

Walks

A must for newborns, as well as for children of any age. Pediatricians advise starting walks on the 10th day of life, lasting about 10 minutes in winter and 20 minutes in summer. Of course, the street thermometer should not show extreme readings. Walking is important for the following reasons:

fresh air is very useful for toddlers;
sun rays help the body produce vitamin D, and this prevents rickets (we are not talking about hot summer days);
fresh air means sound sleep.

Fresh air promotes good sleep

Massage

Massage movements for an infant consist of light stroking of the head, back, arms, legs and, of course, the tummy. Gently stroking clockwise in the navel area, you stimulate intestinal motility, which helps minimize unpleasant phenomena such as constipation and intestinal colic.

Gymnastics consists of smooth flexion and extension of the limbs. Let the baby grab your thumbs with his hands and lift him up a little. Children love to do pull-ups.

All of the above manipulations are done half an hour before feeding in the morning.

Children love massage movements

Communication and games

Although it may seem that such a little person has no need for communication, this is not so. It is as necessary as nutrition and sleep. Talk to your baby, gently sing him lullabies, read poems, talk about how much you love him.

Second and third month

Sleep and walks

A 2-month-old baby usually sleeps up to 4 times for 2 hours during the day. Many parents combine walks with sleep, which helps the baby get used to falling asleep at a certain time of the day. In winter, it is recommended to walk for no more than an hour at a relatively comfortable temperature.

Food and communication

If the baby has reached 3 months of age and is breastfed, be prepared for lactation crises. The baby may demand the breast more often, it may seem that there is not enough milk and the little one is starving. This happens because during this period of development the baby grows rapidly and quickly gains weight. The mother's body needs about a week to adapt to new needs and produce more milk. Therefore, put your baby to your breast more often. As often as he wishes, even if it seems that there is practically no milk.

As before, the baby needs communication: he needs maternal love around the clock, and not according to a schedule. At this time, the little one can occupy himself for some time with toys. He already holds them in his hands on his own. But it’s much more interesting to communicate with people, especially since he already recognizes his relatives and friends and during the conversation he responds with a smile and hums.

Swimming and gymnastics

If your baby likes to swim, you can increase the time for such activities. But in the case when he expresses dissatisfaction with the procedure, there is no need to do it by force.

As before, children who have reached 3 months of age experience the joy of simple physical exercises. Remember to do them once a day.

From the fourth to the sixth month

Starting from three months, you can actively create a daily routine, so that a 4-month-old baby already gets used to certain established rules, and at 5 months of age they are even more consolidated.

Dream

Night sleep lasts about 10 hours. The remaining “sleepy” hours occur in the daytime and evening, approximately 2 hours 3 times a day (16 in total per day). If your baby sleeps a lot during the day, don’t be afraid to wake up the sleepyhead. This way you will help him develop sleep and wakefulness rhythms. The exception is during periods when teeth are being cut: at this time, children are capricious and need a more gentle regimen.

Feeding

Artificial babies are actively introduced to complementary foods at the 5th month. A meal schedule might look something like this:

For breastfed babies, complementary foods are introduced a little later, at 6 months of age. Usually they start with vegetable puree (some pediatricians believe that you should start with fermented milk products), gradually introducing porridge and kefir into the diet. Complementary feeding is given in small portions, subsequently, trying to replace one breastfeeding with “adult” food. It's better to do this at lunchtime. Once every two days, let your baby try a new product. At this time, juices are introduced into the diet, starting with apple juice.

Walking in the fresh air is becoming more and more interesting, “exercising” is becoming more exciting, and swimming is becoming more desirable.

Is it time to introduce complementary foods?

From eight to ten

We have already talked more than once about how important all the points that make up the daily routine are. The child grows up, and the needs change a little. The 8-month-old baby still sleeps 3 times during the day, but he spends his waking hours actively exploring the world around him. By this time, he knows the taste of many foods and even gives preference to something or, conversely, refuses some dish. The intervals between feedings become longer - up to 5 hours.

Here is an approximate way of life for a 10-month-old baby:

7 am - first feeding;
from 7 to 9 am - time for games and gymnastics;
from 9 to 11 - sleep;
11:00 - second feeding;
from 11 to 13 pm - time for games and walks;
from 13 to 15 days - sleep;
15:00 - third feeding;
from 15 to 17 days - wakefulness;
from 17 to 19 pm - sleep;
19:00 - fourth feeding;
from 19 to 21 pm - the period of wakefulness; make sure that the child does not become overexcited;
20:30 - swimming;
from 21 at night to 7 am - night sleep;
23:00 - fifth night feeding.

Games with your baby should contribute to his development

At 9 months of age, the baby is already able to stand on its feet well and is trying to take its first steps. Take care of the safety of your home, because now the range of things available to the eye has expanded significantly. The baby will definitely check all the cabinets and containers for contents, so don’t leave him alone.

While awake, play finger games with him that stimulate speech development, read nursery rhymes. While walking, talk through everything you see and explain to him where you are going, what you will do, etc.

As you can see, establishing a routine will require a lot of effort and self-discipline from your parents, but this will make your life easier in the future. In addition, psychologists say that children who live according to a certain routine from infancy grow up to be self-confident, responsible individuals.

From the beginning of life, a newborn requires enormous care, which is very frightening for young mothers. Feeding, walking, bathing, swaddling and 1000 other important things that need to be combined with household chores. A planned daily routine for a newborn in the first days will allow you to save nerves and time. But sometimes a problem arises, because the newly-minted toddler may not want to follow the daily routine invented by his mother. Therefore, it is necessary to find out how a newborn’s schedule is formed.

Now let's look at this in more detail.

The value of a schedule for a newborn

A newborn baby's daily routine by the hour will help not only the little one, but his caring mother. In most cases, the kids themselves are able to adapt to any daily routine. Therefore, if you do not pay attention to its formation, then later, when the child gets used to it, it will be extremely difficult to adapt him to the new routine.

The main advantages of creating a certain regime from an early age:

A daily routine is useful for any person. Thanks to this, the human body has time to prepare for the next stage of the day. Before lunch, gastric juice is released in advance, and before bedtime, nervous tension subsides in advance.
If you do not form a habit in advance, then later the child will begin to confuse day and night. At night he will create a lot of discomfort with his desire to play or eat. It will be difficult to retrain him right away and for a week you can forget about the normal regime for yourself.
Without a routine, you yourself will be more tired, but with a certain schedule of events, on the contrary, you will save energy and time. After childbirth, the mother has little strength, so it cannot be wasted.
In addition to children, the weaker half still has certain household responsibilities - laundry, dishes, cleaning. It is easier to do all these things when you are confident that the baby will not bother you for the next 30-40 minutes.
With a clearly structured schedule, you can even get a part-time job. Although it is better to rest after pregnancy and childbirth.
The correct regime will give the baby more energy for development. He will grow, learn faster, and get sick less. In addition, the regime forms a springboard for discipline, confidence and responsibility in the future.

You need to start establishing a daily routine as early as possible.

We train a newborn

First of all, you need to install it as early as possible. The longer you delay, the more difficult it will be to change an already established habit and accustom your baby to a new routine.

The main rules when regulating the schedule of a newborn:

There is no need to force the baby to immediately change the regime or change it at an “explosive pace.” You need to redo the feeding and lifting schedule in stages of 10 minutes per week. A desperate jerk will lead to intestinal diseases and other disorders, and as a result, changing the regime will be more difficult.
The schedule must be followed no matter the weather or events. Neither holidays nor weekends should affect the baby's daily routine.
To wake up your baby, you don't have to shake him or scream. It is enough to take him in your arms, quietly call him by name, and pat him on the back. By waking up abruptly, you will scare the little one, which will delay the adjustment to a new schedule.
In order to be able to wake up your baby in the morning, you need to put him to bed on time in the evening.
To switch a toddler’s sleep from three times a day to two times a day, you need to gradually reduce the removed period of sleep, while increasing the duration of sleep at the right time.
If the little one fell asleep in the evening and has been sleeping for several hours, and there are a couple of hours left before the evening sleep, then it is necessary to wake him up. If the time is reduced to 30-60 minutes, you can not wake up, but simply undress and transfer the child to the baby's bed.
When you wake up your baby, he will naturally cry and be fussy. To smooth out the negative effect, prepare a bottle or toy. By diverting the child’s attention, you simultaneously give him positivity and help his nervous system finally wake up.
During the day, there is no need to curtain the windows to protect the little one from household noise. Sunlight and everyday sounds let the child know that it is daytime.
An hour or two before bedtime, active play should be reserved. Don’t forget to feed him a hearty meal before going to bed; with a full stomach, little ones are more likely to fall asleep. Immediately before bedtime, you need to give your baby a bath, this way you will calm his nervous system and make him understand that now he will need to go to bed.
After putting him to bed in the evening, be quiet and dim the lights in the house so as not to wake up the little one and let him know that night has come.

If the child is weakened or premature, then you can wait until six months of age to create a routine, although the opportunity to create a daily routine for a newborn in the first month of life already exists.

Table of the child’s daily routine by the hour in the first, second month of life and beyond

In fact, the baby’s entire schedule is represented by eating, wakefulness and rest. Before going to bed in the evening, bathing is sometimes added, but there should be no other additions. Swaddling and other procedures should be done as needed. As a newborn grows up, the daily routine of the newborn becomes different from month to month, sleep intervals shorten, and activity increases.

Up to a month

The little one spends a significant proportion of time in dreams - up to 19-20 hours. Practically, he wakes up only to eat; accustoming him to any kind of schedule at this time is pointless and harmful.

Each home has a unique daily routine for a newborn in the first month; the table below will allow you to imagine what possible schedule options are available for a monthly toddler:

	Example 1	Example 2	Example 3	Example 4
Getting up, toilet, feeding	15 minutes	15 minutes	15 minutes	15 minutes
Activity	1 hour 15 minutes	1 hour 15 minutes	45 minutes	45 minutes
Dream	2 hours	2 hours	2 hours	2 hours
Feeding	15 minutes	15 minutes	15 minutes	15 minutes
Activity	1 hour 15 minutes	1 hour 15 minutes	45 minutes	45 minutes
Dream	2 hours	2 hours	2 hours	2 hours
Feeding	15 minutes	15 minutes	15 minutes	15 minutes
Activity	1 hour 15 minutes	45 minutes	45 minutes	45 minutes
Dream	2 hours	2 hours	2 hours	2 hours
Feeding	15 minutes	15 minutes	15 minutes	15 minutes
Activity	1 hour 15 minutes	45 minutes	45 minutes	45 minutes
Bathing	No	No	No	30 minutes
Dream	No	1 hour 30 minutes	1 hour 30 minutes	1 hour 30 minutes
Feeding	No	No	No	15 minutes
Activity	No	No	No	45 minutes
Bathing	15 minutes	15 minutes	15 minutes	No
Feeding	15 minutes	15 minutes	15 minutes	No
Sleep (at night)	11 hours 30 minutes	10 hours	12 hours	11 o'clock
Night feeding	2 times	1 time	2 times	2 times

The daily routine in the second month of life begins to be formed purposefully.

2 month

The sleep period is slightly reduced and can be 17-19 hours. Now the little one doesn’t fall asleep after eating, but plays and studies the world around him for another hour or an hour and a half. In the second month of life, a newborn’s daily routine begins to be formed purposefully.

3-6 month

The rest time is reduced even more and now takes 16-18 hours. Sleep intervals are individually reduced from four to three. The periods of wakefulness are still short and last 1.5-2 hours at a time.

6-9 month

The total sleep time is reduced to 15-17 hours. The toddler still sleeps three times a day, but the period of wakefulness increases to 3 hours.

9-12 month

Sleep is reduced to 14-16 hours. Children are transferred to two naps a day, which they will observe for several more years. The intervals of daytime sleep are now small - 2.5-3 hours. Babies can remain active for a long time.

How a newborn child’s daily routine changes hourly as he grows up, the table below clearly shows:

	From 1 to 3	From 1 to 6	From 6 to 9	From 9 to 12
Feeding	15 minutes	15 minutes	15 minutes	15 minutes
Activity	45 minutes	1 hour 15 minutes	1 hour 45 minutes	3 hours 15 minutes
Dream	2 hours 30 minutes	2 hours	2 hours	No
Feeding	15 minutes	15 minutes	15 minutes	15 minutes
Activity	45 minutes	1 hour 15 minutes	1 hour 15 minutes	1 hour 45 minutes
Dream	2 hours	2 hours	2 hours	2 hours
Feeding	15 minutes	15 minutes	15 minutes	15 minutes
Activity	45 minutes	1 hour 15 minutes	2 hours	2 hours 30 minutes
Dream	2 hours 30 minutes	2 hours 30 minutes	1 hour 30 minutes	No
Feeding	15 minutes	15 minutes	15 minutes	15 minutes
Activity	45 minutes	1 hour 15 minutes	2 hours	2 hours
Dream	2 hours 15 minutes	1 hour	No	No
Feeding	15 minutes	15 minutes	No	No
Activity	45 minutes	45 minutes	No	No
Bathing	30 minutes	30 minutes	30 minutes	30 minutes
Night sleep	9 o'clock	9 o'clock	10 hours	11 o'clock
Night feeding	2 times	2 times	1 time	No

Which is better to use: ? Different points of view of specialists are in our article.
Co-sleeping with a newborn: pros and cons. But let’s say right away that there are many more arguments in favor.

Is it acceptable to deviate from the schedule?

You can rephrase the question and ask whether it is possible for an adult to not sleep at night. Obviously, a one-time violation of the regime is not disastrous, but systematic violation of the sleep schedule leads to dire consequences. These may include intestinal disorders, skin diseases, and chronic fatigue.

In young children, sleep disturbance causes a stronger reaction. If the little one has not slept enough at night, then during daylight hours he will nod off. In addition, during the first period of formation of the regime, deviations from the schedule will lead to a failure of the regime, which is why it will have to be created anew. Try to ensure that deviations from the schedule do not exceed 10-15 minutes.

Remember that the regime is a means to achieve a goal (the health and activity of the baby), and not an end in itself!

In the video, the baby’s mother talks about the daily routine from 0 to 3 months:

It is advisable to create at least an approximate daily routine for a newborn up to a month. This will give the mother valuable minutes for homework and to restore her own strength. For the child, the benefit will be to increase activity during the day and strengthen the immune system. The schedule should be formed in stages, without sudden jerks. Single deviations from the schedule are not terrible, but systematic repetition must be avoided.

Regular readers have probably already noticed that my position on many issues of motherhood is radically different from the generally accepted one. I am against long and tight swaddling, against many children’s “potions”, newfangled innovations for caring for babies. Every time I thoroughly argue my position, and I hope I was able to protect many of you from unreasonable actions.

Today we’ll talk about another opinion imposed by society regarding the daily routine of a newborn breastfed baby: should there be one, what should one strive for, and where is the time to stop terrorizing the child with mandatory feeding and sleeping by the hour.

Can there be a clear regimen of 1 month?

No matter how strange it may sound, every child is individual from birth. Yes, all children have common needs, but there are also differences.

Therefore, the desire to have a strict and rigid daily routine for a 1-month-old baby is a road to nowhere.

Because of this very individuality. I will give my reasons.

What is the personality of a one-month-old baby? First of all, in general condition. Some were born on time and easily, some by cesarean, some prematurely, or suffered a very difficult birth with complications, and were born weak and problematic. Therefore, some children can sleep a lot and be quiet, others cry constantly, hang on their mother’s chest, others sleep restlessly, etc.

Besides, now something is constantly happening in the intestines, that you need to get food yourself by attaching to your mother’s breast, peeing, pooping. Moreover, now his mother is not always there, although he desperately needs her, her help and care, her voice, hands, smell, the beat of her heart. And we turn a blind eye to this, adjusting the baby’s needs to the temporary values of all these tables of “the approximate daily routine of a month-old baby”?

If we really want to take care of our one-month-old baby, the first thing we need to do is start listening to his needs.

Regime moments

What does the life of a newborn consist of? In fact, the first month is quite stressful for a baby. In addition to everything new that he needs to get used to, he also knows practically nothing: neither sit down, nor speak, nor express emotions, nor really see what is happening around him. Therefore, the regimen of a one-month-old baby, if you can call it that, consists of sleep, suckling, short wakefulness (from 15 to 40 minutes) and bowel movements.

A one-month-old baby is quite defenseless:

He cannot concentrate his sensations;
Continues to perceive himself as one with his mother;
Constantly needs maximum contact with her;
Therefore, most of the time of feeding he can sleep under the breast: it is both a sleeping pill and a sedative. If you have problems with your baby's sleep, see the course Calm baby's sleep from 0 to 6 months >>>;
The natural processes of digestion cause him confusion, requiring the support of his mother.

Mommy needs to create the necessary conditions for her one-month-old baby. First of all, for the development of the nervous system. What should you do for this?

Provide maximum tactile and psychological contact: carry a lot in your arms, apply to the chest on demand, talk affectionately, respond to crying (the baby may be wet, hungry, feel loneliness or physical discomfort, want to sleep, etc.).
Swaddle your baby, which will help him adapt more gently to the new space. Read more about how to swaddle a newborn >>>
If necessary, sleep with the baby.

Therefore, at the age of one month, it is more expedient to talk not about adherence to the regime, but about maintaining the natural rhythms of a small organism. Along this path, you may encounter many difficulties that you will have to learn to cope with:

The problem of spitting up. See the article about regurgitation >>>;
Adaptive bowel disorders: constipation, diarrhea, frequent gases. Watch the seminar Problems with bowel movements in infants >>>
Physiological colic, starting at about 3 weeks of life. You will learn how to cope with them using natural methods in the course Soft tummy: how to help your child cope with gas and colic >>>
The little one may not like the process of swaddling or dressing for a walk.
Problem with putting to sleep: for example, a one-month-old baby may cry before going to bed, or it is difficult to rock him to sleep. Read the useful article Bedtime Rituals >>>
May be afraid of swimming.
Allergic skin rashes are possible.

In addition, every mother experiences anxiety about lactation and her inability to recognize the needs of the baby at a particular moment.

Yes, you will have to combine all this with the need to restore your own body after such a difficult ordeal as childbirth.

This fragile infant dream

True, you should know that a 1 month old baby sleeps with the breast in his mouth 98% of the time. Be prepared for this.

The sleep of a 1-month-old baby is influenced primarily by the state after birth and the conditions that surround the baby after.

All this is reflected in the regulatory properties of the nervous system, on which the duration and quality of rest actually depends. One month-old baby sleeps peacefully between feedings, the other tosses and turns in his sleep, often wakes up and looks for the breast.

In general, at 1 month you need to build the rhythm of your baby's day, focusing on his waking time. At 10 days, it won’t be longer than 20 minutes, which means all you have time to do is change the diaper, wash your butt, change your clothes, coo a little and it’s time to sleep.

Towards the end of the first month, the child begins to stay awake for up to 40 minutes. After this time, your task is to help him relax and put the baby to sleep.

A one-month-old baby's daytime sleep can take place either in a separate crib or under the mother's side, and often the baby simply falls asleep on the chest and sleeps while feeding. Without considering this as rest, many mothers begin to think that the baby sleeps little, although this is not the case. Or that he doesn’t have enough milk, which is also not true.

A one-month-old baby's sleep at night usually consists of longer intervals than during the day. But, again, it all depends on the specific situation. Some children wake up to eat 2-3 times a night, others need it much more often. All these are the individual needs of a particular baby, which during the first month cannot and should not be driven into the framework of a “strict regime”.

Feeding: “stop on demand” or follow a schedule?

Well, add here the mother’s condition: does she have enough milk? Frequent attachments help not only to satiate the baby, calm him down, relieve discomfort, but also improve lactation. And this magical symbiosis between you and him is all the more effective the more it meets your and your baby’s needs. And they cannot be identical every day or even every hour.

If a month-old baby gets hungry 20 minutes after feeding, we feed it: this is normal for him.

But a long sleep of 4-5 hours, without feeding, is not the norm. Take your baby in your arms and offer him your breast while he sleeps. Children combine breastfeeding and sleep very well.

On average, a 1-month-old baby suckles at the breast once every 1 hour during the day, and at night can wake up up to 3-5 times.

Therefore, I ask you again: is it realistic to maintain the regime in all these circumstances? No.

Approximate daily rhythm of a one-month-old baby

But I understand that it is sometimes difficult to come to terms with the chaos in the first month of a child’s life, so I will offer you the approximate rhythm of a baby’s day at 1 month.

It may not reflect how it would work in your situation, but it will give you guidelines.

Time	Mode elements
7.00	climb
7-7.30	morning routine for mother and baby
7.40-9.00	changing a diaper, washing, changing clothes, ironing/massage
9.30-10.30	sleep + HW
10.30	getting ready for a walk
10.40-12.00	walk
12.00	GW + communication
12.40	sleep + HW
14.00	communication, hygiene
14.40-16.00	sleep + HW
16.00	chores, the child is nearby, getting ready for a walk
16.30-18.00	walk
18.00	communication, wakefulness
18.40 – 19.40	sleep + HW
19.40	preparation for bathing + bathing
20.20	hygienic Procedures + breastfeeding + sleep
20.30	dream

Someone will fall asleep at night already at this time, and some of the children will wake up again and then bedtime will be at 22-23 hours.

Keep in mind that during short wakefulness the baby may cry or worry, and then you will offer him the breast again.

Therefore, it doesn’t make sense to talk about a strict daily routine yet.

There is only one goal: to help a month-old baby and his nervous system get comfortable in a new unknown world. As it gets stronger, the child himself will help you build a routine according to which he can live comfortably. In the meantime, your task is to provide him with the right conditions so that this happens in a timely manner, with a minimum of stress for the little man.

After a baby appears in the house, everything in it is turned upside down. Now the whole family has to adapt to his rhythm of life, and especially the young mother. However, this is not always convenient and causes a lot of problems.

Dad needs to go to work in the morning, and the older children need to go to school, but how can you sleep here when this little master has been capricious all night again? And after that, how can mom get out of bed and start doing household chores? To eliminate such unpleasant moments, you need to arrange a special daily routine for the newborn from the very beginning, which will allow everyone to get enough sleep and be cheerful and cheerful throughout the day, from the baby to the father.

The 21st century is distinguished by high technology and freedom in literally everything. So young mothers, taking advantage of his ideas, begin to think that the baby can be fed at odd times, which means that he can be put to bed only when he himself expresses such a desire.

As a result, the whole family suffers from chronic lack of sleep, the eternal whims of the new family member, and his health will not be stronger from such liberties. But if you properly organize the daily routine of a newborn baby, all the advantages will be obvious.

The baby's activity at one time or another is predicted.
Accordingly, parents can adjust their plans to suit the newborn’s regime.
The daily routine allows neither the newborn nor the rest of the family to suffer in unusual circumstances: if guests have arrived, repairs have been started, a trip has been organized, they have decided to go on a trip, etc.
Periods of illness and hospital stay are experienced much calmer.
According to the drawn up regime, the young mother has free time not only for housework, but also for any hobby and even part-time work.

So the correct daily routine for a newborn, drawn up on time, frees up the mother’s hands, allows everyone to get enough sleep and more easily endure various unforeseen circumstances. As practice shows, such children grow up much calmer, they are in good health and do not cause trouble for their family even at a young age. But how to organize all this correctly?

The main advantage! By organizing the correct daily routine for a newborn from birth, you discipline yourself. This leads to faster rehabilitation of the body after childbirth.

How to organize?

So, how to establish a newborn’s daily routine in order to tailor his sleep and feeding to the needs of his own body, biorhythm, and some individual characteristics, without harming the baby?

Many parents, inspired by this idea, from the first days of the baby’s life begin to schedule feedings, sleep and walks by the hour, but in the end everything goes wrong. Why is this happening? Most likely, they do not take into account the recommendations of pediatricians on this important issue for everyone. If you take them into account, there will be no problems with normalizing the daily routine of a newborn.

Due to the fact that the daily routine of a newborn up to a month will only be preliminary, start with observations. In the first week of your baby's life, do not force him to do anything by force - this will not lead to anything good. Just write down when he prefers to eat and play, what time he falls asleep and wakes up.
After a week, carefully study the notes and draw appropriate conclusions. You will notice that the baby performs all his actions at approximately the same time, which you will focus on when creating a daily routine for him.
If the spread is too large, ask yourself what prevents the child from falling asleep at the same time, for what reasons does he refuse to eat. You may need to consult a pediatrician.
After a week, you should be strict and begin to adjust the newborn to the daily routine that he set for himself from the very beginning. For example, if you see that the baby has been sleeping for too long, or has gone beyond the designated time, you can wake him up. This is how the habit of doing everything on time is formed.
When your baby is free from sleep and feeding, spend as much time with him as possible. Include walks, games and even conversations in your routine.
To properly create a daily routine, you need to develop the habit of falling asleep quickly in your newborn. To do this, always arrange the same rituals. For example, ventilate the room 10 minutes before bed. Rock your baby for 3-4 minutes. Sing him a lullaby.
If the baby is breastfed, the daily routine will vary quite often, because the baby may require breastfeeding at any time, especially at night. It's hard to refuse a baby at such moments. Still, force your newborn to eat only at certain hours.
With those who are bottle-fed, everything is much simpler in terms of daily routine. There is no concept of “on demand” here, which means that you will give formula only at the time specified in your routine for the newborn.

If you normalize a newborn’s daily routine in this way from the first weeks, young parents will make their lives much easier and will minimize family quarrels and general insomnia in the house.

If something doesn’t work out and the child stubbornly continues to violate the established rules of feeding and sleeping by the hour every day, you shouldn’t give up on it and give up on this good cause. Be sure to see it through to the end. Go to a children's clinic, tell your doctor about your problems. Perhaps the matter is some kind of ailment in the baby, after treatment of which it will be possible to easily accustom the newborn to the daily routine that you established from the very first days of his life.

But what to do if a child confuses daytime with nighttime? How to fix the situation?

Helpful advice. Do not forget that a newborn simply needs fresh air and sunlight. And it's not just about walking. During the day, you can leave the stroller with your fallen asleep baby on the balcony (in the warm season), which will allow him to get a good and full night's sleep. But sleep is one of the most key moments of any daily routine.

We put day and night in their place

Very often, the fact that a newborn confuses day and night does not allow the correct organization of the daily routine. Such a nuisance usually arises after the child cannot get enough sleep on a particular night (colic is tormented, teeth are cutting, neighbors are noisy, the TV is loud, etc.). What can you do in this case:

Wake up your newborn early in the morning.
During the day, give him more time and attention, do not let him sleep (within reason, of course).
Do everything to make it comfortable for the child to fall asleep in the evening: a ventilated room, absence of extraneous noise, pre-night rituals already known to the baby.
Don't play with your baby too noisy or fun just before bedtime. It’s better to just talk to him in a calm, even voice or sing a quiet, beautiful song.

In fact, changing the daily routine of a newborn, if he has one, is not so difficult. You just need to be patient and adjust it to the time frame that you outlined for him earlier. And the most important thing is to prevent your baby from having sleepless nights, and then such trouble will definitely bypass you.

Sometimes it happens. Some conscientious local pediatricians have small preparations - an approximate daily routine for a newborn by month, which they willingly share with novice mothers. Ask yours too - what if?..

Sample daily routine

1st month

The most basic will be the newborn’s daily routine in the first month, which you will subsequently only slightly adjust. To make it easier for you to create it, we bring to your attention an approximate schedule for those who are only 1 month old. The basis here is feeding, which is recommended for a month-old baby every 2 hours (approximately).

9:00 - feeding.
from 9:00 to 10:00 - first morning sleep.
from 10:00 to 11:00 - active wakefulness, entertainment and games in the crib.
11:00 - feeding.
13:00 - feeding.
from 13:00 to 14:00 - active wakefulness, games.
15:00 - feeding.
from 15:00 to 17:00 - games, wakefulness, communication with family.
17.00 - feeding.
from 18:00 to 19:00 - quiet wakefulness.
19.00 - feeding.
from 19:00 to 20:30 - communication between the child and mother.
20:30 - swimming.

At night, feedings should occur no more than once every 4 hours. Watch this closely.

Such a daily routine for a newborn up to 1 month is still only in the process of becoming established through trial and error. The child will reject something, something from the generally accepted scheme will not suit family and friends. Don't be afraid to adjust. The most important thing is to create a routine and try to stick to it. Don’t worry if circumstances beyond your control forced you to break it: always return to the original version.

2nd and 3rd months

According to pediatricians, a child’s daily routine at 2 months (and even at 3) will differ little from the routine to which his parents taught him in the first weeks of his life. The first morning sleep is eliminated, and wakefulness represents increasingly active actions of the newborn.

7:00 - awakening, water procedures, feeding.
from 7:30 to 9:00 - awake.
9:00 - feeding.
from 9:00 to 10:00 - massage, special gymnastics for newborns.
from 10:00 to 11:00 - entertainment and games in the crib.
11:00 - feeding.
from 11:30 to 12:30 - second morning nap in a stroller while walking.
13:00 - feeding.
from 13:00 to 14:00 - .
from 14:00 to 15:00 - daytime nap in a stroller on the street while walking.
15:00 - feeding.
from 15:00 to 17:00 - communication not only with relatives, but also with other people: everyone who comes to visit - this is necessary for the further normal socialization of the child.
17.00 - feeding.
from 17:00 to 18:00 - evening sleep.
from 18:00 to 19:00 - reading fairy tales and poems, listening to calm music.
19.00 - feeding.
from 19:00 to 20:30 - toys.
20:30 - swimming.
21:00 - feeding, night sleep.

Such an approximate daily routine for a newborn will help young parents navigate and adjust their sleep, wakefulness, and feeding routine in the second month of his life. If no serious problems arise and no individual characteristics of the baby interfere with this important task, pediatricians recommend using this regimen even at 3 months.

4 months

But at 4 months, it will be much more difficult to correctly establish a daily routine for a newborn. Firstly, the number of feedings is reduced (every 3 or even 4 hours, depending on the child’s needs). Secondly, evening sleep disappears, which at this age can only interfere with the baby’s ability to fall asleep at night. Pay special attention to this. An approximate schedule might look like this.

7:00 - awakening, water procedures, feeding.
from 7:30 to 9:00 - awake.
9:00 - feeding.
from 9:00 to 10:00 - massage, special gymnastics, according to the regimen and recommendations of doctors.
from 10:00 to 11:30 - entertainment and games in the crib.
from 11:30 to 12:30 - second morning nap in a stroller while walking.
13:00 - feeding.
from 13:00 to 14:00 - educational toys.
from 14:00 to 15:00 - daytime nap in a stroller on the street while walking.
from 15:00 to 17:00 - communication.
17.00 - feeding.
from 17:00 to 19:00 - reading fairy tales and poems, listening to calm music.
from 19:00 to 20:30 - toys or evening walk (at your discretion).
20:30 - swimming.
21:00 - feeding, night sleep.

All this is very tentative, since each case is individual. Exactly what daily routine a newborn should have should be decided only by the parents together with the pediatrician. These people know everything about the baby and will be able to choose the best routine for him that will meet all his needs and personal characteristics. In the future, this will lead not only to strengthening and maintaining his health, but also to instilling in him fortitude and discipline.

A small organism, accustomed to living according to a schedule, grows without failures, knowing that in any case, good nutrition, good sleep and loving parents are always waiting for it at a certain time.

Are you constantly struggling with your baby's reluctance to fall asleep? Is it difficult for you to guess the time when he wants to sleep, and because of this the whole family suffers? Do you have no time for anything except your child, and you don’t have time to cope with the necessary things? Perhaps the reason for this is not that you are disorganized, but that your son or daughter does not have a regular routine. Once it is established, motherhood will no longer seem to you such a difficult task as it does now.

It is advisable to instill in your baby the habit of a routine from the first weeks of his life. What should you do for this?

A newly born baby sleeps approximately the same amount of time during the day and at night, and for him there is no difference between light and dark times of the day. Teach him to distinguish between them. To do this, when the child wakes up in the morning, you should immediately open the curtains, and during the day carry out more activating activities (play, talk, do gymnastics with him, select developmental activities based on age). It is advisable to put the baby to bed for a nap in a slightly darkened room, and during walks it is advisable not to protect the stroller too diligently from the sun. Newborns should eat at least 7 times a day. And given that it is now customary to give children a breast or a bottle at the first squeak, the frequency of feedings during the day may be greater. At the same time, babies have a habit of falling asleep after eating or even during the feeding process. Try to gently resist the fact that eating turns into sleep every time. Feed your baby in a well-lit place, preferably close to a window. After he eats, do not rock him in your arms, but hold him in a column, talk to him, play. Although it is important not to overdo it: if a child shows signs of drowsiness, you should not deliberately deprive him of sleep. When the baby is 1-2 months old, he should already have the first signs of a constant routine: normally he should sleep 3 times during the day and 1 time at night, sometimes with one or more awakenings. Observe him and determine at what time he preferentially falls asleep and wakes up. Keep notes - this will help you more accurately assess your child’s sleep habits. Based on the information obtained over 7-10 days of observations, make a plan for what time you will put your child to bed each time. Don't forget to compare the schedule with your baby's age-related needs for rest. As your baby grows, these needs change, so periodically adjust your schedule accordingly. Try to stick to your schedule by putting your baby to bed at the same consistent time each time. Moreover, if he sleeps longer than he should according to the drawn-up schedule, there is no need to wake him up. At the age of several months, he begins to actively form biorhythms, which should not be disrupted. Adapt your general daily routine to your sleep schedule. Try to schedule naps after walks or meals, when your baby is sleepy. Many young children willingly fall asleep as soon as they are taken out into the fresh air; If your child also has this feature, plan trips with the stroller during the time allotted for sleep. Some babies get used to frequent night feedings, which causes them to wake up several times throughout the night. If your baby is already six months old, try to reduce the number of night feedings to 1-2 times. Children have a characteristic feature: they quickly become active, but slowly calm down. Therefore, before going to bed, you need to spend at least an hour with your child, doing quiet activities. Parents have particular difficulties when putting their children to bed at night. To make this task easier, create a bedtime ritual for your child. The ritual is a series of actions that are performed in the same order every evening before bed and end with falling asleep. For example, dinner, quiet games, massage, bathing, sleep. Children readily get used to such a routine, and it becomes easier to put them to bed. If, despite everything, your child refuses to fall asleep at the “supposed” time, try changing your regular schedule and start putting him to bed an hour later.

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