![]() ![]() A study of breastfed babies featured in the journal Pediatrics found that two simple scheduling tweaks yielded a big improvement in sleep in the first two months: Getting into a predictable daily rhythm has been shown to be good for Baby’s sleep. It makes us constantly watch the clock and can lead to underfed babies. Rigid and strict schedules where you never deviate even if your baby is crying with hunger are contrary to our natural instincts. And if your bub gets hungry before their “scheduled” feeding time, try distracting them, but respond with promptness and love if the fussing persists…and return to the schedule later. If you’re planning a 1pm nap, but your little one is exhausted at 12:30pm, it’s fine to bend the “rules.” Just feed your baby and put them down early. (Nighttime noises don’t always mean your baby is hungry.)įor most parents, a flexible eating and sleeping schedule is super-helpful. You little one may simply be moving through a sleep cycle. Babies are noisy sleepers! ( Find out why babies make so many sleep sounds.) Try not to rush to respond to each grunt, moan…even cry. Filling Baby’s belly prepares them for a longer sleep period.ĭon’t rush to respond to every noise. Between roughly 10pm and midnight each night, gently rouse your baby-without fully waking them up-to feed them one more time before you turn in for the night. (Long naps cause less daytime eating and more hunger at night.) If your baby naps for over two hours, wake them up for their next play/feed period. (If your little one fusses, pick them up for a feed or a cuddle, but then wake your baby again when you put them back down.) This helps teach your baby how to self soothe. After a few seconds, your baby will close their eyes again and slide back to sleep. BUT after you put your bub down, gently rouse them with a light tickle on their feet until they open their eyes. After you feed and burp your baby, allow them to fall asleep in your arms before you lay them in their bassinet. (White noise is an integral part of the 5 S’s for soothing babies, designed to activate their innate calming reflex, which is nature’s “off switch” for crying and “on switch” for sleep. This quiets your baby’s nervous system and gives a clear signal that sleepytime is coming. And dim the lights 20 minutes before naps and bedtime. (For help zeroing in on that sweet spot, learn all about wake windows.) The goal is to start your baby’s nap before they’re yawning and droopy-eyed. This helps Baby stay focused on the task at hand! Distracted babies often refuse to eat. During the day, feed your love bug every hour-and-a-half to two hours then put them to bed…safely on the back in their own, empty sleep space, of course.įeed in a quiet room. During-the-day babywearing helps little one’s learn the difference between day and night-and they get to enjoy an essential element of the 5 S’s-swinging.Įstablish predictable feeding times. Once your baby is roughly a month old, I suggest you do the following:Ĭarry your baby a lot. The 5 S’s include Swaddling, Shushing (aka white noise, Swinging (or rocking), holding in the Side or Stomach position, and Sucking. Your job? Be an A+ womb impersonator by offering a healthy dose of the 5 S’s, which are designed to transition babies into their fourth trimester. Instead, all they want is to experience the sensations they’re used to from the womb. Plus, newborns don’t crave schedules yet. Fresh-to-the-world babies are just getting used to life outside of the womb. Trying to implement a baby schedule earlier is, well, pointless. If you are going to try a baby schedule, I suggest you wait until they are about a month old-or until feeding is going really well. But following a flexible baby schedule that sets approximate times-and realistic expectations-for feeding, sleep, and more can work quite well.and help bring peace to both Baby and parent. Of course, a rigid baby schedule that ignores a baby’s cries and changing needs is unnatural. But how do you start-and when? Here’s my take on how to approach setting up a baby schedule. Now, staying organized and adopting a schedule that works for your family can be a lifesaver. No one was following wake windows or charting their little one’s feeds on an app! But today’s parents live very differently than they did back then. In ancient times, parents didn’t feed their babies or put them down for naps according to the time on the sundial. A Bedtime Routine To Complement Your Baby Schedule.All About the "Eat, Play, Sleep" Baby Schedule. ![]()
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