Why is routine important for your baby’s sleep?
Good sleep doesn’t happen by chance.
Ok, well some babies are just ‘unicorn’ babies 🦄- rare mythical beings, who DO happen to just sleep amazingly well, without their parents having to give sleep too much thought.
Unfortunately, most parents do need to give their baby’s sleep some consideration 🤯, and sometimes seek support to enable their baby to take the best sleep they are capable of.
One of the key considerations is your little ones routine.
Whilst I am all about flexible routines, and don’t believe in a regimented strict timings kind of routine, as this one size fits all just doesn’t work for every baby.
It is still important you have some kind of flow to your day, for yours and your baby’s wellbeing.
Some things to consider are:
⏰️ Wake time- You’ll want your baby to wake at a similar time each day, I’m not saying wake them at 7am on the dot every morning, but ideally they will be starting their day by around 8am. This enables their daytime naps and bedtime to stay roughly within the same time range, and also helps to maintain your baby’s internal body clock (circadian rhythm).
🕑12 hour day- Working to a 12hour day will mean if the morning wake time was 7am bedtime will be 7pm, and if you want an earlier bedtime you will need to consider the time you wake them in the morning. This again helps to form a rhythm to the day and maintain your child’s circadian rhythm.
🪟Awake windows- Most babies the same age will have a similar awake window, which is the time they can happily stay awake for. However, the awake window will vary slightly between children as each child will have different sleep needs. So, tune into your baby and get to know their unique cues that will tell you when they are ready to sleep.
Beginning to follow awake windows from an early age will help you to form a rough rhythm to the day, and will also mean your baby is much more content and easier to settle to sleep- magic ✨️
All of The Snooze Nurse sleep plans include tips for spotting your baby’s tired cues, as well as a sleep needs table, helping you to know your baby’s rough awake window, the total day sleep they need, and number of naps from 0-4 years, helping you to keep up with their ever changing sleep needs 💤
A routine also means…
☕️A break for you- to wee by yourself, eat your lunch in peace, take a nap… all of those things you took for granted pre baby are possible again once you have some predictability to your day, and you know when you put your baby down for a nap that they will stay sleeping for a good while.
❤Make plans- A routine and knowing that your baby sleeps well makes it easy to make plans, and stick to them, meaning you can book that all important date night or night out with the girls with confidence. Because for one you will have the energy for life outside of parenting and two finding a willing babysitter will also be so much easier.
This predicability instills a sense of calm and reduces the anxiety of wondering what your day will look like and how it will go.
I can’t wait to help you form a daytime routine that works for you and your baby, and get your days flowing again.
Lots of Love
Jade x
Ps. if you want to learn more about HOW to form a daytime routine and to understand your baby's sleep needs- grab a sleep plan and get started right away 💥