Hello dear mommies,
Have you ever wondered why your day is so cramped with a lot things happening and you are just losing control of it all?
If No then you are lucky! Do share with us your story on how a regular day looks like for you and we will feature you in the JAD series coming up shortly.
For all others, Getting organised is the word. For which you will need to set a routine for you and your baby.
– When to start ? Whenever you are comfortable.
– For newborns and infants , keep a simple routine, so that you get enough rest while your baby is asleep. Intially I too was hassled when my baby cried and used to go by demand feeding,which left me restless and irritated because I was not getting enough rest. Then I slowly started to follow a pattern, feed only once every 1.5hours. The nights also got better as I would wake up my baby at regular intervals to feed him and put him back to sleep.
As your baby grows older you can extend the gap between two feeds. By the 5-6th month your baby will be able to sleep for atleast 4-5hours at a stretch in the night.
I ensured that my baby spent the evening either taking a stroll outside or just playing at home. This was followed by a wash/ quick bath and feed. So this helped settle his night sleep for longer hours. Since I would anyways wake him up at regular intervals for his feeds, he would sometimes dream feed at night. This was comforting as he would not wake up crying hungrily and I knew for sure my baby was being fed enough.
At every stage you can alter your routine to suit yours and your baby’s needs and requirements.
If your baby has been weaned successfully by the 7-8th month then you have a proper routine of 3-4 meals set for him. So now he understands his mealtimes and when to expect what .
There is no concrete routine that you need to follow, just go with the flow and you will learn it yourself.
Here is a simple routine I followed for my baby.
– Early morning feed, Play, Bathtime, Feed/ Breakfast, Morning nap
– Snack/feed, Change nappies, Play, Lunch/feed, Nap
– Snack/Feed, Playtime with daddy, Wash, Feed/Dinner, Nap
Points to remember:
*dont be harsh on yourself/baby to stick to a routine. If it doesnt work, no issues, try it differently. But Never give up
*Be flexible intially till it falls into place and then follow it firmly
*If you wish to just go by your motherly instincts and not follow a routine, then its just fine but dont let it get onto you.
*Lastly following a routine makes it easier and simpler for you to handle your home and family . Thus making all of you a Happy Family!!
Image Source: Happy Family
