Getting A Routine Started For Your Newborn

I love routines! Not just for my daily life, but for babies and toddlers as well! Routines help create consistency and when you have a baby, that's a huge piece to the sleep puzzle. 

We don't believe in sleep training newborns, but I do believe in starting a routine and THAT you can begin as soon as your little one is born. Babies are learning every single day and they understand patterns early on. The routine you establish should be something that you continue on with as they get older, plus or minus a few things that are age appropriate. 

Many newborns have a late bedtime (around 10 pm or so), because they tend to treat evening sleep as a nap. But don't worry! As they turn closer to 4 months old that bedtime can be moved up. 

Here are a few tips for creating a routine:

1. Bath time if it's their bath day
2. Provide a wind down time-for a newborn, about 30-45 minutes or so is great. Nothing too noisy.
3. Dim the lights-newborns don't produce melatonin, so dimming the lights helps them with getting to a relaxed state. 
4. Book, song, prayer
5. Cuddle time-WE LOVE BABY CUDDLES
6. Give them a full feeding
7. Diaper change-this can help separate the feed to sleep association many can develop 
8. Swaddle or sleep sack (sleep sack if they start to show signs of rolling over or are over 3 months old)
9. White or pink noise
10. Key phrase you can continue to use as they get older

As always, make sure their room is completely dark, that the temperature is around 68-72 degrees, and that they are dressed appropriately for the room temperature. 

If you are needing newborn sleep education, please schedule a call with me.

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