Developing A Routine For Young Babies + Toddlers

Part One  |  Part Two in a Three-Part Series |  Part Three

In Part 1 of this series, we talked about the “why” and how to start developing a routine and building structure for children. This post will delve a little deeper into building a solid routine foundation for children from 0 to 12+ months.

​NEWBORNS + YOUNG BABIES

​So many child sleep experts recommend a nap time and bedtime routine as one of the "first" routines you may start implementing with your baby.

A short, repetitive routine before it’s time to rest helps your baby wind down and realize that it’s time to prepare themselves for sleep. It might look like this: diaper change, read a book, sing and snuggle for a few minutes and put down. Young babies often only need a few minute routine like this, but consistency is key and you can build on it as your baby grows. I love what Cara Dumaplin has to say, the neonatal nurse and sleep pro from Taking Cara Babies, "Flexible routines, not rigid schedules". Routines don't have to be boring and so rigid you stress about them. I can't say that I didn't have an expectation for a more rigid schedule with our first (adding more unnecessary stress to new mom life).

Once your baby graduates from the "newborn" stage at 3 months, it's time to start adding to the routine (especially if you have older babies and children!). Things you can do to help make this transition a bit easier during months two and three include:

• Work on naps; most kids are in their short nap phase at this point and most babies will take between 4 and 5 naps by 3 months of age - try for 1 or two of these to be in the crib or bassinet daily
• Attempt a dream feed (give it about a week's try) to see if this could help give you and your baby an extended period of sleep. A dream feed is when you enter wherever the child is sleeping quietly between 10 and 11pm with as little stimulation as possible. Low light and no talking. Give the child a full feed and put them back down to continue sleeping. The idea is to “push off” a night waking. We’ll talk more about this in a later post - it worked great for my son, but never worked for my daughter.
• Incorporate "structured" play - about 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the afternoon. An activity mat, a high contrast toy / book, etc.

​TODDLERS

Toddlers’ (12+ months) developing brains and bodies seriously benefit from routine. If you have a newborn or a younger baby and toddlers / young kids, know that your routine with the youngest will be flexible, but it can and should be more rigid with your toddler.

A more “rigid” daily routine for a toddler may look like:

• Morning routine (wake, diaper/potty + hygiene, breakfast)
• Play/Outdoors
• Snack
• Nap / “Quiet Time”
• Lunch
• Play
• Snack
• Reading / educational
• Screen-time
• Dinner
• Evening routine and bedtime

As mentioned in part one of this series, consistency, predictability and follow-through create a great routine structure. Follow-through may be the most important part of routine - while adults can deal with spontaneous changes, children have a much harder time because of their ages, stages and continuous brain development. Ultimately, as a parent, if you say “one more show”, “one more story”, try your best to stick with it. Children get confused when we say one thing and do another which could lead to poor behavior. Although they may not like it, it will lead to less meltdowns down the road - it works hand-in-hand with consistency and predictability. More on this in later posts.

MAKE IT FUN

Routines can be fun, and they don’t have to mean "rigid and boring". While it's great to establish predictability, strive for a “percentage” - if you stick with a routine most of the time (80%) and still make a point to introduce your kids to new and different activities and events (20%), your kids will adjust and may surprise you with their ability to be flexible - my two definitely have.

There isn’t a mom I know (and many more I don’t, I’m sure!) who doesn’t stress about their kid’s in so many ways. Routines don’t have to be one of them.

Need help establishing a loose routine for your new babe? Check out the 0 to 3 Month Routine Printable, below! You get 4 pages - blank and three example routines for ages 6 weeks to three months - a great jumping-off point to help you figure out what works for your family!

SHOP 0-3 MONTH OLD ROUTINE PRINTABLE ON ETSY