Why Have Routines, Schedules + Lists?

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

I asked myself that very question many, many times. Especially as a young adult who loved spontaneity. And being late. And doing stuff last minute. When I first became a mom I remember hearing the phrase (or something similar) all too often- 'children thrive on routine'. It was great to read on paper, but I can remember when my first was in her early months and in the middle of one of her crying fits thinking "how the hell am I supposed to make a routine when this is the norm?" For most, those first three months are really just survival mode, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't strive to create healthy habits that will set you up to easily transition to a routine that works for the whole family as your baby grows.

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​Children thrive on routine because . . .

• It creates predictability, helping them feel safe and lessening separation anxiety.
• It creates order and structure, by understanding what’s coming next, poor behavior is lessened because they were feeling unsure and confused.
• It creates confidence, making them happy to participate in daily activities because they know what to do and what is coming.
• It creates healthy habits, instilling the importance of being active and taking care of oneself from an early age.

According to the CDC, building structure in the home includes these three things: consistency, predictability, and follow-through. See these links for more info on the benefits of routine and order for children: AAP, CDC, HealthyChildren.org, ECLOC.

​Set Your Routine Up For Success

Think of the activities you do daily (and what you might want to do - don’t go too crazy here!), when your child  typically wakes, when they nap (if so) any planned activities (such as story time at the library or a kids gymnastics class) that have rigid times, daycare or preschool (if they go), etc.

Instead of going from no routine, or a very loose routine to a very detailed routine, I would suggest taking about two weeks to gradually add-in new activities every few days. Pretty soon, you’ll feel like your home is more structured, more efficient and you actually might be able to relax a little bit!

Check out all of our home systems, routines and lists at our Etsy shop. New printables are added
​all the time!

SHOP PRINTABLE DAILY ROUTINE