Homemade Healthy Baby Food Recipes and Cookbook - IX. The Basics of a Baby Schedule

 IX. The Basics of a Baby Schedule

Babies – and children, for that matter – appreciate boundaries. They may push against them and test how firm your rules are but at the end of the day, they sleep better, eat better, and feel safer for it. They like to know when to expect food, when to expect sleep, and because their needs aren’t that complicated, getting into a regular schedule will make both your lives easier.

An added bonus to having a feeding schedule (and a sleeping schedule) is it makes the transition of having to leave your baby to a sitter or a caregiver much easier. While your presence is an added comfort to your baby, having the same routine that he had with you will give him some of that comfort even when you leave him with someone else. But how exactly do you go about setting a schedule for your baby?

For the first month or so, you need to keep an eye on when he’s sleepy, when he’s hungry, and when he’s particularly painful. The first few months are the real challenge. Your baby will be waking up at all hours hungry; he may end up sleeping during the day and wide awake at night. Don’t fret; this stage will pass faster than you think and pretty soon your baby will be slightly more grown up and a lot more manageable.

In time, you will notice that your baby gets hungry during a particular hour and gets sleepy during certain times of the day too. Take note of these instances. 

Usually, your baby will be hungry first thing in the morning. Because breast milk is most abundant during that time, it is a good opportunity for your little one to get his fill of this precious milk. Your baby may want to sleep after this feeding or he may want to play.

Babies get tired and get hungry fast so another feeding may be in order just a few hours later. It is during later in the day that it is best to feed your baby solid food because mother’s usually have less milk as the day progresses.

Tracking your baby’s natural rhythms – including eating, sleeping, and playing habits – can give you a good idea of what kind of schedule to set for him. Pretty soon, you will have established a routine that works for both you and your baby that could even include when he poops, when he pees, and when he wants to eat more or eat less. Log your baby’s daily routine in a notebook so that you can base your schedule on your baby’s own rhythms.

What you don’t want to do is impose a schedule on your baby that has nothing to do with his natural, built-in routine. It will throw his innate biological schedule off track and you will have an unhappy and cranky baby in your hands. Take your cue from your baby and go from there. You would be surprised at how easy it is to establish a routine based on your little one’s biological clock.

This is an excerpt from the book: Homemade Healthy Baby Food Recipes and Cookbook