Baby Morning Routine Tips
Babies function best on a routine-some Mamas prefer a tight routine, others run a bit more relaxed.
Mornings are an essential part of a regular routine. Regardless, if you have a baby or are expecting one, chances are that baby morning routine tips are going to be super helpful to you-if not now, then soon! This article covers the basic morning routine tips for parents of a small baby.
What to expect in this post:
WHY a routine works so well
How this baby morning routine works for me (and many others)
Common problems and interruptions
Let's get into it!
Peaceful Living with Miranda: Setting up your baby's routine can be daunting. Having a baby morning routine is crucial for a new mum! Read why baby sleep and a morning routine for mums and babies are helpful. #baby #newbaby #postpartum #morningroutine
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Why do you even need a baby morning routine?
This is an often-asked question, and there are several reasons why I chose to do a routine with my babies.
(And yes, they all slept through the night for the first time between 5 and 9 weeks.)
First of all, all people function best on a routine. It's a simple fact. Even on a primitive level, we get up with the sun (most of us) and go to bed when it gets dark.
We often have breakfast around the same time, and a bigger meal at dinnertime. We may even have a cup of coffee at the same time each morning, a shower, etc.
Having a routine helps us structure and manage our day.
If you are a parent of a small baby, you will know how challenging it can be to structure your child's day, too!
Babies should be operating under the feed, wake, sleep cycle after 6 weeks or so, which ensures you aren't feeding your baby to sleep, and this sets them up for having a satisfied, happy playtime or 'waketime' as they grow.
(Please note I am an experienced mama and a coach, not a medical professional. If you have any worries about your baby, see your health nurse or doctor.)
The main reason for having a solid morning routine is that it sets your baby up for the day.
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Just like when you make sure you have a coffee or your healthy breakfast, then go for a walk or have a shower, your baby benefits from a similar morning routine each morning.
How does this morning routine work?
Every morning, I would get my baby up at the same time-within 15 minutes of the same time. This meant that my baby's body clock and circadian rhythms would be working together so they would start expecting to get up at that time every day.
The human body is amazing!
It also meant I knew what to expect, and so did the rest of the household.
This is essential when or if you have more children- because then everybody can work around each other at least a little easier.
It needs to be said that every household is different-and therefore the actual times for your morning will differ from the person next to you.
However, having a good baby morning routine was a major success in our house.
The first thing to do in my baby morning routine is to wake your baby and feed them a good-sized feed. In fact, as much as they will take. This sets them up for a well-fed start to the day-and also hopefully means they will not be starving again in 30 minutes.
I chose 7am every day as wake-up time, for these reasons:
It worked well for our family,
It meant putting our baby and then child, to bed at a reasonable time would be possible-ie 7:30 or so
I knew, as a teacher, that this would set them up best for later in childhood to be able to have a healthy morning routine already set.
Please note, this time may not work for you and your family-but it's a very good suggestion and works well for many parents.
So I fed my baby and then she would lay in her bassinet or on the floor and have some awake time. If your baby is a newborn they have relatively no wake time for the first 4-6 weeks except to feed, so this would be once I started really moving into setting up this routine.
This also meant my body had healed a little and my baby was a little older than the tiny, unpredictable newborn.
However, I tried to start loosely implementing this routine from when my baby was a couple of weeks old, to gently introduce it.
This made it easier when they were old enough to start properly.
The basic steps for a baby morning routine are as follows:
Wake the baby
Change them and dress them
Get them fed as soon as possible, so it's at the start of that wake time
Lay them down for a play in their bouncer or on a play mat on the floor.
This routine can be repeated all day, after each sleep, but it is essential that the day begins properly, or the child (and the parent) can be out of sync all day, which can throw the other sleep times, wake times and even feed times off.
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Common problems and interruptions to the routine
There are some common problems or interruptions to a normal baby morning routine at times, of course.
Any of these things can cause interruptions to your baby's morning routine and as a parent, you need to be active about helping your baby get back to their routine as quick as possible when they are ready.
Sickness
Overstimulation
Late night/disturbed night
Sickness
When your baby is sick or teething, it can be very frustrating if it interrupts your hard-won routine, morning or not!!
Although when a baby is sick it's best to stick to your routine as best you can, to continue to keep things as normal as possible-it is often impossible to do this without going crazy yourself!
It's also unfair on your baby.
Think about how you feel when you're sick-it's nice to have a little flexible, restful time to recuperate.
Allow this for your baby, and just assume they will take a couple of days to reset their routine again. It's no fun being sick, and you don't need to tire them out or stress yourself out, either.
Overstimulation
Baby overstimulation can occur after big events with a lot of people, or lots of loud noise, bright lights and so on.
I will never forget the hours of screaming with my firstborn after Christmas Day with 20 members of family-we certainly learned our lesson after that!
Overstimulation can mean your baby's routine is upset-mainly due to the child's later sleep time the night before.
Watch your baby and see when she is upset, thinking about what she might have reacted to-this is the best way to assess your own child. While there are a few general reasons babies get overstimulated, each child is different.
Re-settling an extremely overstimulated baby meant I used my baby carrier a lot more in these times - in fact, it was absolutely invaluable.
Disturbed or Late night
This one is obvious-it's a morning routine breaker because the baby is already overtired when the morning begins. This often means the parent can overcompensate by letting the baby sleep in more than usual (which again, is fine on occasion!).
Also, as a parent with a disturbed night yourself, it can be amazing to just grab that extra half an hour's sleep!
With a morning routine though, I found it very important to try and keep that wake up time as consistent as possible, (within half an hour) even if the rest of the day gets a bit changed around.
This means you have a basis for recreating the original routine you had, with one solid, definitive time each day when you and your child know what's happening.
Conclusion:
Having a baby morning routine was one of the basic underpinnings of teaching my babies how to sleep through the night. It gave our babies and ourselves a stable basis to work from, and also a basic routine which could be restarted every day, helped my child in many ways, and helped me manage and plan my days as much as possible, too.
Did it always work? No.
But keeping a baby morning routine was extremely helpful for me - and I hope these tips will help you, too!
Don’t miss these other posts that could help you with your emotional health & busy Mum life!
The Bedtime For A 6 Month Old That Could Help You Find That Predictability - So You Can Sleep Too!
10 Newborn Items you need as a Practical Mama!
Mindful Parenting: What you Need to Do to Get Started Now
When You’re Overwhelmed As A Mum: 3 Simple Tips To Relieving The Load
Need to know how to STOP that mum guilt? Read my simple ebook for mums >>>
Talk to someone who has been there - and done the work.
Miranda is a teacher-turned stress & emotional wellbeing coach for mums - and parenting coach. She helps mums manage their mental wellness and expectations of themselves & others; as well as work through crippling mum guilt and emotional overload.
Do you have a morning routine for your baby? What does it look like?
Peaceful Living with Miranda: Setting up your baby's routine can be daunting. Having a baby morning routine is crucial for a new mum! Read why baby sleep and a morning routine for mums and babies are helpful. #baby #newbaby #postpartum #morningroutine
Peaceful Living with Miranda: Setting up your baby's routine can be daunting. Having a baby morning routine is crucial for a new mum! Read why baby sleep and a morning routine for mums and babies are helpful. #baby #newbaby #postpartum #morningroutine
Peaceful Living with Miranda: Setting up your baby's routine can be daunting. Having a baby morning routine is crucial for a new mum! Read why baby sleep and a morning routine for mums and babies are helpful. #baby #newbaby #postpartum #morningroutine
