Daily routine of a newborn baby in the first month of life. How to teach a baby to follow a sleep and feeding schedule? Teach a 1 month old child a routine
In order for a baby to feel calmer and more confident in our world, he needs a properly planned regime. But how to accustom a newborn to the regime? It's not that difficult if you follow our tips.
A newborn has its own rhythm - it eats and falls asleep when it needs it. The mother’s task is to catch his rhythm and build a daily routine so that they both feel comfortable.
Awakening
One child likes to sleep longer, while the other constantly wakes up at dawn. The main thing is that your baby wakes up at the same time. This way he won't have problems going to bed and will get better rest during the night. Waking up at the same time also means a calm morning. To make it even more joyful, take the baby in your arms, kiss him, change the diaper, wash him and dress him. In addition, you will help him develop an understanding that events occur in sequence (waking up, washing, getting dressed, combing).
If your child's wake-up time doesn't suit you, try moving it as needed. If he wakes up earlier than expected, put him to bed half an hour later. And one more thing - the baby begins to toss and turn when he wakes up, and if you don’t pay attention to his fussing, then perhaps he will still sleep.
Feeding
The newborn is fed on demand. One can do it every hour, the other can do it every three hours. You can’t build a regime here until the baby is 6 months old. you should try to offer food at specific times. There should not be long breaks between meals so that the child does not experience severe hunger.
It is advisable to take care of the rituals that accompany meals. This will develop in the child the association that, for example, we are going to have lunch now, since my mother is washing my hands and tying a bib on me.
Daytime nap
Daytime nap times are also set. Your baby should show you approximately what time he falls asleep every day. You must ensure that this is always the case. And when the time has come, he is tired, begins to be capricious, make an effort to make him fall asleep, even if he doesn’t like it.
Be sure to ensure that the break between daytime and night sleep is long enough. If the break is short, then you will have more problems in the evening.
Walks
It doesn’t matter what time of day you walk with your child. The main thing is to be in the fresh air for at least two hours. And, since we are building a routine, you must go for walks at the same time.
Going outside on a schedule does not mean you have to walk in the rain. In such situations, exceptions can be made.
Games
You can play with your baby at any time. But it is advisable when he is full and alert. The ideal time is in the morning. But in the evening, give up active games, otherwise it will be difficult to put the child to bed, and he may wake up at night and start crying.
If you start having fun with your baby, then give yourself completely to him and the game. Don't pay too much attention to telephone conversations, TV series and more.
Supporters of an organized daily routine argue that the child needs a routine for general organization and teaches punctuality, order and discipline. Opponents of scheduled living say the regime suppresses individuality and limits personal freedom. Child psychologists, doctors and teachers believe that the truth, as usual, is in the middle.
Of course, a daily routine is very necessary. And not only for children, but also for their parents, as it helps organize their day. The usual routine includes time for feeding, walks, games and activities, for the necessary daytime rest and a good night's sleep.
However, it is necessary to take into account individual characteristics child and parents, their habits and desires. This is very important so that everyone can live comfortably and at a given pace, following the established family routine.
What is it for and how to accustom a child to a daily routine and sleep pattern during the day? Let's talk about this in more detail on the Popular About Health website:
What is the mode for??
Every mother knows that small child I really need a nap during the day. If, for some reason, he does not sleep during the day, he becomes capricious, difficult to control and quickly gets tired. And what younger child, the more difficult it is for him to bear his absence. At the same time, many children continue to need daytime sleep until they are 5-6 years old.
Therefore, it is simply necessary to determine the hour when the baby will sleep during the day. During this time, mom can plan some housework, do something she loves, or just relax.
And in general, to make everyone comfortable and comfortable, it is useful to plan your day in advance: determine the time for activities with the baby, games, walks, daytime rest, bedtime at night and a specific meal hour.
A night-day routine established and controlled by parents for a child helps his body to evenly distribute forces physiologically, physically and mentally, and establishes and aligns biological rhythms.
And in addition, it develops conditioned reflexes: at a certain hour of eating there is a feeling of hunger, evening hygiene procedures, turning off the lights in the room serves as a signal to go to bed, etc.
In the future, a child accustomed to the regime will better adapt to the routine in kindergarten and school, it is easier to learn new rules and tolerate stress. And most importantly, the regime forms in a growing person psychological confidence in own strength.
How to accustom a child to a daily and sleep schedule?
You need to set a consistent time for the main activities you do every day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, walks, games, daytime and night sleep - must have their own hour, which should be observed unquestioningly. The baby will gradually get used to it and you will have free time.
When putting your child to bed at a certain time in the evening, be firm and persistent. No “well, mommy, just five more minutes...”. To sleep means to sleep. If he doesn’t want to go to bed, but, on the contrary, drags you into the game, starts to play around, show with all your appearance that it’s time to get ready to go to bed, so you will play with him tomorrow.
At the same time, behave not only firmly and persistently, but also calmly. This is very important for the baby’s psychological mood. Your screams will only provoke tears, or even hysteria. In the future, such pressure will cause him to reject the regime in general.
Therefore, be wise and insist firmly but gently. A calm, gentle voice will convey to him a signal of calm and he will quickly understand what you want from him. Gradually he will get used to it and will go to bed without any pressure.
You should also not practice night feedings, as this is not beneficial for the baby, and for his mother, daily interruption of sleep for the child is a lot of stress for the body. It is very important for a breastfeeding woman to get enough sleep.
Repeatedly getting up at night at the baby's first request will soon cause nervous exhaustion and other negative health consequences.
To help your baby quickly learn to sleep peacefully throughout the night, slightly limit his daytime sleep.
To make your baby less capricious and nervous while accustoming him to a daily routine, increase the amount of calcium-rich foods in his diet. In general, watch your diet - it should be balanced, varied, fortified and stimulate appetite.
Walk more often, increase your walking time. After breathing fresh air, the baby will eat better during the day and will definitely want to sleep. Walks, outdoor games, classes, trips to the playground - all this is very necessary to get used to the regime. The busier his day, the faster and more peacefully he will fall asleep in the evening.
Only, all of the listed events must take place at the same, strictly defined time.
However, when creating a general daily routine, it is important to leave hours for free time when the child can do what he wants. Then the regime will not burden him, which means that the habit of discipline will be formed more easily, and the skills of responsibility and organization necessary for the future student will appear.
And also, in order for the baby to quickly get used to the regime, he needs psychological comfort. Therefore, try to create as calm an environment as possible in the family. Screaming, quarrels, and loud conversations do not contribute to this.
Many child psychologists insist that a properly designed daily routine greatly contributes to the correct physiological development children under three years of age.
He teaches older children to be independent, responsible and disciplined. It is important to maintain a pre-established routine. However, if necessary, make adjustments to it, depending on the changing biorhythms, loads and desires of the child.
By the age of seven, he should go to bed on his own at a certain time. Get up independently in the morning when the alarm goes off. By the age of ten, the child himself becomes responsible for observing the regime. The role of parents should be assigned only to periodic control.
In conclusion, we note that you should not create a too tight, strict daily schedule, which will tire the child and, in the end, he will rebel. First of all, take a closer look at his preferences and habits, listen to his desires. Determine his biorhythms. So are you in the best possible way Determine the most comfortable time for the child to feed, play and walk. Accordingly, it will be easy to accustom him to sleep and wakefulness.
E.N. Korneeva “These mysterious kids”
(100 answers to parental “why”).
Yaroslavl, "Academy of Development", 1999.
Accustoming a child to a routine is not just about forming the habit of going to bed on time and getting up on time, eating and walking according to the clock.
Accustoming a child to kindergarten conditions
Let's try to figure it out together. For every hundred children, there are two or three cases of long-term or complete maladaptation of children to the conditions of kindergarten. As a rule, these are the only children in the family or children who are often ill and have spent a long time at home with their mother or grandmother.
My son never got used to kindergarten. You send him there with tears, you come to pick him up, they say he’s been lying in his crib since 11 o’clock, doesn’t play with anyone, refuses to eat. We suffered for three weeks, and then they took it off. How long can a child get on his nerves? My mother-in-law had to leave work to sit with him.
IN I have one girl in the group, she’s so smart, she talks like an adult. I don’t know what to do with her. He sits by the window all day and just asks everyone: “When will mom come for me?” You sit with her, read, look at books, it seems to calm down for a while. And then again for his own. But I can’t deal with her alone, I have others, the children in the group are abandoned.
The best moment for a child to successfully and quickly get used to the regime of being in kindergarten is the age of two or three years. This period marks the early childhood crisis, usually referred to by psychologists as the three-year-old crisis. Children, trying to assert their I, are drawn to independence, relative autonomy of existence. It is at this time that the kindergarten lifestyle can have a beneficial effect on the formation of the personality of preschoolers and their adaptation to the new social environment.
The least favorable period is four years and a period of five to six years. Here, the child’s development is relatively stabilized, and a sharp change in lifestyle associated with the loss of privacy (the opportunity to be alone with oneself or a loved one who is well aware of his mood, who knows his needs, desires and habits) can lead to unpleasant consequences.
Immersion in the atmosphere of a kindergarten community is perceived as violence against the individual, a loss of one’s own individuality. Difficult experiences entail the appearance of protest forms of behavior: hysterics, whims, incessant whining on weekends, and sometimes somatic disorders - fever, the appearance of abdominal pain and loose stools, exacerbation of chronic diseases.
Children resort to manipulation, shed bitter tears, fawn over their parents, demanding a return to their former comfortable life at home. The child, as it were, involves adults in a protracted “war”, where the question of who will win is decided either in favor of the parents or in favor of the baby. The child’s actions are built approximately according to this scheme: first, requests and stories are used about how bad everything is in the kindergarten, if it doesn’t help, then tears and hysterics are used, they don’t work either, there is one more remedy left - illness. If, after the baby’s recovery, the parents’ intentions regarding him remain unshakable and they again intend to take the child to kindergarten, a relapse occurs.
Adults can ease the withdrawal process in two ways. The child should know from the first day that he has no choice - visiting kindergarten is inevitable. Then he will direct all his efforts to finding something positive for himself in this situation and speedy adaptation. The main difficulty here is to maintain character and not succumb to the child’s provocations. The second way is to establish an agreement with the kindergarten administration and working staff about the required duration of your stay in the kindergarten.
You will need to stay in the group for as long as it takes for the child to finally get used to it and learn to do without your help and support. It may take a week, a month, or even more, but then you will be completely calm about leaving your child in the garden.
Liberal actions only aggravate the breakdown situation. If you sit in the locker room for an hour, listening to the heartbreaking screams of your child, or alternate several days in the kindergarten with a week of staying at home, and resort to the technique of reducing the time the child spends in a group with other children to one and a half to two hours a day, then the situation will become even more difficult for you, for the child and for the kindergarten teaching staff.
Therefore, if the question of the need to send your child to kindergarten has been finally decided, then you should not wait until the baby grows up and becomes independent. Learning to eat, dress, tie shoelaces, and make a crib does not have to be done at home. Don't waste your efforts on drills and instructions. Better spend your extra maternity leave time on more useful and relevant things. If you are not afraid of separation from your child, then most likely he will bear it easier. Moreover, there is nothing to fear that contacts with other children will reduce the baby’s attachment to you.
Quite the contrary, being in kindergarten strengthens children’s love for home and parents.
Now let's talk a little about the organization of rises and drops
Parents often worry about how to get their child up early in the morning. Indeed, at home, many preschoolers stay awake until 11-12 o’clock and go to rest with adult family members. Their rise is also not regulated and happens for some at 10 am, and for others closer to lunch. The transition to a new regime therefore begins with attempts to put these children to bed at almost 8 o’clock in the evening. Even if this is successful, sleep does not come and parents are forced to spend several unpleasant hours at their baby’s bedside, tormenting her with requests to quickly close her eyes and sleep.
The body of young children is quite plastic. The restructuring of the rhythms of sleep and wakefulness occurs in two to three days. Therefore, you just have to raise the baby in right time, and he will make up for the resulting deficit with longer daytime sleep and early bedtime. Then the regime of falling asleep and waking up will be without persuasion and violence, but based on the needs of the body. In just a week you won’t have to spend a lot of time and effort getting your child ready for the garden. To make it easier for your child to wake up in the morning, turn on upbeat music or come wake him up with his favorite toy - a teddy bear, a cat or a monkey.
The same goes for your least favorite foods.
At first, you can give your baby an apple or carrot with you. If, having given up an unloved food, he gets hungry, he can eat this supply. Just don't give him chocolate, candy or cookies. Having eaten enough sweets, the child is unlikely to eat even his favorite dishes with appetite. And other guys will look at him with envy. Subsequently, children get used to eating unusual food and eat everything for company, even what they don’t eat at home.
Some tips on teaching children to follow a routine from Dr. Komarovsky
We will try to help mothers manage their time correctly so that they have time to take care of the baby, household chores and themselves.
Newborn feeding regimen
The time has long passed when mothers breastfed strictly according to the clock; now the most popular mode of feeding is according to the “baby’s first squeak.” Just a few years ago, even in the maternity hospital, babies were brought in for feeding every three hours. Today the newborn lies in the room with his mother, and she herself breastfeeds him as soon as he is hungry. Someone may complain that the baby hangs endlessly on the chest and the mother has no time left for other things. However, this state of affairs can only be observed in the very first days after the birth of the baby, and then newborn's daily routine will be established, her own nutrition schedule will be developed, and mom will have more time for her own affairs.
Newborn sleep pattern
At night, the baby sleeps eleven to twelve hours. Many babies wake up for night feedings, so some moms prefer to be with their baby. This is the most acceptable option for both the nursing mother and the baby. Firstly, a woman does not need to constantly get up; she will breastfeed her baby while lying down. Secondly, a newborn baby feels his mother very strongly, his mother’s breath and smell calm him, so he feels much more confident and adapts faster.
During the daytime newborn's daily routine practically consists of sleep. A healthy baby wakes up only to nurse and then goes back to sleep. Previously, our grandmothers believed that sleep was even more beneficial for a baby than food. And this is an absolutely correct statement, since during sleep the baby develops a healthy nervous system.
In a three-month-old baby, it is already possible to clearly identify three or four periods during the day when he sleeps. At this time, it is very useful to walk with him and be in the fresh air. After the baby turns one month old, relatives and friends begin to come to give him a gift and congratulate his mother. Many people don’t know how to wish their child well, because there are many signs and popular beliefs, but you don’t want to get into trouble. Therefore, it is better to find out about everything in advance; mothers are very superstitious people.
Outdoor walks and baby hygiene
It is necessary to walk with your baby; fresh air is simply vital for him. In addition to oxygen, during the walk the baby receives a prophylactic dose of ultraviolet rays. In the first month of your life, you need to walk with your baby for at least an hour and a half, twice a day.
Baby hygiene is very simple. All hygiene procedures are carried out during the day when necessary. In the evening, the baby is bathed, usually an hour before bedtime.
How to set a newborn's daily routine?
Any loving and caring mother will determine for herself newborn mode, because she understands the physiological needs of her child better than anyone. After birth, the baby has short periods of activity; if nothing bothers him, he will sleep peacefully. However, in those moments when he is awake, the mother needs to give the baby maximum attention. It is advisable to take him in your arms, talk, give him a massage. Let the little one feel in his mother’s arms that he is the most beloved person in the world!
- A newborn baby sleeps at least eleven hours at night.
- The baby's daytime sleep ranges from one and a half to three hours three or four times.
- Washing your face in the morning and bathing at night is a must.
- You need to walk with your baby twice, for at least an hour and a half.
- The mother should be next to the baby at all times when he is not sleeping.
A child’s daily routine is a specific routine designed taking into account age characteristics and needs and aimed at healthy physical and intellectual development. Some mothers think that the regime is necessary only for weakened, often ill children, but this is not so. It is necessary to accustom your baby to a daily routine from the first months of life. You shouldn’t expect that a newborn baby will fall asleep and wake up by the hour from the first days, but certain skills that will form the basis of a child’s routine at an older age can be developed already in the first month of a baby’s life.
Feeding schedule: hourly or on demand?
If the child is on breastfeeding, pediatricians advise feeding him on demand. If the child is healthy, gains weight well and develops according to established standards, this regimen can be followed until the age of three months. If the mother continues to breastfeed the baby when he asks for it, complications in the digestive system may arise due to overfeeding. These may be intestinal, painful spasms, stool upset, abdominal pain.
Feeding on demand has its pros and cons, so each mother must decide for herself how to organize the feeding of the child in order to meet his needs and not infringe on the interests of other family members.
Dr. Komarovsky about feeding regimen
Among the advantages of feeding on demand, experts highlight:
- more harmonious development the child due to frequent and prolonged contact with the mother;
- stable (with this feeding regimen, milk is produced in the mammary glands in the amount necessary to meet the needs of a particular baby);
- reducing the risk of purulent mastitis that develops against the background of milk stagnation.
If a mother decides to feed her baby on demand, she should understand that such a daily routine for a newborn in the first month also has significant disadvantages. One of them is the inability to leave home in the first weeks of a child’s life. The organization of feeding is also of great importance: if the child takes the breast incorrectly (grabs not the areola, but only the nipple), too frequent feedings can lead to the formation of long-healing cracks, which can become infected due to insufficient personal hygiene.
Artificial or mixed feeding
If a newborn receives formula milk as primary or additional nutrition, feed infant follows the established schedule. Unlike breast milk, the composition and fat content are constant and do not change depending on external factors. The main difference between formula and milk is the presence of complex proteins (lactoglobulins), which require more time to break down and digest. If a child receives a new portion of formula before his body digests the previous food, disorders may occur. gastrointestinal tract, For example:
- and vomiting;
- (the child cries, refuses the bottle, the abdomen is tense, there may be pain on palpation);
- constipation (can last up to 3 days).
Approximate feeding schedule by hour
Parents of newborn children on artificial or mixed feeding, when organizing meals, they can adhere to the schedule given in the table.
At night, the baby can wake up at any time, since the night feeding regime is usually established only by 2-3 months. The volume of one serving of formula for newborns in the first month is 90 ml (from the third week of life this volume can be increased to 120 ml). The norm for breastfed children is a volume of 50 to 90 ml per feeding.
Important! The interval between formula feedings should be about 3 hours, that is, the child should receive food up to 8 times a day. Children who are breastfed on demand can receive mother's milk up to 8-10 times a day (the intervals between feedings are at least 2-2.5 hours).
Night feedings
Children in the first month of life can wake up up to 3-4 times a night. If the baby receives breastfeeding on demand, this number of feedings at night is allowed, but it is important to ensure that the baby does not show signs of overfeeding (excessive regurgitation after eating, a swollen belly, etc.). You should not limit breastfeeding at night, since it is at this time that a woman’s body produces an increased amount of hormones necessary for milk production.
Important! Newborns receiving formula milk should not be fed more than once per night.
If your child wakes up more often, it is important to find out the reason. This could be uncomfortable clothes, cold (or, conversely, too high temperature indoors), dry and dusty air. usually begin at the beginning of the third week of life and can last up to 3-4 months (less often - up to six months).
To help your baby, you can use the following methods to combat increased gas formation:
- dry heat on the stomach (flannel diaper folded in several layers, ironed);
- (performed clockwise with stroking movements);
- special gymnastics (bringing the legs bent at the knees to the stomach).
If alternative methods do not help, you can use (,).
Should I give water to my newborn while breastfeeding?
Mother's milk consists of 87-88% water, so children with a good appetite do not need additional supplements. Kids on artificial feeding You can drink some water from a spoon or bottle. Its norm depends on the child’s weight, pace general development and other factors and can range from 30 to 70 ml per day. It is better to give bottled water intended specifically for baby food. You should not add sugar to it, since then the child may refuse fresh complementary foods, for example, vegetable purees. Some children are more willing to drink warmed water, but it is important to ensure that its temperature does not exceed 28°-30°.
There are situations when water must be given even to newborns who are fed only breast milk:
- diseases accompanied by excessive vomiting and diarrhea (to prevent dehydration);
- the air in the children's room is too dry.
Important! Dangerous signs of dehydration include dry lips and infrequent urination (normally, a newborn should urinate at least 8 times a day).
How much should a baby eat at one feeding in the first months of life?
How to accustom a newborn to the regime?
It is necessary to begin accustoming a newborn child to a certain routine from the age of two weeks. At 2-3 weeks, the child has already established certain biological rhythms that must be taken into account when drawing up a regimen. The easiest way to organize a daytime nap during this period is that for newborns it is usually combined with a walk.
Important! The easiest way to start accustoming your child to a daily routine is by organizing a sleep routine.
Walking with your newborn can begin 3-5 days after discharge from the maternity hospital (after the baby is examined by the visiting nurse and gives the necessary recommendations). It is best to go outside at the same time: during morning and evening sleep. Evening walks are especially important for getting used to the routine: oxygen saturation will help the child fall asleep faster during bedtime and provide healthier and longer sleep at night.
It is also better to put your newborn to bed at the same time. Even if the baby is capricious, you should not take him out of the crib and rock him in your arms for a long time. How earlier child understands that the crib is associated with sleep, the easier it will be to establish the correct regime in the future.
Pediatricians advise following a certain ritual before going to bed, which may be something like this:
- and evening massage (stroking, rubbing);
- changing into pajamas or sleeping suits (an important action that helps you quickly develop the habit of falling asleep in a crib);
- feeding and calm communication with the child;
- going to bed.
Mom can stay with the baby until he falls asleep, but it is not recommended to pick up the baby after he has been put to bed.
How to get used to a routine - the opinion of a pediatrician