A newborn is an undeniable happiness that needs round-the-clock care and support. But within a week after being discharged from the hospital, many mothers will learn the meaning of postpartum depression from their own experience. All due to the fact that it seems to them that their personal life has ended forever, turning into a life for a child. To avoid this and enjoy motherhood from the first days, it is important to observe the daily regimen and instill it in the child.
Happy mom
The need for a regimen for a child under one year old
The idea of the regime is important not for the child, but for his parents. The kid can live without any regime, spontaneously falling asleep when tired, and, waking up immediately after sleeping enough, in between dreams, demand food. Mom cannot live in such a rhythm. She should have time to prepare meals for the whole family, clean the house, do the laundry, and more, without forgetting to rest.
Important! If from the first days the child's sleep regimen is determined up to one year old, the mother will be able to save her strength both for solving household issues, for herself and for dad.
Formation of the daily routine begins with feeding. If parents choose to eat by the hour, rather than on demand, this greatly simplifies life for several reasons:
- you can plan a joint exit for long walks;
- the mother has the opportunity to leave the child for a couple of hours;
- the baby's digestive system has time to process the food received, overfeeding is excluded;
- it is easier to understand the reasons for the crying of a child when there is confidence that he is not hungry.
To maintain emotional health in the home, you need a regime that will be formed not by the child, but by the family. According to all the laws of nature, the cub always follows the flock, and not vice versa. The same goes for people. If the parents are owls, you do not need to put the baby to sleep at night at 21:00, it is wiser to build the day so that the night begins at 23:00.
Baby in the crib
Principles of building a regime for a child
While the mother and baby are in the postpartum department of the maternity hospital, the number of feedings for the child is not limited. However, there is still a "rule of three hours", which disciplines women who have given birth, instructs them to change their breasts every three hours. This means that within three hours the baby will absorb one breast, and within the next three hours the other. This feeding regimen should be maintained for 4-5 days until the breasts begin to fill.
When the mother is able to provide enough milk for her baby, uncontrolled feeding should stop. With the growth of the baby, the regime will change: the intervals between feedings will increase, sleep will decrease, and wakefulness will be more interesting and longer.
To start building a regimen, it is important to determine the activities that the baby will be busy with in the intervals between feeding and sleep:
- there must be two walks: morning and evening;
- developing communication with parents at least once a day;
- bathing in a large tub must be arranged.
Attention! By correctly distributing the time, combining the necessary procedures with the child's sleep, trips to the clinic and the store will not turn into a nightmare due to the fact that the baby is not hungry at the right time.
Baby's sleep schedule from birth to one year
The baby's need for sleep changes in accordance with his height. All children are individual, among them you can find both a typical dormouse and an active tumbler. However, despite the difference in temperaments, medical statistics claim that the average sleep values can be unambiguously identified for a child in the first year of life on a monthly basis.
Average daily sleep requirement
| Age, months | Average daily indicator, hours | Duration of night sleep, hours | Daily rate, hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-3 | 16-20 | 3-4 | 1,5-2 |
| 4-6 | 15-18 | 6-8 | 1,5-2 |
| 7-9 | 15-17 | 7-8 | 1,5-2 |
| 10-12 | 13,5-14 | 10 | 1,5-2,5 |
Important! A child after 6 months physiologically does not need night feeding. His awakening and crying at this age is a manifestation of a habit or a need for his mother's hugs, the mother decides to react or not to which.
Child and watch
When you sleep at home, in no case should you arrange a silence mode, whether it is night or day, it does not matter. Even if the baby grows up in a one-room apartment or studio apartment, where adults can watch TV, talk, have dinner, there is no need to give up the usual actions. It is enough to lower the TV volume to a reasonable value, speak in an undertone, turn off the loud and harsh ringer of the phone. The kid will easily get used to the noise of his home and will not react to it. Otherwise, all family members will have to freeze for a couple of hours several times a day while the baby is sleeping.
Daily routine for a child
At the age of a newborn, the baby will be awake for no more than an hour, but several times a day. It makes no sense to build a regime during this period. The baby sleeps a lot and almost does not cause trouble. It is very convenient to walk with a child at this age - he humbly sleeps in a stroller while his mother walks, breathes air, communicates with her friends.
When a baby turns 3 months old, he has long been accustomed to being fed every three hours, his body and biorhythm are set up like a stopwatch. You can make an approximate day saturation for a baby 3-5 months old:
- The child's morning begins at 8 o'clock, he wakes up and waits for breakfast. It is interesting that the girls, only opening their eyes, immediately begin to behave actively: they throw off the blanket with their legs, wave their hands, shout. Boys, on the other hand, behave slightly lazily: they look around, do not make unnecessary movements, after a while they make grunting sounds that turn into crying.
- Wakefulness lasts no more than 2 hours, which are best spent talking with mom.
- At 10-11 am, the baby got hungry again. It's best to prepare him and yourself for a walk before feeding. If it is a cold season, wear only warm indoor clothing, having a jumpsuit on hand. In hot months, put on street romper immediately. This is important because the baby is more likely to fall asleep or be ready to do so while feeding. With a well-fed and tired baby, it will be possible to walk for more than one hour, possibly until the next feeding.
- At 13-14 o'clock, the baby by crying signals the end of the walk and the desire to eat.
- Having eaten at home, he is ready to play again and communicate with his mother until 16-17.
- At 17 o'clock, having received another portion of milk, he will fall asleep again, giving mom the opportunity to spend time preparing dinner for dad, who will soon come home from work.
- A baby who wakes up around 18-19 o'clock can be transferred for communication to a dad who came so that mom can take a shower, clean up the house or cook something else. It's better if Daddy goes out for an hour.
- The child returning from a walk is hungry again, the approximate time is 21:00. Having given the required amount of milk, mom prepares the bed for a night's sleep, dad helps by communicating with the baby. The bedroom is being ventilated, the bed is being prepared, the bath is being filled.
- 23:00 - swimming in a cool bath. A preliminary warm-up is required.
- 23:30 - hearty dinner and sound sleep until 8 in the morning.
Attention! Young parents should not be intimidated by such late laying of the baby, because in this case he will sleep until 8-9 o'clock in the morning. If you have an irresistible urge to put him to bed at 21:00, do not be surprised that the day will start at 5:00.
Reasons for violations of the regime
The regimen of a child up to a year, changing by months, does not have sharp jumps. However, at the age of 6 months, sleep, accompanied by tearfulness, can be significantly reduced. It is worth paying attention to the gums - perhaps they are reddened and noticeably increased in size, which means that teeth are teething. Pain relievers can help in this case, which are best given before bedtime, after obtaining the approval of the pediatrician.
If the baby sleeps well during the daytime and little at night, you need to wake him up in time during the day, focusing on the required number of hours of sleep. Not having enough sleep during the day, he will sleep more calmly and sleep longer at night. Long naps can shift the entire mode, up to the change of time of day.
Tips for teaching your baby to do the regimen
All parents should understand that the described tips for laying a baby, which are so full of forums for inexperienced mothers, have nothing to do with healthy sleep, the emotional health of the mother and the daily routine. Rocking techniques in a crib or a stroller, carrying a child in their arms, accompanied by rhythmic shaking - all this is torment for the mother and is very harmful for the child.
Attention! In order for the baby to fall asleep on its own, he must get tired while awake, that is, want to sleep. Then the baby will be able to fall asleep on its own. In case he cries out of fatigue, you just need to hug him and calmly pat him on the back.
Peace of mind in a family with a regime
Baby crying an hour after feeding is not a requirement for milk. The child is either hot, or felt like cuddling, maybe he is tired and wants to sleep. In no case should you deviate from the chosen course regarding the diet, otherwise it will turn into round-the-clock hanging on the chest, chronic lack of sleep for the whole family and fear from the thought of a second child.
