One of the first things I learned as a new mom is how important and beneficial a schedule is. I think I would’ve went crazy without it. As a teacher I’m used to everything being on some sort of schedule and I think children benefit from the repetition. I wanted to make sure that my child had the best experience with me and that meant I had to be at my best. So I read, read, and read articles, books, and blogs about schedules; I talked to my friends who already were moms and I talked to my husband about how we wanted to bring our daughter up in this world. We come from an Indian background where our parents just let us run free and decided to discipline and schedule us when we were 5 which by then was too late. (I was a horrible child.) I wanted to make sure my daughter was well rested because I knew she would be more happy. So for all the frazzled moms out there here is the schedule that I’ve been doing with my daughter since she was 6 weeks old. I’m happy to say that she’s been sleeping through the night since she was 6 weeks old and she’s a delight to be around. She makes me love being a mom! My daughter is 4.5 months old now so her schedule is sleep 2 hours waketime 2 hours sleeptime- every baby is different, you should the adjust timing accordingly. Remember your schedule does not have to be strict – be flexible. This is just a guide to help spend the most productive time with your baby.
8:00 am Feed
8:30 Read the bible and pray together
8:45 Play together ~ for example:
- Sing nursery or bible songs to her
- Dance with her or for her
- look in the mirror and point out her eyes, nose, etc.
9:30 Read a book; look at alphabet or word cards together
10:00 Nap time
12:00 Feed
12:30 Play with the baby
- Do different exercises with her. A good website is www.huggies.com
- Tummy time or helping her to roll or stand. (Depends on age of baby)
1:15 Independent play
- Sitting on a bouncy seat
- playing with an activity gym, stationary entertainer, swing etc. If you have a couple of these you can transfer the baby to each one when she gets bored
- helping the baby to hold a ball, toy, spoon etc. You want to do exercises that will help the baby’s motor skills
2:00 Nap time
4:00 Feed
4:30 Play with her/Independent play
6:00 Last feeding
7:00 bath time
7:15 bedtime ritual:
- turn off the lights except for night lite, small lamp, or closet light
- turn on sound machine (if you use one)
- read a bedtime story
- pray
- put her to bed
Please feel free to share your thoughts or comments.
Stay tuned to my next post where I will be writing about what I did to help my daughter sleep through the night.
