For all my dear friends with little newborn babies at home today!

Just got a call from my dear friend who is home with her wonderful new baby, just a week old today... She's already struggling with "life" and getting enough sleep. It's so much harder when you have older children who still need you a LOT... and the new baby who needs you a LOT MORE... oh yeah, and then a husband, a home, and perhaps even a life outside of being a mom and wife?!!!

So here is my refresher course on Baby Care and Daily Routines, from the book BabyWise by G Ezzo... (also published under the title, Growing Kids God's Way).

Daily Routine Cycle -

Step One: Baby is awakened by Momma. As much as you can, try to wake baby, gently and sweetly, within the same 30 minutes each morning. As baby grows, they will learn to wake naturally happy, and not be upset or have the first instict to cry.

Step Two: (30-40 minutes) Feed & Burp Baby; take care of baby's physical needs - clean diaper, bath, get dressed for the day, etc.

Step Three: (30-40 min) Nurture & Stimulation Time - sing & play w/ baby; go for a walk; bouncy seat set where baby can watch you or look out a window; swing time; play-n-pack time with ONE age appropriate toy/visual; interaction w/other parent or siblings.

Try to alternate activities that are hands on w/ baby and activites where baby is allowed some free-play time.

For example: Early morning: swing time;
Mid morning: going for a walk;
Early afternoon: singing & reading time.

This helps mom to gain some freedom from holding baby all day long. Mom can be very near, within eye-sight of baby, and baby will feel completely secure and comfortable.

Step Four: (90 - 120 minutes) Nap Time - first 10-15 minutes can include holding, rocking, swaying, singing. Try to keep the pre-nap routine the same every time, perhaps draw the shades in thier room, put on a lullabye CD softly. Lay baby in his/her crib and leave them to settle themselves into a nap.

Repeat Steps One through Four for the rest of the waking hours of the day.

The Nighttime Routine for Newborns is to feed them only when they wake, no less than 3-4 hours from the last time they were fed. Do not spend any extra moments giving the baby stimulation, keep the baby in as dark as setting as possible. Touch is important, but refrain from talking anymore than you have to. As baby grows in size he/she will not be dependant on emotional needs given during nighttime feedings, and will more easily be able to sleep through the night.

As baby grows older, the routine will stay very much the same, except each stage will stretch longer in time. Feeding and Physical needs, Step Two, may never take more than 20-30 minutes... but Step Three will stretch out to a few hours, as will Step Four - Nap Time. By the time the baby is 1 year old, you will have only 2-3 daytime cycles each day.