Let's talk about routines...

Last time I spoke about sleep and why it is so important for you and your family. I touched upon regular snooze times for your little one and today I want to talk a bit about why this is so fundamental – especially for babies.

Routines are all around us… we go to work at a certain time, we eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at specific times, we sometimes even have a regular toilet clock (I know, TMI!). This isn’t by chance, our bodies and minds are creatures of habit. Our subconscious likes to know when something regular will occur and to expect it. Why? Because this predictability helps us to feels safe and secure. It helps us to go about our day knowing the ups and downs, and the flow of time. Sleep is no different! If anything, sleep is the most important thing to require a schedule. And what’s more important than sleep schedules? Sleep schedules for babies!

Babies start producing melatonin between 8 and 16 weeks of age, and until that happens they will especially rely on you to be their day and night clock. Their bodies do not know yet the difference between day and night, to them it’s all snooze time! By following a SleepBaker sleep schedule, you will help your baby get into a routine. They will innately start to get used to certain wake up and snooze times. They’ll know that it is OK if they are put to bed while they’re awake, because this will happen again and again. This is safe for them. This is predictable. This is just how the day goes. They will start to recognise that and be left overtired.

Our bodies also have something called a circadian rhythm. This is our internal clock that regulates our sleep and wake times. It helps keep our hormones, body temperature and digestion in check. How does it do this? It uses light exposure to know whether it is day or night time. Your baby’s circadian rhythm will take time to develop. There will be little to no light sensitivity in terms of snooze in those first few weeks to months. For this reason, you will become that rhythm for them!

“Master sleep scheduler” is a role not to be taken lightly. During snooze time your baby’s brain is developing, they are growing, they are dreaming and for their first 6 months they are developing sleeping skills. This is why it is super, super, super crucial that in those 6 months they are learning and building good, healthy sleeping habits. They will thank you for it later (and so will you)!