Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 2: Day Mode
• Part 2 of 2: Night Mode
• Tips

Caring for newborns is not easy, but teaching them how to sleep and eat on a regular basis can greatly simplify the task. Most experts agree that a newborn baby is ready for a regimen between two and four months of age.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Day Mode

1. 1 Write down your toddler's routine. For a start, it would be a good idea to buy a notebook in which you will write down your child's daily schedule. This will help you determine if your new regimen is working.
   • On the first page of your notebook, draw a simple table with the following columns: time, activity, note. Write down every major daily activity throughout the day, every day of the week. For example: 6:00 am: the baby is awake, 9:00 am: the baby has eaten, 11:00: the baby is asleep, etc.
   • Instead, you can record your child's routine in spreadsheets on a computer, or use an online tracker like Trixie Tracker or whatever.
2. 2 Schedule your child's biorhythms. Try to find out if there is a pattern in your child's current sleep and eating habits.
   • If you notice that your baby needs to change a diaper or becomes moody at certain times of the day, you can incorporate this into your schedule.
   • This will help you create a new schedule and plan your day according to your baby's needs.
   • A child who sleeps well and is not hungry will be much happier and ready to play, hug and learn new things.
3. 3 Try to set a wake-up time. Babies usually sleep a lot during the day. For the first few weeks, they need to sleep 16 hours a day.
   • Since sleep is the main activity for newborns, it is necessary to put some order in this "sleeping activity" so that they do not wake up in the middle of the night.
4. 4 The first thing to do is set the wake-up time. While this can be difficult, you should wake your child at the same time every day. If he tends to wake up earlier than his preferred wake-up time, you will need to adjust his sleep schedule so that he falls asleep later.
5. 5 Feed, change diapers and play with your baby. Once the baby is awake, change the diapers and dress the baby. Then take him to you and feed him. It doesn't matter if you are breastfeeding or formula feeding, your baby needs closeness.
   • Play with your baby after feeding. Talk to him, sing him a song, hug him. He will enjoy your scent, voice and closeness.
   • After that, put the baby in the crib, let him sleep. Do this as soon as you notice signs of fatigue, such as your little one yawning, annoyed, crying, or rubbing his nose.
6. 6 Let the child sleep for 2-3 hours. It is likely that the baby will wake up on his own in 2-3 hours. If he doesn't wake up, you need to wake him up. A child who sleeps too much does not eat enough during the day; this can lead to dehydration and weight loss.
7. 7 Repeat this cycle throughout the day. You can repeat the above cycle throughout the day, except feed your baby before changing diapers and playing. Many babies take off their diaper when they eat. This way, you don't have to swaddle your baby twice. So:
   • Wake up the baby
   • Feed
   • Change the diaper, play with the baby for a while, talk to him, sing a song, cuddle him.
   • Put your baby to sleep.
8. 8 Distinguish between daytime and nighttime sleep. In order to accustom the child to the regime, it is important to distinguish between night and day sleep.
   • You can do this by putting your baby to bed in a brightly lit room during the day and in a dark room at night. If you put your baby to sleep in a dark room during the day, you will simply confuse him and the whole regime will be disrupted.
   • Also, don't be afraid to make noise when your baby is asleep during the day - he should get used to it. Leave the radio on, vacuum and speak normally.
9. 9 Feed your baby when he is hungry. It is important to note that you should always feed your baby when he is hungry, even if it does not fit into your schedule.
   • It is unfair to leave a newborn hungry just because it is not time to feed according to the regimen.
   • Signs that your baby is hungry are crying and sucking on his hand.
10. 10 If you are breastfeeding your baby, do it every 2-3 hours. If the baby is not crying or wanting to eat, you still need to feed him. This is especially important when breastfeeding.
    • If the baby does not eat in this way, the mother's breast may become overloaded with milk, which can be painful for her, and it will be more difficult for the baby to feed.
    • If your baby eats too often, the mother's breast cannot store enough milk, and the quality and quantity of milk will suffer. In this case, the child may be hungry all the time, even though he is constantly eating.
11. 11 Learn the language of crying. A newborn communicates through crying, and over time, you will learn to understand if your baby is crying because he is hungry, or because he is nervous, or has something painful.

Part 2 of 2: Night Mode

1. 1 Set a time for sleep. Follow your baby's natural sleep patterns and find out what is the best time to sleep at night. Keeping a diary here, too, will not be superfluous.
   • Don't play too much with your newborn before bed. This will make it harder for him to fall asleep.
   • Buy your baby before bed and massage his skin with a little milk or oil. This will help relax your baby before bed.
2. 2 Reduce noise levels at night. Sing your baby a lullaby or play light, calm music to help your baby to sleep. Sing even if you are not very good at singing. Your child loves your voice and is not a music critic.
   • Keep your home quiet at night. A quiet, peaceful environment will indicate to your little one that this is not just a daytime nap.
3. 3 Dim the lights. Put your baby to sleep in a dimly lit room. Do not turn off the lights completely. You should always see your baby. In a darkened room, the child will sleep through the night.
4. 4 Get ready to wake up during the night. Your baby is likely to wake up at night. When this happens, pick him up, feed him and put him back in the crib. Do not change diapers until you really need to. This part of the mode goes down at night, along with play and hugs.
   • If the child does not wake up at night to eat, wake him up. No matter how good it may sound, that a newborn sleeps through the night is not good for him.
   • Babies should be fed every 2-3 hours. Otherwise, the child may be dehydrated and hungry, which causes fatigue and weakness.
5. 5 Stick to the regime. It's important to stick to your schedule as best you can, especially wake-up and bed-down times. This will make it easier for the baby to get used to the regime. However, keep in mind that over time, your baby will sleep less and require more of your attention and time.

Tips

• If your baby falls asleep while feeding, arrange so that he sleeps in a clean diaper.