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Home › Articles › Sleep Issues › Scheduling Baby

Scheduling Baby

Building an Adult Life Around Baby's Schedule

By Kelly Burgess

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  • Meals: To schedule feedings early in infancy, when the baby is still solely on bottle or breast, is a matter of preference. However, as soon as she does start eating solid food, especially when she can sit in a highchair and perhaps sit with the family, meals and snacks should be taken at specific times. Meyers says for her family it was particularly valuable that they got up and had breakfast at the same time every day. It made for a consistent start to the day.
  • Playtime: Meyers says when the kids are not napping or eating, it should be time where you're fully engaged with them, at least the majority of the time. This will help them stay on a schedule, keep them from getting bored and eating or sleeping at inappropriate times and help them use up their energy when they're awake so they have little left over for fussing when it's quiet time.

This transition time can be tough in the first year. "In the beginning their needs are so primitive and primal, and those needs should come first," Dr. Berman says. "Having said that, there's nothing wrong with trying to ease them into a schedule that makes time for the adults as well."

Dr. Berman's best tip for parents is to listen to their instincts. All parents will learn the difference between a baby crying because he's hungry and one that's merely suffering separation anxiety. If it's the latter, acknowledge the baby's feelings, give him a pat and an encouraging word, but then let him know that it's time to do the next thing on the schedule.

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