Things You'll Need:
- Bottle
- Highchair
- Baby toys
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Step 1
Start early. As soon as you arrive home from the hospital with your new bundle of joy, start trying to implement a schedule. It may take a week or two for your baby to really start being predictable, but the earlier you start, the better. Your baby will be fine if he cries for a few minutes and will eventually feel secure with the schedule you have imposed.
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Step 2
Be consistent. Your baby will fall into a schedule more quickly if you keep to the schedule yourself. If you want your baby to wake up at 7 a.m., then you need to get up out of bed yourself and go get your baby. Immediately change her diaper in order to awaken your baby, breastfeed or bottle feed and then spend time playing with your child. Put your baby back down for a nap while she is still awake in order to help her learn to put herself to sleep.
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Step 3
Stay calm. If your baby starts crying just because you put him down for his nap, remain calm. You will soon learn to read your baby's cries and will know when he is crying just because he is tired. If your baby cries for more than 10 minutes, pick him up, calm him down and then put him right back down for his nap. A baby needs to learn that you are the one making the schedule, not him.
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Step 4
Be predictable. Unless you are away from the house, you should designate certain areas of your house for certain activities. The baby will quickly learn that you are going to rock her to sleep in the nursery. She will learn to eat in her high chair at the table, and she will know that the toys are to remain in the playroom. By making these distinctions for your baby, she will quickly learn what is off limits to her, which will especially help when your baby begins to crawl!
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Step 5
Be flexible. This tip may seem to contradict the other tips, but it is really essential to ensuring a happy baby. Remember that your baby is growing and changing every day, so you need to learn to change your schedule to meet his needs. Your baby may not need as long a nap this week as he did last week. He may be going through a growth spurt and need a little extra formula in his bottle. Learn to read your baby and grow as he grows.
