Where to start?

[FebMama]

So my little one is 5 weeks old. I know it's super early to establish a routine of any kind and no two days are going to be the same. But where do I start in trying to create some form of structure? At the moment, waking up/feeds/going to bed varies each day.

I hear things about starting the day at the same time each day - is this a good idea or too early at 5 weeks?

And bedtime routine... I'm not one to want to do a bath each night as I don't feel it's necessary at this age, but what can I do to start a bedtime routine? At the moment, I take baby upstairs when I want to go up and when he's due his next feed. I feed him in a dimly lit room, white noise on, swaddle him then put him down.

I guess I just want to start incorporating some healthy sleep habits and also feel a bit in control of the day. At the moment, I feel a bit all over the place each day.

I hope this makes sense, I realise I'm being a bit of a waffler but would just love to hear some tips and advice to help feel a bit more settled!

Also what's the deal with naps? Should naps in the day be kept the same as night time sleep, white noise, swaddle etc? Or day sleep in a light room, noisy etc to help establish day from night? I read so many mixed things!

Up for a night feed so hopeful bump! 😊

I wouldn't bother waking at the sane time at this age. We tried that and it actually meant we just missed out on some precious sleep. But didn't really help establish a day routine.

You could try a set bedtime though? You can follow wake windows and wake them up from their last nap so they will be ready to sleep at the time you choose. I wouldn't pick 7pm though as it just means you'll be starting your mornings very early!

A routine is just something you do the same each time, so build one that suits you and include / exclude what you want. For example, my DS's bedtime routine does not include me doing 5 star jumps because I don't want to do 5 star jumps every night!

Seriously though, my 5mo's bedtime routine is:
Change nappy & clothes
Put in sleeping bag (he hates this so...)
2-3 minutes with a toy to calm down
Read 2 or 3 board books, always ending with the same one.
Tell him goodnight, it's sleepy time.
Put on white noise & close blind.
Sing & feed to sleep.

I built this routine gradually. I think at 5 weeks all I did was change clothes, nappy, say goodnight & set up the sleep environment. Your routine will change over time. Neither of us will be doing the same for our small babies as we will for our 3 year olds. And there is no "right" routine - do 10 star jumps if you want to every bedtime!!

On bath nights, I just do a bath at the start of the routine because it leads nicely into fresh clothes etc. On non-bath nights, we just jump straight in at the top.

Nap time routine is similar, just without changing clothes, nappy (we do this after a nap, some people do it before, up to you) and no toys once in the sleeping bag. And "nap time" instead of saying goodnight.

We also have a morning routine, which is to put him in his highchair, previously his bouncer, to have him play & watch us make & eat breakfast. While totally selfish, it works to let me eat & drink something & sort of marks the start of the day the same way we will once he's eating solids.

None of our routines have a set time, but are generally done between 6 & 8am depending on when DS wakes and 6& 8pm depending on his day. Nap times are dictated by his wake windows and mood.