Getting Your Baby On a Schedule: My Tips and Tricks

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I completely understand that schedules are not for everyone. If you are one of those people that schedules don’t work for, I totally respect that. My hubs and I are the type of people that thrive on consistency, therefore schedules really work for me and my family! Starting at around 6 weeks I started trying to get Evie on a schedule. I didn’t want to push anything on her. If she wasn’t hungry, I wasn’t going to make her eat, if she wasn’t tired I wasn’t going to make her sleep. Instead, we started doing these 3 simple things to help her figure out a schedule to her liking…with a little assistance from us :).

Use Enbrighten Café String Lights with Touch Smart Timer– I know….it’s definitely different but it has worked so well! We hung the lights in Evie’s room then plugged them into the Touch Smart Timer. That way when we want Evie to start waking up we set the timer for that time and the lights turn on. After the lights turn on she gradually starts waking up on her own. That way we don’t have to go in her room and it makes her feel like it’s her idea to be waking up :). These lights are so cute, fit perfectly with any decor and can either be indoor or outdoor lights. They’re also energy saving lights, so they will save you an average of $119 per year!
Set a bedtime routine– from the day we brought her home from the hospital we started a bedtime routine with Evie. This is not only crucial to helping her realize it’s bedtime but also to have special bonding time with her. I look forward to her bed time routine every night, its such a special time that we get together as a family! Here’s what our bedtime routine looks like- we do it at the exact same time every day:
- Playtime with daddy- about 20 min.
- Bathtime- we only do this step 2-3 times a week.
- Changing and swaddling
- Story time (I have loved getting books monthly from my Bookroo subscription, its the easiest way to build up your book supply without spending tons of money! Use code “WHIJOH” at checkout for $10 off your order).
- Prayer time
Set the mood– we use blackout curtains to keep the light out. When we first started trying to develop a schedule I noticed that Evie had the hardest time falling asleep when it was light outside…she’s kind of like her mama and if people are awake she wants to be too! So we got blackout curtains and it’s been a world of difference. We also use white noise- we just downloaded a free app and have it playing from an iPod out of a speaker in her room. It’s gotten to the point that whenever she hears the noise she starts to get drowsy, its amazing!