6 Ways to Help Your Baby Thrive with a Daily Routine

Struggling to get your new baby into a routine? Maybe you’ve tried everything, and nothing seems to work. Well, you’re in the right place. Grab a cup of tea, sit back, and let me share all my tips on how we got our daughter into a routine by six weeks old. It won’t be easy, but once you establish a routine, it’ll make life better for everyone.

After what felt like an eternity, my husband and I were finally holding our baby, our beautiful miracle. With tears streaming down our faces, we were finally a family of three. Those early days are an emotional roller coaster. Our daughter came into our lives, turned them upside down and right side up again. Being a first-time parent takes some adjustment. But in those moments of exhaustion, sleeplessness, and emotional highs and lows, it helps to remember that your baby is probably feeling the same way. 

Sleep (or lack of) is one of those things that, unfortunately, doesn’t get easier. It’s tough, it’s draining, and broken sleep is just awful. Some fortunate parents hit the jackpot with a baby who sleeps through the night from day one! Meanwhile, others get a tiny nocturnal gremlin who parties till dawn for two solid years. If you're in the latter camp, my deepest sympathies. But hang in there - miracles do happen!

Our little girl started sleeping through the night at six weeks old, but it took a lot of effort and commitment. Once you get them sleeping through the night, setting up a routine becomes much simpler. I’ve created a detailed guide to help you establish a routine with your little one that truly works. If you’re ready to finally get some sleep, keep reading!

Why Should You Get Your Baby into a Routine?

Before diving into the best ways to establish a routine for your baby, it's important to ask why routines matter. Aside from the clear advantage of getting more sleep, establishing a good routine early on comes with countless benefits. Think about it: as parents, we rely on routines to keep our lives manageable. For example, if your alarm doesn’t go off, how do you feel? If you're like me, you might feel out of sync all day, experience mood swings, and feel like the day is wasted. Babies are similar. They thrive on routines because it helps them know what to expect next. 

Establishing a routine early on is not only beneficial for your lifestyle and sanity but also makes it easier when leaving your little one with family or friends. A good routine allows others to comfort and soothe your baby, helping them feel at ease in new surroundings. 

When Should You Start Introducing Your Routine?

The early days of parenthood are challenging, and doing it for the first time can feel even harder because it’s all so new. You, your partner, and your baby are just getting to know each other, trying to find a rhythm that works for everyone. While establishing a routine early on is important, there’s no need to add extra pressure - new parents don’t need that. 

Those early days are all about discovering what it feels like, admiring your baby, and trying to recover from disrupted sleep. Go with the flow.  You can begin gently establishing a routine with your baby at 4 weeks old - but it’s important to keep it flexible and responsive to your baby’s needs. However, it would be great to begin to establish a routine when your baby is around 6-8 weeks. 

1. Learn Your Baby’s Cues

This is something that takes time, but it’s worth figuring out as you establish a routine. If you take the time to sit back and observe your baby, you'll be amazed at how even very young babies can clearly signal when they want to interact, are tired, or hungry. Responding to these cues helps your baby develop trust in their ability to influence their environment. It also helps a secure attachment with you.  Around 6-8 weeks. you baby will start to settle into a more predictable pattern - hooray! So it is the perfect time to begin to introduce some light structure without being too rigid. 

2. Teach Day V Night

Life gets hectic the moment your baby arrives. Between friends and family stopping by to meet the little one, juggling appointments, and managing feeding schedules, nappy changes, and sleep - there’s a lot to figure out all at once. 

To help your baby develop healthy day and night patterns, try being more social and interactive during the day while keeping things calm and quiet at night. Over time, this difference in behaviour will help your baby understand the distinction between day and night. In the morning, make changing clothes, feeding, and nappy changes fun and lively. At night, keep things calm and quiet. You could use a night light for feeds, avoid eye contact (even though those adorable blue eyes are hard to resist), and keep nappy changes low-key. 

Teaching your baby the difference between daytime and night time is like running a tiny sleep-training boot camp, but with fewer whistles and more lullabies. Get it right, and you might just convince them to join you in the magical world of synchronized sleep schedules. 

3. Create a Calming Bedtime Routine 

A familiar, gentle routine will help your baby relax and understand that it's time for sleep. It is always best to stick to the same routine every night as babies tend to thrive on times of predictability, which should help you ease into a simple transition. Ideally, you will choose a bedtime that works for your family around 6pm and 8pm - a consistent bedtime will help your baby's body clock and signal that sleep will be soon, 

Remember the four B’s: Bath, Bottle, Book, and Bed. This simple and soothing routine that might just be your new best friend. It's a great way to help your baby relax, feel secure and sleep for longer stretches. It makes it easier for everyone to get a peaceful night's sleep. 

Bath: A warm bath is the perfect first step to help your baby transition from busy day to a calm evening. Not only will you baby get all clean, but it is a soothing and sensory experience too. The warm water, soft towel and gentle voice will tell your baby that it's time to slow down. You can finish with a nice cuddle in a towel and fresh pyjamas.

Bottle: After a bath, it time for a feed of warm milk. This isn't just filling your baby with warm milk but about offering the comfort and closeness before bedtime. It gives parents the extra time to bond with their little babies. It would be a good idea to feed your baby in a dimly lit toom to help them relax, limit distractions (including eye contact). 

Book: Reading a bedtime story is a such a lovely way to end the day. Even very young babies enjoy the rhythm of your voice and closeness of being snuggled into your arms. So, choose a short, gentle book maybe filled with soft rhymes or soothing illustrations. It would be great to make it a part of your nightly routine as you'll treasure these moments together. Our favourite book to read our daughter is The Little Raindrop by Joanna Gray which is a heart-warming adventure of a little raindrop as it makes it way through its water cycle. 

Bed: The final step - bed! It's time for sleep, so aim to create a peaceful environment with dimmed lights and white noise if you're using it, in a calm, uncluttered space. Place your baby down drowsy but awake to help them learn to settle on their own. 

4. Establish Nap Routines

A good night time routine actually begins during the day. Babies thrive on a good nap! When your baby naps regularly and feeds on time, they are more likely to become more settled and sleep longer over night. You can use similar mini-routines for naps like a cuddles, lullaby and then popping them into a Moses basket or their cot to self-soothe. As you establish a routine try to make sure that your baby have their naps around the same time of day so they know when to expect a nap. 

5. Encourage Self-Soothing

Once your baby is old enough around 6-8 weeks old try putting them down for a nap or sleep when they are drowsy, not asleep. This will help them learn to drift off on their own which will help you and them sleep through the night. If they do start to fuss, pause before picking them up as they may surprise you and start to settle themselves, You will make the baby years difficult if you go to them the moment they cry! We don't need tired parents and a grumpy baby for the next two years. 

6. Set Up a Cosy and Quiet Space for Better Sleep

Creating a cosy and quiet sleep space for your baby is one of the most powerful ways to support restful sleep and emotional security. The ideal spot to build a sleeping routine is in their room, as it fosters familiarity and helps them easily understand the flow of their day. 

The best purchase we made when designing our daughter's nursery was definitely her pink blackout curtains. While they can be a bit pricey, they are absolutely worth every penny. A comfortable room temperature is key for a safe and restful sleep with an ideal temperature of 18 -22°C and not forgetting to dress your baby appropriately and use a tog-rated sleep sack instead of blankets.

Soft background noise can really help a baby drift and stay asleep by masking the household sounds. A white noise app or machine will become a saviour or maybe a toy with natural sounds like rainfall ocean waves or even soothing lullabies. We had this Swaddle Me Slumber Buddies Elephant Night Light for our daughter's room and for her Moses basket we used this Fisher-Price Soothe and Glow Seahorse. 

Final Thoughts

While babies thrive on consistency, expect some changes as they grow and from day to day. If your baby gets fussy but isn’t due for a nap or feeding yet, follow their cues. Take a breath, relax, and give yourself a moment. Every baby is unique, and things won’t always go smoothly - there will be bumps along the way, but that’s part of what makes it enjoyable, right?

When creating a routine, try to make it enjoyable. A routine doesn’t have to be all work and no play. Every activity with your baby can be a bonding experience, so be sure to include time for singing songs, cuddling, and playing. These small moments were key in helping us establish a routine for our daughter. It took effort, many late nights, and a temporary pause on our social life, but eventually, she settled into a routine that worked perfectly for her, us, and our lifestyle