I am nearing the end of my time working in Primrose Hill. Establishing a routine is indeed possible to achieve for baby number three.
A baby’s day time routine will determine how peaceful a night you have and while you franticly juggle school runs, school clubs and play dates, don’t expect that you will be able to go it alone from day one. Always get a little help when it is needed from friends and family particularly in the first four to six weeks as you are establishing a routine that works.
Yes, it is true that the third child needs to fit in with the rest of the family and will get carted around in her car seat very soon after birth. Unless you are one of the lucky ones who’s baby sleeps night and day, you’ll need to create structure and begin establishing a routine during the day, which the whole family needs to be aware of, in order for your baby to quickly recognize the difference between day and night, learning that day time is the time to be active and the need to have some structured playtime in order to sleep at night. Each family member’s needs are met, if your new baby’s needs aren’t met during the day, she will surely wake more at night.
To get there quickly, concentrate on your feeds and allow your baby to digest the feed properly. Allow time after the feed to digest and play before bundling baby into the car for the school run. Better still, get help with school runs for the first six to twelve weeks. Newborns are unable to stay awake in motion, so may get too much sleep if carted around. The newborn stage is a very short time in your family’s life to accommodate this establishing stage but a long and important stage of your new arrival’s. Once established your new addition should be able to fit in more easily around siblings routine, with the added bonus of sleeping through the night.
