Margaret Watkinson

I LOVE routines. Routines provide a predictable flow and providing your new baby with a routine not only shapes your day, it takes advantage of your baby’s ability to learn and develop expectations over time. The human brain looks for patterns- any kind of pattern! Sound patterns in music and language, visual patterns in spacing, colors and shapes and patterns in time through routines and, yes, schedules. The word “routine” speaks to developing a pattern of behavior with an air of flexibility. Our body is driven by an inner clock; our genes, every one of them, are optimally expressed by our circadian rhythm. Our circadian rhythm is established by our genes, but guided by our exposure to light/dark, when we eat and when we sleep. The sleepy hormone, melatonin production, like all clock/time hormones, over a 24 hour period aided by our exposure to daylight, dark and when we eat etc..Newborns are not born with the biological ability to make melatonin, very likely to help them survive! They eat, sleep and are alert but not because of melatonin or circadian rhythm. This time period birth to 12-16 weeks follows it’s own predictable “unpredictability” and caregivers respond, no matter how tired (because OUR melatonin is well established!) b/c thats what baby needs. We can help our little one establish these mature circadian rhythms when we get baby out into daylight mornings and afternoons, leave the sleep/feeding space as dark as possible during the overnight area and understand that these first 12 weeks are going to be unpredictable as we discover the temperament and personality of our baby, and once melatonin production begins, over time, baby will begin to take advantage of our work to establish a routine that follows our little one’s circadian rhythm around 4-5ish months.