Sense of Security

• Babies with routines for daily activities such as meals, bath and sleep feel secure and happy. With routines, babies are aware of what they will be doing next, and this certainty gives them a sense of security, which makes them happy. This steady foundation of security helps them as they develop.
  
  Babies, at this stage, are facing the challenge of growing up. They find they have new skills to learn such as eating; they are slowly becoming aware of themselves, their emotions and needs, as well as people around them. Treading into this new territory can be confusing and frightening. Having routines gives them something that is familiar, which comforts them, and helps them handle the stress of growing up with less difficulty.
  
  

Learning

• By setting fixed routines, parents make it easier for babies to learn about new things around them, as they grow. With predictable bath, play and mealtime routines, parents teach babies that they have to stick to established rules. This sets the foundation for their later years when they must learn to adhere to rules to live in harmony with society. Routines also teach babies as they grow that they need to follow a pattern of daily activities; for example, they need to bathe before they eat, and this knowledge contributes to their development.
  
  

Better Parent-Child Bonding

• As you establish routines and guide your baby through them by being by his side, you are developing a deeper bond between you. As you cater to your baby's needs consistently through routines, you develop trust in him that you will respond to his every need.
  
  

Some Tips for Establishing Routines

• Parents should not force babies into routines. It helps to let the baby follow her own sleep and meal timings during the first few months after birth. Introduce routines slowly and gradually - a step a day- into the baby's life. Establish nighttime sleep routine when the baby is about 4 or 6 weeks old. Simple bedtime rituals including a warm bath, a dim-lit room accompanied by nursing her before putting her to bed, are enough. Playtime routines can be introduced when the baby turns 3 months old. By 7 months most babies are well-programmed to their eating, playing and sleeping routines.