This week I am trying out a baby routine called EASY. Let's hope it is!

Below are the main points. Give it a go and see what you think and let me know.

Sunday was our first day and it started off with no routine and baby waking up at 11am in our bed.

The first time she went for a nap, she cried for about 20 mins on and off, so I tried a dummy and she fell to sleep herself.

The second time she was fine. She cried on and off, but took a dummy until it fell out.

If baby cries whilst in cot, the advice is not to rush to pick them up but go to them put your hand on their chest and tell them you are there and that everything is okay. You can use a dummy or cuddles if needed.

On Monday it took her an hour to settle to sleep because she didn't like coming out of the bath. I gave her some cuddles, but still put Izzy in her bed.

She slept from 9.30pm until 2.30am, then had a change and a feed and settled straight away. She then slept until 6.30am, had a dream feed, then slept until 8.30am.

E = EAT

If you breast feed you should do this on one breast for at least 35 minutes for the baby to get all the stages of the milk. If baby falls asleep you can wake them up easily by pressing the palm of her hand, blowing on their cheek, massaging their foot, etc.

A = ACTIVITY

This can be self play on a play mat, tummy time, watching TV (according to some books the colours are a good sensory stimulation for young babies), a bath in the evening (only once a day), singing, reading a book, cuddles, etc.

S = SLEEP

Baby should be set down to fall asleep in a crib or cot once displaying the signs of tiredness. If you get to the third stage, baby has been set down too late. The first sign is yawning, the second is rubbing eyes, and the third sign is crying from being overtired.

Make sure the room is darkened and there are no distractions in the cot. If you enter the room make sure you keep the conditions dark and have nothing stimulating. (However - we have a Radiohead Lullaby CD which Izzy listens to until she falls asleep on low in our room.)

Y = YOU

This is time for you when baby is asleep. It suggests that if baby is asleep between 2-5pm in the afternoon then this is your time to have a nap too.

This cycle goes in around three to four hours. You have a daily diary under set headings:

  • Eat Time
  • How much
  • How (breast) and which side (only use one breast per feed) or Formula Feed,
  • Nappy change
  • Activity, what and how long (if baby starts making figdety noise it often means they are bored so change activity)
  • Sleep - set down at the first signs but definitely by the second stage, and use a dummy so that baby can self settle rather than a bottle/breast so she/he doesn't associate food before bedtime.

You should give cuddles when the baby is crying, but put them down when they stop.

If baby has not had a routine and is under three months this should be a settled routine in three days. This is because their memory is not fully formed.

If the baby is more than three months old it can take up to three weeks.

If the baby is already settled into its own routine, you are advised to introduce one element per day.

I hope this helps you. The EASY routine can be found in a book called the Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg. Cool lullaby albums are called Rockaby Baby and can be found on www.play.com and amazon. Artists are covered by music box and include Radiohead, Pixies, Nirvana, Beach Boys, Metallica.