Carla Poole is an advisor in the infant-parent development program at Bank Street College of Education in New York and a child development specialist at Bellevue Hospital. From infancy on, your children count on rituals and routines for comfort and security-especially now, as they begin a new school year. The baby quiets as she latches onto the breast or bottle and eagerly sucks. Babies feel secure and confident within the framework of loving rituals. Each newborn develop her own special daily rhythms and patterns for eating, sleeping, and alert wakefulness.
Some babies leisurely suck and take short catnaps during an extended feeding.
Others quickly digest a generous feeding and then fall into a deep sleep. Routines develop naturally when we follow the baby s lead. By six months, most babies begin to develop a more predictable schedule for sleeping, feeling, and playing. You can help your baby solidify his patterns by offering some simple routines. Some babies, for example, love bath time.