Raising a child is difficult, and each day brings a new challenge that you may not be prepared for. Even if this isn’t your first child, the process of guiding your child through their early years varies from child to child. Routines are a key component of making your life easier as you lead your child through early childhood development phases. They keep your child on track and help them know what to expect each day, so they can focus on learning and growing instead. While it may be hard at first to establish routines for your child, there are some easy tips to help you through it.
Be Consistent
Consistency is the most important part of setting up a routine, yet often the most difficult aspect of it as well. With young children, they need the predictability that comes with consistency to start on the path of being independent. This means, unless there’s a good reason to break the routine (illness, holiday, etc.), you keep the routine no matter how much you or your child don’t want to.
The early days of routines set the expectations for what your child should expect. If they can convince you to stay in bed for an extra thirty minutes in the morning simply by asking, they know that the routine isn’t set in stone. And if the routine isn’t set in stone, it’s not doing its job. Be as consistent as you can no matter how much your child (or you) doesn’t want to every day.
Lean Into What Works for Them (and You)
If you’ve ever tried to implement a routine for yourself, you know the adjustment can be hard. Going from no exercise at all to exercising five days a week is a great way to set yourself up for failure, and the same goes for setting something as simple as a bedtime routine for your child. Start with things that are similar to what you and your child are already doing instead of overwriting everything all at once. This will make it easier for your child (and you) to maintain the routines.
Make Sure Everyone Is Onboard
When you make a plan for routines, they’re hard to enforce if the entire household isn’t on the same page with maintaining the routine. For example, if you’re telling your young child one thing while your partner is telling them something contradictory, that’s confusing for the child. They’ll go with what they want to do, which normally isn’t sticking with the routine like you want them to.
The way to fix this is to have a conversation with everyone in the household before putting the routines in place. That includes any older children that you may have. This will present a united front for the child and help them adjust to any changes these routines present.
Communicate Changes Thoroughly
Communication is key when it comes to establishing a routine in your household. Explain to your child why these routines are in place and how they help both them and everyone else. You also need to explain why the routine changes if and when it does in the future. This type of conversation should happen while you both are calm, so you can answer any questions that your child may have.
Start Small
If your child has never had any sort of routine before in their life, implementing a routine may be incredibly hard. Mitigate the stress over it by starting with small moments that are already regularly occurring in the child’s life. This could mean doing something right after dinner or starting something right after they wake up. Start with simple activities that are easy to add to your child’s day, and grow them as they get used to having a daily routine.
