Daylight savings, wake windows and routine, routine, routine!
I love daylight savings! I love how it means extra time outside and enjoying the longer days. I know for me it was an adjustment when the clocks got turned back an hour. It’s harder for little ones to adjust to environmental changes. A little extra sleep disruption for a little while, but that’s ok.
After a busy day, I’m sitting here watching my little one sleep. It’s got my mind wandering down memory lane. It’s amazing how quickly, in the blink of an eye, your mind can transport you, and all the memories come flooding back. Now, I’m right back to when he was a newborn. Wow, what a time that was! 💗
This wasn’t all so new to me, I was lucky to watch my sister learn things when she became a mum. I still wanted to learn as much as possible to help me navigate this exciting and scary stage. I read books, listened to podcasts and was given lots of advice. I remember many people commenting on wake windows and how it was important to help the baby. It’s so hard, there are so many mixed messages. It’s information overload for new mums!
Let me tell you…. Wake windows are based on the idea that babies should only be awake for a specific amount of time before going back to sleep. It helps them to develop their muscle memory and sleep longer. As a new mum, I thought this sounded great, providing my baby with routine and structure (which I’m used to doing as a teacher) and helping regulate sleep. No worries!
Sliding further into motherhood and understand more each day, I found they weren’t for me at all! In actual fact, it had the opposite effect; I constantly clock-watch, check apps and felt anxious. I hated it! Something needed to change. I wanted to be happy, relaxed and enjoy time with my gorgeous baby.
I decided to be natural and follow his lead. I had always planned on being child-focused and slowing down. This just complimented those ideas nicely. It was fascinating that by doing that, everything fell into place. He naturally formed his own body clock routine. This is a structure with flexibility.
I focused instead on getting to know him better and being present. Observing him and learning his different cues helped me give him exactly what he needed.
Wake windows and strict routines may suit others, and that’s ok; it’s just not how I wanted to do things.
I’d love to know your thoughts – as a new mother, do you prefer being structured, flexible or a bit of both?
One more thing – I’m slowly collating a useful resource of amazing businesses that can support parents in different ways. Stay tuned for more information!
Shana x
