Excerpt by Kristen Burgess with permission from christopherushomeschool.org A rhythmic, ordered life is nourishing to the young child.  This includes the littlest children as well!  Bringing rhythm into your baby’s days and life will benefit you and your baby, as well as the rest of your family. Remember that a life of rhythm and routine is not about harshly scheduling your baby.  Rhythm is more natural, organic, and can flow.  It is always there to hold the family, and to carry the family – but it does not bind the family. Once your baby is between 2 to 4 weeks old you can begin working with rhythm.  Begin based on your own feelings about it – just don’t try to tax yourself too soon after giving birth. Start by deciding a guiding rhythm for your own day.  If you have older children this may be easy since you probably already have set waking, eating, and bedtimes (if not, this is a good time to work on it!)  If this baby is your first you will need to have more discipline with yourself.  It was far easier for me to give my second and third child a rhythmic babyhood than it was with my first. But begin by setting a time to wake (or to wake baby if you prefer to rise earlier) in the morning, a time to eat your meals (and you should really be getting snacks too!), and a time put baby to bed.  You do not have to be rigid about these times.  A general “around 8 o’clock, around noon, etc.” is good.  I do recommend you research bedtime and choose an early bedtime for your baby.  My own children go to bed at 7 o’clock! Now that you have those cornerstones begin to live life with your new baby – or older baby!  Wake in the morning, dress or freshen up.  Get baby ready for the day.  Eat breakfast and nurse baby.  Then you may want to do some housework with baby in the sling, take a walk outside with baby, or nurse baby some more. When you sit down to have your snack, nurse baby.  Your baby will come to associate this snack-time with nursing.  Gradually you can work towards the morning nap being just after this snack-time.  It’s a matter of gradually adjusting your baby into this rhythm and routine.  My second baby fell … Read More