The Value Of Family Routines

The value of family routines is immense, both for maintaining harmony in the family dynamic and for instilling good habits  in our little ones. Houses in which anarchy and lack of structure reigns make children equally anarchic and disorganized. With this article we would like to invite you to reflect on the family routines adopted in your home and verify their effectiveness.

Family routines with a baby

In case you have a baby at home, if you want to reserve some time for you, the adoption of a routine is essential. Creating (approximate) schedules is the best way to have an organized  and predictable day, and to be able to make plans with “your time”.

What we mean is that babies must follow a routine that regulates nutrition, bathing and stimulation, and that gets them sunbathing at times that allow you to organize your day and for them to learn to regulate themselves a little. ‘ at a time.

Of course, everything must be done wisely, because, for example, a one-month-old baby will have a hard time adapting to feeding and sleeping times. However,  you can arrange a sequence for him that includes breastfeeding, sensory stimulation, or an afternoon siesta. You can also respect the hours of bathing and sun exposure which are completely up to you.

By about two or three months of age, most babies already adopt intervals of around three hours between meals. If you seem to be unable to achieve this, seek help from a professional breastfeeding consultant or your pediatrician. A baby who eats well sleeps well: only in this way can you create an effective routine. A baby who does not eat well, on the other hand, sleeps little and becomes whiny and irritable.

Routine with young children

After the little ones have started attending kindergarten or preschool, it is important to change the family routine. It must be considered, in fact, that the hours of sleep must be sufficient, so that your child has enough energy to play and have fun, and, consequently, to enjoy all that these facilities have to offer.

Keep in mind the following aspects:

• Consider the times when you have to go to sleep and then get up. The morning routine is very important, because  the day must start happily for both them and you.

• Most babies need time to wake up, drink milk and get dressed properly. So try to have enough time without rushing them.
• Once they return home, routine becomes again important in instilling good habits in them. Teach them to wash their hands when they return home, to change their clothes or whatever you think is appropriate, according to the dynamics of your family.
• Remember to keep the hours unchanged for the bathroom and dinner, but also for the game.
• Make sure that they adopt correct habits even during meals, such as, for example, sitting on a chair or using napkins. You can also encourage them to try to use cutlery.
• Equally important is that, after they have finished playing, they collect the toys, according, of course, to their possibilities.

Routine with older children

Older children are already starting to have other responsibilities, such as schoolwork, which you need to incorporate into your daily routine.

• Organize the morning routine through posters containing photographs or drawings, thanks to which the children can see what they need to do: wash, dress, have breakfast… Enter any activity that you think should be part of their morning routine.
• Even after returning home, there must be times for eating, watching television, playing, doing homework and bathing.
• Each of these activities must be organized according to its own scheme. In other words, for example, when it comes time to bathe, the child must be able to do it alone or with a little help, get dressed, collect dirty clothes, put them in the basket …

• At this stage, routine and the creation of good school habits are absolutely essential. The tasks should be done at the same time in a suitable place, well lit and ventilated, and where noises and distracting factors are minimized. After finishing, the child must collect all the material and prepare the folder for the following day.
• When it’s time for dinner, ask him to help you set the table and, after it’s done, take his plate and take it to the kitchen.

Routines are synonymous with perseverance

Remember that creating effective family routines requires persistence and persistence on your part, as well as some effort and the use of your judgment  to organize them in the best possible way. The results, however, will not be long in coming and will show how much it was worth it.

Being consistent and persistent in creating routines means putting them into practice day in and day out with unwavering determination. If you reserve the issue of structure and schedules only for the days when you intend to scold your children, while on other days you sabotage the schedules you have set, it will be much more difficult for you to insert the routines into the family dynamic.

Love and good humor

Love and good humor are the secrets that will allow you to establish family routines without the coexistence becoming charged with tension. Educating your children is not the same as scolding them. It means forming with love, patience and perseverance.