RoutineTalk: For Babies

Before Yahoo shuts down our email account due to the flood of requests for us to share HOW to put a baby on a schedule, let me set your minds at ease.  Over the next few days, we will be posting our specific schedules, from infancy to middle school. So stick around.

I’m up first. But before I tell you about Caly’s schedule, I want to fill you in on how I arrived at this scheduling decision.

Exactly one year ago this week, I found out that I was pregnant. As soon as those two little lines showed up on the pregnancy test, my motherhood journey began. The most pressing question before me: How do I do this mommy thing? Sure, I spent years babysitting and caring for my little brother and nephews, but this was gonna be different. I wasn’t going to give this one back at the end of the evening. She was going home with me.

The Bible doesn’t tell me whether or not to use a pacifier or to let my baby cry herself to sleep; but it does tell me where I can find the answers to these—and many other—questions. Just check out Titus 2:3-5: “Older women are…to train…the younger women…to love their children.” What wisdom is
found in these words!

But where do we start? Given the endless number of methods and opinions out there, it is easy to become overwhelmed or simply ignore the advice altogether.  However, neither reaction is in line with Titus 2.  So how do we know who to pursue for help?  How do we sift through all of the suggestions?  We need to be selective. I recommend that you look for women whose children are characterized by the fruit of self-control and obedience.  And when you find one, corner her.  Ask her to coffee. Tell her you will pay.  Bring your notepad and start writing.  Don’t underestimate the benefit that you will gain. You can save yourself a whole lot of heartache and trouble, simply by gleaning from the wisdom of experienced women.

For me, these conversations started close to home. I began to grill my mom and sisters. I intentionally sought out women at church.  “Tell me everything!  What worked?  What would you do differently?”

My conversations all led me to the same conclusion—babies thrive on schedules and order. This isn’t something new or novel that I discovered on my own.  I’m leaning on centuries of motherhood experience here (Susanna Wesley, Elisabeth Elliot, and many others).  And that brings me great comfort, especially in those moments when perseverance is required. 

So, the schedule that I will be sharing over the next few days is hardly original with me.  It has evolved from many conversations, and I offer it to you as—just a suggestion.