Rest, cleanliness & regularity:is it still sacred?

Rest, cleanliness and regularity: you've probably heard these three words when it comes to a baby's rhythm. It sounds a bit old fashioned and it is. The words are already more than a century and a half old and life now looks very different than it did back then. Are the words still relevant? In this article you can read everything about peace, cleanliness and regularity!!

Rest, cleanliness & regularity origin

If we are to believe Wikipedia, the 3 R's are a derivative of the ideas of sister Florence Nightingale. She lived from 1820 to 1910 and is regarded as the founder of modern nursing. In her bookk Notes on Nursing (1859) Nightingale described six points for good health. Tranquility, cleanliness and regularity would be a derivative of that. It sounds good and it summarizes very simply what is important for your health.

What does peace, cleanliness & regularity mean in practice?

It sounds logical, but what exactly is meant by this cleanliness, tranquility and regularity? We have listed it::

• Peace : Make sure you get enough rest. Rest does not mean constant stimuli around you, not too much (in) tension and sufficient sleep.
• Cleanliness : Florence Nightingale meant clean clients, clean rooms and a clean department. If we translate this into your own life today, it means good hygiene, such as brushing your teeth regularly, taking a shower and putting on clean clothes. In addition to physical hygiene, it is also important that the environment in which you live is clean: a clean house, clean air to breathe and clean water and food.
• Regularity : a fixed and predictable structure in your life. Examples of this are: getting up at the same time every day, three meals a day, a fixed coffee or tea moment and going to bed on time. Regularity brings peace: every day you know where you stand and what to expect. The body reacts very strongly to this. For example, you get hungry when you are used to eating - and not necessarily because you need food.t.
  
  

Is rest and regularity still sacred?

Rest and regularity are very relevant to this day. Not just for babies, but for people in general. It is still taught in this way to young healthcare professionals, theoretically or in practice. The application of the concepts now works slightly differently than when Florence Nightingale drafted them, because the world now looks very different. In our busy, hasty lives, taking a break is not always obvious. Right now, peace and regularity are very important.

Why is rest and regularity important for babies

Rest and regularity are extra important for newborn babies, because they do not yet have a rhythm of life. The conditions in the abdomen were very constant: there was constant nutrition, sufficient oxygen and few external stimuli. In that quiet cocoon, your baby rocks back and forth in slow motion, without anything happening. Your baby has no idea yet what the difference is between day and night and just takes a nap every now and then.

Once born, life suddenly looks very different. Your baby has to adapt to the rhythm of life of you and your family. That takes some getting used to. A baby needs a lot of rest and regularity to be able to adapt to this new outside world. A newborn baby experiences something new every day that he has never heard, seen, smelled or felt. It is therefore also nice if there are things that are the same every day. This predictability unconsciously gives your baby something to hold on to.

Rest and regularity schedule for babies

Every baby is different, so the perfect rest and regular schedule for babies does not exist. The main thing is figuring out what works for your little one. If you have several children, you know that what works for one child, does not suit the other child at all. These tips will help you create peace, rhythm and regularity for your baby:

• Keep a regular bedtime routine.  Always do everything in the same order when you put your baby to bed. For example, first a clean diaper, then feed, then cuddle with some sleep music to get sleepy. What exactly the sequence is is actually less important than the routine. As long as you do exactly the same thing every day, your baby will know where he stands.
• Follow a set pattern when your baby wakes up.  In addition to a fixed routine for putting your baby to bed, it is also good to have a fixed routine when you wake up.
• Follow the same pattern if you're elsewhere.  If you are not at home, you automatically get out of your regular routine. Try to keep the same pattern as much as possible, even when you are on vacation or visiting. Tell family and friends about the habits your baby is used to, so that they too can take your rest and regular schedule into account.
• Tell your child what will happen.  The older your child gets, the better he will understand what is to come. By telling each day what is about to happen, your child can prepare mentally.
• Reduce incentives  and understand that your child's behavior can change if it receives more stimuli. If you go out for a day to a new place, there is a good chance that your child will find it more difficult to find peace that evening.
  
  

Our tips for more peace and regularity

As a mother of 4 children, I know better than anyone how important rest and regularity are. That is why the products of Fedde&Kees have been developed in such a way that they make it easier to follow a fixed routine and thus contribute to peace and regularity.

The Fedde&Kees method works with zippers, with which you put your baby to bed in the same way every day. Tucking in is super simple: anyone can do it and everyone does it exactly the same way! Tip: First give your baby a week to get used to our products. Then he knows exactly what to expect and knows when it's time to sleep.

View the newborn set

Love,

Frederieke