In Ayurveda, establishing a routine for your newborn is considered vital for their physical and mental wellbeing. This includes getting them on a structured feeding schedule early on. An Ayurvedic routine helps babies feel secure, prevents digestive issues like colic, and promotes healthy development. Here's how to get your little one on an Ayurvedic feeding schedule.
Understanding the Importance of Routine in Ayurveda
Ayurveda places great emphasis on dinacharya, which refers to following a consistent daily routine. This helps establish a balance of the three doshas or mind-body principles - Vata, Pitta and Kapha. When in balance, the doshas support strong digestion, sound sleep patterns and robust immunity in babies.
An erratic routine can increase Vata (the energy of movement and change), leading to irregularity, restlessness and digestive issues like gas, colic and constipation. Ayurveda recommends parents create a predictable schedule to ground baby's Vata dosha.
Determining Your Baby's Dosha
Before implementing a feeding routine, it's beneficial to identify your newborn's dominant dosha. This "personal constitution" influences their eating, sleeping and lifestyle needs.
Vata babies tend to be slender, fussy, irregular in hunger/sleep patterns and prone to digestive discomforts. Pitta babies are intense, focused feeders with robust appetites and warm bodies. Kapha babies are larger, slower to get hungry, and inclined towards heaviness.
Your pediatrician can guide you on assessing the baby's dosha through observation of physical and behavioral traits. Understanding their constitution helps tailor an optimal Ayurvedic routine.
Establishing the Feeding Schedule
In Ayurveda, digestion is strongest around 10-11am and 6-7pm. These "Pitta" times are ideal for larger feedings or meals. Feed your baby solids or bottles accordingly.
Between larger meals, Ayurveda recommends smaller "snack" feedings every 2-3 hours to prevent hunger, support stable energy and avoid aggravating Vata. For breastfed babies, feed on-demand during these times, aiming for a 2.5-3 hour cycle between fuller feedings.
During the night, Ayurveda advocates feeding only if absolutely needed to minimize nighttime disruption. Darkness is considered a Vata-aggravating period.
An ideal Ayurvedic feeding schedule for a 3-month old may look like:
- 7am: Larger breastmilk or formula feeding
- 10am: Smaller snack feeding
- 1pm: Larger feeding
- 4pm: Smaller snack feeding
- 7pm: Larger evening feeding
- Dream feed around 10pm if needed
Supporting Routines Through Ayurvedic Practices
Beyond scheduled feedings, Ayurveda recommends practices to ease your baby into a healthy routine:
- Abhyanga (Oil Massage): Give a gentle full-body massage with herb-infused oil before feedings. This grounds Vata, aids digestion and relaxes the baby.
- Establish Wind-Down Time: Create a 20-30 minute pre-feeding ritual with lowered lights, gentle sounds and smells to prepare the baby's mind and body for nourishment.
- Use warming techniques: Slightly warming breast milk/formula and keeping the baby's stomach area covered helps kindle digestive fire and prevents colic.
- Be patient and consistent: It may take 4-6 weeks for a newborn's internal clock to start regulating.
Conclusion:
The Ayurvedic way emphasizes working in harmony with your baby's nature and age rather than forcing a rigid schedule. Let their hunger cues guide you initially while gradually molding toward an Ayurvedic routine.
With time and consistency, you'll have your little one settled into an Ayurvedic feeding, digesting and sleeping like a Dream!
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FAQs
1. Why is having a routine important in Ayurveda for newborns?
Ans. Ayurveda places great emphasis on following a consistent daily routine to help balance the doshas (mind-body principles) and promote strong digestion, sound sleep and robust immunity in babies.
2. What are the ideal feeding times according to Ayurveda?
Ans. The ideal times for larger feedings are around 10-11am and 6-7pm when digestion is strongest. Smaller snack feedings every 2-3 hours in between help prevent hunger.
3. How would an Ayurvedic feeding schedule look for a 3-month-old?
Ans. An example is: 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm for larger feedings with smaller snack feeds between, and a potential dream feed around 10pm if needed.
4. What Ayurvedic practice can help settle a baby into a feeding routine?
Ans. Giving an oil massage (Abhyanga) before feedings, establishing a wind-down period before nourishment, and using gentle warming techniques can prepare a baby's mind and body.
5. How long does it take for a newborn to adapt to an Ayurvedic routine?
Ans. It can take around 4-6 weeks of consistency for a newborn's internal clock to start regulating into the routine.
