Consistency is Elemental Regularity and predictability tell a baby that she can trust her caregivers to tend to her needs. A baby develops a sense of security when caregivers respond predictably in a loving manner when she is crying, hungry, sleepy or in the mood to play. While an older child can be taught to wait to have her needs met, an infant cannot be expected to wait until a certain time for someone to respond. Knowing that she can depend on caregivers to respond when she needs them helps a child to form healthy secure attachments.

Schedules and routines are important components of consistency. They create predictability and stability in the environment. Routines – doing certain things in a certain order at approximately the same time – help build self-confidence that comes from knowing what to do in a situation. Even though a young child cannot tell time or verbalize the steps in a routine, she can remember the order in which things occur. For example, a 2-year-old may know the routines of her childcare center: She arrives, hangs up her sweater, washes her hands, and then finds a toy to play with. When the teacher sings the clean-up song, she puts her toys away and lines up to go outside. She can be successful in following the routine she has learned to expect. Her success builds self-esteem and encourages independence. When routines include the opportunity for a child to select some of her own activities, her creativity is encouraged and self-esteem is enhanced.

Orderliness in the environment helps a child know what to expect. Knowing what to expect gives a child a sense of security and control. She knows that her toothbrush will be in the cup by the sink. She knows that the blocks are in the building center. She learns where to put things when it is time to clean up. An adult knows how stressful it can be when she cannot find something, such as keys, that she expects to be in a certain place. Keeping the environment reasonably orderly can reduce frustration and stress for a child, as well.

Flexibility Some people think that being consistent means never changing a schedule or routine, never changing the rules, or always being in control of a child’s actions. Consistency does not mean being rigid, inflexible or controlling. It means having the same general schedule or routine, not necessarily having the same specific regimen every day. The exact time or place of routines such as reading a story before turning out the light at night or washing hands before eating might change. Schedules also may change for special occasions or in special circumstances. Some routines should change as a child develops. For example, bedtime should be changed as the child grows older. A child learns to adapt to change when she is secure in her regular routines. Experiencing flexibility within routines helps a child learn to adapt without causing anxiety or stress.