Tag: bedtime

I Spot

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I Spot (3)

Recently I played a fun game with Veronika just before bed flashing colors through scarves. Tonight, we put the flashlight to a different use!

Simply walk around and shine the light on various objects in your child’s room (or elsewhere in the house). For each item, say in a soft voice, “I spot a…”

I spot the light switch.

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I spot a treasure box.

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And so on. Sometimes, Veronika wanted to hold the flashlight and help. I spot a clock.

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Sometimes she wanted to reach out and touch, and sometimes just look. I spot an apple.

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This can easily become a cherished routine; if you repeat items nightly, it will reinforce the names of familiar and treasured items, and can also help lull your baby. Veronika loves it!

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Sleepy Stretches

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Sleepy Stretches (6)

Uh oh, Veronika is reaching that age where babies begin to resist naps; the world is just so much fun, mom, why would I sleep, she seems to say until I conk her out in a car ride.

But car rides aren’t always practical or feasible, and having a little routine like this poem can become a cue for baby that it’s time to rest. I sat with Veronika and first acted out this poem:

Stretch up high, as high as a tree (reach arms above head).

Curl up as small as a bumble bee (curl up with arms wrapped around knees).

Now we’re feeling very sleepy (yawn!).

Relax your hands, relax your feet (go limp).

Now close your eyes and go fast asleep (rest cheek on hands).

Then I lay her down and helped her act through the motions.

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She seemed to get the idea that we were relaxing her body.

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At bedtime, we repeated the routine. This time, big brother helped act out the movements, and Veronika did her first deliberate reach up high!

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This might not have settled her down, but it certainly was a milestone. The kids are looking a little sleepy…

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What’s your go-to bedtime routine? Please share in the comments!

Together Time

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Together Time (8)

Veronika is seven months old today! These little monthly birthdays are great moments to take stock as a parent; you can marvel at how far your baby has come, and also pause to think about what’s working and what maybe isn’t anymore.

To wit, Veronika’s bedtime routine has shifted considerably since she was a newborn (when, by “routine”, I mean there completely wasn’t one!)

Now, she has a set bedtime (6.30) which allows us as a family to decide how we want to spend that last hour before bed.

No matter what your routine looks like, I highly recommend making sure there are no phone calls and no visitors. Where is my phone during all of this? Charging and on silent!

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So first up, it’s time to eat a yummy dinner!

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Next up is bath and jammies.

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It’s okay to invite a stuffed animal friend over, of course.

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We pause to read a story. Veronika likes to help turn pages.

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Then she watches big brother take a bath – her dry tub makes a perfect play pen!

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And that first little tooth needs a brush!

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Then it’s lullabies and lights out.

 

Sleepy Baby

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sleepy baby (2)

Now that we’ve started to figure out Veronika’s daily routine, it’s time to set up a proper nighttime routine for her, too.

As mentioned, I don’t bother with routines for my kids when still in their “fourth trimester.” But starting about 10 days ago, we noticed a big change; Veronika stopped her evening cluster feed (which had been going pretty-much non-stop from 7 to 10 p.m.!), and instead, well, she found her thumb. And with that, she’s capable of self-soothing and falls asleep between 6.30 and 7.

So now we needed to make bedtime special. The key to aby routine is consistency. I’m still working out how to do this best with two kids, but here’s what I’ve come up with so far.

Step 1: Bath (or cradle cap)

I don’t do baths nightly yet (too much washing can make a newborn’s skin dry), but if it’s a bath night, we start with that. If not, one night a week I comb through her cradle cap; try adding a little edible oil, like olive oil, to the scalp. Let sit for about 10 minutes, then brush through and shampoo out.

If there’s no cradle cap or bath, I still make it cozy and special to get into pajamas, with lotion and everything all laid out.

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Step 2: Storytime

Because I’m juggling two kids, Veronika’s storytime has to be while big brother has his bath!

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Yours might look a little less chaotic and a lot cozier, but I think she’s already come to associate her little bathroom chair with books, and anticipates that sleep is next – which is exactly what you want.

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Step 3: Lullabies. We do a final nurse and I sing her a special song or two.

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Then it’s lights out – and don’t forget a big kiss goodnight!

One additional item that we’ll add to her bedtime routine now that she’s old enough? A quick baby signing song. What does bedtime look like in your house? Please share in the comments!

 

Starry Night Constellations

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Our star-themed fun continues, here in the dark days of winter. January is a great time of year to talk with little ones about stars, because the sky gets dark so early; in the summer, it’s still light when Travis goes to bed, and he hardly ever gets a chance to star gaze!

Tonight, we had flashlight fun with some of our now-familiar constellation forms. Ahead of time, I used permanent marker to make a dot for each star on construction paper, making the shapes of favorites like Orion, Canis Major, the Big Dipper, and the Southern Cross.

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Now it was up to Travis to punch out the holes, using a pen (or a sharp pencil would work).

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I was quite impressed with how exact he managed to be, puncturing the paper only where I’d made dots. He loved the challenge!

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Now stand in a dark room, and shine a flashlight through the holes onto the wall. Voila, you’ll see the starry sky suspended before you! Travis loved being the one to hold the flashlight, and line up the beam so a particular constellation appeared.

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Indeed, he loved it so much he had to punch holes all over a second sheet of paper. Now it looked like the Milky Way was flooding our wall with stars!

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