Sleep in our household is something that we're getting in very limited quantities at the moment, which is to be expected with a brand new baby in the house...but if truth be told our nightime sleep patterns haven't been perfect since Tyne first came along almost 3 years ago.
He's never been a particularly great sleeper, and - although in recent months he's become FAR better and now sleeps through once he's gone to bed and happily sleeps in his own bed every night - the memories of the years we spent battling with him to get him to sleep have stuck with us and we're very keen not to make the same mistakes with Noah and Sailor!
I'm not one for following routines with a newborn when it comes to bedtimes as I believe it takes them a while to settle into their own patterns and I'm happy to follow along and let them sleep when they choose to, but with an older baby like Noah I have come to realize that routines at bedtime are quite important.
Noah has always been a much simpler baby to please when it comes to bed times - he started sleeping through the night of his own accord at 10 weeks old (which seemed so early to me after experiencing a baby like Tyne who didn't sleep through until about a year old if not longer!) and has never made a fuss at bedtime.
His routine has always simply been to have a bottle and a cuddle, and be put down in his crib with his lullabies and night light show playing for 15 minutes - by the time the 15 minutes is up, he's asleep.
Recently though he has been waking in the night once at around 11pm, and has been taking longer to go off to sleep - sometimes becoming a little upset when he's initially put in his cot.
So when we were asked to take part in the Johnson and Johnson 3 Step Bedtime Routine Challenge I was eager to see what it involved and if it might help Noah to become the happy little boy he used to be at bedtimes once more.
Here is what the JOHNSON’S® 3-step routine entails:
* STEP ONE, Bath: Start your evening routine with a warm bath using JOHNSON’S® Bedtime Bath or Wash. Enjoy the bathing experience with your child as it is SO MUCH MORE™ than just cleansing. Bath time is a multi-sensorial playground that offers parents and baby opportunities to connect and bond. In fact did you know?
o Playing with bubbles can help baby develop hand-eye coordination and discover that objects exist even when they can’t be seen.
o Playing music and singing songs can stimulate parts of the brain responsible for memory, while playing certain types of music stimulates parts of the brain responsible for visual imagery
o Talking back and forth with baby can help with language development. Studies show infants who are spoken with more have larger vocabularies by 24 months of age.
* STEP TWO, Massage: A soothing massage can help make baby relaxed and comfortable at bedtime, a great reason for a post-bath cuddle.
o Start by ensuring your baby is dry and warm. Lay baby onto a soft comfy surface and use a little JOHNSON’S® Bedtime Oil or Lotion, warming it in your hands before smoothing it onto baby’s skin. Start with hands resting on baby’s tummy, then move downwards to massage legs and then move back upwards in small soft circular motions, engaging with eye-to-eye contact with your little one. Watch their reactions and ensure baby is happy throughout the massage.
* STEP THREE, Quiet Time: The moments before bedtime are an opportunity to help baby wind down through reading, singing or listening to music.
o We have been supplied with the ‘Good Night Sarah’ book created by the makers of JOHNSON’S® as an option to read during quiet time, but the routine states that we can try anything that doesn’t over stimulate or create too much noise, such as playing lullabies. Once baby is relaxed and sleepy you can put them to bed in your usual way.
We have started trying out this new routine this weekend and I will be reporting back in a couple of weeks time to let you know how we get on - wish us luck!!!!
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