I'm trying hard to make our evenings our own. Date nights seem to be a thing of the past at the moment and it can sometimes be difficult to share even a conversation with each other during the day. Evenings need to be our time; whatever we choose to do with them - even if that is falling asleep before it's even gone 9 o'clock.
I think the one thing Adam and I have needed to work hardest on is getting the boys in to bed on time. It's a 7 o'clock bedtime for Logan, who set that one himself and for Ethan it's half past seven. Our problem is, is that those times are generally when we start heading upstairs, when really we could be heading upstairs much earlier to get all of the pre-bedtime routine done and dusted. We've always tended to bath Ethan and Logan together every other day - sometimes we'll do it in the morning, sometimes the evening, it really just depends on how the days going and where the free time is. Another thing we sometimes do is have a little crazy time just before bed. Sometimes it's a bit of dancing, maybe some tickle time, anything a bit crazy really. I'm not sure if going a bit mad just before bedtime is technically advisable, but rather than over-stimulate our boys, it tends to burn that last bit of energy.
But this week we've been trying something a bit different - we've taken a bit of a more relaxed approach to bedtime as we've been taking part in the 3 step bedtime routine by Johnsons that I mentioned a few blog posts ago.
Bath time has been set to the evening just before bed and we've been trying out a bit of baby massage followed by some quiet time. It's been nice to have a bit more of a routine with their bedtimes - and it's been good to have set a time that we know bath time is at, as it has sort of kicked us in to gear to get upstairs way ahead of actual bedtime.
The boys love bathing together and Logan especially loves bath time in general - he can go from really upset to really happy simply by being put in to a nice, warm bath full of lots of bubbles. We've been using Johnsons bedtime bath in their bath and using the bedtime baby wash to clean them. Afterwards we've been using the Johnsons bedtime baby oil and lotion (which both smell absolutely divine!) for a nice relaxing massage afterwards. I've done some baby massage before with Ethan and a little bit with Logan. It is a lovely way to bond and I love how relaxed the boys seem to feel - it makes me want to be that little again!
For quiet time we've been snuggling up on our bed all together and reading stories whilst Logan has his bedtime bottle. 'Good night Sarah' the book you can see in my first picture, was sent to us by the makers of Johnsons and that's been a lovely one to read together.
Getting the boys down in to bed has been easier during this more relaxed approached to bedtime. Bedtime has certainly felt a little less chaotic. Logan still stirs for a while after we've put him down - we think because his dummy falls out and he loses it. But he'll go straight back to sleep after a few minutes. The boys are good sleepers, we mostly have a full nights sleep, which at their ages we count ourselves very lucky for. I think the best bedtime routines are however you want them to be - whatever works for you as a family. We will definitely be continuing with baby massage time followed by quiet time on our bed reading books and snuggling up (even if we do have the occasional dance party/tickle time too!).
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This is part of a collaborative blog post by the JOHNSON’S® brand. I have received payment incentive and samples but all opinions are my own. JOHNSON’S® clinically proven bedtime routine consists of bath, massage and quiet time, tested on babies 7 months+, 1 week+ use.
