Having a good, consistent bedtime routine is vital to us and Alfie getting a decent nights sleep. Alfie has never been a great sleeper but now he usually sleeps between 7/8pm to around 7am but can happily wake anytime from 6am onwards. There are obviously times when he wakes in the night if he isn't well or is teething and on the odd occasion he has been awake at 4am wanting to play! Thankfully those nights are few and far between.
Here, I'll explain how we settle Alfie down for the night.
1. The Bath
We bath Alfie practically every night and have done since he was 10 weeks old. It's his time to play and burn off the rest of his pent up energy from the day. He is such a water baby, he dunks his head under the water and crawls around the bath making waves as he goes. Bath time is such a special time for us, both Dave (my partner) and I work full time so we have limited time in the evenings to devote to our little boy.
2. Quick play
Alfie is a very boisterous little boy, with a lot of energy to burn. If he has been in nursery for the day we usually skip this little play time as he is so tired from a full day playing with his friends and so he might watch In The Night Garden or go straight to having his bedtime bottle. If he has napped well in the day we use this time to have a little play after his bath, practise some walking or talking and 'read' a story. Alfie adores books and looking at the pictures but very rarely lets you read to him, the second word in and he is already trying to turn the page. The Usbourne touchy-feely "That's not my..." range are his favourites!
We have a quick kiss and cuddle when he starts to get tired and Alfie lies in his cot and drinks his bedtime bottle. We turn off his bedroom light and turn on his Frankie the Frog slumber buddy star projector. This little toy is an absolute must, Alfie loves looking at the stars and the 30 minute timer means we don't have to disturb him once he is asleep. When he has finished his bottle he usually falls straight asleep or has a little cry for his dummy.
Frankie the Frog has 3 different colour settings; green, blue and amber and has a variety of sounds; 3 lullabies, 2 nature sounds and a heartbeat - perfect for newborns! We don't use the sound feature but the projection is great, lighting up the ceiling of Alfie's room with a combination of moons and stars.
And that is Alfie's bedtime routine. Like I said, he usually sleeps until 7am but can be anytime from 6am, waking occasionally for his dummy. This is a vast improvement from when Alfie was around 6 months old and still waking 3/4 times a night. We keep a nightlight in his room which emits a glow that's not too bright but decent enough to be able to find his dummy in the dark! Recently, we gave Alfie a toddler pillow and quilt because he was far too wriggly and hated his Gro bags. He loves his pillow and has slept a lot better since having it but he hates his quilt and kicks it off in the night. Quite often we find he has wriggled to the other end of the bed, using his quilt as a pillow!
Does your little one have a bedtime routine?
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