| There are many important factors to consider | | | | bed a little excited and hyperactive. |
| when trying to ensure your baby gets a good | | | | |
| night sleep. While one method alone will not | | | | The Second Step: |
| work for everyone if you do persevere then it | | | | |
| is just a matter of finding one that suits | | | | After all that energy being used I find this |
| you and your baby. | | | | is a good time to give them a bath. Babies |
| | | | normally love the bath time experience nearly |
| In the first few months of a babies life they | | | | as much as the mother. This is a good mother |
| will not be able to tell the difference | | | | -baby bonding session in it's own right. By |
| between night and day. This causes them to | | | | now the baby should be feeling clean and |
| sleep more hours in daytime than at night. | | | | refreshed. |
| The daytime sleep is made up of many naps | | | | |
| throughout the day. As the baby gets older | | | | The Third Step: |
| they will gradually erase one of the naps and | | | | |
| this will continue as they get older. A young | | | | Before I dress the baby for bed I like to |
| child will never be able to see one full | | | | give a 10-15 minutes massage. This is the |
| morning and afternoon without napping some of | | | | ultimate relaxing moment for the baby as you |
| the time though the naps get less frequent. | | | | give them a gentle rub down on the front and |
| | | | back. Baby massage has many benefits and aids |
| From a very early age you need to set out a | | | | baby development. After the massage has been |
| baby sleep schedule and to stick with it even | | | | finished I powder the baby a little then get |
| though sometimes you may find this difficult. | | | | them into their sleeping clothes. By no the |
| The idea is to instill in the babies mind | | | | baby should be continuing the winding down |
| that now is the time for bed because certain | | | | toward sleep. |
| things are happening. This set routine will | | | | |
| not only assist you with organizing your time | | | | The Forth Step. |
| but it will also be appreciated by the baby. | | | | |
| | | | I always give a feed before bedtime. After |
| Every mum has their own type of schedule that | | | | all the energies of the past few hours I |
| involves many different things and some of | | | | think you will find that they are ready to |
| them maybe similar to the ones that have | | | | fill tuck into something warm and nourishing. |
| worked for me even though they may be done in | | | | Babies are not unlike adults in many ways. I |
| a different order. I used to call mine the | | | | don't know about you buy if I have eaten too |
| five step method and I will go through each | | | | much I just ant to relax and often fall |
| step so you can see why I do it and how | | | | asleep. Babies do the exact same. After a |
| effective it can be. You can integrate any of | | | | good feed and still feeling the benefits of |
| these methods into your schedule if you | | | | the last hour of pre-sleep ritual they should |
| wanted to quite easily. | | | | be ready to get into slumber. |
| | | | |
| As the baby gets older you can still provide | | | | The Fifth Step: |
| these same five examples though they will be | | | | |
| done at different times as the baby develops. | | | | If you have done the first four steps |
| | | | correctly the last should be a breeze. You |
| The first Step: | | | | may not need to get into singing, humming, |
| | | | swaying or gyrating mode for this as all your |
| I set aside a specific time of the day for | | | | past work is hopefully now going to pay |
| afternoon playtime. This will get the mind of | | | | dividends and the baby drops off to sleep of |
| the baby working along with their body. It | | | | their own accord. |
| can be playing with small soft toys or just | | | | |
| simple, games of peek-a-boo and other family | | | | Mission done I pour myself a glass of wine |
| favorites. The idea is to get the activity | | | | and flop down on the sofa and recap on |
| out of the way now and as far away as the | | | | another eventful day for mother and child. |
| sleep time as possible so they do not go to | | | | What will tomorrow bring? Who knows. |