Bedtime Activities for Baby

I enjoy attending Johnson's Baby events because I get to meet other moms and swap stories on motherhood. Yesterday, another event was organized by Nuffnang at the Dome Cafe in Makati. The topic was on bedtime activities for babies.

Caren Bayhon-Yrastorza, the speaker, was very engaging. She involved all the moms in the discussions and we all got to share our own experiences about putting our own kids to sleep. Here are some mommy-proven tips:

1. Sing lullabies - It doesn't matter, really, if you sing in tune or not. What's important is being able to lull your baby to sleep with songs that soothe him/her. My firstborn's most requested songs when he was around two years old were "London by Night" by Singers Unlimited and "A Nightingale in Berkeley Square" by Manhattan Transfer. My other sons were more exposed to Jim Chappell's album "Nightsongs and Lullabies" (I mostly hummed along) and a 4-piece cassette tapes set I bought called "Music for Babies".

2. Promote downtime - This can range from simply making sure that baby will be comfortable the whole night (diaper changed / fed / burped) and turning down the lights to praying together and listening to soft music.  The key is to avoid engaging baby in active play so he/she can wind down for bedtime.

3. Read a bedtime story - Most kids enjoy listening to a parent's voice while mom or dad reads a story. You can use big, board books with colorful pictures that really young children would enjoy looking at. As they grow bigger, progress to books with more words and smaller illustrations. I remember my kids loving books with rhyming words such as Dr. Seuss' "The B Book" and Mother Goose's "Nursery Rhymes". I am not surprised that they grew up to love reading because, like me (thanks to my mom), they have been exposed to books at an early age.

Some preschoolers actually prefer being told "invented" stories that they can really relate to. My husband and I have spun dozens of tales about the adventures of two brothers which our boys would listen to with wide eyes because, at the time, they were amazed to discover that they were also experiencing the things happening to the boys in the stories. On the other hand, Some kids love sharing a recap of how their day went before going to sleep.

 Download and print the pdf file of this nice story 

at the bedtime.com.ph website.

4. Do the three-step bedtime routine of warm bath, massage/touch therapy, and quiet time (see #2 above). Use products that are gentle to babies' skin and which has ingredients that releases calming essences.

5. Do other things that works for you - Every baby is different. And only his/her parents would know best how to make him/her get to sleep faster. If you are a new parent, I assure you, you'll discover your own techniques sooner or later.

For more tips and tricks on bedtime discoveries, visit www.bedtime.com.ph