Bed Time Routine of my 7 month old

Since Baby R was born, it became quite clear to me he was a child of habit. He whimpered for his first feed 3 hours after he was born and for the next few weeks, (until his reflux became an issue) he fed every 3 hours at daytime. He slept at the same times and woke at the same times every day. 

So, seeing as he seemed to like routine, once he started sleeping through the night we established a bed time routine for him. 

It can change slightly with times if we've had a busy day, or if we are out visiting family. I try not to be too rigid with it and if he is tired earlier than usual we don't force him to stay up. Sometimes I miss out parts of the routine deliberately, this is so he doesn't need the entire routine to help him go to bed. If he doesn't have a bath one night or if he's staying with his grandparents he still needs to be able to go to bed, and some of his routine isn't always going to be possible. So it is flexible to a degree, but our routine looks a little something like this:

4.30 - 5pm Dinner Time 

Around this time of evening eye rubbing is Baby R's favourite thing to do. He's getting tired but won't nap even if I did attempt to put him down for one. It is also this time of day he starts making a popping noise by smacking his lips together and this is his 'I'm hungry' sign. So once the rubbing of the eyes commences or he lets me know he's hungry, I take him in to the kitchen and sit him in his highchair with his highchair toy (1st on the list in my 3-6 month Must Haves). I make his bottle and put it to cool before feeding him his solids. Sometimes he has food from a jar or a pouch, other times he has what me & hubby are eating but mashed up a bit. Either way, once food is ready I take his toy away and he eats his dinner. After he's eaten his food and chucked strategically placed what he doesn't want on the floor, highchair, his face, bib and clothes we attempt to wipe up the mess. The majority of cleaning is met with little fuss, but as soon as I wipe his face I am told in no uncertain terms that he doesn't like it. 

I grab his bottle, remove him from the highchair and we go sit on the sofa together while he has his bottle. He's getting more mobile and active these days so bottle time & bed time are rare opportunities for a cuddle! This is his last bottle of the day. Baby R used to have a feed/bottle at bed time, but he eliminated this himself and started refusing any bottle offered to him at bed time.

5-5.45pm Play Time

After dinner Baby R has his final 'Play Time' of the day. I like to let him burn off that excess energy he suddenly acquired from nowhere! Usually he goes in his door bouncer or walker/activity centre. He loves being stood up so these are his favourite things to play with, but occasionally he's not in the mood for either of these activities so we will play in his sensory tent, or with some of his other Christmas gifts. I will normally put Cbeebies on the telly, music on my phone or Baby Einstein on YouTube for him. Some days he will take great interest in the programmes or songs but usually it's just background noise to him. He doesn't like the house to be too quiet so background noise keeps the levels of happiness up.

5.45-6.15pm Bath Time

Bath time!

I run Baby R a bath most nights. At the moment he is enjoying Johnsons Baby 2in1 bubble bath & wash. I use Johnsons Baby Shampoo with calming Lavender. I put his bathtime buddy (a sponge shaped like a frog, his bath book, a hippo water squirter and his rubber duck for him to play with and then sit him in the bath. For those who have read my must have posts you will notice we are no longer using the bath seat. I still love it and if he's very tired having a bath I will lie him in it, but he enjoys sitting up and playing in the bath these days.

Although Baby R is currently using and loving a lot of Johnsons products, our bathroom cupboard is filled with lots of different products/brands. I was bought a lot while I was pregnant and most of what you see in the picture is my pre-pregnancy stock. I like to try different brands to check he isn't allergic or sensitive to anything. 

Once Baby R is all washed, and he's had a good 10 minutes of playing & splashing I take him out of the bath wrap him in his hooded towel and dry him off. Twice a week I put baby lotion on him to try and keep that skin lovely and smooth. If I use it any more or less often his skin suffers. Twice a week works for us. Then it's a clean nappy and fresh PJ's to end his bath time ritual. He is always calm an relaxed after his bath.

6.15-6.25pm Bed time story & cuddles

Baby R's book collection

Baby R has quite a collection of books already. We even have a few in Welsh for him, although my pronunciation isn't the best, we are hoping it will stand him in good stead for school. We normally read him one book, but if the story is long we will split it in half. The favourites at the moment are One Ted Falls Out of Bed & Guess How Much I Love You. We have a cuddle, read the story and look at the pictures together.

6.25-6.45 Quiet Time & Bed Time

Calpol, Slumber Buddy, Light Show & Goodnight Bear

Obviously calpol isn't a constant in our routine, but I'm 'featuring' it because at the moment Baby R is teething. He has two teeth and another two are trying to push their way through. I have tried every teething product I could get my hands on. Even the so called miracle teething powders but nothing really helps him much. If he is showing signs of suffering with teething at bed time, we will sometimes give him a dose of calpol to take the edge off so he can get to sleep. Then we put on his Slumber Buddy which shines stars on the ceiling and plays different lullabies or soothing sounds. Brahms Lullaby is Baby R's favourite. We have a cuddle and some quiet time in the rocking chair and wind down. At the end of our routine Baby R is placed in to his cot, while still awake. He is given his goodnight bear and tucked in. I say "It's bedtime now, night night." and then leave the room. Normally he is asleep before I get to the bottom of the stairs but sometimes his chattering can be heard over the monitor for a few minutes. After a few tired giggles & some cooing he drifts off. By 7pm he is asleep.

Coffee and some Brahms!

After that I settle down with a cup of coffee, the baby monitor & YouTube. If Hubby is home we natter and catch up, if not I enjoy the quiet time. That's it then until 7am when Baby R wakes us up with the joyful babbling and giggles over the monitor. It really is the cutest alarm clock ever!

What does your little ones bed time routine look like? Let me know down below. If you're a blogger and have already written a post about it then leave the link for me in the comments so I can have a read! As always thanks for reading! xoxo

**The Mummy Tag**

The Mummy Tag

I've seen this tag floating around on blogs I read, and some of the YouTubers I watch have done this too. So I thought it was a fun little blog to do just to pass some time while Hubby is in work and baby is tucked up in bed.

 I tag anyone reading this, who is a mummy. Here goes:-

1) Are you a stay at home mum or a working mum? 

I am currently a stay at home mum while I am on maternity leave, but I will be returning to work next year.

2) Would you have it any other way?

Yes & no. Yes I would love to be able to give up work at least until my son is in school. But on the other hand I would rather work and provide him with everything he needs, than not work and struggle.

3) Do you co-sleep? 

No. Never have and never would. I would be terrified of falling in to a deep sleep and hurting/suffocating my son. Plus I think it's important for your child to sleep in their own bed or space and to be able to get to sleep without Mum or Dad cuddling them to sleep.

4) One must have gear for baby?

Tough one. I have two! First one is the bath seat. My son wasn't too keen on baths to start with. It was quite hot in Britain this summer and warm baths weren't exactly wanted by an already warm baby. The seat meant I could wash him with warm water but he was sat above the water so didnt get too warm. Now he's older it means my hands are free to wash him. Help him play with toys etc.

Second one would be his Elephant Slumber buddy. It's a projector night light that plays lullabies. The light and music switch off after a set amount of time (ours is set to half hour). Now he's a bit older he loves to look at the projected stars on the ceiling and it helps calm him down just after his bed time story and just before bed time.

5) How many kids do you plan on having?

I honestly don't know. My husband would like three but at the moment my son is only five and a half months so I'm quite happy with my little baby. Maybe one day we will have a second. Just enjoying my little boy for now.

6) Date night? How many nights a month?

We don't really do date nights as such, and definitely not every month. We went out last month to celebrate our wedding anniversary, and we will probably do the same for our birthdays and stuff. But we enjoy being at home with the little one, so I don't think date night will become a thing.

7) Your child's favourite show?

He's five and a half months, he doesn't really have a favourite show. He sometimes watches Baby Einstein TV if I need him distracted for me to tidy up or do laundry, and he enjoys it, but he's not that bothered by TV at the moment.

8) Name 1 thing you bought before you had your baby and you never used?

Scratch mittens. He wouldn't wear them or keep them on so the 7/8 pairs I had haven't been used. Instead I started buying sleepsuits with the built in mittens (you roll the sleeves over the babies hands) and they work much better than actual mittens.

9) Your Child's favourite food?

Apple, Porridge or the two mixed together. He's still in the early stages of weaning, but will eat most vegetables and fruit. But baby porridge and apple are definitely his favourite so far.

10) How many cars does your family have?

One

11) Weight gain before pregnancy, during, after and now?

OK so I lost maybe 2lbs during pregnancy? After I lost a further 15lbs and now I am 38lbs lighter than my pre pregnancy weight.

12) Dream holiday with your child?

I'd love to take him to Disneyland (Paris or Florida). I think that would be really magical when he's quite a bit older. But I'd also quite like to take him around the UK to different places. There's a lot for him to explore and do.

13) Dream holiday without your child?

If money was no object I'd love to go on an around the world cruise. 

14) How has your life changed since your baby has been born?

Probably not in the ways I was expecting. I'm lucky, he's an excellent sleeper and has slept through the night since he was about 7 weeks old so I haven't really lost out on much sleep (furiously smacking every piece of wood available to me).

I guess mainly the fact there is someone more important than me or my husband in my life. Leaving the house requires planning and thought. It's like a military exercise and even then it never quite goes to plan.

My washing machine never stops. Not just because of him, but because of the amount of mess I manage to get myself in looking after him all day. He has reflux so there was a time when I would have to change my top 4/5 times a day. Luckily he's much better these days ... but the washing is still ridiculous.

It's changed my relationships with a lot of people. I think there is a new found respect for the other mums & dads in your life, for your own parents etc. Some relationships improve, some not so much and some dissolve the instant you become Mummy. 

Plus you become a bit of a circus act. The amount you can do with one hand is incredible. I was rubbish in the first few weeks, but something clicked and now I can juggle (metaphorically of course) the baby, a hand full of toys, dirty laundry and a bottle if needs be. 

15) Finish the sentence: "It makes my heart melt to see...."

My baby smile and my baby peacefully sleeping. The two things that are guaranteed to make me grin from ear to ear and just want to hug, squeeze & love him!!

16) Where do you shop for your kids?

Sainsburys, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Next, Matalan, Primark, Babies R Us, Mothercare... anywhere & everywhere basically :)

17) Favourite make-up and skin care products?

Make-Up - At the moment I'm in love with BB creams. Rimmel Londons 9-in-1 BB Cream is my current fave.

Skin Care Products - "I Love..." Strawberry Celebration bath & shower cream 

                                     Palmers  Cocoa Butter

18) Huggies or Pampers?

Pampers, but I think I will be trying out some other brands, as I don't think they are worth the money given how often they leak. Have heard Aldis own are good so may well give them a go.

19) Have you always wanted kids?

Yes, I've always wanted to be a mum. Even when I was 6/7 I can remember playing in my room. I played this game where I was a doctor, teacher, author, ballerina, shop owner all in one week. And I can remember pretending to drop my children off at school before I went to work... my child being a teddy bear named 'Cuddles' would then be my patient, student, publisher, dance partner or customer. Very versatile bear!!

20) Best part of being a mum?

That feeling of being totally in love and not knowing how you could possibly love or be any more proud of your child. But yet every day you love them even more and are proud of every little thing they do. The unconditional love between you and your child... and getting to see them grow in to their little personalities.

Ok so that's the Mummy Tag. Hope you enjoyed and as always. Thanks for reading!