Sleep – one of my favourite pastimes, sadly I don’t get as much as I’d like, thanks to my sleep thieves, the children. If it’s not one, it’s one of the others, but sometimes I do get some sleep, and we’re heading into slightly more reliable territory with Daniel, he will go to bed in the evening now and only wakes once. Or twice. Occasionally none at all, but not regularly enough for us to get excited about. These times are short, though, I know from the others that they soon grow out of it, so I’m not too fussed. I’m sharing my bedtime routine that I do with Daniel as part of the Britmums and Bepanthen Bedtime Challenge. I made a vlog of what we like to do and the challenges we face – keeping him still for a nappy change and trying to wind down at the end of the day are the main things. The older two often decide that 6.45 is a good time to start a game of ‘Chase Daniel’ or ‘Jump off the sofa,’ both of which involve squealing and running around. Not good. On the whole, it works out well, and if he’s really tired, he’ll fall asleep on the boob and I can just transfer him up to his bed. If he’s not that exhausted, it can involve one of us sitting in his room with him while he falls asleep. If we invest 10-15 minutes sitting with him, it pays off and he sleeps, if not then we have crying, stamping of feet and then going back up to start all over again. Here’s the video, excuse the walls, we’re going to have the walls replastered soon!
I mentioned a few products in there, the octopus is called Tappy, he was my very first review product and he still looks as good as when we first got him. I know he has tentacles rather than fingers, but hey I was on camera and fingers were what I thought of! Waterproof books are very common and you can get them from places like Boots or John Lewis or your local supermarket. The apron towel I use is one from Cuddledry, but there are other cheaper ones, but this one is double layered with sturdy poppers and it’s lasted through all the children. Here’s a summary of our bedtime routine for Daniel (at 21 months).
6.oo – Finish off tea, play with siblings, attempt to wind down, dim lights
6.30 – Bathtime if we’re having one
6.40 – Pyjama time if no bath
6.45 – Out of bath, dry and change
7.00 – Read a story, breastfeed
7.15 – Brush teeth
7.15-8.00 – Sleep!
One thing I don’t have to worry about is sore bottoms, thanks to Bepanthen, my go to nappy cream. I’ve tried pretty much every kind on the market – zinc based (weird smell and texture), barrier creams (mid priced, but leaves a residue and smell) and cammomile/ aromatherapy based (nice fragrance, good for sensitive skin and everyday use, but not so effective on nappy rash) but this is the only one that truly prevents nappy rash, is easily absorbed, non greasy, non sticky and you only need a very small amount so that one tube will last you years if you’re using it right. It’s clinically proven for babies delicate skin and enhances the natural protection of the skin, so it doesn’t strip the natural oils they have. I particularly like that it’s free from unnecessary ingredients, only ones that have documented safety and benefit and contains no preservatives or antiseptics.
This Post is an entry for #BepanthenBedtimeChallenge, sponsored by Bepanthen. Learn more at https://www.facebook.com/Bepanthen or www.bepanthen.co.uk All opinions are my own.
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