Our Sleep Routine with JOHNSON'S® Bedtime Baby
A few weeks ago JOHNSON'S® challenged us to improve our sleep routine by using their range of Bedtime Baby products as part of our night time routine.
The past couple of weeks have been quite a difficult time in terms of sleep in our house. Little E and I have been going through some major changes in our evening routine and he's been going through a big developmental leap - a double whammy of reasons for our bedtime routine to be thrown out of kilter.
The first week we were asked to continue our bedtime routine as usual. In practice, this means that Little E stays downstairs with us and our evenings are a mixture of him feeding and snoozing the evening away. We've recently moved him into his cot and set up the monitor so the aim of this week was to try and get him down ,asleep, in his cot around the same time as his siblings go to bed at around 8pm.
We spent the first week with a surprising amount of success. Little E had a good feed and we placed him in his cot. It took on average around 45 minutes to get him settled and asleep. I was quite pleased with how he was adapting to his new surroundings. We weren't doing anything except our usual bedtime routine but it seemed like he was setttling well. Towards the end of the week he started with a really heavy cold which meant he became something of a limpet, impossible to settle and we reverted back to our previous relaxed routine.
For our second week JOHNSON'S® Baby sent us four products from their Bedtime Baby range - Bedtime Bath, Wash, Lotion and Oil - to try out their 3 Step Bedtime routine.
The routine's three steps are Bath, Massage and Quiet Time. I knew that, with two other children in the house, we wouldn't manage a bath every night, but I was determined to manage at least one step each night. More often than not Little E's bedtime routine has been shared with his big brother and sister but, as part of the challenge, I was determined to carry out at least one of the steps each night.
The Quiet Time step of the routine was carried out each night. We used the book sent to us by JOHNSON'S® - Good Night Sarah - but read some family favourites too. Massage was the next easiest one and we managed a short massage each night but one using the JOHNSON'S® Bedtime Baby Oil or Lotion. Little E had a bath using the Bedtime Baby Bath and Wash on three nights during the week and we followed the full three step routine on those nights.
Little E has been going through a big developmental leap over the past couple of weeks and has suffered with a cold too. I honestly think that there is no bedtime routine in the world that could have assured an easy. settled week of sleep for us. Little E was actually very difficult in our second week. We managed to get him asleep and settled by around 9pm on three nights but there was no settling him at all on the others. This is no reflection on the changes to his bedtime routine, it simply coincided with a difficult week for my little one.
I really enjoyed using the four products with Little E and the massage step of the routine, especially, was a lovely shared time to connect each evening. Reading to him on his own became a special time too. The four products had a lovely fragrance and were gentle on Little E's skin and easy to use. I found that the massage relaxed both of us and led to some lovely, snuggly time at bedtime. I think that, going forwards, we will continues to use elements of the 3 step routine although I know that, most nights, we won't manage the full routine. We've both enjoyed the massage, and the bedtime story so much.
If Little E was my first child I think that the 3 steps would have worked well. With two other children in the house time is short, especially at bedtime,, but it's important that I do make sure that Little E has the dedicated time available to him that his big brother and sister enjoyed before him. The JOHNSON'S® 3 Step Routine was a really valuable reminder that I need to make time to enjoy him and settle him down well at bedtime and I definitely enjoyed that welcome suggestion.
*Sponsored blog post by the JOHNSON'S® brand, I have received payment incentive and samples but all opinions are my own. JOHNSON'S® 3 step routine consists of bath, massage and quiet time, tested on babies 7 months+, 1 week+ use.
The past couple of weeks have been quite a difficult time in terms of sleep in our house. Little E and I have been going through some major changes in our evening routine and he's been going through a big developmental leap - a double whammy of reasons for our bedtime routine to be thrown out of kilter.
The first week we were asked to continue our bedtime routine as usual. In practice, this means that Little E stays downstairs with us and our evenings are a mixture of him feeding and snoozing the evening away. We've recently moved him into his cot and set up the monitor so the aim of this week was to try and get him down ,asleep, in his cot around the same time as his siblings go to bed at around 8pm.
We spent the first week with a surprising amount of success. Little E had a good feed and we placed him in his cot. It took on average around 45 minutes to get him settled and asleep. I was quite pleased with how he was adapting to his new surroundings. We weren't doing anything except our usual bedtime routine but it seemed like he was setttling well. Towards the end of the week he started with a really heavy cold which meant he became something of a limpet, impossible to settle and we reverted back to our previous relaxed routine.
For our second week JOHNSON'S® Baby sent us four products from their Bedtime Baby range - Bedtime Bath, Wash, Lotion and Oil - to try out their 3 Step Bedtime routine.
The routine's three steps are Bath, Massage and Quiet Time. I knew that, with two other children in the house, we wouldn't manage a bath every night, but I was determined to manage at least one step each night. More often than not Little E's bedtime routine has been shared with his big brother and sister but, as part of the challenge, I was determined to carry out at least one of the steps each night.
The Quiet Time step of the routine was carried out each night. We used the book sent to us by JOHNSON'S® - Good Night Sarah - but read some family favourites too. Massage was the next easiest one and we managed a short massage each night but one using the JOHNSON'S® Bedtime Baby Oil or Lotion. Little E had a bath using the Bedtime Baby Bath and Wash on three nights during the week and we followed the full three step routine on those nights.
Little E has been going through a big developmental leap over the past couple of weeks and has suffered with a cold too. I honestly think that there is no bedtime routine in the world that could have assured an easy. settled week of sleep for us. Little E was actually very difficult in our second week. We managed to get him asleep and settled by around 9pm on three nights but there was no settling him at all on the others. This is no reflection on the changes to his bedtime routine, it simply coincided with a difficult week for my little one.
I really enjoyed using the four products with Little E and the massage step of the routine, especially, was a lovely shared time to connect each evening. Reading to him on his own became a special time too. The four products had a lovely fragrance and were gentle on Little E's skin and easy to use. I found that the massage relaxed both of us and led to some lovely, snuggly time at bedtime. I think that, going forwards, we will continues to use elements of the 3 step routine although I know that, most nights, we won't manage the full routine. We've both enjoyed the massage, and the bedtime story so much.
If Little E was my first child I think that the 3 steps would have worked well. With two other children in the house time is short, especially at bedtime,, but it's important that I do make sure that Little E has the dedicated time available to him that his big brother and sister enjoyed before him. The JOHNSON'S® 3 Step Routine was a really valuable reminder that I need to make time to enjoy him and settle him down well at bedtime and I definitely enjoyed that welcome suggestion.
*Sponsored blog post by the JOHNSON'S® brand, I have received payment incentive and samples but all opinions are my own. JOHNSON'S® 3 step routine consists of bath, massage and quiet time, tested on babies 7 months+, 1 week+ use.